Facebook Portal – Smart Video Calling for the Home with 10 inch Touch Screen Display – White
Portal Comparison
 Portal 10″ |  Portal+ |  Portal TV | Portal 10″ | |
| Display | 10″ HD Adaptive touchscreen | 15.6″ HD Adaptive touchsceen | Connects to TV with HDMI input | 10″ HD Adaptive touchscreen |
| Input | Touchscreen or voice command | Touchscreen or voice command | Remote control or voice | Touchscreen or voice command |
| Alexa built in | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Enjoy your favourite apps | Spotify, Zoom, Plex and more | Spotify, Zoom, Plex and more | Netflix, Spotify, Zoom + more | Spotify, Zoom, Plex and more |
| Available colours | Black or White | Black or White | Black | Black or White |
| Product Dimensions | 17.9cm h x 14.1cm d x 26cm w | 44.9cm h x 14.5cm w x 22.3cm d | 3.17cm h x 5.7cm d x 19cm w | 17.9cm h x 14.1cm d x 26cm w |
| Dimensions: | 17.9 x 2.3 x 26 cm; 1.91 Kilograms |
| Model: | 899-00080-12 |
| Origin: | China |
Great for video calls
The portal is great for video calls and you can search the Internet on it but don’t think this is like an alexa its not although you can download the alexa app ive not tried this my self as I already have an alexa
Great for video calls
The portal is great for video calls and you can search the Internet on it but don’t think this is like an alexa its not although you can download the alexa app ive not tried this my self as I already have an alexa
Great for video calls
The portal is great for video calls and you can search the Internet on it but don’t think this is like an alexa its not although you can download the alexa app ive not tried this my self as I already have an alexa
Couldn’t recommend enough!
We bought this to keep in touch with family all over the country and it works brilliantly! The camera tracks us everywhere we go and the sound quality is superb. We also love the story time feature which we use with our daughter!
Absolutely brilliant - but flawed
Loved the interface, but was purchased to enable big screen viewing when calling other Alexa devises.
Purchaed on a whim as it was at a reduced price – didn’t research much but as it has Alexa built in thought we could call other Alexa devises, but you can’t – you have to use messanger, whatsapp or Zoom.
Only wanted it for calling Alexa to Porta so no good for us and returned.
Absolutely brilliant - but flawed
Loved the interface, but was purchased to enable big screen viewing when calling other Alexa devises.
Purchaed on a whim as it was at a reduced price – didn’t research much but as it has Alexa built in thought we could call other Alexa devises, but you can’t – you have to use messanger, whatsapp or Zoom.
Only wanted it for calling Alexa to Porta so no good for us and returned.
Just the Job for the whole family
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
Just the Job for the whole family
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
Before the best way to video call
I have been wanting to try this out for quite some time, but couldn’t justify the 150 for it. After finally seeing it on a huge discount, I bot the bullet.
I have family in Japan and a niece I have not yet met due to covid. And I always feel awful that during any celebration, my brother just gets passed along the family members on a tablet.
This year though, he was able to see everyone at Christmas and feel a part of the day. All my family members love it and especially my two toddlers.
I honestly think anyone deciding whether or not to get one…. DO IT. You will not be disappointed. Its absolutely amazing and so easy to use.
Everyone that has received a call from us has commented on how good the video quality is from their side too.
Amazing bit of tech.
Great for relatives abroad
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.
Must have product!
We absolutely love our portal go, love the smart camera feature and the fact that it’s portable is so convenient! I can take it with me anywhere around the house, especially with two young kids they’re always moving around! It’s become a must have staple in our home.
Must have product!
We absolutely love our portal go, love the smart camera feature and the fact that it’s portable is so convenient! I can take it with me anywhere around the house, especially with two young kids they’re always moving around! It’s become a must have staple in our home.
Must have product!
We absolutely love our portal go, love the smart camera feature and the fact that it’s portable is so convenient! I can take it with me anywhere around the house, especially with two young kids they’re always moving around! It’s become a must have staple in our home.
