Last Updated: April 12, 2020 (Refresh Now)
Portal from Facebook Gen 1 Smart Hands Free Video Calling with Alexa Built in
Last Updated: April 12, 2020 (Refresh Now)
8.5
SCORE
/10
Total Reviews
309
Old Reviews
0
Unverified
71
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Review Analysis - 238 recent, verified reviews
Detailed Mode
Software Platform
39portal, facebook, apps, facebook messenger, messenger
+74%
-26%
" ... I believe most people will hesitate to buy this because of the mishandling of user info that Facebook is known for but this is an simple awesome piece of technology that is awesome for staying connected to love ones. ... "
" ... Alexa is also available. ... "
" ... I love the fact that it has Alexa!!!! ... "
" ... Love the Alexa and being able to FaceTime my grandchildren. ... "
" ... This is a great video calling service love that it also works with anybody in you Facebook messenger that has a smart phone. ... Gave it only four stars as it would be nice if calling with Alexa worked and more of the Alexa features were available. ... "
" ... Picture quality seems way clearer than what we used to use (Facebook Messenger on iOS) . ... - It has Alexa but doesn't work with the Ring doorbells ... "
" ... Missing some software features and alexa features like multiroom audio. ... "
" ... They say you can download apps but we have not been successful doing so. ... Overall quality seems good but value is still up in the air - wanted to download apps like a tablet. ... "
Device Compatibility
36portal, messenger, echo, connected, voice
+69%
-31%
" ... I love the fact that it has Alexa!!!! ... "
" ... Gave it only four stars as it would be nice if calling with Alexa worked and more of the Alexa features were available. ... "
" ... We never think to open Skype or other programs up on our devices (or even call them on the phone for that matter), but having a device out in the open with the person's name and face popping up whenever they become "active" on Messenger really makes me excited to hit the call button just to check in and say "hi" and chat. ... "
" ... It recognized my voice, my moms, my sisters, and nieces voice to the point where we could whisper at it. ... "
" ... I love the hands free device and Alexa built in. ... Alexa responds to any name close to hers. ... "
" ... the portal keeps us connected. ... "
" ... It’s two devices in one. ... Alexa is also available. ... "
" ... Plus I didn't realize it had Alexa built in. ... With the great screen for use with Alexa this is the best device to have in the house. ... "
Call quality
36calls, portal, voice, messenger, calling
+78%
-22%
" ... So now every night its "let's go take your bath and call grandma ". ... "
" ... Enjoy live view phone calls with my family and friends. ... "
" ... Our favorite part is reading them stories and being able to get them all on one call. ... "
" ... Talk to family members like they are right there. ... "
" ... handsfree and facebook love love ... "
" ... Now other friends and family can easily call him. ... I can hear him clearly and he can hear me clearly ... Being able to make it for video calls only is great. ... "
" ... I was able to see and talk to my 99 yr old mom on Xmas when my sister was with her thru her cell phone and that alone was priceless to me. ... "
" ... I use this product to call family and friends as well as Alexa! ... "
For Kids
33son, see, daughter, grandchildren, family
+100%
" ... Now the kids don't fight over who gets to hold the phone and it makes the experience much easier. ... "
" ... I bought one for the wife and one for the mother in law so she could see her granddaughter more. ... "
" ... My grandson got one for Xmas. ... "
" ... Enjoy communicating with our children and grandchildren ... "
" ... We love our portals - we use them for the kids to be able to call grandma and family. ... "
" ... They live far away and got to watch their great grandchildren open Christmas gifts and interact with them . ... "
" ... I use this to visit with my grandchildren ... "
" ... Talking to kids and grandkids ... "
Capacity
32room, friends, portal, call, portals
+94%
-6%
" ... Everyone in our spread out family bought one of these and we have never seen and talked so much. ... "
" ... You really can walk all over the room and still be in frame. ... "
" ... Very nice way to connect with family. ... "
" ... Love this and so does the rest of the family! ... "
" ... We now group-call all family across the country. ... "
" ... Great product for keeping in touch with friends and family that are out of your area. ... "
" ... A great product, we live 5k miles from our family, this gives us the feeling of being together, absolutely love it! ... "
" ... We're using the Facebook Portal to connect our long distance family members. ... "
Ease of Use
28use, set, simple, setup, portal
+96%
-4%
" ... Loved the fact that the Portal is so easy to use. ... "
" ... It’s easy to use ... "
" ... Easy integration with facebook ... "
" ... The portal has been an easy way for the two of us to chat via sign language and it's like we are talking on the phone. ... "
