Facebook Portal Go – Portable Smart Video Calling 10 inch Touch Screen with Battery
| Dimensions: | 28.8 x 21.8 x 10 cm; 1.8 Kilograms |
| Model: | 899-00133-01 |
| Origin: | China |
| Dimensions: | 28.8 x 21.8 x 10 cm; 1.8 Kilograms |
| Model: | 899-00133-01 |
| Origin: | China |
Works extremely well with Zoom, Messenger and WhatsApp- they’re the apps we’ve used with it.
Very good wide-angle lens enables the whole family to sit on the couch and be clearly seen and heard. A far better experience than huddling round an iPad or computer monitor. Takes a title time to set up initially but worth the investment of that time.
A great product, very happy with it.
Works extremely well with Zoom, Messenger and WhatsApp- they’re the apps we’ve used with it.
Very good wide-angle lens enables the whole family to sit on the couch and be clearly seen and heard. A far better experience than huddling round an iPad or computer monitor. Takes a title time to set up initially but worth the investment of that time.
A great product, very happy with it.
Excellent product which we have been toying over for a while. The price was very good, as it had been reduced to 59. It was easy to set up and works very well. It will make video calling very easy in the future, plus you can close off the lens and mute the microphone so that it is secured privately. It works well with WhatsApp, which is a major plus.
Works extremely well with Zoom, Messenger and WhatsApp- they’re the apps we’ve used with it.
Very good wide-angle lens enables the whole family to sit on the couch and be clearly seen and heard. A far better experience than huddling round an iPad or computer monitor. Takes a title time to set up initially but worth the investment of that time.
A great product, very happy with it.
Excellent product which we have been toying over for a while. The price was very good, as it had been reduced to 59. It was easy to set up and works very well. It will make video calling very easy in the future, plus you can close off the lens and mute the microphone so that it is secured privately. It works well with WhatsApp, which is a major plus.
Bought this to keep in touch with friends and family members and it works a treat. It’s great value for money, I’m super impressed! Really clear sound as well as crisp image!
bought these for my daughters who live 300 miles away arrived next day they easily set them up
and was video calling in no time best of all GREAT price
It’s a great thing to see Family and Friends when talking we had chats with them from all over, and it was great. When you got up to walk around the room the camera follows you by zooming in and out. The screen shows great pictures when not in use or you can just say Hey Portal Screen off and you have a blank screen.
Highly recommend
It’s a great thing to see Family and Friends when talking we had chats with them from all over, and it was great. When you got up to walk around the room the camera follows you by zooming in and out. The screen shows great pictures when not in use or you can just say Hey Portal Screen off and you have a blank screen.
Highly recommend
It’s a great thing to see Family and Friends when talking we had chats with them from all over, and it was great. When you got up to walk around the room the camera follows you by zooming in and out. The screen shows great pictures when not in use or you can just say Hey Portal Screen off and you have a blank screen.
Highly recommend
Very pleased , it’s great for calling on the big screen,and does Netflix and prime also has a web browser too , red bull TV app being extra , recommend this alo
First time buying a portal and to be honest very impressed..
Only thing is that you can not use Teams on it but have read it is coming at some stage this yea
First time buying a portal and to be honest very impressed..
Only thing is that you can not use Teams on it but have read it is coming at some stage this yea
First time buying a portal and to be honest very impressed..
Only thing is that you can not use Teams on it but have read it is coming at some stage this yea
A neat little gadget which sits on top of tv.
Arrived next day well packaged.
Didn’t take long to set up , about 20mins but one I got it working I wasn’t all that impressed.
I like to play radio through my echo dot so I was pleased when I read that it had Alexa built in , however when asked it to play music the tv screen has to be on so it then began screening all the photos in my folder. This was ok at first but after a couple of days I was getting bored looking at them . I couldn’t find any way of just having a blank screen and playing music through Alexa and it is very distracting when listening to music and the tv screen is on in front of you.
Really easy to set-up and use. Bought so that grandparents in Spain can keep up with a new grandchild. Good picture and audio and does follow the ‘action’ in the room well. Bought at lower ‘sale’ price and really pleased.
Really easy to set-up and use. Bought so that grandparents in Spain can keep up with a new grandchild. Good picture and audio and does follow the ‘action’ in the room well. Bought at lower ‘sale’ price and really pleased.
Between my dislike of Facebook and some of the negative reviews on here, I was slightly putoff buying this product. We normally use our Show 8’s for family video calls, but the screen size is not great. Anyway, being a Yorkshireman (Short arms and deep pockets) the current price reduction caught my attention (54), so I bought one.
When mounted on a 60″ TV the quality of the calling experience is great and I love the way the camera appears to follow you around the room, zooming in and out as required. You can also video call with WhatsApp, Messenger, and Zoom so plenty of choices. I liked it so much, that I bought 2 more for my family. If you can’t visit then this is the next best thing.
