The 2025 65” Roku Pro Series Is a Perfect, Budget-Friendly TV for Streaming or Gaming

As someone who writes about TVs and consumer electronics for a living, I often get asked two questions by people shopping for a 4K smart TV. First, they ask about the best size TV, and then they want to know how much to spend. Unfortunately, there are no cookie cutter responses to these questions. It all depends on someone’s viewing habits, budget, the size of the room where the TV will be installed, and what features they want integrated into the TV.

That said, for an average size living room, bedroom, guest room, playroom, home office, or dorm room, I typically recommend a 65-inch TV. It’s a common size that has the broadest appeal. The price of a 65-inch TV, however, ranges from under $300 to $5,000 or more. It all comes down to specifications like the type, resolution, refresh rate, and maximum brightness of the screen, the quality of the speakers, the configuration of ports, the TV’s operating system, the quality of the components within the device, the TV’s brand, and what special features it offers. 

Unless you’re on a tight budget, or specifically looking for a high-end (premium) TV from a brand like Sony, Samsung, or LG, the viewing needs of most households can nicely be met by a mid-priced TV (in the $1,000 to $1,500 price range). And out of the 2025 model TVs I’ve tested thus far, one of my favorites in this category is the latest 65-inch Roku Pro Series TV. It offers the performance, features, and functions an average TV viewer or casual gamer wants and needs.

Roku Pro Series 2025 Smart TV (65")

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The folks at Roku recently sent me the 65-inch version of the 2025 Roku Pro Series TV to test. I’ve had the opportunity to use several older models of this TV, and was pleasantly surprised by the technological improvements made to this latest version, particularly when it comes to picture and sound quality. So, if you’re looking for a quality, mid-priced TV, keep reading to learn more about this smart TV offering from Roku.

Who Should Buy the 2025 Roku Pro Series TV?

The 2025 65-inch Roku Pro Series TV is nicely equipped to handle the viewing and casual gaming habits of most individuals and families. One big benefit is that the RokuTV OS features an incredibly popular and easy-to-navigate interface with integrated streaming capabilities. It comes with a handful of apps for popular streaming services preinstalled, but you can install free apps for any of the streaming video or music services you subscribe to. And then there’s the free Roku Channel. It offers an ever expanding library of free on-demand and live programming.

People who are not tech-savvy typically like the RokuTV OS because of its simplicity, but also because the Roku Voice Remote Pro (2nd Edition) that comes with the Roku Pro Series TV offers a bunch of useful features. From the remote, you can control the TV using your voice, or take advantage of the large and well-labeled buttons on the remote itself. People also like the Roku TVs because you can pair Bluetooth headphones or earbuds with the TV for a private viewing and listening experience.

Meanwhile, because the TV offers an impressive selection of ports, connecting a soundbar, surround sound system, cable TV box, DVD/Blu-Ray player, console-based video game system, or other equipment is a straightforward process. These features, combined with the overall performance, picture quality, and sound quality of the TV make it an affordable option suitable for most rooms within a home. 

For those looking for the functionality of the Roku Pro TV, but in a larger size, a 75-inch version ($1,700) is also available. This option may be a better fit as the centerpiece for a home theater setup to be used in a large living room. But for a small space, the 55-inch version ($898) may be a good choice for a general purpose TV that’s loaded with features typically found in more expensive options from competitors.

2025 Roku Pro Series TV: Best Features of This Mid-Range TV

Like virtually all TV these days, this one comes with a stand. A Roku flush wall mount is also available ($100), but sold separately. On the back of the 65-inch version of the TV is a 400mm x 300mm VESA mount, so you can also use any compatible TV wall mount option. 

Keep in mind, a good viewing distance for a 65-inch TV is from between 6.5 and 8.9 feet from the screen, but some viewers and gamers prefer sitting about four feet from the screen for a more immersive viewing experience. Whether you use the TV’s stand or a wall mount should be based on the size and layout of the room where the TV will be used.