F. B. Portal. Exceptional.
In our present circumstances. This little gadget. Is priceless. Not only can I face time with my daughters. Friends.and. Family. I can. Create a video. At the price Amazon is looking for a face book portal. It would be madness to over look i
F. B. Portal. Exceptional.
In our present circumstances. This little gadget. Is priceless. Not only can I face time with my daughters. Friends.and. Family. I can. Create a video. At the price Amazon is looking for a face book portal. It would be madness to over look i
F. B. Portal. Exceptional.
In our present circumstances. This little gadget. Is priceless. Not only can I face time with my daughters. Friends.and. Family. I can. Create a video. At the price Amazon is looking for a face book portal. It would be madness to over look i
F. B. Portal. Exceptional.
In our present circumstances. This little gadget. Is priceless. Not only can I face time with my daughters. Friends.and. Family. I can. Create a video. At the price Amazon is looking for a face book portal. It would be madness to over look i
F. B. Portal. Exceptional.
In our present circumstances. This little gadget. Is priceless. Not only can I face time with my daughters. Friends.and. Family. I can. Create a video. At the price Amazon is looking for a face book portal. It would be madness to over look i
F. B. Portal. Exceptional.
In our present circumstances. This little gadget. Is priceless. Not only can I face time with my daughters. Friends.and. Family. I can. Create a video. At the price Amazon is looking for a face book portal. It would be madness to over look i
F. B. Portal. Exceptional.
In our present circumstances. This little gadget. Is priceless. Not only can I face time with my daughters. Friends.and. Family. I can. Create a video. At the price Amazon is looking for a face book portal. It would be madness to over look i
F. B. Portal. Exceptional.
In our present circumstances. This little gadget. Is priceless. Not only can I face time with my daughters. Friends.and. Family. I can. Create a video. At the price Amazon is looking for a face book portal. It would be madness to over look i
Amazing! Wish we had this last christmas
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.
Brings family close
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.
Absolutely brilliant, perfect for video calling grandparents
Absolutely love the Facebook portal. I can now ring the grandparents and not worry about having to hold the phone a certain way or a certain distance. The camera or portal moves and adjust so everyone stays in shot. The speakers are also great so your music sounds perfect when playing it.
Fab for keeping connected
With family not so close by I love that we can connect with portal and all keep in the frame 2! When the kids are running round nanny and grandad can still see them! And it doesn’t go unused as we use it as a photo frame 2! Best Buy for me!
Fab for keeping connected
With family not so close by I love that we can connect with portal and all keep in the frame 2! When the kids are running round nanny and grandad can still see them! And it doesn’t go unused as we use it as a photo frame 2! Best Buy for me!
Great device!
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.
Great purchase
My parents use this with just whatsapp and it works great. Love that it can follow them around the room and zoom in and out without them holding it – no more forehead shots and nose viewings! Unfortunately what they can see of me just using my phone screen is limited but might invest in a portal mini. Very pleased with this purchase.
Great purchase
My parents use this with just whatsapp and it works great. Love that it can follow them around the room and zoom in and out without them holding it – no more forehead shots and nose viewings! Unfortunately what they can see of me just using my phone screen is limited but might invest in a portal mini. Very pleased with this purchase.
Great fun for all the family
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
Great WhatsApp companio
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.
Excellent product and quality of video calls clea
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 product and quality of video calls clea
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 product and quality of video calls clea
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
I love it.... Mostly
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.
Good interaction tool
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.
Lasted 6 months
Lasted six months now camera doesn’t work. They can see caller but caller can’t see them
Relax and video call the family
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 !!
Relax and video call the family
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 !!
Brings families togethe
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
Great portal but charger broke
I love my Facebook portal and have used it since Christmas 2020 lots to stay in face to face contact with my daughters and parents during lockdown. A really worthwhile buy.
Unfortunately today the plug on the charger cable broke – one of the pins snapped off in the socket. Disappointingly, I can’t find anywhere where I can get a replacement cable so now can’t use the portal – can anyone help?
Great portal but charger broke
I love my Facebook portal and have used it since Christmas 2020 lots to stay in face to face contact with my daughters and parents during lockdown. A really worthwhile buy.
Unfortunately today the plug on the charger cable broke – one of the pins snapped off in the socket. Disappointingly, I can’t find anywhere where I can get a replacement cable so now can’t use the portal – can anyone help?
Great portal but charger broke
I love my Facebook portal and have used it since Christmas 2020 lots to stay in face to face contact with my daughters and parents during lockdown. A really worthwhile buy.
Unfortunately today the plug on the charger cable broke – one of the pins snapped off in the socket. Disappointingly, I can’t find anywhere where I can get a replacement cable so now can’t use the portal – can anyone help?
The best there is out there, but not great.