Highly recommend the portal tv. Great for calling family and friends and literally feels like they are in the same room. We love using it and it makes calling family so much easier than all huddling round the phone.
My partner and I feel more connected to my parents as we can see them on the big screen TV. We bought one for my parents too and they love it, especially my mum who has trouble seeing us on the mobile phone.
My partner and I feel more connected to my parents as we can see them on the big screen TV. We bought one for my parents too and they love it, especially my mum who has trouble seeing us on the mobile phone.
My partner and I feel more connected to my parents as we can see them on the big screen TV. We bought one for my parents too and they love it, especially my mum who has trouble seeing us on the mobile phone.
My partner and I feel more connected to my parents as we can see them on the big screen TV. We bought one for my parents too and they love it, especially my mum who has trouble seeing us on the mobile phone.
My partner and I feel more connected to my parents as we can see them on the big screen TV. We bought one for my parents too and they love it, especially my mum who has trouble seeing us on the mobile phone.
I love it!! You can add apps to it, make video calls through messenger, listen to music and so much more. It also works like a digital picture frame!! It has alexa on it, so I can ask questions or get help if I need it which is a plus. It knows my voice, and I can set up a pin to keep people off it if I choose so. (Which I went ahead and did) I also enjoy that it has a privacy mode where you can turn off your camera and mic. There is so many things I absolutely love. I also learned I can surf the web on it, and turn off Alexa’s purchase by voice feature so I have no worries of her picking up purchases from commercials on tv or my kids. Another cool thing I love is I can set my favorite contacts, and I can click on the icons to call them. It has a decent speaker on the back of it when I play music through spotify that projects amazing sound quality. Believe me, the portal gets LOUD. It has another cool feature called story mode. It can read books to littles! How cool is that? That’s not even all the portal has to offer but that’s a few of my favorites! I can also have her set alarms, she shows the time and weather too. I also have her alert me of bad weather. Over all this thing is absolutely mind blowing, and goes beyond what I was expecting it to do.
I got one of these to talk to my friend in France whilst we cook and chat – she has an older version and no matter how hard we try by factory re setting and upgrade software, if I call her from my portal it goes to her phone and same vice versa. Asked for help and the service side is awkward and offered limited advice.
If you are just calling phones then it’s great!
The whole Amazon process was easy and faultless. Items were as described and came in really good packaging to protect during the delivery. As always the products were of good quality and of a good price giving value for money. I am more than satisfied with my purchase.
I just love Portal for it’s ease of use. Not only does it help me keep in contact with family and friends, I can also showcase my photos on tv. However the bit I love the most is when I ask Alexa to play some music it has the capability to put up the lyrics allowing me to sing along to the songs. Happy ma
As long as you have a Facebook or WhatsApp account you’re all set up in a couple of minutes. Very easy to set up and connect and has pretty good features. The picture quality is very good and the way the camera follows you and keeps you in focus is very good too. The sound quality is excellent! The only thing I would change is the screensaver pictures. Unless you want your Instagram photos you’re stuck with the few that they give you and update infrequently. You should be able to choose pictures from any cloud service (after all it does have Alexa) or even a USB port.
Really came into its own during lockdown and now for connecting with the kids at Uni.
I don’t use Facebook, but I do use Whatsapp a lot, especially to talk with the family that lives abroad.
This one does not demand any change on their side, so it is brilliant! They will continue to call me as usual, via WhatsApp, but I can now opt to answer (or call them) on my main TV.
It is easy to set up, the remote control is simple and useful.
The sound quality is outstanding. It can hear me talking from distance and ignore other sounds. The people on the call say that I sound like I’m holding the phone against my ear, despite being situated comfortably in a sofa 3 matters from the TV/Portal.
Amazing device. I don’t know why is not more famous.
Delighted with item. Exactly as described and came quickly. Allows me to video chat with WhatsApp and Facebook friends. Lots of additional features too, but I use it to chat with friends recovering at home from recent surgeries. Sound quality is excellent. Delighted with purchase! A+++ for seller and item!
I bought 2 when special offer on for 99 each which was a saving of 80 for each one. We have one in our lounge in East Yorkshire and one at my daughter’s in Manchester and we love them. Crystal clear video allows us to sit together on a couch with the Portal near the fireplace and the camera automatically zooms in to give portrate sized shot of us for her., and of her for us. Also can load with photos stored on smart phone to act as photo frame which turns itself on & off as you come and go in the room.