Since the Roku Pro TV has side-firing speakers, I discovered that the best sound can be heard if the TV is placed near the center of a room with a wall behind it. And since this particular TV is best viewed from a head-on perspective (as opposed to from an angle), the seating arrangements around the TV should accommodate this. I also suggest paying attention to the ambient light in the room (from windows, overhead lighting, and floor lamps), as these light sources could generate an unwanted glare on the screen if the light is not angled appropriately.

Once you have decided on the placement of the 65-inch Roku Pro Series TV , here are some of my favorite features that help boost the overall performance of the TV, along with its picture and sound quality. It’s this collection of features that set the TV apart from similarly priced competitors. Last year’s model is vertically identical to this year’s model on the outside, but on the inside, improvements have been made to its inner-workings that allow for a slightly better picture and enhanced sound quality.

As I began testing this TV, I focused on the quality, vibrancy, detail, and color accuracy offered by the picture, as well as the smoothness of action-oriented content, such as sports and action movies. Between the mini-LED QLED screen technology and the display’s 120Hz refresh rate, I experienced impressive performance for a mid-priced TV. The integrated AI does a nice job cleaning up picture quality to ensure accurate color and sharpness. 

Plus, the support for Dolby Vision, Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+ Adaptive, HLG and other HDR formats helps to ensure a consistently good quality picture. The TV has an auto brightness feature that adapts to changing ambient light in the room, which was useful. 

In my opinion, the TV could use some improvement related to how well it deals with glare from ambient light. And if you’re not watching the TV from directly in front of the screen, the picture quality diminishes based on your viewing angle and glare from ambient light. Then again, these are common problems for TVs in this price range, regardless of the make and model.

When not being used to watch TV, instead of having a large black rectangle hanging on your wall or sitting on your TV stand, the Roku Pro Series TV has an optional feature called Backdrops. As a screensaver, it can display famous works of art, photographs by famous photographers, or your own photos. This feature is free and requires no separate subscription. 

If you opt to use the Backdrops feature, you can curate your own virtual art gallery by picking and choosing what gets displayed, which can be done from the TV. Or you can upload your own photos via a Roku Backdrops website (that also supports Google Photos). The higher the resolution of the photos you choose to display, the better they’ll look when viewed on the TV’s 4K resolution screen.

The TV itself is 1.9 inches thick, which by today’s standards is a bit on the thicker side compared to some competitors that have TVs that are a mere one inch thick. If you’re using the TV stand, the TV’s thickness doesn’t really make a difference. You will notice it more if the TV is hanging on a wall. But again, for a TV in this price range, the thickness and overall design is normal.

The Roku Pro Series TV Offers Upgraded Sound and Four Side-Firing Speakers

By repositioning the TV’s four speakers to the sides, as opposed to the back or or front, this gives the Roku Pro the ability to generate more immersive audio by bouncing sound from the TV against nearby walls. How well this works will depend on the size and layout of the room where the TV is set up.

When I spoke directly with the audio engineer who played an integral part in designing the speakers built into this TV, I learned that for the 2025 version, a lot of attention was paid toward improving the sound quality generated by the four side-firing speakers. 

During my time testing, I noticed a genuine improvement in sound quality compared to last year’s model. This is, in part, thanks to the upgraded Roku Soundstage Audio and Dolby Atmos support that’s built into the TV. These technologies help to provide a fuller listening experience than traditional stereo speakers or speakers located on the front or back of a TV. Of course, if you want a full surround sound experience, it’s necessary to connect an optional surround sound system to the TV.

Enjoy Plenty of Ports and Connectivity Options

Right out of the box, the Roku Pro Series TV is ready to be connected to a wide range of optional equipment thanks to its selection of ports that include one USB Type-A, one USB Type-C, two HDMI 2.1, one HDMI, one HDMI eARC, a cable/antenna, an optical audio, and an Ethernet port. All of these ports are located on the back of the TV. Depending on how you position the TV in a room, the port location on the back could make them challenging to access. I’m always a fan of TVs that have at least one HDMI port on the side or front of the TV for easy access. This is missing from the Roku Pro Series models.

