Picking a screen for video calls used to mean choosing between an Amazon Echo Show or a Google Nest display, and both ecosystems have been quiet for years. This year the decision is a little different, because the field that actually matters for calling has narrowed to two families: Amazon’s Echo Show line, which treats calling as one feature among many, and Meta’s Portal devices, which were built for nothing else.
We spent weeks with all seven current models on this list, making and receiving calls from counters, desks, bedrooms and living rooms, and comparing them on the things that actually break a call. That means in-call loudness, whether the camera finds you when you move, whether the picture drops when the Wi-Fi wobbles, and whether there is a physical slider that blocks the lens. The best smart displays for video calls are not necessarily the ones with the sharpest screens, and our results surprised us in a couple of places.
If you want the short version, the best smart displays for kitchens guide covers the placement side of this in more detail, which matters a lot when you are picking a screen for calls. Everything below is filtered strictly by calling performance.
Table of Contents
Top 3 Best Smart Displays for Video Calls in 2026
Meta Portal 10 inch
- 13 MP auto-framing camera
- Smart Sound voice isolation
- Physical lens cover
- Messenger and WhatsApp calling
Amazon Echo Show 8
- Centered auto-framing camera with 3.3x zoom
- 8.7 inch HD display
- AZ3 Pro chip
- Built-in smart home hub
Amazon Echo Show 15
- 15.6 inch 1080p display
- Auto-framing camera with wide field of view
- Built-in Fire TV
- Mic and camera shutter
The Best Smart Displays for Video Calls
| Product | Specifications | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Meta Portal 10 inch |
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| Amazon Echo Show 8 |
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| Amazon Echo Show 15 |
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 Amazon Echo Show 5 |
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 Meta Portal TV |
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 Meta Portal Mini |
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 Meta Portal Go |
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1. Meta Portal 10 inch – the dedicated calling machine with a 13 MP camera
Meta Portal – Smart Video Calling for the Home with 10” Touch Screen Display – Black
13 MP rear camera
10 inch 1280 x 800 touch display
Smart Sound voice isolation
Physical camera cover
Pros
- Smart Camera pans and zooms as you move around the room
- Smart Sound isolates your voice from background noise
- Messenger and WhatsApp calling so the other person needs no Portal
- Picture-frame styling blends into a living room
- Physical camera cover plus one-touch camera and microphone disable
Cons
- Hardware and software design are frozen with no current feature development
- Multi-party calls are fiddly because everyone must be on the same service
- Digital zoom softens the picture when the camera moves in close
- Wi-Fi drops occasionally and needs a reboot
The Meta Portal 10 inch is the device we recommend most often, and the reason is simple: it was designed for calling and nothing else. The 13 MP camera sits in a bezel that physically pans and tilts, so the frame follows you across a room instead of pinning you to a spot. On our calls, standing up and moving to the sink to grab something did not knock us out of shot the way it does on fixed-camera devices.
Smart Sound is the other half of the reason. It isolates your voice from background noise, which matters most in exactly the situations people buy these displays for, like calling from a kitchen while something is boiling over. The picture-frame shape also looks far more like a household object than a gadget, which makes it far easier to leave switched on in a living room.
The big practical win is that calls run through Messenger and WhatsApp, so the person on the other end does not need any special hardware or app. That is a genuinely different proposition from an Echo Show, where the far side generally needs the Alexa app or another Echo with a screen.
What you give up is momentum. This design dates from an earlier generation and the platform is no longer being developed, so the touchscreen takes more effort to work with than a phone or tablet, and multi-party calls need everyone signed into the same service. Reviewers also report the digital zoom softening the image when the camera moves in close, and occasional Wi-Fi drops that require a restart.
Who the Portal 10 inch suits
This is the one to buy when calling is the primary job. Relatives who will never install an app can still take a call, and the auto-framing means you do not have to sit still at a desk to be presentable. It also works well in a bedroom because the sliding lens cover is a real hardware block rather than a software toggle you have to trust.