Excellent video quality and sound
Brilliant that camera follows you around when in a video call
Would be an absolute buy for everyone if contacts and calls could be linked with Alexa and if there wasn’t a license issue otherwise a brilliant product and great that other apps can be accessible, just need to sort out access to YouTube on portal tv device as I believe YouTube can be accessed on other portal devices
Excellent video quality and sound
Brilliant that camera follows you around when in a video call
Would be an absolute buy for everyone if contacts and calls could be linked with Alexa and if there wasn’t a license issue otherwise a brilliant product and great that other apps can be accessible, just need to sort out access to YouTube on portal tv device as I believe YouTube can be accessed on other portal devices
This little device was a must to talk to my Mum and family due to the distance between us. I have only one complaint and that is in order to use the Portal with WhatsApp (rather than with Facebook Messenger) you cannot have WhatsApp running on a computer at the same time.
Sound is good, image quality is very good, and I can finally see my Mum when I talk to her. Grateful.
This little device was a must to talk to my Mum and family due to the distance between us. I have only one complaint and that is in order to use the Portal with WhatsApp (rather than with Facebook Messenger) you cannot have WhatsApp running on a computer at the same time.
Sound is good, image quality is very good, and I can finally see my Mum when I talk to her. Grateful.
This little device was a must to talk to my Mum and family due to the distance between us. I have only one complaint and that is in order to use the Portal with WhatsApp (rather than with Facebook Messenger) you cannot have WhatsApp running on a computer at the same time.
Sound is good, image quality is very good, and I can finally see my Mum when I talk to her. Grateful.
Ok so I put it on top of my TV which is on the wall. A higher camera is slimming after all…. Right?
Well…. It doesn’t matter. This thing balloons so much that I thought I had eaten my weight in cake daily for a month. I was so ashamed of my size that for three days I was taking long long walks and refusing to eat meals.
Anyway I was using it to see if I had lost any weight (I only have head size mirrors in my house) and I looked just as big and as I was feeling super disgusted with this new elephant version of myself when I noticed that on the screen my rectangle rug had a great big semi circle shape in it.
That’s great. I haven’t gained 40lbs, the camera has a fish eye lense. Which would be fine, but WHYY is there an option to take lots of photos together? No one wants to take pictures of “what will I look like in 30 cakes time”.
Someone please tell me how to look less fat.
My portal works well I would like to give 5 stars, but unfortunately when you use whatsapp sometimes the image freeze, is working better when you call using message, because we don’t have the issue.
Bought this to improve the calls to parents and family during COVID – we now have a son heading to uni – so the process will continue !
Imagine your family sitting around and watching the WhatsApp call on the tv – the auto focus is excellent – the camera will change to fit everyone in !! The sound is clear as a bell ! So no more propping the phone on coasters and squeezing four adults into the screen ! We love it and have shown it off !! So sit back and relax and just watch the call on your tv !!
Bought this to improve the calls to parents and family during COVID – we now have a son heading to uni – so the process will continue !
Imagine your family sitting around and watching the WhatsApp call on the tv – the auto focus is excellent – the camera will change to fit everyone in !! The sound is clear as a bell ! So no more propping the phone on coasters and squeezing four adults into the screen ! We love it and have shown it off !! So sit back and relax and just watch the call on your tv !!
Bought this to improve the calls to parents and family during COVID – we now have a son heading to uni – so the process will continue !
Imagine your family sitting around and watching the WhatsApp call on the tv – the auto focus is excellent – the camera will change to fit everyone in !! The sound is clear as a bell ! So no more propping the phone on coasters and squeezing four adults into the screen ! We love it and have shown it off !! So sit back and relax and just watch the call on your tv !!
I had one bought for me and then bought one for my family so that I could see and speak to my granddaughter, it has been a great asset and is used regularly. Sometimes it stutters or connection fails but I don’t think this has anything to do with the portal itself.
The only concern I had is that I use it through Whats App and when I initially installed it all my listings of contacts I have on my phone were listed across the screen I had expected it to be just the people listed on Whats App
I had one bought for me and then bought one for my family so that I could see and speak to my granddaughter, it has been a great asset and is used regularly. Sometimes it stutters or connection fails but I don’t think this has anything to do with the portal itself.
The only concern I had is that I use it through Whats App and when I initially installed it all my listings of contacts I have on my phone were listed across the screen I had expected it to be just the people listed on Whats App
The Portal voice commands are awful, and highly inaccurate. I can’t even say “Hey Portal, Set an alarm for 7am”. The device automatically updates and reboots regardless if you are mid-call. Alexa is brilliant and saves this device from the bin.
This device has been brilliant for connecting me to young children in my family who I haven’t been able to see over lockdown. The story telling is brilliant at engaging children and the special effects make them smile. Downside is that it is not wireless so moving from room to room and staying connected whilst you do some chores is difficult. There also is a delay on the story telling. It took a few calls to connect to each person. I was contacting but it seems to learn as it goes. The facility to call several people to join the portal call is good and when you are not calling people it displays your photos which is lovely. There are other facilities on it that I have not tried yet. You do need a Facebook or a what’s app account to use it. Recommend.
