You can make video calls, too, though you're limited to using Google Duo.With Google Nest and Home speakers and displays, you can make calls to friends, family, and businesses with your voice. Google also offers a wider overall selection of media partners to stream from, including services such as HBO Now, Deezer, Crackle and YouTube that aren't currently available on Portal devices. It recognizes gestures, too - just raise your hand when you're near the device to pause or resume playback.
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For instance, the camera uses facial recognition software to learn faces - when it recognizes you, it'll let you tap on the screen to see personalized notifications and bits of info from your calendar. Google makes the most of those software strengths in other ways, too. But it's a safe bet that Google will still be on top when it comes to the overall look and feel of the touchscreen interface.
Plus, the built-in ambient light sensor is terrific at automatically dimming the display to match the room and keep your photos looking their best.įacebook's Portal has an ambient light sensor of its own, and we'll know a little more about how well it works once we've had some time to test the thing out. Each of them is snappy and responsive, and they do an outstanding job of showcasing information in a way that feels simple and intuitive without cluttering up the screen too much.
The Facebook Portal doesn't use facial recognition at all.Īmazon's Alexa got off to a hot start in the smart speaker category, but Google found an edge of its own with its Nest Hub smart displays (formerly Home Hub), all of which boast the best user interface we've tested. The Nest Hub Max also uses facial recognition software to track faces, which raises some privacy concerns of its own. That said, they all include physical shutters that you can use to cover the camera when you aren't using it - the Nest Hub Max, meanwhile, skipped the shutter in favor of a digital kill switch that disables the camera electronically without covering it. Portal devices put a Facebook-connected camera and mic array into your home, which raises some obvious privacy questions.
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The built-in, "Hey Portal"-activated assistant isn't nearly as well-developed as the Google Assistant is, but Portal devices also include full access to Alexa, so you'll still find plenty of ways to put the thing to use. You can ask it to show you the weather or set a timer, you can ask it to play music from supported services like Spotify, and you can pull up videos from Facebook Watch, which also supports Showtime, Amazon Prime Video and CBS All Access (disclaimer: CBS is CNET's parent company). Outside of video calls, the Portal works like other smart displays. The Nest Hub Max is only meant to be used in landscape mode. That might make the Portal a great gift for Grandma and Grandpa.Īnother nice touch - you can use the Portal in both portrait and landscape modes, which gives you an extra bit of flexibility during those video calls. Those come in handy when you're using the Portal's dedicated Story Time mode, which turns video chats into interactive storybooks that you can read to your kid. That means it'll take sharper, better-looking video of you during calls.īeyond that, Portal smart displays also include fun, Snapchat-like filters for your face - things like silly hats and animated masks. Like the Nest Hub Max, its camera can automatically pan, tilt and zoom to follow you as you move around the frame during a video call, and while the 114-degree lens doesn't offer quite as wide a look at the room as the Nest Hub Max, it offers twice as many megapixels - 13 for the Portal compared to 6.5 for the Nest Hub Max. If you make lots of video calls - particularly via Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp - it's hard to argue against the Portal as the most sensible smart display you can buy.
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