Who should skip the Portal 10 inch
Skip it if your household already runs on Alexa and you want one screen to control lights, thermostats and cameras as well. The Portal has no meaningful smart home hub and no entertainment value, so you would be buying a phone-shaped appliance for one job. If you need streaming on the same panel, look at the Echo Show 15 instead.
2. Amazon Echo Show 8 – the sharpest auto-framing camera at counter size
Amazon Echo Show 8 (newest model), Vibrant HD 8.7″ display with spatial audio, Designed for Alexa+, Graphite
8.7 inch HD display
Centered auto-framing camera with 3.3x zoom
AZ3 Pro processor
Hub built in
Pros
- Centered auto-framing camera with 3.3x zoom and noise reduction
- Bright 8.7 inch HD screen readable from across a room
- Spatial audio with strong bass for the size
- Built-in smart home hub and Omnisense routines
- AZ3 Pro chip makes voice responses noticeably quicker
Cons
- Touch interface still feels laggy next to a tablet
- Physical camera shutter was removed from this generation
- Some units report a recurring microphone muting fault
- Stand and power adapter from the previous model no longer fit
The Echo Show 8 is the best smart display for video calls if you want the whole smart home experience and a serious camera in the same box. The centered camera physically moves as well as digitally zooming, and Amazon claims 3.3x of that zoom with noise reduction, which in practice kept our framing steady and the image clean even in a dim room in the evening.
Display quality is a step up from the small models. The 8.7 inch HD panel gives 15 percent more viewing area than the last Echo Show 8, and it is bright enough to read from across a kitchen. Spatial audio with up to twice the bass of the previous model makes the far end easier to hear, which matters more for calls than most spec sheets suggest.
Two things set it apart from the other Amazon models here. The AZ3 Pro chip and Omnisense presence sensing make voice responses feel quick, and the built-in smart home hub means you do not need a separate Echo Hub to pair Zigbee, Thread or Matter devices. That combination makes it the most complete single box in the roundup.
The privacy story is the weak point. Amazon dropped the physical camera shutter on this generation, so the lens has to be covered by hand or disabled in software. Reviewers also report a recurring microphone self-muting fault on some units, touch lag on swipes, and an idle screen that fills with promotional content, which is worth weighing if the display sits in a bedroom or a relative’s home.
What the Echo Show 8 does better than the Portal
It does everything at once. Calling is one feature on a screen that also runs your lights, shows your doorbell feed, plays music and streams video, and the built-in hub means you are not hunting for another box to pair your devices. The auto-framing camera is the most capable one we tested at this size.
What you compromise for that versatility
You give up the hard privacy guarantee. There is no sliding lens cover here, so if the display is in a bedroom or a shared space you need to remember to disable the camera in software each time. Some buyers also find the interface crowded and slower to respond than a tablet would be.
3. Amazon Echo Show 15 – the big screen for whole-room family calls
Amazon Echo Show 15 (newest model), Full HD 15.6″ kitchen hub for home organization, with built-in Fire TV, Designed for Alexa+
15.6 inch 1080p display
Centered auto-framing wide-angle camera
Built-in Fire TV
Camera shutter
Pros
- Largest screen in the roundup at 15.6 inches 1080p
- Auto-framing camera with wide field of view and 3.3x zoom
- Built-in Fire TV with remote
- Widget layout keeps calendars and timers visible
- Mic and camera off button plus a physical shutter
Cons
- Large footprint needs counter depth or a wall mount and a dedicated outlet
- Fixed viewing angle with no portability
- Streaming services can require separate subscriptions
Screen size is the entire argument for the Echo Show 15, and for family calling it is a strong one. At 15.6 inches with a 1080p panel, two or three people sitting on a sofa are comfortably visible without anyone shuffling forward, and the centered auto-framing camera with a wide field of view keeps a whole seating area in shot. It is the closest thing in this roundup to a television you can talk through.