I like that it’s so discreet and and doesn’t detract when you are making a video call. The way the camera follows you as you move about is cool, although sometimes a bit too sensitive and will suddenly jump to a corner of the room where there the slightest movement.
This is an excellent product. I find it ideal for Grand Parents, who not have much IT knowledge to be able to keep in touch with their family and Grand Children.(You do not need a portal the other end, just a decent phone. turn it on it’s side for best results). I bought 7 Portal TV’s as Xmas presents for the close Family. and Starting with Xmas day, we have had several virtual parties parties since and these have quite events. I would now say they would make an excellent and much appreciated Mothers and/or Fathers day present for those who do have a household Modem. I am also considering buying another, to put on standby, now that the prices have dropped.
Good camera and mic and easy to set up.
I bought this primarily to hold Zoom calls through my TV. Portal advertising prominently mentions that Portal is compatible with Zoom. Unfortunately, on reading the small print after purchase, I discovered that only applies to handheld Portal tablets. Otherwise, it’s fine.
This has made life so much better. We have relatives that we haven’t been able to see for so long and this has made video calls relaxing. I can sit back and have a good conversation and it’s more like being in the room with the other person. There is no more trying to balance a phone then knocking it over and causing motion sickness on the other end (wish some of my relatives would buy one!). My partner and I can also be on screen without being squashed.
The sound and picture quality is excellent.
For us this was a luxury buy but well worth it.
We have now purchased two of these to keep in contact with elderly relatives during lockdown- they have been invaluable in helping reduce the feeling of isolation. As neither recipient had a smart phone we simply used old phones we had and purchased a payg SIM card. We also set up Facebook accounts for them to allow contact via Messenger. Both relatives needed help with the set-up, but as one is his 90s we expected that! Just love the fact that we can see each other now and the way it pans out/zooms in if he moves in his chair or stands up. We bought the medium size ones which are perfectly large enough and I love that there is nothing to pay after the initial purchase. For some reason the ability to phone my dad via WhatsApp keeps stopping but I’m sure that is something that could be overcome. We just ring him via messenger instead. Great way for him to keep in contact with grandchildren and great grandchildren. Would definitely recommend.
Good fun for the kids, especially all the different background screens you can use. I wouldn’t pay full price for this, it’s often on offer around Black Friday, Christmas etc. I much prefer this one to the smaller tablet ones. This one is great as it shows up on the tv and it’s like you’re taking to your family in the same room. We bought my mum the tablet version and it’s just not the same for her. May as well have been using an iPad or phone on FaceTime. Also the smaller ones still have to be plugged in!! Didn’t realise that when we bought it, kinda defeats the object of saying you can use them in any room?! The tv one is definitely the way to go. 4 stars as it is expensive and the novelty kinda wears off after a while.
I managed to purchase 3 of the Facebook Portal TVs in March 2020 before we went into lockdown. (Plus an HDMI for each one) Over the last 12 months they have been essential for our 3 families to keep in touch across the country.
I set mine up for my elderly parents and they find it so easy to use – they can answer it when it rings and know how to dial out. They can sit on their sofa and see everything on a big screen which suits them perfectly.
At Christmas we played all sorts of virtual games and as the camera moves about so well, we could do all sorts of physical games in our own homes as well as normal board/card games. If you set the angle up properly the camera can see everything.
You can have 4 WhatsApp callers at once but we use Facebook Messenger normally as can have 8 callers and for some reason it seems clearer. I really do think these are brilliant and in our new virtual world – it’s well worth the money.
Bought this for Christmas and I am pleased to say we have had some good fun with it, especially with our we boy being able to theme ourselves into elves etc.
One thing that can get annoying is the track / zoom feature as good as it can be it doesn’t always work. It can however be turned off during a call however as if writing this not aware of it being a default setting.
Other than the WhatsApp / Facebook calls I thought it could handle zoom however as far as I am aware it’s other models that have web browsers that has the ability. If that becomes available it would definitely make it a 5 star product.
It’s great for kids on the big screen and saves them holding a phone and switching off Grandparents for fun and allows them to do activities around the room whilst entertaining.
Generally this does the job it’s supposed to do very well, with a couple extra features like streaming music (decent enough speaker) and setting alarms either through Alexa or the portal chat. Would be perfect if it had the recipe display options I’ve since seen other tablets offer. The automatic camera is brilliant though as it allows us to sit with our new son and show him off hands free 🙂
Generally this does the job it’s supposed to do very well, with a couple extra features like streaming music (decent enough speaker) and setting alarms either through Alexa or the portal chat. Would be perfect if it had the recipe display options I’ve since seen other tablets offer. The automatic camera is brilliant though as it allows us to sit with our new son and show him off hands free 🙂
Generally this does the job it’s supposed to do very well, with a couple extra features like streaming music (decent enough speaker) and setting alarms either through Alexa or the portal chat. Would be perfect if it had the recipe display options I’ve since seen other tablets offer. The automatic camera is brilliant though as it allows us to sit with our new son and show him off hands free 🙂
Surprisingly easy to set up as I am not confident around technology.
