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Add to SafariWhen comparing Roku Streaming Stick vs Tronsmart Ara X5 Plus, the Slant community recommends Tronsmart Ara X5 Plus for most people. In the question“What are the best HTPCs under $100?” Tronsmart Ara X5 Plus is ranked 1st while Roku Streaming Stick is ranked 3rd. The most important reason people chose Tronsmart Ara X5 Plus is:
This box delivers 50 Mbps of download speed and 20 Mbps of upload speed over Wi-Fi. To extend its Wi-Fi coverage, it comes with an attachable Wi-Fi antenna.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Great search engine
This device has the best search engine amongst its competitors. It shows you the largest number of apps and displays what content is available on those apps, how much your desired content costs, or if it’s free of charge.
Pro Has a convenient companion app
You can install the Roku app on your smartphone for easy access to convenient features. For example, you can turn your smartphone into a remote control for the Roku Stick.
Pro Seamless performance
The Roku Streaming Stick needs only 27 seconds to boot up. There are no glitches or slowdowns while navigating through the user interface and using apps.
Pro You can search for content using voice commands
With the Roku app, you can search for content using only voice commands.
Pro Can be remotely controlled
There’s no need for a mouse or keyboard to manage this device as it includes a remote control.
Pro Compact design
The Roku Streaming stick is just 3.3 inches long and plugs directly into the HDMI port at the back of your TV.
Pro The pre-installed Roku OS offers a variety of media streaming features
The Roku Streaming Stick is pre-installed with Roku OS, which is a Linux based OS. The Roku OS is built for media streaming and offers a high variety of apps and streaming channels that are updated every week.
Pro Decent Wi-Fi performance
This box delivers 50 Mbps of download speed and 20 Mbps of upload speed over Wi-Fi. To extend its Wi-Fi coverage, it comes with an attachable Wi-Fi antenna.
Pro Built-in Cortana app works as your personal assistant
By using the Cortana application you can set reminders and get answer to simple questions using voice commands. You can even ask it to tell you a joke.
Pro Comes pre-installed with a fully licensed Windows 10 OS
You won't have to go trough the process of buying a Windows license and setting up an OS to use this device.
Pro The box is silent
Since there's no fan for this device, it doesn't make any noise.
Pro Can add more storage
This unit has a microSD slot and a USB port, so you can add more storage to the already existing 32GB of internal storage.
Pro Great media quality
This unit has no problem with playing 1080p and Blu-Ray videos at 60 frames per second.
Cons
Con There's no web browsing
There's no web browser on the Roku OS.
Con You can't play games on it
There are no games on the Roku OS.
Con Lacks an Ethernet port
The only way to connect this device to the internet is through WiFi.
Con Doesn't include an HDMI extension cable
While the device is only 5.5" in size, it still might be too big for some TVs. You may need an HDMI extension cable to be able to use this device.
Con The big antenna is unattractive
This unit has a tall and bulky Wi-Fi antenna. This also makes it harder to hide this unit behind your TV.
Con Memory can’t be upgraded
Since RAM is hard-wired to the motherboard, it is not possible to add more memory.
Con Slow when multitasking
This is mainly because it has only 2GBs of RAM. It will still handle a dozen web browser tabs, but you should avoid doing other demanding tasks simultaneously.