When it comes to wireless connectivity, the Roku Pro Series TV supports Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, AirPlay 2, and Miracast. AirPlay 2 allows someone to wirelessly transmit what’s on the display of their Apple iPhone, iPad, MacBook, or iMac directly to the TV’s display. This also works when using the TV’s speakers to listen to music being sent from an Apple device. The TV’s support for Miracast allows for other computers and mobile devices to wireless send content to the TV, or for the TV to mirror the display of on another device.

It’s a Great Option for Casual Gamers

The TV’s picture and sound quality, along with its 120Hz refresh rate and support for AMD Freesync Premium Pro, AALM, and VRR allow for a good gaming experience when the TV is used as a gaming monitor for a computer, or when a console-based gaming system is connected to the TV via an HDMI cable. The TV works nicely with all of the popular gaming systems, including the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, along with any of the Sony PlayStation or Microsoft Xbox systems.

When the TV identifies that a game is being played, it automatically activates its game mode and adjusts its settings to provide the smoothest on-screen action, and tear-free gaming experience. I immediately noticed the TV’s game mode made the Nintendo Switch’s game graphics look brighter and sharper than the picture quality I saw when streaming shows or movies.

There’s a Good Reason Why the The RokuTV OS Is So Popular

Originally, the RokuTV OS was designed for streaming sticks and devices that were connected to TVs in order to enable them to stream audio and video content from popular services. This operating system caught on with consumers, thanks to its simplicity when it comes to finding and watching programming. 

The Roku TVs use this same operating systems, and have the equivalent of a Roku streaming device built in, As a result, content from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, or any of the services you subscribe to are readily accessible from the TV using the included remote control or voice commands.

The Roku Voice Remote Pro (2nd Edition) Is Loaded with Features

The Roku Pro Series TV comes with a Roku Voice Remote Pro (2nd Edition). This is an ergonomic handheld remote with buttons that provides easy control over the television. All 23 of the buttons are nicely labeled and backlit (so you can use the remote in a dark room). The buttons include a Power, Back, Home, Replay, Mic, Options, Rewind, Play/Pause, Fast Forward, Guide, Quick Launch, Volume up, Volume down, and Mute button. There are also four app shortcut buttons that can launch popular streaming services (if you subscribe to them) with just one press.

In addition to accepting voice commands to control the TV, the remote can be used to issue commands to other smart equipment within a home that supports Apple Siri, Google Assistant, or Amazon Alexa. And since TV remotes often get misplaced or buried under couch cushions, this device has a Remote Finder function.

The Roku Voice Remote Pro (2nd Edition) relies on a rechargeable battery that lasts for a few months between charges. One feature I found handy is that the remote has up to a 100 foot range from the TV.

The Roku Channel Offers Plenty of Free Programming

The Roku Channel is the company’s own streaming service that offers a large library of on-demand TV shows, movies, documentaries, and more. And there’s a decent selection of live TV offerings and original/exclusive content, too. Best of all, as a Roku TV owner, you get unlimited access to the Roku Channel for free. 

Some of the live TV offerings include 24/7 news channels, such as CBS News, Live Now FOX, Dateline, NBC News Now, and ABC News Live.

Roku Pro Series 2025 Smart TV (65")

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My Final Thoughts: Is the 2025 Roku Pro Series TV Worth It?

In the $1,000 to $1,500 price range for a 65-inch smart TV, I found that the Roku Pro Series TV offers really good overall performance. I’m a fan of the simplicity that the RokuTV OS provides when it comes to finding and watching shows and movies. So, if you’re looking for a mid-priced, general purpose TV, this one should be a top choice.

Of course, there are thinner 65-inch TVs that offer an even better and brighter picture, more immersive sound, and more cutting-edge features, but these fall into a much higher price range. Based on my testing, this Roku Pro Series TV offers really good value for the investment and can provide countless hours of binge watching entertainment.