Upgrading your streaming remote control? Roku's Voice Remote Pro 2 is the best I've tested

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Roku Voice Remote Pro 2 is available for $30 as a standalone device compatible with most Roku TVs and devices on the market. It’s also included with Roku Pro Series 4K TVs.
• This new Roku remote is lightweight and features backlit buttons, a long-lasting rechargeable battery, a quick-launch shortcut, and a voice-activated lost remote finder.
• While it has many new features, it doesn’t have a headphone jack, which may be a dealbreaker for some users.

Streaming devices have become so common that many TV viewers are more familiar with their streaming device remotes than their television remotes, though sometimes these are one and the same. As an early cord-cutter, I embraced streaming with open arms. Over the past 12 years, I’ve used Google Chromecast, Roku, Fire TV, and Apple TV 4K devices. Thus far, the best streaming device remote I’ve tested is the Roku Voice Remote Pro 2.

Remote controls for streaming devices can be downright frustrating. Roku promised that the Roku Voice Remote Pro 2 would quell these frustrations, and I must admit the company has delivered.

Although it’s lightweight, as you can expect for a streaming device remote, it packs a lot of features that cord-cutters want and other remote manufacturers don’t offer.

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The Roku Voice Remote Pro 2 is similar to the Alexa Voice Remote Pro, available for $35, and compatible with most Fire TV devices. The Alexa Voice Remote Pro also has a backlight and a voice-activated lost remote finder, but it requires AAA batteries, while the newer Roku remote features a rechargeable battery.

The Roku Voice Remote Pro 2 has a USB-C port on one end to plug it in with the included charging cable. The battery can last up to three months on a single charge.

The remote control experience greatly impacts the overall streaming experience. As someone with Fire TVs, Roku TVs, and an Apple TV 4K in my home, I can assure you that, while the remote control isn’t the main reason I’d buy a TV, it can be the deciding factor between two options.

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I tested the new Roku Voice Remote Pro 2 on my home office TV, a 32-inch TCL Roku TV that I use to watch the news, stream live events, and occasionally for entertainment. The newer Voice Remote Pro 2 is thicker, textured, and slightly heavier than the TCL’s Roku remote.

The new Roku Voice Remote Pro 2 has hands-free and button-activated voice control, complete with a switch on the side to disable it. When enabled, just saying “Hey Roku” wakes the remote. You can say, “Hey Roku, play Bluey” or “Hey Roku, open Netflix” to control your TV without lifting a finger.

If you misplace the remote control, you can say “Hey Roku, find my remote” to trigger a beeping sound for one minute, which you can disable by pressing any button on the remote once you find it. Roku Pro Series 4K TVs, which include the Roku Voice Remote Pro 2, also have a button to find your lost remote.

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One of my favorite Roku Voice Remote Pro 2 features is the motion-activated backlight. Just lifting the remote control illuminates the button panel so that you can press the correct button in the dark. This is a simple but important feature that is lacking in many streaming device remote controls.

While the latest Alexa Voice Remote Pro also has a motion backlight, the Siri Remote, included with the Apple TV 4K, doesn’t.

I’ve always preferred the Roku remote’s thicker housing to the Fire TV’s remote and Apple’s Siri Remote. The thicker Roku remote is less likely to get lost between the couch cushions and is more comfortable to hold. 

ZDNET’s buying advice

The Roku Voice Remote Pro 2 is the most complete streaming device remote control I’ve tested. What other competitors, like the Alexa Voice Remote Pro and Siri Remote, lack, the Roku Voice Remote Pro 2 has. 

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Considering you already get a remote control with each Roku streaming device you purchase, why would you buy a Roku Voice Remote Pro 2? This remote control is perfect for anyone with an older Roku TV, especially if they tend to lose their remote. It’s widely compatible, supporting most Roku TV players and any Roku TV model.

It’s such an effective device at $30 that I’d purchase one for each Roku TV in my home — it is easy to use, the backlight, voice control, and find my remote features are convenient, and not having to change the batteries is a big win.