Took only a few minutes although I did have to switch on both my computer and my mobile telephone as part of the process – which is a matter of following easy to understand prompts from the portal. Very glad I got this as I can now see as well as speak with family members who also have one of these. Quality of sound and picture is excellent. It has other features which I haven’t yet used but as it seems to have been designed to be user friendly I am confident I could access these extra features if I wished.
It can be answered by people who have mobile telephones connected to Whatsapp (without needing a Portal) as well as by people who have a Facebook account – I had both and not sure if this would work if you didn’t have at least one of those accounts.
I bought this as a enhancement to our communication with friends and family as we are stuck in Spain during worldwide lockdown. Easy to set up, much more value for money through the UK Amazon as Spain wanted an extra 100 for the same item. Have now moved my firestick onto another tv and my echo to another room as well as this has Alexa, Netflix, Amazon prime and others. Only doesn’t have Disney+, please Facebook people sort that out, it is an android OS after all so shouldn’t be any hassle.
During these troubled times my portal is my lifeline. I bought one for my Mum too and we chat far more often than we ever did on the phone. It feels like she is in the room with me, allowing more natural conversation. Mum is in her 90s so not having to touch the portal is ideal. I was so proud of her the first time she called me. Keeping in touch with the whole, very widely distributed, family is so much easier.
The only negative i have is the inability to have screens replaced if you are daft enough to drop the device.
This is better than I dared hoped it would be. Bought for elderly Grandparent who are not very techy, so initial set up required a small degree of assistance by slightly savvy teenager. Usage after that very straight forward, Use of facebook and Alexa not required, can be setup purely for Whatsapp which is what we wanted, Clarity of camera, clarity of microphone both excellent. The follow me /zoom feature of the camera is ideal for older less agile grandparents who can sit casually in their own chair and have an almost normal conversation with grandchildren as if they are in the room with them. My 93 year old Dad thinks it is marvelous, far better than trying to prop up a mobile phone to talk to his grandson. The price could be a bit off putting, but the price has come down in the last few weeks and what price is the pleasure of grandparents seeing grandchildren, life size on the television in the corner, to talk to them like they are in the room.
I purchased this to speak to family in the comfort of my living room. I have done mirroring before on my TV but this is 100 times better. The camera is very good, it zooms into any individuals talking so come across clearly. If you have poor quality it maybe to do with your broadband or where your broadband is based. I am only signed in via what’s app as I don’t use Facebook and it works really well, I have recommended the portal to my close family and friends. I don’t use Alexa so I can’t comment on that part of the portal but it is easily one of the best things I’ve purchased during lockdown.
Bought this when it was reduced to 99 strangely after Black Friday! I got it to talk with my daughter who recently emigrated to the USA. I am so glad I did. Initially concerned about the lack of written instructions but once plugged in and switched on the on screen tutorial took me through the set up process step by step. So simple even I managed it! Lovely clear pictures and speech. Fantastic to sit back on the sofa and chat instead of staring at my phone. Best tech purchase in a long time. Love it.
Works very well but not easy to set up and the securing clip does to work on an older TV as most are thicker at the top of the screen than the newer models. The clip is not up to the job as the portal can be dislodged by the HDMI cable. Far too expensive for what it is, I wish I have tried other makers.
I bought this for my parents as a Christmas present so that they can keep in touch with friends and family especially their grand-daughter who lives 350 miles away.
Before purchasing this product, I would suggest that your Internet connection should be an unlimited service (which I am), as I was just curious as to how much data video calling used. 2 WhatsApp calls for about 40 minutes each used 80Gb of data. So about 1Gb a minute if you look at it like that.
In the box you just get instructions booklet, the unit and the power lead.
The HDMI lead isn’t included which is what you use to connect it to the TV, you also need to check if your TV supports HDMI, most modern TV’s do and that you have a spare port. So if you don’t have a spare cable lying around then you will need to purchase one.
My parents don’t have a Facebook account and this product still works via WhatsApp and Zoom.
The camera sets up very easily via Wi-Fi once connected and doesn’t take too long before it’s testing the camera and mic.
My dad likes to use WhatsApp through his phone which he can now use via the portal. You can also download the Zoom App, and have a zoom meeting from the comfort of the sofa.
The camera follows you round so that you never miss being on camera. Alexa is also built into the device and will respond but only when the TV is on.
