Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

For those who are debating an Alexa device with screen capabilities, whether you will like the Portal or not will depend on what you want to use it for. In taking the smart home plunge, I ended up purchasing 4 Echo Shows (2nd generation) and 2 Facebook Portal+’s for my home because I wanted both, PA & Drop in function, but also a primo video chat. Here’s why I have both: The Echo Show (2nd generation) exceeds the Portal + in overall functionality. It provides all of the features of the previous model and more. I wanted some (or all) of my primary devices to sometimes act as a PA & also be able to use the ‘Drop in’ feature when I am not home. I live in a condo and have an 8wk old puppy coming. Though I work from home, at some point if I need to go on a run or leave for an hour or two, I am still able to access the camera and speak to her if she’s barking at the front door. For now, Facebook Portal does not have this feature. With the Echo Show there is also no need for an external hub for most of my smart devices because it’s built right in. I’m unsure if Portal has this. With the Show, there is also direct access to the internet. Just ask Alexa to play movie trailers, Prime videos, etc. The display is nice, but I would chalk up the video calling and ‘Drop in’ quality to better than that of my security cameras (also high quality). The Facebook Portal+ display and AI camera technology far exceeds that of any other device I’ve used. I purchased this for the calling feature - which is its’ primary function. During a call, you no longer need to employ being your own camera man during the call - it’s completely hands-free and smoothly follows you around the room like a movie director. I was impressed by the range at which it accurately followed me and will even follow in the direction of your voice if you happen to step out of the frame. Very limited on other functions though and I expect more are soon to follow within the year once the ‘data breach’ blah blah stuff calms down a bit. Though the Portal does not support the PA & ‘Drop in’ functions that the Echo Show has, I can still control all of my smart home devices & groups with ease and employ all of my routines with no problem. If you’re looking for all-around functionality and more features the Echo Show (2nd) is the way to go. If quality video calling is the priority, then you can’t beat the Portal+ for now - it far exceeds everything else in that arena.