" ... It was easy to set up and eat to use. ... "
" ... user friendly interface, especially for my Mom. ... "
" ... He was able to figure out how to use it. ... Makes it easy to use with the elderly. ... "
" ... Super user friendly! ... "
Sound Quality
24quality, picture, speakers, music, video
+92%
-8%
" ... The picture and sound quality are excellent. ... "
" ... Sound from music is ok. ... "
" ... The speaker quality is actually pretty good. ... "
" ... High quality picture and sound. ... "
" ... I was most surprised about the speaker - the sound quality is pretty impressive for such a tiny device. ... "
" ... Camera is great,audio is loud. ... "
" ... It could be so much better if more Alexa commands and skills worked on it because the portals sound and video blow away the competition. ... "
" ... The sound quality is SOOOO much better (no struggling to hear) . ... "
Picture Quality
22sound, quality, picture quality, clear, use
+95%
-5%
" ... We have Skyped with individuals, but find this format far easier to use and with uniform quality of both picture and sound. ... "
" ... I love the clear picture and not having to squint to see everyone on the screen. ... "
" ... Anyway, the picture quality is great and the sound isn't bad for hearing the person on the other side. ... "
" ... Picture is great. ... "
" ... the image weirdly clear and sharp (how do they do that?) ... "
" ... Picture quality seems way clearer than what we used to use (Facebook Messenger on iOS) . ... "
" ... Picture and sound are also great. ... "
" ... The picture and sound quality are excellent. ... "
Apps
17facebook, portal, alexa, messenger, facebook messenger
+82%
-18%
" ... I would recommend the Facebook portal to everyone! ... "
" ... Missing some software features and alexa features like multiroom audio. ... "
" ... Would be great if it could play Prime Video as well since it has Alexa content. ... "
" ... But you can call anyone who has facebook messenger, which yes I know you can do with your smartphone. ... "
" ... It' simple to set up, works great for video chat for Facebook Messenger. ... "
" ... The bonus is using it to chat with my kids via their FB messenger apps on their phones, using the speaker for music, the scrolling photos from previous FB uploads, and you tube that I use for crafting videos. ... "
" ... Simple to use, games, apps, and Able to see the family and Friends . ... "
" ... The sound is excellent along with streaming my music apps! ... I’m hoping more added apps and features will follow! ... "
Camera
15follows, facebook, video, user, tracking
+100%
" ... Great camera follows you real well. ... "
" ... Camera works great. ... "
" ... The camera tracking is AMAZING. ... "
" ... The picture quality is awesome and the camera is great. ... "
" ... I love that the camera follows us as well! ... "
" ... The camera cover is also a great security add and brings a sense of peace to the user. ... "
" ... This is simply a tablet with no battery and an enhanced camera for Facebook Messenger. ... "
" ... The camera follows you as you move which is great. ... "
As Gift
14christmas, one, bought, us, live
+100%
" ... Would highly recommend and thinking of buying as a gift for all my loved ones ... "
" ... My wife and I got one for Christmas. ... "
" ... Was given as a gift. ... "
" ... He giggled and kept saying over and over how much he loved his Christmas gift. ... "
" ... I would have never asked for or purchased one of these but we got 2 for Christmas. ... "
" ... This was a gift for someone else. ... "
" ... - I bought one for the grandparents - PERFECT grandparent gift. ... "
" ... It’s also the perfect gift. ... "
Display Clarity
11time, see, pictures, picture, display
+100%
" ... With the great screen for use with Alexa this is the best device to have in the house. ... "
" ... On the plus side, has a very nice screen. ... "
" ... I love the wide screen, you get a great view of the person to whom you’re talking to. ... "
" ... Now I have to worry about limiting her screen time. ... The only annoyance is that she keeps flipping through the pictures when the pictures are on display. ... I don't want her to look at the screen all the time. ... "
" ... It has great resolution. ... "
" ... I love the clear picture and not having to squint to see everyone on the screen. ... "
" ... We love that the screen always keeps someone in view. ... "
" ... Also love the ability to display Facebook pictures of you and your favorites. ... "
Video Calling
9calling, use, second, able
+100%
" ... I wanted something where it can serve one purpose, video calling. ... Being able to make it for video calls only is great. ... "
" ... Great for video calling haven’t used it for anything else. ... "
" ... If video communication. ... "
" ... i rarely use the video chat but its nice. ... "
" ... use it for music and video calling ... "
" ... Great video chat feature. ... "
" ... Great video and call quality. ... "
" ... This product is absolutely phenomenal when it comes to video calling. ... "
Video Recording
9calling, use, second, able