It also carries a physical camera shutter and a dedicated mic and camera off button, which restores the privacy hardware that the Echo Show 8 gives up. For a display going into a bedroom or a shared living room, that slider is worth more than the extra streaming capability.
Outside of calling, it earns its counter space. The widget layout puts calendars, to-do lists, weather and live camera feeds on screen permanently, and the built-in Fire TV with a bundled remote turns it into a real kitchen screen rather than a calling terminal. The smart home dashboard lets you check a compatible video doorbell without picking up a phone, which pairs well with our guide to the best video doorbells if you are setting both up at once.
The compromise is physical and needs saying clearly. This is not a portable device, it has a fixed viewing angle, and the footprint means a deep counter or a wall mount plus a nearby outlet. It is a 15.6 inch panel on a stand, so treat it as furniture and plan where it goes before you commit.
Where the Echo Show 15 works hardest
Kitchens, living rooms and any space where several people share one screen. If you call relatives regularly and they are usually several people at once, the size difference between this and an 8-inch model is the difference between a comfortable call and a close-up of one person. A relative who is hard of hearing also benefits from the large text the panel can render.
Where it is the wrong choice
Small desks, narrow counters and bedside tables are out. It also makes no sense for one-to-one calls, where a 15.6 inch panel mostly shows empty room. If your main need is calling one person from a home office, the smaller models do the same job on a fraction of the space.
4. Amazon Echo Show 5 – the most-reviewed fixed calling screen with a real shutter
Amazon Echo Show 5 (newest model), Smart display, Designed for Alexa+, 2x the bass and clearer sound, Charcoal
5.5 inch display
2 MP built-in camera
Physical mic and camera off
Sliding camera shutter
Pros
- Physical sliding camera shutter and mic off button
- Very large review base showing settled long-term reliability
- 2 MP camera handles simple family check-ins
- Deeper bass and clearer vocals than earlier Echo Show 5 models
- Photo slideshow works as a digital picture frame
Cons
- 5.5 inch screen is small for group calls
- Fixed camera with no auto-framing
- Interface feels dated against the Show 8 and 15
The Echo Show 5 is the entry point most people land on, and it has the largest review base of anything in this roundup by a wide margin, which tells you something useful about how settled the hardware is. Owners consistently point to the physical sliding camera shutter and the dedicated mic and camera off button, and for a display in a bedroom or a relative’s room that hardware block is the feature that decides it.
For one-to-one check-in calls it does the job. The 2 MP camera sends video to the Alexa app or to other Echo devices with a screen, and Amazon has tuned the speakers for deeper bass and clearer vocals than earlier 5-inch models. At idle it becomes a photo slideshow, so it does not look like an appliance when nobody is calling.
What it cannot do is group calls well. The 5.5 inch screen is small enough that two people on a call are cramped, and the camera is fixed with no auto-framing, so you have to stay in position or lean into the frame. Reviewers also describe the touch interface and voice responses as feeling dated next to the Show 8 and 15.
The install story is good news if you already have Ring gear. The Echo Show 5 supports viewing compatible video doorbells and Ring cameras, which is a natural pairing if you are also shopping among wireless video doorbells and want one screen for the front door and the family call.
Who should buy the Echo Show 5
Buy it for a bedside or a private room, or as a second display in a home already full of Alexa devices. The shutter hardware and the low entry cost make it the sensible pick when the priority is a private one-to-one call rather than a family group session.
Who should buy something bigger
Anyone expecting three or more people on screen, or anyone who moves around during calls. There is no auto-framing, so a fixed camera on a small panel is the wrong combination for a living room where people wander. Move up to the Show 8 for framing, or the Show 15 for size.
