A smart display from Facebook is in the works

Amazon last week unveiled a cohort of new hardware products including a revamped smart display. Well, it seems the all-new Echo Show will not be the only product from this category launching this month.

According to a report coming out of Cheddar, social media giant Facebook is gearing up to introduce a smart display of its own. And while we don’t know the official name of the product just yet, we can tell you it has been codenamed “Portal”.

Related:

A few other details are also available like the fact that the device will feature facial recognition, as to allow users to log in effortlessly. Obviously, the device will come with Facebook Messenger installed by default, and video calling is going to be one of its main components.

We’re also told the Facebook speaker will come with Alexa on board, so if you’re more of a fan of the Google Assistant, though luck!

According to sources, Facebook will unveil Portal in two different display sizes. The smaller one will be priced around $300 (about INR 22,000), while the other around $400 (INR 29,000 approx.).

Related:

Facebook has been working on its first smart display product for a while now but had to halt development due to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. But in the wake of the affair, the company was forced to make some adjustments to the initial design like adding a privacy shutter to the front camera.

Facebook has already shown off the product to several major retails, so it appears the stage is set for the big announcement.