Second-generation smart speaker adds future Siri AI support, multi-room audio, interactive lighting, and a $149 price tag.
At its Welcome Home event in New York, Apple introduced several smart home devices, including a second-generation HomePod mini. The speaker’s design is close to the original’s, with a few hardware and feature improvements. It will also support the updated Siri, which Apple plans to deliver through a future software update.
The main feature of the HomePod mini 2 is support for the new Siri, which will be added in a future update in the US, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and the UK. Apple says the update will make the speaker considerably more capable, giving it an understanding of personal context and wide-ranging knowledge. The company says this will help people discover music and have a richer listening experience, among other uses.
The HomePod mini 2 can be used as a single speaker or combined with others, up to four in all, to make a multi-room stereo system. The network works with the new Apple TV 4K, which was announced at the same event as the HomeView smart-home hub, and with Apple Home cameras, door locks and thermostats. Voice commands can be used to set up accessories and run home automations.
When linked to an iPhone or iPad with Apple Intelligence turned on, the speaker can handle everyday requests. Apple’s examples include tracking down a song a friend recommended, setting a reminder that depends on a calendar event or a location, pulling a recipe out of an email, and adding ingredients to a grocery list.
The new speaker has a light display built into its top surface, a feature Apple calls Sound Glow. The flat touch area pulses in time with whatever is playing, responding most to shifts in bass and treble. The lighting also takes its colors from the album art of the current song.
The speaker can also recognize up to six members of a household by voice and, when authorized, connect securely to their compatible devices. After connecting, the new Siri works with supported apps, including Messages and timers, and can answer questions using information from the internet, including while music is playing.
Although the HomePod mini 2 is small, it is said to offer strong audio performance. This comes from the computational audio features of the Apple S10 chip, which analyze playback in real time to adjust dynamic range, vocal clarity, frequency response, spatial balance, acoustic tuning, and soundstage.
Pre-orders for the HomePod mini 2 are open now on Apple’s online store and in the Apple Store app, with the speaker available in pink, green, blue, white and midnight. It reaches stores on Friday, October 30. At $149, it costs $50 more than the $99 original.
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