+100%
" ... I wanted something where it can serve one purpose, video calling. ... Being able to make it for video calls only is great. ... "
" ... Great for video calling haven’t used it for anything else. ... "
" ... If video communication. ... "
" ... i rarely use the video chat but its nice. ... "
" ... use it for music and video calling ... "
" ... Great video chat feature. ... "
" ... Great video and call quality. ... "
" ... This product is absolutely phenomenal when it comes to video calling. ... "
Price
8money
+75%
-25%
" ... Best money I've spent in a while. ... "
" ... Worth the money . ... "
" ... With the 100 dollar off of 2 deal, it was reasonably priced. ... "
" ... Overall, I think the device is good and is worth investing (especially for discounted price of around $150) if you have a relative who is scared of using other more complicated technology. ... "
" ... I know there have been some bad reviews about this product, but so far it has been worth every penny of its $149.00. ... "
Setup
7setup, use, super, simple, set
+86%
-14%
" ... Setup is pretty simple. ... "
" ... It's easy to setup and super easy to use. ... "
" ... Set up was very easy. ... "
" ... Bought 2 of these for Christmas, one for our parents and one for us, works great and pretty easy to install. ... "
" ... Setup was easy. ... "
Marketplace
7facebook, different, days
+86%
-14%
" ... I love being an Amazon Prime Member! ... "
" ... Also the superscreen is cool how it shows your pics ... "
" ... Thank you Amazon for making must needs affordable! ... "
" ... Works exactly as expected. ... "
" ... The individual was excited to have the portal ... "
" ... I got a replacement sent from Amazon but after 4 days it did the exact same thing. ... "
Features
6time, sure, portal, goes, enhance
+50%
-50%
" ... Dont put alexa if you can not use all its features, makes her pointless. ... "
" ... However, there is some disappointing lack of features. ... "
For Fun
52
+100%
" ... It's so fun! ... "
" ... It was fun to be able to show her things rather than to describe them. ... "
Volume
5would, sound, get, audio
+60%
-40%
" ... Almost as good as being in the same room. ... "
" ... Camera is great,audio is loud. ... "
Product Reliability
5days, alexa, wish
+60%
-40%
" ... My brother set it up for her. ... "
" ... Changed my life❤ ... "
Video Playback
5video, second, portal, calling
+80%
-20%
" ... Video quality is exceptional and it's really easy to use. ... "
" ... Love live stream viewing calls 💕 ... "
" ... Video streaming to another FB portal is excellent. ... "
Wifi
5quality, portal
+80%
-20%
" ... You can take it and set up anywhere there is WiFi. ... "
" ... Works well as long as wifi is fast enough. ... "
" ... As far as the call quality, if you are in good WiFi, the quality is excellent!! ... "
" ... We have poor WiFi in our house so we had to turn off other technology to get a good picture but others may not have that problem. ... "
Returns
4refund, days
+50%
-50%
" ... and I did not receive the item back from them until it was too late to return them. ... "
" ... Time for a refund. ... "
Touch Sensitivity
4+75%
-25%
" ... Love it to keep in touch with my grandsons. ... "
" ... This was a great way to stay in touch with grandkids. ... "
" ... This has opened so many options for us to keep in touch . ... "
Fit
4phone, use, kids, device
+100%
" ... Finally they can both fit in the screen, unlike when they were always trying to awkwardly hold their iPhones in selfie mode before. ... "
" ... I like the way it follows you around without having to hold the phone . ... "
" ... It’s a very attractive device and fits right on my kitchen counter. ... "
" ... Now the kids don't fight over who gets to hold the phone and it makes the experience much easier. ... "
Comfort
4head
+75%
-25%
" ... Great hands free way to stay in touch! ... "
" ... It is really saying something when our senior community feels at ease using the product! ... "
" ... Feel like I have been right there! ... "
Battery Life
4could
-100%
" ... Wasted hours traveling and setting up ... "
" ... The only negative is that the Portal has to be plugged in to an outlet and I would prefer a battery so that the device could easily be moved. ... "
" ... The most noticeable is the lack of a battery. ... Or your competitors won't have a battery in theirs? ... "
" ... #2- As stated in my original review, to not have a battery is beyond frustrating. ... "
For Travel
3+67%
-33%
" ... Sure saves on plane fare. ... "
" ... For parents who travel a lot for work, this is a must get! ... "
Bluetooth
3play, music, connect, bluetooth, alexa
+100%
" ... It even has Bluetooth so you can connect with your phone or iPad where you have music if you don’t have Amazon Prime. ... "
" ... I love the other functionalities, alexa is great, using it as a bluetooth speaker as well, having a web browser is a bonus. ... "
" ... However, I liked that Portal is equipped with Bluetooth so you can connect your phones to play music. ... "
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Specifications
No specs available.