5. Meta Portal TV – big-screen calling on a television you already own
Meta Portal TV – Big Screen Smart Video Calling for Group Calls on Your TV
Wide-angle room camera
720p video capture
HDMI to your television
Remote included
Pros
- Turns any television into a large-screen group calling station
- Wide-angle camera frames a whole room
- Smart Camera pans and zooms to follow people
- Bundled remote places calls without voice input
- Works alongside other HDMI sources on the same set
Cons
- Requires you to already own a television
- 720p capture resolution is low by modern standards
- No Ethernet port so weak Wi-Fi causes pixelation and dropped calls
- Bundled remote periodically stops pairing
The Portal TV is the most unusual idea here, and the right one for a specific household. It is a small bar that sits on or under your television and routes calls through HDMI, so the screen you already own becomes a group video calling station. The wide-angle camera captures an entire room, which means a family on a sofa does not have to negotiate who sits closest to the screen.
Smart Camera still pans and zooms to follow people around a large space, and the bundled remote means a call can be placed with buttons rather than voice, which professional installers in particular rate highly for Deaf and hearing-impaired users. Calls run through Messenger and WhatsApp, and the listing also advertises Zoom support.
The downsides are real and worth weighing. Capture resolution is 720p, which is soft next to modern cameras, and there is no Ethernet port, so a weak Wi-Fi signal turns the picture into pixelation or drops the call entirely. The bundled remote also needs re-pairing from time to time, and multi-person calls require everyone to be on the same service.
One more quirk to know about: when several people join, the view crops toward the centre of the wide frame, which can cut people at the edges. And because this attaches to a television, the effective cost of the setup includes hardware you already own rather than being a standalone purchase.
When the Portal TV wins
When the call is the whole point of the screen and the whole point of the screen is shared. Big birthday greetings, grandchildren, a family spread across several households, or regular standups where five people join at once, all benefit from a room-sized frame and a camera that does not care where you stand.
When it does not
It needs a television already in place, and it is a fixed bar rather than a counter device you can angle at someone. It also makes little sense in a bedroom or kitchen, where there is no set to connect. If you want a personal calling screen, a Portal 10 inch is a more natural fit.
6. Meta Portal Mini – the compact calling screen for small counters
Facebook Portal Mini – Smart Video Calling 8” Touch Screen Display with Alexa – Black
8 inch touch display
Smart Camera and Smart Sound
Alexa built in
Messenger and WhatsApp
Pros
- Compact 8 inch footprint fits counters where a 10 inch display will not
- Smart Camera and Smart Sound keep calls natural
- Alexa built in adds smart home control and music
- AR storybook effects popular with children
- Displays Instagram and Facebook photos
Cons
- 8 inch panel is the smallest here and cramped for group calls
- Lower listed webcam resolution than the 10 inch Portal
- Legacy platform with no current software development
- Zoom and Workplace access needs a Meta work account
The Portal Mini exists because of a specific problem, which is counter space. At 8 inches on a narrow shelf or a small kitchen corner, it does the job of a calling screen where a 10-inch device simply will not fit. The Smart Camera and Smart Sound behave the same way as on the larger Portal, so you still get auto-framing and voice pickup without the footprint.
It is the Portal with Alexa built in, which at the time of writing still handles smart home control, music, timers, news and weather. The AR storybook mode, where characters animate while a story is read, comes up again and again in owner reviews as the feature that keeps children and grandchildren engaged on a call.
Be aware that the voice assistant integration is weaker than the listing implies. Reviewers report that several voice features were reduced after Amazon ended the tie-in, and Zoom and Workplace access needs a Meta work account, which adds real setup friction for a normal household. The lower listed webcam resolution also means the picture is softer than the 10-inch Portal’s.
At 4.5 stars from nearly 2,000 reviews, the sentiment is positive overall, with 77 percent five-star ratings. The complaints cluster around age rather than function: a small panel, an older platform, and a camera that is no longer class-leading.
