Despite concerns about privacy from many users, Facebook isn’t giving up on its smart speakers just yet. The social media giant launched two new Portal smart speakers yesterday — the Portal Go and the Portal+. The company says that the Facebook Portal Go will be the first portable Portal device ever, while the Portal+ will have a 14 inch tilting display and sits at the higher end of Facebook’s Portal line. The smart speaker takes on devices like Amazon’s Echo smart speakers and Google and Apple’s Nest and HomePod speakers. The two devices will begin shipping in the US from October 19 and will likely not be available in India.
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Facebook Portal Go and Portal+ pricing
On the specs front, the Facebook Portal Go has a 10-inch display and is priced at $199 (approximately Rs. 15000) in the US. On the other hand, the Facebook Portal+ has a 14-inch display and is priced at $349 (approximately Rs. 26,000) in the US. Facebook hasn’t launched any of the Portal smart speakers in India just yet, so a pricing for India has never been announced before.
Facebook Portal Go and Portal+ specs and features
Apart from the displays, the Portal smart speakers have built in microphones and displays, pitting them against Amazon’s Echo Show line and the Google Nest Hub smart speakers. Apple doesn’t have a smart speaker system with displays at the moment.
The Facebook Portal Go has 1280×800 pixel resolution and weighs just about 1.4kg. It measures 256.7×78.9×173.9mm in terms of dimensions, which makes it the smallest Portal device so far. It will also have both a charging dock and a wall adapter for charging the device. It has four microphones and a single 12MP camera on the front with an ultra-wide field of view. It also has two full-range speakers and a built-in woofer for bass response.
On the other hand, the Portal+ has stereo speakers and the same 12MP ultra wide camera. It also has a tilting display, unlike the Portal Go. Facebook says that the company will be adding Microsoft Teams to the speakers from December this year, giving it more video calling capabilities.