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 review is for the 10″ portal. I wanted the portal tv but the reviews were shocking so I’m glad I got this.
It’s absolutely outstanding.
Dead easy to set up. Videos are on YTube to help you. Super quick. You do need a Facebook account and what’s app on your phone.
You can put whatever photos you like on this. Off Facebook. Off Instagram or just off your phone via the portal app.
The sound quality is outstanding as is the visual quality. Phone calls are clear.
Alexa was a fiddle. It doesn’t work in British voice at all. I got the Alexa app and set up all my smart lights and sockets and cameras around the house. But like others report you have to change the language from English UK to English US. yes it means you’ve got an American talking to you all day but who cares. I get the portal to turn the tv on, the volume up or down, turn lights on and off, and I can view all the cameras around the house too.
The storyline feature is a fun gimmick. Love it. You can use Zoom on this and Facebook live. Etc etc.
Do your research before buying but trust me the portal 10″ frame is great.
UK based and I Love Portal TV!
I’m a tech informed person, researched this carefully, and bought one for me and my elderly parents in another country. Since user interaction is very easy, my parents (with hearing, mobility and tech limitations) can manage making and receiving calls. Once connected, we all sit on sofas or reclining chairs and just talk. That’s the best part. We can just chat together as a group (offer two people on each side) without tech getting in the way. There’s no dropping phones, getting disconnected, only seeing Mum’s ear when she can’t hear the phone’s speaker – only a comfortable chat among family. It’s truly as close to being in the same room we can get right now. We’ve shared milestone birthdays with cake and blowing out candles. Sadly one side can only see the cake but still it’s on the big screen and visible enough to almost taste it. Using any video chat platform on any smaller device just doesn’t compare. Even Airplaying or Chromecasting your phone to the TV still means the camera is subject to position the phone and it’s microphone until it falls over. Currently you do need a Facebook account to use Messanger or use WhatsApp. Minor issues of someone’s voice command not working and having to click a remote a couple times instead is just trivial. It’s not perfect, but neither is an iPhone after years of development. Having family and friends on the big screen with minimal tech complication is simply priceless. (I’m a private consumer with no other interest than connecting with family).
Portal TV not compatible with Zoom
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.
The Portal makes video calls relaxing
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.
The Portal makes video calls relaxing
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.
Great buy
Excellent device. Having lovely chats with all my children and grandchildren who love the special effects!
Performs well in call, can be laggy
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 🙂
Great communicatio
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.
Great communicatio
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.
Great communicatio
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.
Great communicatio
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.
Great communicatio
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.
Its good, privacy issures are the next problem i hear.
Would have given 3 n half stars but its not poss. Its a brilliant idear, its very technical could have been made simplier but it needs a lot of tweeking. You cannot as of yet sync with your google calender. Im finding out as i use it things that it cant do that would be helpful.
The portal has its own comand thingy like alexa but try to say portal it dont understand very frustraitng… so i use Alexa… you need the Alexa app on your phone to set that up. It can seem overwhelming but with new devices you get there and there is support on facebook. I used portal to speak to my mother abroad, its easy for her to answer and it have execellent speakers . Set up facebook account if you dont have one and follow instructions. I had some sound distortion difficulties but i think facebook suport sorted it as family can hear me speak now. Picture is good… now and again it pixalates.
Good quality.
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.
Great Produc
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.
All good so fa
I took a ‘Black Friday’ punt on this with the sole aim of having a more comfortable means of talking to my elderly parents. It is easy to set up (I’m not very tech -savvy) with simple step by step instructions on the screen. I’m confident my parents will be able to set theirs up with minimal help (fingers crossed) when I eventually get theirs to them. The camera is great as is the sound quality and it’s nice for my parents to be able to see all of us at once (which is trickier using a mobile phone). Having Alexa incorporated is an added bonus. I am not on Facebook and only use it for WhatsApp calls but all good so far. I have the 10 inch screen which is great but not sure I’d pay the full 170 price tag for it.
Best way of staying in touch.
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.
Invaluable for keeping in touch
Brilliant to watch the Grandchildren opening their presents Christmas morning
Saved Christmas
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.