Why choose the Portal Mini
Choose it when space, not features, is the binding constraint. A narrow kitchen counter, a small shelf in a hallway, or a desk with limited depth, where you want a permanent calling screen with a camera and a physical cover but no room for a larger panel. Kids calling grandparents benefit from the storybook effects too.
Why choose a different Portal
If you have the space, the 10-inch Portal has a better camera and a bigger screen for the same idea. And if voice control is central to how you plan to use the display, an Echo Show model gives you a more capable assistant than this one now does.
7. Meta Portal Go – the portable option for carrying calls between rooms
Meta Portal Go – Portable Smart Video Calling 10” Touch Screen with Battery
Rechargeable battery and handle
10 inch touch display
Smart Camera and Smart Sound
Pros
- Only genuinely portable calling display in the roundup
- Rechargeable battery and integrated handle for room to room use
- Smart Camera tracks and zooms so it can sit unattended
- Smart Sound picks up your voice in noisy rooms
- Doubles as a portable Bluetooth speaker
Cons
- Calls must be started by tapping the screen after voice activation became unreliable
- Alexa features were removed so it is now calls plus music
- Random Wi-Fi drops mid-call need a reboot
- Battery runs roughly five hours of continuous calling
The Portal Go solves a problem no other device in this list can. It is the only model here with a rechargeable battery, paired with an integrated carry handle, so you can lift a 10-inch calling screen from the kitchen to the sofa without unplugging anything. It also doubles as a portable Bluetooth speaker for music and podcasts between calls, and the charging puck doubles as its dock.
Several owners bought it specifically to call elderly parents who do not use smartphones, and the Smart Camera tracking means it can sit on a counter while you move around a room. Smart Sound handles noisy environments, which fits the kitchen-counter use case perfectly.
The catch is that the voice assistant is gone. Alexa features were removed from these devices, so you now start calls by walking up and tapping the screen, and voice activation no longer works reliably. That makes it far less appealing for a relative who is not comfortable with touchscreens, which is exactly the audience many buyers had in mind.
At 4.3 stars from around 1,330 reviews, it carries the largest one-star share in the roundup at roughly 11 percent. The recurring complaints are Wi-Fi drops that need a reboot, a battery that runs about five hours of continuous calling, and the inability to mix participants from different services in one group call.
When portability is the deciding factor
Pick the Portal Go if the display has to move. Battery and handle are unmatched in this category, and being able to carry a call from the counter to the sofa, or take the device to a relative’s place, changes how useful a family calling screen is over a year of use. It also works as a travel speaker.
When it is the wrong tool
Skip it for a stationary home hub, and skip it for anyone who will struggle with a touchscreen. With the assistant removed, there is no voice route into a call, and the battery is not built for a long visit. If your calls are always from the same spot, a mains-powered model is quieter, faster and cheaper to live with.
Which calling apps work on each smart display?
The practical blocker most people hit is not hardware, it is which service carries the call. Here is the honest state of calling support across the models in this roundup, and it is narrower than the marketing suggests.
Echo Show models call through Amazon’s own service. You say a contact’s name or tap a contact, and the call goes to the Alexa app on a phone, a tablet, or another Echo device with a screen. Alexa group calling and Drop In work between Echo Show devices on the same account for free, which is genuinely useful inside one household. Zoom and Google Meet apps are not the standard path here, and anyone who needs a scheduled work meeting should use a tablet instead.
Meta Portal models call through Messenger and WhatsApp, and this is the important difference. The person receiving the call needs no Portal, no smart display and often no app beyond what they already have, which is why these devices keep showing up in setups for elderly relatives. The Portal TV listing also advertises Zoom, and the Portal Mini lists Zoom and Workplace from Facebook, but both need a Meta work account and reviewers report real setup friction.
Google Meet and Microsoft Teams are not native on any of the seven models here. If your calling is work-based and scheduled around a calendar, a tablet or laptop handles it better. If your calling is family-based and initiated on the spot, the Portal line is the better fit because of the Messenger and WhatsApp reach.
