The Facebook Portal is the type of product that you probably already know whether you want. But if you know you want one and don’t know which one to get, we’ve reviewed both models to see which is right for you.
Facebook Portal
Light and Small
$200 at Amazon
Pros
- Seamless video calls via Facebook.
- Growing list of third-party service, including Alexa.
- AI-powered smart camera features.
- Proper privacy guards in place.
Cons
- Not as capable as like-sized tablets.
- Only 720p resolution.
Facebook Portal is a smart display that hooks into a service you and billions of other people likely already use. It’s the smaller of the Portal duo, but that also makes it a more practical option for everyday usage.
Facebook Portal Plus
Window to Facebook
$350 at Amazon
Pros
- Massive 1080p display.
- 20w speakers.
- Convertible between landscape and portrait.
Cons
- A bit unwieldy.
- Pricey.
The Facebook Portal Plus offers the same software experience as the original Portal, but in a much bigger size. Bigger speakers and a sharper display also make it worth your consideration.
For most people, the Facebook Portal is more than enough smart display. It’s a 10.1-inch slate that can fit in any room of the house. The Portal Plus isn’t quite as nimble, but it makes for one hell of a video calling device.
Bigger isn’t always better
The Facebook Portal is an interesting device, touted as the perfect smart display for you and your Facebook-loving friends and family. Indeed, Portal offers the most comprehensive and polished interactivity with your Facebook account.
You can call your loved ones and talk to them even if they’re on their phone, computer, or other devices compatible with Facebook. What’s more, things like birthday reminders and status indicators for your closest friends will keep you connected.
The fun happens on a 10.1-inch display that comes in with 1280 x 800 resolution. It’s not the sharpest thing in the world, then. This wouldn’t be so bad for video calling and other basic uses, but considering you can watch videos on the Facebook Portal we’d be lying if we said we weren’t disappointed that it wasn’t at least 1080p.
| Display Size | 10.1″ | 15.6″ |
| Display Resolution | 1200 x 800 (WXGA) | 1920 x 1080 (FHD) |
| Camera | 12MP, 140° Field of View | 12MP, 140° Field of View |
| Speakers | 2 full-range 10w drivers | 2 20w tweeters + 4″ bass |
| Microphone | 2 front, 2 rear 360° array | 2 front, 2 rear 360° array |
| Wireless | WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Dual-band MIMO (2.4GHz and 5GHz) | WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Dual-band MIMO (2.4GHz and 5GHz) |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 4.2 | Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Other Features | Ambient Light Sensor, Camera Cover | Ambient Light Sensor, Camera Cover |
| Dimensions | 9.84″ W x 8.20″ H x 3.68″ D | 8.78″ W x 17.71″ H x 5.73″ D (Portrait) |
| Colors | Black, White | Black, White |
| Price | $200 | $350 |
That’s where the Facebook Portal Plus comes in. It has a bigger 15.5-inch display with a more pleasing 1920 x 1080 — or 1080p — resolution. What’s more, its display can swivel to transform between landscape and portrait modes.
Alongside the bigger display, the Facebook Portal Plus offers more powerful 20w speakers, featuring 2 tweeters and 1 bass woofer. That makes it plenty capable of being a capable home speaker.
Speaking of which functionality, the Facebook Portal Plus matches the Facebook Portal in all other areas. They both have the same AI-equipped 12MP camera which can automatically pan and zoom to keep subjects in view. They both have 4 omnidirectional microphones to offer clear audio no matter where you’re speaking from. And they both have access to the same services which, alongside Facebook, includes the likes of Spotify, Alexa, Food Network, Pandora, and iHeartRadio.
It becomes a matter of preference, then: do you like your screens big or small? Make your mind up on that and determine whether you feel the staggering difference is worth an extra $150.
Many of you will likely prefer the smaller size no matter your feelings on the cost difference, and that’s fine. In fact, it’s great for those who want to be flexible with where they can move these things in their home. The base Facebook Portal model is advantaged in that regard, so unless you have thousands of dollars to put a Facebook Portal Plus in every room of your home, the smaller model may be exactly what you need.
Facebook Portal
Light and Small
$200 at Amazon
The Facebook Portal can do everything the Plus can, but is much more versatile.
With a 12-megapixel camera, 4 microphones, and a 10w speaker, the base Facebook Portal model has everything it needs to be your chief smart display. Its small size makes it more manageable for transporting it from room to room.
Facebook Portal Plus
Window to Facebook
The Facebook Portal Plus embiggens everything the little one can do.
$350 at Amazon
For an extra $150, the Facebook Portal Plus offers a bigger window into the world of Facebook, but otherwise shares the same featureset as the original Facebook Portal.