Great product.
This is amazing, I was able to talk to my family and play games as if we were in the same room, it was easy to set up, I just needed to buy a HDMI lead as it doesn’t come with one and you HAVE to have one, luckily I had read other reviews and ordered it at the same time. I dont have Alexa but it’s good to know that it will connect should I get one. We have had some fun with the special effects as well and the story time was fun as well.
Absolutely brilliant this saved our Christmas bought two so me and my daughter could spend Christmas together as we are a tier 4 area (Covid-19) easy installation even managed a group call and had my sister involved so I have seen all my family this Christmas albeit virtual.
I would say if you are pondering should I get one ? It’s a definite thumbs up from my family.
Brilliant as you can see whomever your talking too without standing close to it like you have to do with all the other products on the market…
I love it.
Thank you.
No issues with the delivery amazon come up trumps in my book compared to ebay which I always have problems getting what I’ve purchased.
Thanks amazo
Otherwise quite a premium-looking device, decent screen and sound quality. You can install a Portal app on your phone, log in with your grandma’s account and keep feeding her with pictures that are then displayed on the device after each call – another thing she really enjoys, except for the photo of a common seal we met on a beach, which creeps her out. Well, she’s from a landlocked country so that’s understandable 🙂
I’m still a bit nervous from the possibility that Facebook might just randomly block her account due to a lack of other activity or whatever, which would be a massive inconvenience. Let’s see and keep it four stars for now 🙂
The smart camera on this is worth the price alone. It makes video calling with your TV a breeze.
I had an issue setting mine up but the technical support team is excellent too.
You don’t have to have a Facebook account you can just use WhatsApp but you do need at least one or the other.
My daughter and I had lots of fun playing around with all the silly effects as well.
We already have a smart TV but for those that don’t this adds a lot of the services you would want from one.
It would be nice if they had an App Store or a bit more of a selection though. Support for Zoom is lacking
I bought four of these as a surprise extra gift for family members to help us hang out together easily at Christmas (rather than holding iPads and FaceTime).
The interface and remote make this so simple.
However two downsides –
1). It’s 720p only. On my huge 4K TV it doesn’t look brilliant, but it’s so simple to use I can forgive that;
2) I’ve got a Sonos soundbar and other speakers and it just doesn’t work with it. The mic and speakers are so far apart, when you’re talking from remote, you hear every word bouncing back at you, so much so it’s unusable. This is not written clearly enough before buying so take heed. If you can easily turn off the soundbar I suppose this may work but I can’t, and don’t want to, so unfortunately I’ve sent all four back
Love it. Much better than zoom or teams for staying in touch. Really impressed with how it makes sure we are all in the frame even on opposite sides of the room either side of the TV. Then we just chat normally. It’s just like being in the room. Very easy to set up. Calls are via what’s app or Facebook messenger. You can hide the ones you don’t want and just have a short list of the people you want to call.
We have only used it a few times on a on-to-one basis so are really only just getting the hang of it. Next step will be getting the whole family using it in time for Christmas, which is why we bought one for each of them in case Covid prevents us from being together under one roof, especially as we now have our first grandchild.
I bought it so I can communicate with my mother while I’m overseas (she gave up with the iPad almost immediately). And you know what’s it’s great for calling her and she can use it well enoughonce I setup a Facebook account. She talks and the camera tracks her. You just have to be aware of the limitations – no images or text just video and audio. Don’t buy the TV version unless you want low quality video (I have both and the camera on the mini is so much better). One tip is to use the app to control the photoframe function so you can add family photos from a distance.
Software update:
The Portal Mini update has added support for Zoom, Bluejeans and GotoMeeting, plus games and browser. Not Netflix.
The Portal TV update added Netflix, but no new video conferencing apps.
Bought this to video call relatives as we live away and I’m happy with it. It’s really handy with young kids (who won’t sit still) as the camera automatically pans and zooms to follow you around the room. It works through Facebook Messenger and/or Instagram and is very quick and easy to set up. There are some good in call features (backgrounds and animated masks, etc) which keep the kids entertained. The reason for 4 stars is the software. Unfortunately there are a few bugs in the software still but all have been fixed by unplugging and plugging back in again. Hopefully this will be fixed soon and certainly wouldn’t put me off purchasing.
Bought this to video call relatives as we live away and I’m happy with it. It’s really handy with young kids (who won’t sit still) as the camera automatically pans and zooms to follow you around the room. It works through Facebook Messenger and/or Instagram and is very quick and easy to set up. There are some good in call features (backgrounds and animated masks, etc) which keep the kids entertained. The reason for 4 stars is the software. Unfortunately there are a few bugs in the software still but all have been fixed by unplugging and plugging back in again. Hopefully this will be fixed soon and certainly wouldn’t put me off purchasing.