As others already mentioned, the device does not receive calls, which is a bit frustrating at first. Facebook helpcentre recommends calling from the Portal to a mobile device first, which allegedly triggers an updates of the Messenger app on the mobile, which then should be able to make a call the other way round. This never helped though. In the end we’re happy to receive calls from grandmother whenever it suits her schedule rather than randomly calling her when she’s hanging out, so not a major issue. Bought it in a substantial discount as well – maybe would be more annoyed by this had I paid the full price 😀
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 🙂
Facebook porthole 😊👌
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
Be careful if have a soundbar and can’t turn it off easily!
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
It arrived a day early, the packaging was excellent and just taking it out of the box and setting it up using the on screen instructions was brilliant it connected to my phone with no problems at all, it has got all my photos off my phone and displys them on the screen as a slide show, the hey portal voice activated instructions are fast, the wide image camera is fantastic we can talk to our family and friends without using my phone for face time calls and although none of them have a portal they can see both my husband and myself.
I am one very happy portal owner and i still have so much more to learn about i
Absolutely brillia
I wasn’t sure with my purchase as I saw a few negative comments from UK customers but so glad I decided to give it a try. Portal + is just huge tablet for various uses for everyone in my family. Setting up was very easy, activating Facebook, WhatsApp, Zoom, YouTube and other apps permissions was without any problems. Of course, the choise of apps is limited but I believe they will be adding more and more soon. On the other side it’s not a problem as I easily set up the bookmarks on the main menu and with one touch we can just use our most used TV/satellite channels, study courses and other sources over the website, they all running smoothly. Quality of the camera is amazing, screen resolution as well. Game selection fit to all of us, only Checkers are not working as the moment. Uploading photos from my phone was little bit harder, but I blame my phone. ..As a Google home fan and owner of various smart devices, I had to install Alexa first time on my phone to activate it, but she works on Portal without any problem. Voice commands are limited as she can only open apps, not a bookmarks but we don’t need this at all. She reacts to all members of our family, even to my Czech accent :). We have now Google and Alexa but it doesn’t make any troubles as we use Google for most of the devices and Alexa is there for Portal only..
It’s quite heavy gadget but the handle in the back is making it very easy to move it to another room. I found only one negative thing on this beauty and it is a sound. Sound settings has only three levels and even on lower bass settings, sometimes we thing it’s still quite high. I think it’s little bit unpleasant when it’s in lower volume, in higher it’s not so bad…. Screen resolution is amazing as I mentioned, watching RedBull videos is nice bonus (app from the store).
I have to say that for 220 pounds it’s absolutely amazing 15inch gadget, with brilliant camera, microphone and screen resolution and has a huge potential in the future. But for me it’s perfect already.
I bought one of these for parents to talk to grandchildren as they struggled with the complexity of other systems. I had to set up a dummy facebook account for each family which worked well. It takes time to download all the updates so did this in advance of delivering to family. Wifi connection works OK but sometimes the image quality isnt as good as I would like. I tried wifi booster but the best option is to hardwire the ethernet connection. I used an ethernet to usb c adapter to plug into the USB c port on the portal TV and then connected to a devolo dlan plug. Works great:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/UGREEN-Ethernet-Thunderbolt-Compatible-1000Mbps/dp/B077FVG3F3
and
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Powerline-Starter-Homeplug-Internet-Ethernet/dp/B00N8W34SC/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=S3EMUFRHTMKC&dchild=1&keywords=devolo+dlan+starter+kit&qid=1605010514&sprefix=devolo+dlan+s%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzNzhQSlI1WUtGQlJPJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTU1MTYxM1BPQlRITFFWRVZUWiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMjgxNTk0MkJYWkJIVklIRkhDMyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
So far, so good
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.
OMG – thank you FB for creating such a simple and fantastic product as the FB Portal!! It has transformed our life!!
My 86 year old Mom, is deaf and suffers with Vascular Dementia; she resides in a Care Home and we have not been able to visit her since March 2020 when the UK went into lockdown
Purchasing the Portal was the very best thing we did! We speak to her multiple times a day now! Her friends and other relatives are now in regular contact with her and her mental health has improved significantly since she’s been able to see people again.
The quality of the audio and camera is superb. The volume goes really high, so Mom can actually hear us without us having to yell at the top of our voices!
The way the camera follows us around the room is a bonus as she gets to see the dog whom she misses terribly and she does’t miss out on the hustle and bustle of home!
I can’t recommend the Portal highly enough. Everybody should have one! It’s an absolute lifesaver for the elderley.
Worth every penny!
Updated review: Getting better and more versatile with updates.
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.
