Following Amazon’s new Echo Studio and Google’s Home Speaker release in the past year, it felt like Apple was left out of the upgrade cycle. Today’s “Welcome Home” event changed all that, revealing not only the luminous HomeView smart display, but also the next generation of the HomePod, called the HomePod Mini 2.
The small smart speaker, measuring about 4 inches across, will come equipped with the S10 chip, which Apple says analyzes music in real time to optimize it. Apple promises a future update will add an array of Siri AI features too, which is when this speaker should really get interesting.
The HomePod Mini 2 is available to preorder starting at $149 and comes in five new colors, including green and blue. It will arrive in stores on Oct. 30. As expected, Apple is sticking with the Mini line to help keep prices under control, although this model costs nearly $50 more than the previous HomePod Mini.
A Siri AI experience made for iPhones
The HomePod Mini 2 is available in five different colors.
Basic Siri voice commands are all available on the HomePod Mini 2, including the ability to ask questions, set reminders and control Apple Home devices, including the many new home security and smart home products also announced on the Tuesday event. So, what will the “AI” part add?
Apple is promising Siri AI will let HomePod Mini 2 owners tailor their interactions with the speaker to their own preferences and habits. By analyzing iPhone usage, Siri AI can use contextual data to answer commands more effectively. Apple gave the example of playing a song based on a past text message from a friend, even if you don’t really remember what the song is called. Another demo showed finding a recipe sent in an email and adding its ingredients to a shopping list. The latest Siri AI conversational features will also be available.
This sounds much like what Gemini for Home can do on the Google Home Speaker, but naturally more intertwined with Apple’s own apps. Also, full Gemini for Home features can cost up to $20 a month, but Apple didn’t provide much pricing information for these smart speaker AI features, so they could be significantly less or even free.
A few final tricks include the ability to hold a conversation out of the HomePod Mini 2 using the Home app on iPhone, as well as a feature that listens for fire alarms and alerts you when you’re not home. But how does the audio perform?
How does the new HomePod audio really sound?
The HomePod Mini 2 is equipped with a full-range driver and dual passive radiators, made for 360-degree sound. That sounds just like the design of the first-gen HomePod Mini, so it’s not immediately clear what Apple has done to enhance the audio beyond software adjustments.
You can also link up to four models together for surround sound. It also works with the new Apple TV 4K model, also announced at the event. However, music streamers take note: While the speaker supports Apple Music, TuneIn, iHeartRadio and Audacy, there’s no mention of support for popular apps such as Tidal and Spotify.
We look forward to testing the HomePod Mini 2 alongside other new smart speakers to see how the audio improvements really compare. The older HomePod Mini was showing its age compared to the Google Home Speaker the last time I tested them, especially in the lower register, so it will be interesting to see any changes.
Tyler Lacoma
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