Bought this to video call relatives as we live away and I’m happy with it. It’s really handy with young kids (who won’t sit still) as the camera automatically pans and zooms to follow you around the room. It works through Facebook Messenger and/or Instagram and is very quick and easy to set up. There are some good in call features (backgrounds and animated masks, etc) which keep the kids entertained. The reason for 4 stars is the software. Unfortunately there are a few bugs in the software still but all have been fixed by unplugging and plugging back in again. Hopefully this will be fixed soon and certainly wouldn’t put me off purchasing.
Bought this to video call relatives as we live away and I’m happy with it. It’s really handy with young kids (who won’t sit still) as the camera automatically pans and zooms to follow you around the room. It works through Facebook Messenger and/or Instagram and is very quick and easy to set up. There are some good in call features (backgrounds and animated masks, etc) which keep the kids entertained. The reason for 4 stars is the software. Unfortunately there are a few bugs in the software still but all have been fixed by unplugging and plugging back in again. Hopefully this will be fixed soon and certainly wouldn’t put me off purchasing.
Bought this to video call relatives as we live away and I’m happy with it. It’s really handy with young kids (who won’t sit still) as the camera automatically pans and zooms to follow you around the room. It works through Facebook Messenger and/or Instagram and is very quick and easy to set up. There are some good in call features (backgrounds and animated masks, etc) which keep the kids entertained. The reason for 4 stars is the software. Unfortunately there are a few bugs in the software still but all have been fixed by unplugging and plugging back in again. Hopefully this will be fixed soon and certainly wouldn’t put me off purchasing.
I’m happy with my purchase.
As I have a son and his wife in Australia, using FaceTime on my computer was a pain as we were crowded around a monitor and confined to my computer’s location. Bought this to use with our TV in the living room where we can sit in comfort. For this purpose, it works perfectly. Can also ‘conference’ call with up to 4 others which is ideal for including other family members in a round robin chat. Alexa is built in but we don’t have much use for that in all honesty. It is quite expensive for what it is but felt it was worth the outlay – just!!
I purchases 2 of these as during lockdown my daughter had our first grandaughter, so i had one delivered to my daughters address and one for me and my wife. Setting up is really easy and use is easy too, i love the way the camera changes the shot to include as many people as possible, it means my daughter can deal with her new baby while chatting and we get to be involved (hopefully we will get to hold the baby soon). The sound from the Portal is really clear and it has volume controls on the side. we also use the portal to store all the new picture of our grandaughter so it acts as a digital photo frame when not in use, and manages to bring a smile to my face when i see new pictures appearing. I havn’t used the Alexa functions much, but while decorating i asked Alexa to play ‘Heart 80’s’ and away it goes so a radio too :). Overall i have been very impresses with this, it would have been nice if you could screen share with the TV while using whatsapp or messenger, but i understand they have a TV version (at 3 times the price), so wouldn’t want to add this feature as it may affect sales of other models.
What a great product. We bought this to add a bit extra to contacting our loved ones during the lockdown due to COVID-19.
Easy to set up, links in well with your facebook and whats app accounts. Our kids love it especially the story time feature and the effects you can add.
The camera is excellent and follows you around the room and zooms in and out depending on how many of you are nearby.
Took us ages to get one as it was always out of stock. I got lucky and got one last Sunday. Keep checking for stock. I would highly recommend this. It also has Amazon Prime video and Alexa built in.
What a great product. We bought this to add a bit extra to contacting our loved ones during the lockdown due to COVID-19.
Easy to set up, links in well with your facebook and whats app accounts. Our kids love it especially the story time feature and the effects you can add.
The camera is excellent and follows you around the room and zooms in and out depending on how many of you are nearby.
Took us ages to get one as it was always out of stock. I got lucky and got one last Sunday. Keep checking for stock. I would highly recommend this. It also has Amazon Prime video and Alexa built in.
What a great product. We bought this to add a bit extra to contacting our loved ones during the lockdown due to COVID-19.
Easy to set up, links in well with your facebook and whats app accounts. Our kids love it especially the story time feature and the effects you can add.
The camera is excellent and follows you around the room and zooms in and out depending on how many of you are nearby.
Took us ages to get one as it was always out of stock. I got lucky and got one last Sunday. Keep checking for stock. I would highly recommend this. It also has Amazon Prime video and Alexa built in.