Require around 22Mbs Broadband connectio
When I first got Portal TV, I had 11 Mbps standard broadband, people we video called with same TVportal said the view of us was pixelated or blurred and the sound distorted. Those other people had internet connections of 36 Mbps or above and had no issues. I called Facebook for assistance and they said that 5 Mbps should be sufficient and advised me to check various other parameters on my network. This proved to be a waste of time. I upgraded from standard broadband to fibre which averages at 36 Mbps but often tests as low as 22 Mbps and now we can make video calls without the recipient seeing us as pixelated or blurred. They now see a high definition view of us with sound deterioration.
Really good when video calling with young kids!
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.
Really good when video calling with young kids!
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.
Easy to use
Bought for my 99 YO mother to use to contact family and friends during lockdown. Although far from computer literate she has, after a while, become very comfortable using it.
Perfect for elderly less tech savvy people
Amazing! We bought this for my elderly uncle. My brother set it up and we explained how to use it. Now he can call the family and see and speak to people whilst he’s shielded away with his wife.
Bought for my very elderly and tech fearing grandma to keep in touch more during Covid19. My Grandma can just about turn the volume up on her tv (no exaggeration) so I was apprehensive about this. Fortunately she has broadband installed as it was no extra cost with her phone package so this was well worth a shot. To say it’s the best thing we’ve done in a long time is an understatement! After a little teething problem setting it up (parental controls on the broadband account stopping it connecting correctly) it’s been a godsend. We set up a blank FB profile to get messenger and then just added the family and friends she wanted to be able to keep in touch with. We just videocall her on messenger and she only has to tap a button on the screen and we’re away! It is nice and loud for her even without hearing aids…she doesnt have to hold it either and can just relax in her chair whilst we chat and the kids do silly things. The camera finds her and moves accordingly which is great because she sometimes nudges the unit a little when answering it (a standard camera would then be pointing at the wall lol). Its capable of more than we use it for but hell, it’s been worth its weight in gold for what function we’ve used.
Great Product 👍
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.
Couldn't have lived without this during lock-dow
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.
This was bought for a specific purpose – to allow our Dad to facetime with us while he was unable to have visitors in the nursing home. We set up a Facebook account for him and set it up on the device, but then were at the mercy of the nursing home staff setting it up on their WiFi, but thankfully they managed to sort it out. Dad needed some help to make and answer calls to start with, but within a few days was able to use it without help. As he has some speech and comprehension problems it really helps for us to be able to see each other. He loves it when the grandchildren pop onto the screen too. Photos we have uploaded onto his Facebook account scroll on the screen when it isn’t being used to make calls. For most tech savvy people, they may find the Portal too much of a one trick pony, but for my Dad it has been ideal and I’m sure it is helping him feel less isolated.
Thank you for the memories
Brought this as a gift for my 1 year old nephew that sadly due to distance I don’t see too often. The image is so clear. It’s great to be able to see him growing up and the camera moving with him whilst he crawls around. Amazing!
Saves you holding your phone and brings a new dynamic to calls with the themes you can add
Very easy to set up and use straight away. Nice out of box experience; a few parts in the box. Much easier to have calls now you dont need to hold the phone. The camera follows you around the room and zooms in on you. You can also bring in bedtime stories alive by being part of them.
Negatives so far: cant disconnect the cable. Limited apps available e.g Houseparty and doesn’t always understand voice activation to answer or end a call.
Good purchase, would recommend.
A fantastic device!
At this time of lockdown this is the most wonderful device. We talk regularly to our grandchild in Manchester and friends around the world. The best invention for personal comme since the telephone!
Bought for my mum as she is socially isolating. We had provided her with smartphone so we could keep in touch with her via whatsapp video. She was getting on ok with it but we thought would be nicer if she had a bigger screen to view. It was very easy to set up with her WhatsApp account. She doesnt have and didn’t need a facebook account. Also set up amazon so she could use Alexa on it. I just followed requests on touch screen. WhatsApp is really easy for her to use and she has even used Alexa to find out news and weather forecast.
If you want to keep in touch with someone video whatsapp I would definitely recommend.
I have two sets of parents who live hundreds of miles away, both in their 70’s. They are on WhatsApp but not Facebook. We got a Portal TV for each of them and one for ourselves after we had to cancel a visit (due to Covid-19 outbreak). We wanted to stay in touch whilst they went into self-isolation.