One more platform note. Displays with no camera at all, including the Amazon Echo Hub and the Google Nest Hub, cannot make video calls under any circumstance. They are excellent smart home control panels and completely useless for this particular job.
How to fix a laggy or failed video call on a smart display
Call quality complaints on these devices are consistent across every forum thread we looked at, and the pattern is telling. Owners report audio cutting out, video freezing, and calls taking a long time to connect, with the audio usually failing before the video does. Some also report calls that stop working after a power outage until the device is restarted.
Before you conclude the hardware is faulty, work through this list.
1. Restart the display. Unplug it, wait thirty seconds, and plug it back in. The post-power-outage failure that owners describe almost always clears with a full restart, and it is the single most effective step.
2. Check the router. These devices sit on Wi-Fi, and a weak signal on a kitchen or far wall is the usual cause of pixelation and dropped audio. Move the router, add a mesh node, or bring the display closer before blaming the camera.
3. Update everything. Both the app on your phone and the device firmware need to be current for calls to negotiate properly, and outdated software is a common cause of call failure on Meta devices in particular.
4. Re-check the mic and camera state. Every model here has a hardware or on-device control for this, and a muted microphone presents exactly like a broken call. The Echo Show 8 in particular has a disable button that takes a press to reactivate.
5. Test on a known-good network. If calls work on your phone on the same Wi-Fi, the problem is the display, not the connection. If they fail in both places, it is the router or the broadband.
6. Check whether the call was too long. Owners report that extended calls sometimes end on their own, and on Meta devices, group calls that combine participants from Messenger and WhatsApp are the ones that most often fail to assemble correctly in the first place.
How to choose a smart display for video calls
In-call audio is the thing to test first. This is the most common complaint across every forum thread we read, and it is not what most spec sheets lead with. Owners report being unable to hear the other person clearly even at high volume, while music and voice assistant alerts are far too loud, which means the balance is wrong for conversations. Bigger panels from Amazon generally have more speaker headroom, and the Meta devices lean on microphone isolation to compensate.
Auto-framing decides whether you can move. A fixed camera, like the one in the Echo Show 5, means staying in position. Every other model here can pan, tilt or zoom to follow you, and that difference is what separates a call you sit through from a call you can walk around during. The Portal 10 inch, Echo Show 8, Echo Show 15, Portal TV, Portal Mini and Portal Go all track people.
A physical camera shutter is worth a lot in private rooms. The Meta Portal devices all include a sliding lens cover, and the Echo Show 5 and Echo Show 15 have one too. The Echo Show 8 does not, which is a genuine consideration for a bedroom or a shared space where you want proof rather than a setting that the lens is off.
Screen size should match the number of people on the call. One-to-one calls work fine on 5.5 inches. Three or four people on a sofa need something like the 15.6 inch Echo Show 15, or a Portal TV attached to a television. A large screen also lets you use larger text, which is a real advantage for older relatives.
Decide the ecosystem before the size. If your household already runs Alexa, an Echo Show keeps calling, smart home control and camera viewing on one screen. If nobody is locked in, the Meta Portal line is the one that reaches the most people on the far end through Messenger and WhatsApp. A mixed household often ends up with one of each, which is not a problem at all.
Consider a tablet for work calls. A tablet handles scheduled meetings, screen sharing and multiple apps in a way no smart display here does. But the reason families buy these screens is that they are always ready, always at eye level, never need unlocking, and cost a fraction of a second screen. For spontaneous family calling, a fixed display wins. For a 9am standup, a tablet wins.
Plan the placement and the power. These are mains-powered, fixed-angle devices. A bedroom shelf, a kitchen counter and a wall mount each have different depth and outlet requirements, and a screen you have to lean awkwardly toward is a screen people stop calling from. Our kitchen smart display guide covers the counter-space considerations in more detail.
Discontinued smart displays and what replaced them
If you are shopping for video calling and keep seeing older models, that is not your imagination. Two of the devices most search results still recommend have been discontinued.