Could have come with more requirements information and guidance for making most use of it. The setup itself was easy, you just answer its questions as you go. Plenty videos show this. I bought this a gift for elderly parents without smartphone or skills. I set up a whatsapp account on a spare mobile, created a contacts list on teh mobile, an email account and Amazon account ( to get alexa) for them. These took the time. I just provided these as the portal asked. It was never clear if after setting up and contacts being gobbled up from the mobile whether a mobile was still required. I think not unless you depend on a mobile tether for internet access. if you have unlimited broadband by landline there seems to be no need. There’s no ethernet connection socket so its by wifi. Its easy for my parents to use once set up. The basic touch screen displays main contacts that just need touching to make a call. I’m buying a new one for myself. One snag – ending a call, if they don’t tap the screen to end a call they started it seems to stay linked one way but actually looks ended to them. This particular item didn’t seem to respond to the tap to get the’ end call’ feature unless you tapped near the camera.
Just before lock-down, our whole family purchased facebook portals. They have been invaluable for us to all stay connected. The unique thing is the way the camera follows you around, so I can cook and chat to my Mum, or do the washing up without having to hold my phone to video call. Also really important as we have a toddler who never stays still, so now I don’t have to follow him around with the phone anymore when video chatting and the call can get us all in the picture at once. Having this hands free way of video calling is so useful and we can chat whilst having dinner. Storytime, the interactive games you can play with each other and the built in Alexa for music (on which the lyrics come up on the screen) are all added bonuses.
Negative points –
– Picture is often not very clear, especially during storytime.
– You can only call people over whatsapp or facebook – not facetime or skype. I think this is why the call connection is sometimes not as good.
– You cannot move the portal from room to room when on a call as it has no built in battery and therefore needs to stay connected to the mains. If you unplug it whilst on a call, the power goes off.
Not a big fan of Facebook due to their data harvesting and trolling reputation but was persuaded by a friend who uses this regularly to give it a go. On his recommendation I did and it’s got to be said it’s a great system, very easy to set up and use and the video and audio clarity is superb. Due to Facebook’s big brother rep i switch it off at the mains when not in use and use WhatsApp as the connection medium whenever possible. A lot of the negative reviews seem to be either driven by a misunderstanding of how the system operates and it’s regional limitations or the dislike of FB. I have Amazon Prime so do use the Alexa feature but you don’t need an Amazon account the use the Portal, just a Facebook account. The story telling feature and other apps are a great addition to this almost futuristic, but currently very relevant, communication device.
If you want to keep in touch with someone video whatsapp I would definitely recommend.
With a little setting up this product is amazing. We bought this for my parents for Christmas. My sister lives in Bermuda and calls home every week to FaceTime our parents.
It has a cover for the camera and a mute button should you be concerned with security. So easy to use and great to be able to see loved ones.
My sister is now thinking of buying one for ease at her end. I also think I will get one as my daughter has moved away and I FaceTime her a lot.
There are other features that you might find useful but at the moment we are happy .
Bought this so as the keep in contact with our daughter and grandsons in Australia.
Fantastic,our daughter as bought one over there,and our grandsons think it’s fantastic to see us on the telly.
The first time we did it our grandson who is only 20 months old,went and picked his moms phone up and kept pointing to the screen,he could not understand why we were on the tv and not on his moms phone.
Highly recommend
Just bought my 3 rd one for my grandaughter,we are going to australia for a while and we will not be here for my birthday,her birthday and her my grandsons birthday,so i though we can keep intouch with her while we are away
Highly recommend
Bought this so as the keep in contact with our daughter and grandsons in Australia.
Fantastic,our daughter as bought one over there,and our grandsons think it’s fantastic to see us on the telly.
The first time we did it our grandson who is only 20 months old,went and picked his moms phone up and kept pointing to the screen,he could not understand why we were on the tv and not on his moms phone.
Highly recommend
Just bought my 3 rd one for my grandaughter,we are going to australia for a while and we will not be here for my birthday,her birthday and her my grandsons birthday,so i though we can keep intouch with her while we are away
Highly recommend
Bought this so as the keep in contact with our daughter and grandsons in Australia.
Fantastic,our daughter as bought one over there,and our grandsons think it’s fantastic to see us on the telly.
The first time we did it our grandson who is only 20 months old,went and picked his moms phone up and kept pointing to the screen,he could not understand why we were on the tv and not on his moms phone.
Highly recommend
Just bought my 3 rd one for my grandaughter,we are going to australia for a while and we will not be here for my birthday,her birthday and her my grandsons birthday,so i though we can keep intouch with her while we are away
Highly recommend
Read a few reviews and thought it was worth a punt. The worst that was going to happen was a return to Amazon.
Luckily, there has been no need. It’s a great gadget. Makes speaking through video very easy and relaxed. The microphones are excellent. The sound quality is excellent.
All in all, it is excellent! Would highly recommend buying.
The calls themselves are really good, very high quality sound and video, my camera is a good 15ft from my sofa and it still provides great pictures the other end and even that far from the mic, the people I’m calling can hear me perfectly. It’s panning and auto-zoom works really well too.
If I wanted to improve it, I’d like to be able to manually control the zoom a bit more, regardless, I’m very happy with this.