I had to talk them through the set up (they are not that tech-savvy) but once it was all ready to go, the results are amazing. We can now have “living room to living room” group chats, they see the grandkids in the room, we can talk without holding a screen up to our face – the camera follows us around which is one of the best features.
The sound quality is OK – the main issue is if you need to turn the volume up on the TV then it can echo a little. Perhaps there is a better position but we’ve got ours on the TV cabinet below rather than mounted on the TV itself.
All in all, I am so happy I got these when I did as it will help prevent the potential feelings of isolation during these crazy times.
Great produc
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.
Excellent sound quality
The sound quality that comes from this is excellent given its size. Will be recommending to family and friends and will be buying more of these. Great picture quality, easy to use.
Very happy
I really love this know I can keep in contact with everyone it’s grea
Since Skype was removed from my Panasonic TV we have had problemsems contacting Family & friends. But now we have the Facebook portal we are back online again.. Setup was easy, if long winded, and can now speak to anyone with a portal or a smartphone, iPad or a laptop..
There are other features that you might find useful but at the moment we are happy .
I bought two of these, one for my parents and one for myself. I paid 150 for two of these, one for my parents and one for my home. We are very pleased with this and it is a big improvement over other options I have tried including:
Skype on TV built in webcam (Skype has now been discontinued)
Connecting laptop with Skye camera to the TV (have to arrange call beforehand so it’s all setup)
Windows stick PC that plus into the HDMI socket with USB web cam (painfully slow to use and subject to annoying Windows updates when you want to use it)
Mobile phone connected to TV with Chromecast (sound comes through the phone speaker and requires something to hold the phone in place so the camera is pointing in the right direction)
Raspberry Pi connected to TV with webcam (video worked but sound didn’t)
I think this is really the only option that works well on the TV.
The Portal TV was relatively easy to setup, although my Mum was unable to get it working with WhatsApp, but I had no problem with this.
Video and sound quality are good, although I wish the video quality was higher definition. Occasionally you do get some audio feedback where you can hear an echo of yourself. It seems to help if the other end turns their sound down a little. However, this has been an issue with everything else I’ve tried so far.
One great feature that works really well is how the camera keeps people in the frame. This makes a big difference to the call, and makes it feel much more intimate.
There are a lot of visual effects that can be applied which are a lot of fun for children but will probably not use much in the long run.
Overall very happy with this and would recommend for anyone wanting video calls over the TV.
Fantastic
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
Fantastic
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
Wanted a way to speak with my daughter in Australia using the TV or projector screen. And found this.
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.
Massive screen
Very easy to setup and to use.
Video tracking is very good. Zooming in and out and tracking u walk around the room
Messenger and WhatsApp
The only thing negative is that if you setup to English uk language you can’t use the portal voice commands But Alexa works perfect
But if you change to English / Canada language then portal voice commands work but the Alexa speaks in a American sound and doesn’t always understand what u are saying. So I keep mine on English uk language and do not use the portal commands. But I am sure it will all work together soon
I can ask Alexa to show me my front door camera with no problems.
Play my prime Alexa music
Etc
So very good but I’m sure it will get even better as early days
You can calll your own portal from your phone just download the app
We have bought a 4 of these now to give to family members as they are so good. Picture and audio are really good, you can focus and zoom onto individual people so that anyone in the room that dose not want to be seen will not be on the camera. The tracking feature is very impressive and pans around the room to fit all people into frame or just the people who it’s focused on. There is a lens cover and also a button that turns the camera and mic off completely which gives you peace of mind for privacy. There is also the AR feature that is quite fun, allowing you to change your face, put hats and glasses on and changes your voice etc…. and also an interactive story mode that puts you as the centre of the story.
It is easy to set up as well and easy to understand how to use it.
Altogether an amazing bit of kit, we are really impressed with the product and so far been using it on a daily basis.
The setup is really easy, a download took about 15 and that was the only real slow down, once it’s up and running you’re connected to your Facebook account and then your WhatsApp account in about 2 minutes.
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.
I wanted a device that would enable me to make WhatsApp video calls using my TV as the local display, and this box does that extremely well.
The unit itself feels solid, weighty and very well made. Using the built-in clips, it sits securely atop my Samsung flat screen TV, and the power cable is impressively long. They know the box is likely to be placed on top of a TV, so could be some distance away from the nearest power socket, so that attention to detail is really appreciated and unexpected – I expected to need an extension lead, but didn’t.
