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Walmart says Onn 4K Pro will eventually only ship with a backlit remote

By Phil Nickinson Published May 16, 2024

The remote control that came with our Onn 4K Pro Streaming Device. — The remote control that came with our Onn 4K Pro Streaming Device is not backlit. Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

The great mystery of the Walmart remote control has been solved. Mostly. As you’ll recall from our Onn 4K Pro Streaming Device review, ours came with a remote control that doesn’t have backlit buttons and also lacks an unsightly “Free TV” button. But some folks who also got in early on the $50 Google TV device had a different remote control — one whose buttons do light up, and with a big blue “Free TV” button in the middle.

We reached out to Walmart on May 13 to try to clarify things. Here’s what its outside PR agency had to say via email: “Of note, the remote does have two versions. The first wave of products released with the non-backlight version of the remote. The backlight version will be available with the product soon.”

So that’s that. Mostly. As of May 16, the product listing on Walmart’s website shows the same remote control we have. But that wasn’t always the case. The other version of the remote has been listed previously. (Note that it didn’t mention backlit buttons either.)

The backlit remote control that eventually will be the only one available with the Onn 4K Pro. — The backlit remote control that eventually will be the only one available with the Onn 4K Pro. Walmart

While I’ve only used the remote control that came with the unit we bought off Walmart’s website, I’m pretty confident in saying that none of this is that big a deal. And while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the remote that came with our Onn 4K Pro — I still think it’s an improvement over the Chromecast with Google TV remote — it’s just not that big a consideration. The more important features, I’d argue, are the customizable star button; the ability to assign the YouTube button to either YouTube proper, YouTube TV, or YouTube Music; and the ever-important remote-finder capability — all of which are available on both versions of the remote.

Is the backlit remote control — the one Walmart says will eventually be the only one that ships with this device — more “premium,” as some have taken to calling it? I don’t know. I’ve used a lot of remote controls in my day. I’ve had the Logitech Harmony Elite, and the beautifully designed Logitech Harmony Companion. Those are premium remotes.

This is one that comes with a $50 streaming device, and I’m already tired of thinking about it.

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Section Editor, Audio/Video

Phil spent the 2000s making newspapers with the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal, the 2010s with Android Central and then the…

Audio / Video

What is 4K? Everything you need to know about 4K Ultra HD

A Roku 75-inch Class Plus Series QLED 4K Smart Roku TV hanging on the wall.

High-definition content has been a TV mainstay for more than two decades now. From broadcasted cable stations to streamable movies and shows from streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+, 1080p HD is no longer the golden standard for modern TV models. It kind of feels like a no-brainer at this point, but what you want to invest in these days is a 4K TV, as most of the best TVs available are.

4K media is also not as rare as it once was either. In fact, most new films, shows, and even video games are now engineered from the ground up with a 4K screen in mind. And not to worry if you don’t currently watch any 4K content, because most 4K TV sets do an excellent job at upscaling lower-res sources. So is it worth it to step away from your HD past in favor of a higher pixel count present and future? Let’s explore the world of 4K a little further to find the answers we seek.
What is 4K Ultra HD?
In a nutshell, 4K Ultra HD is the name assigned to a screen with a resolution that's four times that of a Full HD (1080p) TV. That translates to 8 million pixels being crammed into the same space in which a Full HD TV fits just 2 million -- achieved by making each pixel four times smaller. The result for the average viewer? A clearer image, more accurate color, and with most new TV sets, High Dynamic Range, or HDR (more on that in a bit).

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The hidden costs of buying a 4K TV are way higher than you think

Toshiba 55-inch-class C350 series 4K smart Fire TV on a gray shelf and light gray background.

There’s never been a better time to buy a 4K TV. Prices have continued to drop even as screen sizes and smart TV features have continued to grow. But now that 4K TVs are priced within reach of almost anyone who wants one, are you actually going to be able to enjoy all of the extra detail and picture quality that 4K promises? The answer is, sadly, not as often as you expect, and not without some considerable extra investment over and above the cost of the TV.

Modern 4K TVs are packed with a lot of impressive technologies that can make picture quality look amazing, no matter what you’re watching. With upscaling driven by complex algorithms and often aided by AI, even watching an old DVD on a 4K TV will look way better than it did on an HDTV from 10 years ago. But to truly get the best possible results, you need access to native 4K content, preferably with some flavor of HDR, like Dolby Vision, HDR10, or HDR10+.

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Vizio’s new Quantum 4K QLED TVs hit 75 inches for $699

Vizio Quantum 4K QLED Smart TV.

It's been a very quiet year for Vizio so far. The company didn't bring any new TVs to CES 2023, and the welcome announcement that it was updating its aging smart TV software was tempered by the fact that Vizio wouldn't say when its customers would be getting the new experience, simply called Vizio Home Screen.

Our own editor-at-large and resident TV expert, Caleb Denison, penned an op-ed in July outlining his concerns about Vizio's apparent retreat to the TV sidelines and what the company would need to do in order to compete with the onslaught of excellent TVs from TCL and Hisense.