The first OLED Roku TV is here after a long, long wait

Today, Sharp is announcing the first Roku TV that features an OLED display. Until this point, the program — launched back in 2014 — has exclusively produced sets with LCD panels from a slew of different TV manufacturers. But with its new Aquos OLEDs, Sharp is finally bucking that trend.

Available in 55-inch and 65-inch sizes, these TVs support Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10, and feature four HDMI ports that all support variable refresh rate (VRR) for smooth 4K 120Hz gameplay. The Aquos OLED sets also include a 30-watt speaker system and full Dolby Atmos compatibility.

But as always with Roku TVs, the biggest hook is the easy-to-use software. You’re getting the same user experience as a Roku streaming device — but natively built into the TV. So buyers can expect Roku’s universal search, several years’ worth of OS updates, and a constantly evolving homescreen that has increasingly put a focus on free-to-stream content. A voice remote is included with the TV, and the Aquos OLEDs support Apple AirPlay, HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home.

The other key draw of Roku TVs has often been appealing prices, but I wouldn’t say Sharp is being super aggressive in this department. The 55-inch Aquos OLED is priced at $1,499.99, and the larger 65-inch version costs $1,999.99. That’s not far off from what you’d typically pay for a midrange LG OLED. (Sharp is almost certainly using an LG Display OLED panel in these sets, so maybe there’s only so low it can reasonably go.) The company faces an uphill battle against longtime Roku TV favorites such as TCL and Hisense, both known for releasing phenomenal TVs at relatively low prices for the quality you get.

Amazon’s competing Fire TV program doesn’t offer an OLED model in the United States, though Grundig released such a model internationally in 2019.