Customer Ratings & Reviews

Too big. Limited to what you can do. Youtube does not work properly full screen.

I tried to call with it and it did not work. It disconnects the video calls.

I returned the Portal + to Best Buy this morning. It was a gift for my technology-challenged parents, so we could keep in touch while I was overseas. We made one "test" call, and then the touch screen froze. I contacted Portal support (who responded very quickly), but their "troubleshooting" advice all involved pressing buttons on a frozen and non-responsive touchscreen. I am very disappointed in this product. The fact that there is no way to turn it off OR factory reboot when the touch screen is malfunctioning is a huge oversight in the design.

Needs better instructions of the features that are avaliable

Great Idea But You Can’t Add Your Own Personal APPS which is why I think it was rushed to market.. maybe generation 3-4 it might let you add your most preferred APPS.

1. Screen -- too dim for confirmation use; 2. Camera -- from 1995, potato quality, low dynamic range, and way too much contrast and processing applied 3. Webex (the reason the Portal was purchased) doesn't work. It wouldn't let me sign in to my paid Webex subscription. 4. Sound -- muffled 5. Interface -- sluggish, unresponsive Summary, just get an iPad, the cheapest low tier is far superior than that abomination from Facebook

Saw the commercial ran to bb to pick it up for my mom in law who’s 86 in charge of her faculties owner of an iPad avid reader and still cooks . She’s not using it. Why we can’t seem to add people to the thing. That aside I myself cannot remember the name. What is it hey what???? Omg for the life of me I cannot think portal. Why? I don’t think portal is a common word in anyone’s vocabulary unless you’re into time travel. So dissatisfied and hugely disappointed. I can put a sign up sure but my mom in law fell and guess what. Don’t get it for the aged nope

Was disappointed in this product. Thought it would do more than just make video calls.

Very nice looking and easy to setup but it only works with people who use Facebook...

I bought this portal because Im an avid fan of facebook. ALEXA IS A BAD IDEA TO INCORPORATE WITH FB PORTAL. Why? I have google home hubs and it works great in providing information, updates, news and google home is very responsive! Alexa is so limited in information. Fb camera pixel is poor.

It is not worth to even try it!! I have excellent internet service, yet it keeps disconnecting!! It keeps you asking you for your internet credentials. You are constantly send to your Facebook account to do any minor changes to your set up. It does not allow you to move the device to different location in the house without disconnecting you from the service, it needs a battery back up!!

This has too many restrictions. Youtube not working.

Do not buy this product. Did not last a year, all of a sudden it won’t turn on. Trying to get ahold of support for Facebook products is terrible.

Too many issues to mention. It works for the most part, but I would rather use my phone than rely on this junk form Facebook.

I didn’t open this and returned ASAP..... didn’t realize that everyone you talk to had to use Faceb.... messenger. Also worried about our privacy using a camera inside our home that’s made and operated by Faceb....

This thing is terrible, don’t buy it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Portal is a great video chat device that helps connect easily with friends and family. While using portal it felt as if my friend was just beside me while we were chatting. Another thing I loved about portal it’s the freedom to do other things while video chatting with friends and family as the smart camera will adjust to capture every moment while using it, also the sound of the music from it, its awesome. While using it I was unsure if the video calls were being saved on Facebook so I checked and discovered it wasn’t. This is great as it means chats are secure. I also tried to see if it uses facial recognition but it doesnt , this is also a good security feature. I did notice that there was a lot that can be done with the settings to ensure privacy. So far, I love it and it’s definitely a great video chat device that I would recommend to my friends and family.

Video conferencing is a good way to see your family when you are away from them. But up until now, it meant huddling around a phone or device with a blurry "head in a box" style feed. Facebook Portal is a thousand times better. It's a game changer. We tested using a Portal Plus in my home, and a portal in my parent's house. It's great for my senior parents as they just tap the screen to call and answer.  Boom, we are together. The Portal Plus is a great addition to the kitchen, not just for video calling but for the included apps. I can watch Facebook videos and the Food Network while cooking. I can ask Alexa to play music or find facts for me. And I can control all this with my voice.  Even the doubters in my family were won over by the brilliance of the interface. We might unplug our unit while it's not in use, but our Portal is here to stay.

I have a portal + and echo show, and, depending on the person, would recommend a Portal + over an Echo Show. The video calling on the Portal + is 100% better with a wide lens camera that captures the whole room, zooms in on a person, and follows that person as they walk about the room. The video service is Messenger, which all my friends and family have, so it's easy to call them all. I find myself video calling out of convenience now. My 4 year old kid uses it to call his grandma, since he can see her icon on the home screen and just taps it to call her. He also uses it to watch YouTube. It's not perfect though. It's not an intercom device, since each device has to have a different facebook/messenger account assigned to it and I'd like to have a device in each room but don't want to create 4 different facebook accounts. It has Alexa built in, but it doesn't support Alexa's calling and drop in features, so you can't call other Alexa's. It also doesn't support any of Alexa's smart home features, or music services. It does have music services built in (Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio), but not SiriusXM. The smart home features are non-existent with no support for any smart home devices. Alexa is basically useless with just simple "how is the weather" and "order paper towels" options. Alexa isn't even great at simple web questions, since both Google and Cortana are better. Alexa is good at it's communication and entertainment features (music, video) and those aren't supported on the portal. I'd recommend this if you aren't bought into Echo devices and don't intend to use as a house intercom. Note: I am not surprised that Facebook is an advertising company that may sell my information, since I'd prefer that to me actually paying for the service to use Facebook. Just like I prefer a free Google or Bing to paying to search the web, or a free Spotify account that may show me relevant ads based on my profile and listening history, or any website that tracks my actions with cookies so they can serve up more relevant products, .... I understand that this is how digital advertisers make money, so I'm not surprised.

We received this device as part of a blogger campaign and have been really impressed with it. If you are like me and you live far away from your family, this may be something that would be perfect for you. Using this device is certainly much better than video chatting on a phone or tablet. Also, it should be noted that you don’t have to call another Portal device for it to work. You can connect on messenger easily on any other phone or tablet. We love how easy it was to set-up and how the camera follows the person around the room. It is truly hands off. I think it is perfect for grandparents who live far away to chat with their grandkids.