Facebook announces Portal Go, Portal Plus to refresh video calling devices lineup: Price, availability and specs

Facebook announced the debut of two new Portal video chatting devices on Tuesday, marking the first major hardware refresh of the device’s lineup since 2019. The internet giant has debuted Portal Go and Portal Plus, and unlike Amazon’s Echo smart home device portfolio, Facebook’s Portal lineup is nearly fully dedicated to video calling, especially with the Android-based interface added in recent software updates. The device focuses on video conversations in a remote working environment, and it comes with a new calendar software that syncs with Google or Outlook to display upcoming meetings and allows users to attend meetings directly from the Portal home page itseGoo.

Portal Go and Portal Plus: Price and availability

Portal Go has been priced at $199 or about Rs 14,600, while Portal Plus will set customers back by $349 or approximately Rs 25,700. Both the devices, available only in white colour, are open for pre-ordering and shipping will begin from October 19.

The devices have currently been launched in the US, and there is no information as to whether these products would be coming to other markets, including India, at any point.

Facebook Portal Go, Portal Plus: Features and specs

Portal Go has a 10-inch screen, and has a standalone battery to allow portability of the device, becoming the first Portal that will not need to constantly be connected to power. It also has a 12MP wide-angle camera that has the ability to follow whoever is in focus, which means that it can zoom and pan as the person in focus moves.

On the other hand, the 14-inch Portal Plus is sleeker than the most expensive Portal that Facebook had first launched three years ago. While Portal Plus’ functioning is similar to that of its predecessor, it does not have a swivel display anymore.

Both the devices have built-in Amazon Alexa support for smart voice assistant, and have physical shutters to cover the camera. Currently, they require users to require a Facebook or WhatsApp account to work and support video calling on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Zoom, BlueJeans, Cisco’s Webex, and GoToMeeting. Support for Microsoft Teams is also slated to be added in the coming months.