Sharp has launched its first QLED model in the UK with Roku built in – the Sharp 4T-C50HJ6725K, a 50″ 4K smart TV that combines Quantum Dot display technology with Roku’s operating system and Freely.
This isn’t Sharp’s first time combining Roku and Freely – the brand was part of the first wave of Roku TVs to get Freely built in, back in June 2025.
The new QLED model is an upgrade on the picture technology side, but the core proposition is the same: a Roku TV with Freely as the default TV guide, no aerial required.
It’s available now at Currys for £349.
Rob Woollard, Director of Retail Partnerships at Roku UK, said the new model reflects growing demand for higher-quality home entertainment: “With more UK households streaming in higher quality and upgrading their living-room set-ups, now is the perfect time to introduce this new Sharp Roku TV QLED.”
What You Get
The headline feature is the QLED display, which uses a layer of Quantum Dots to deliver broader colour and better brightness than standard LED panels – particularly noticeable in bright rooms where lesser screens tend to wash out.
Combined with 4K UHD resolution and support for Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG, it’s a well-rounded picture spec for the price.
On the audio side, you get a 20W stereo setup with Virtual Surround Sound. It won’t replace a soundbar for serious listeners, but it’s a step above the anaemic speakers you tend to find on budget sets.
Connectivity is decent for a TV at this price: three HDMI 2.1 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, an optical audio output, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and both WiFi and Ethernet.
The smart platform is Roku’s OS, which remains one of the cleaner interfaces around. Your apps sit on a straightforward home screen, voice search works across services, and it receives automatic software updates.
It works with the Roku mobile app – which includes Private Listening, letting you pipe audio through your phone’s headphones while the TV stays silent. Handy for late-night viewing.
The app lineup covers all the main services: Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, 5, NOW, Apple TV, Paramount+, HBO Max, YouTube, and others.
Roku’s app library is comprehensive for most people, though it doesn’t support VPN apps or web browsers if either of those matter to you.
Freely Without The Aerial
The other half of this TV’s pitch is Freely, which serves as the built-in TV guide for live and on-demand content from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, and 60-plus other channels – all delivered over your broadband connection rather than an aerial. No dish, no signal issues.
If you’re not familiar with Freely, it’s Everyone TV’s streaming platform – the organisation behind Freeview and Freesat – designed to eventually replace both as the UK’s default free TV standard.
It launched in April 2024 and has been steadily expanding across TV brands and, more recently, standalone devices.
That last point is worth dwelling on, because the Freely picture has changed considerably since this time last year.
When the first Roku TVs with Freely launched in June 2025, buying a new telly was the only way to get Freely at all. That’s no longer the case.
The Netgem Pleio and the Manhattan Aero are now both available as standalone Freely boxes, at £99 and £89.99 respectively, bringing Freely to any TV with an HDMI port.
So if you’ve already got a perfectly good television and just want Freely, you no longer need to spend £349 on a new one to get it.
Should You Buy It?
Where the Sharp QLED makes sense is if you’re genuinely in the market for a new TV – and specifically a 50″ set in the £300-400 range.
At that price, getting QLED picture quality, Freely, and Roku’s well-regarded interface in a single package is a reasonable deal. You’re not being asked to pay a premium for the Freely integration – it’s just there, built in and ready to go.
The Roku side of things is also worth taking seriously. We recently named the Roku Streaming Stick Plus our top streaming device pick for 2026, largely on the strength of its clean interface and no-nonsense approach to streaming. A Roku TV delivers the same experience, with Freely on top.
One thing still worth flagging – and this has been true of all Roku TVs with Freely – is that the integration between the two systems isn’t exactly seamless.
As with Freeview Play before it, Freely and Roku’s OS operate as two largely separate systems, with Roku’s voice search unable to find broadcast content.
For more TV and streaming news, Subscribe to our free newsletter.