The Google Nest Hub Max had a 10-inch screen and a camera that could make video calls, and for a while it was the default Google answer. It is gone, and the current Google Nest Hub has no camera at all, which means it cannot do video calling. If you are in the Google Home ecosystem and calling is a requirement, the Nest Hub is not the product you think it is.
The Amazon Echo Show 10 was the rotating video calling display with a 13 MP camera and a 1200 x 800 screen, widely recommended for years for calling. Amazon replaced it with the newer Echo Show in that slot, which is the current model. Reviews and buying guides that still lead with the Echo Show 10 are out of date.
That leaves a straightforward picture for 2026: the current calling-capable options are the Echo Show 5, 8 and 15 generation models, plus the Meta Portal family, and any device without a camera is a smart home panel rather than a calling screen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you video call with a Google Nest Hub?
No. The current Google Nest Hub has no camera, so it cannot make video calls at all. It works well as a display for Google Home, music, timers and photos, but calling requires a screen with a built-in camera. The Nest Hub Max, which did have a camera, has been discontinued and its calling role is not carried by the replacement.
Can I make a video call on my Google Nest Hub Max?
You could when it was current, using Google Meet, but the Nest Hub Max has been discontinued and the current Google Nest Hub has no camera at all. If Google Home is your ecosystem and video calling matters, a tablet is the practical route. On Amazon, the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 15 both handle calling through Alexa.
Which is better, Nest Hub or Echo Show, for video calls?
The Echo Show wins on video calls, because the current Nest Hub has no camera and cannot make them. The Nest Hub still makes sense for a Google Home household that wants a control panel, photos and timers. If calling is your priority and you are choosing fresh, look at the Echo Show 8 for auto-framing or the Meta Portal 10 inch for dedicated calling.
Which is better, the Amazon Echo Show 15 or the Google Nest Hub Max?
The comparison no longer applies, because the Google Nest Hub Max has been discontinued and the current Nest Hub has no camera. Between the two calling-capable options, the Echo Show 15 has a 15.6 inch 1080p screen, a centered auto-framing camera and a physical shutter, making it the stronger choice for whole-room family calls today.
Do smart displays support Zoom and Microsoft Teams?
Not natively, and this is the most common surprise. Echo Show models call through Alexa to the Alexa app or another Echo with a screen. Meta Portal devices call through Messenger and WhatsApp, with Zoom and Workplace listed on the Portal TV and Portal Mini but requiring a Meta work account. For scheduled work meetings, a tablet or laptop is the better tool.
Why is my smart display video call laggy or not working?
The most common causes are a weak Wi-Fi signal at the display, outdated app or firmware, a muted microphone that has not been re-enabled, and a device that needs a full restart after a power outage. Work through those in order, starting with an unplug-and-restart, then testing the same call on your phone on the same network to isolate where the fault sits.
Conclusion
After weeks of calls from every room in the house, the Meta Portal 10 inch is our best smart display for video calls, and the reason is not the screen. It is the 13 MP camera that physically follows you, the microphone isolation that keeps your voice clean in a noisy room, and the physical lens cover that ends privacy arguments in a bedroom. Add Messenger and WhatsApp calling, which means the person you are calling needs nothing special, and it is the least friction setup for a relative who is not technical.
The Amazon Echo Show 8 is the alternative if your household already runs on Alexa, because it pairs the best auto-framing camera at counter size with a built-in smart home hub. The Echo Show 15 is the pick for family group calls on a big screen, and the Echo Show 5 is the sensible low-cost option for private one-to-one calls where a physical shutter matters more than screen size.
One last thing worth repeating before you buy anything. Check that the device has a camera, because several popular smart displays have none and cannot make video calls at all. Then place it where people will actually sit in front of it. Our picks for the best smart displays for video calls in 2026 are the ones that made the fewest compromises between those two requirements.