I was a little frustrated that the box spent over an hour updating itself before I could actually start using it. It said the software update may take about 15 minutes, but ended up taking very nearly a full hour. It then rebooted, at which point I thought I’d be able to start playing with my new toy, but no such luck. It then started updating the remote control, which took a further 3-4 minutes, taking the total update time to over an hour. Only then could I start setting the box up.
It’s a pity the box is WiFi only, as using a wired connection would have been more convenient (no need to enter a WiFi Key) and probably would have sped up the update process.
Once I finally managed to start the setup process, this was really easy and intuitive, and only took a few minutes.
One slight annoyance is that the on-screen keyboards are not QWERTY – the “keys” are arranged alphabetically, which I found awkward.
During the setup process, I was offered a full-screen view of my own camera, so I could position the camera and play with the tracking feature and see what the picture was like. It would be nice to be able to recall this feature after initial setup, especially if I want to move the box to a new position, but I couldn’t see any option to.
My first call was a WhatsApp call to my mum, who has a fairly old Android phone.
The picture quality is very good, even in a fairly dimly-lit room, and the video tracking works extremely well – actually far better than I had expected! If you move to the other side of the room, sit down, stand up, do a dance, whatever, it follows you flawlessly.
When the other person turned their phone on its side, the picture filled the TV screen my end, and my picture flipped to horizontal and filled the screen their end as well – perfect!
Audio quality was crystal clear both ends. The call audio comes through the TV speakers, but there is also a speaker built into the box itself. This emits the ringing signal, even when the call is being initiated from my end, which seems a bit weird.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the volume buttons on the Portal remote adjusted the volume on my TV – how it knew how to control my TV is a mystery because I never told it, but it worked somehow!
My second call was another WhatsApp call, this time to a contact who has a new iPhone XR. Sadly, on this call, when they turned their phone sideways, while their picture flipped and filled my TV screen, my picture remained vertical and displayed as a pillarbox on their end. That was disappointing, but no doubt a bug that will be sorted out at some point. We flipped back and forth several times, but could not make the Portal box flip its image to horizontal.
I then tried a Facebook Messenger call to the same contact, and that worked much better – when they turned their phone to horizontal, both pictures flipped to horizontal so we had full screen both ends.
I have yet to try a Portal to Portal call, but I have no reason to doubt that this will work well.
This box’s primary function is to make video calls via a TV, and that job it does very well. I didn’t try any of the other features because, frankly, I couldn’t care less about them. Hopefully the landscape orientation bug will be sorted out in a future software version, then it’ll be perfect.
UPDATE – April 2020:
Since I bought the Portal TV around 5 months ago, the software has been updated.
The inset picture from your own camera is now placed in the bottom right corner of the screen instead of the top left, which is better, but I would still prefer an option to choose which corner to put the picture.
There is now an option to force portrait/landscape orientation, so even though the automatic switching still doesn’t work reliably, this can be manually overridden to provide a full-screen picture both ends.
There is still no option to check the picture from your own camera without starting a video call to someone, but I have discovered that if you go into the “Photo Booth” app from the home screen, you can see what your camera is seeing locally without starting a call.
WhatsApp does not work reliably. Incoming calls frequently don’t “ring” on the Portal, and after a period of time the Portal TV will stop working altogether with WhatsApp, complaining that my phone is not connected to the Internet (it is). You then have to delete your WhatsApp account from the Portal (which triggers a confirmation code sent to WhatsApp your phone, demonstrating that it really is connected!) and then re-add it again. Of course, this loses hidden contacts list, so you have to set this up again. I’ve since given up on WhatsApp, and now just use the Portal TV for Facebook calls, which seem to be much more reliable.
Portal-to-Portal Facebook calls work brilliantly, and the picture quality is excellent.
I have tried out the Alexa functionality, and this seems to work as you would expect, but it’s not a feature I use regularly.
Very easy set up, got one for us and one for parents in late 60s so they can stay involved with new baby. Very easy to pair with Messenger / WhatsApp, even those who don’t have the system we’re impressed with what they experienced on phones alone. The tech is impressive, automatically locks onto faces / voices, smoothly pans / zooms, ideal for moving about with crying / feeding baby. Will be used for feeding and bathing times, also perfect for Christmas day. Ignore the haters/tinfoil hat wearers. Ideal for far apart friends and family