Facebook is building a video chat device and smart speaker to debut next year

Matt Weinberger/Business Insider

Facebook is working on a video chat device that will feature "a laptop-sized touchscreen" and be announced next year, according to a report from Bloomberg on Tuesday.

The device is being developed inside Facebook's secretive Building 8 hardware lab, which is tasked with creating consumer hardware and shipping it to millions of people.

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Facebook is also working on an Amazon Echo-like smart speaker, per Bloomberg, echoing a recent report from Digitimes that said the speaker is on track to ship in early 2018.

Both devices will reportedly be powered by a Facebook voice assistant that functions similarly to Apple's Siri.

Facebook's Building 8 recently patented a modular device that could function like a smart speaker with a touchscreen, as Business Insider first reported. The division has also poached employees from the likes of Amazon and Walmart to kick off its retail push when the gadgets go on sale.

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