Apple HomePod mini review
Our Verdict
The HomePod mini is the smart speaker Apple fans have been waiting for.
For
- Great audio for size
- Competitive cost
- Attractive design
Against
- Few streaming music services
- Limited child controls
- No physical microphone button
Tom's Guide Verdict
The HomePod mini is the smart speaker Apple fans have been waiting for.
Pros
- +
Great sound for size
- +
Competitive price
- +
Attractive design
Cons
- -
Few streaming music services
- -
Limited kid controls
- -
No concrete microphone button
Apple tree HomePod mini: Specs
Size: 3.9 inches (diameter), 3.3 inches tall
Weight: 0.76 pounds
Wireless: 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, Thread
Maybe — and I'm just spitballing here — people are more probable to buy a $99 smart speaker rather than 1 that costs $299. But there's more to the Apple HomePod mini than just its price. This minor spherical speaker aims to compete with the Amazon Echo, but in a package the size of the Repeat Dot.
And for the size, there'southward no ameliorate-sounding smart speaker than the HomePod mini. But there's more to a smart speaker than just its audio. In this Apple HomePod mini review, we'll examine how well Siri and HomeKit performs, and how information technology stacks up to the best smart speakers you tin can buy. You can also read why it earned a Tom'due south Guide Honour 2021 for Smart Home.
- Best HomeKit devices
- Best cheap smart habitation devices
- Apple tree HomePod vs. HomePod mini: Which should y'all purchase?
Apple HomePod mini review: What I like
Pocket-size size: At but three.9 inches in diameter, it's the same size equally the Amazon Repeat Dot, so you can stick it simply about anywhere.
Swell sound: Despite its modest size, the Mini sounded better than the much larger Amazon Echo.
iPhone integration: If you're playing music on your iPhone, you can simply tap it to the HomePod mini to keep the music playing on the speaker. You can also utilize the mini to make calls, ship messages and more using Apple tree's Handoff feature.
HomeKit hub: The HomePod mini can human action as a smart home hub for Apple tree'south HomeKit, letting you control all sorts of devices.
The price is right: At just $99, the HomePod mini is much more affordable than the $299 HomePod.
Apple tree HomePod mini: What I don't similar
Streaming music support: Yeah, you can use Airplay to beam music from Spotify and other services to the HomePod mini, but it should have native support for Spotify and others.
Siri: While Siri has made improvements, it yet lags behind Alexa and Google Assistant.
No mic off switch: I wish there was a concrete switch to turn off the HomePod mini's microphones. Apple's products may be more secure, only I prefer a mechanical, rather than a software-based solution.
Apple HomePod mini: Price and availability
The Apple HomePod mini was released in Nov, 2020. It costs $99, and comes in white and infinite gray.
Update (October. 2021): Apple appear that the HomePod mini volition also be available in yellow, orangish, and bluish starting in November. The new colors will also cost $99.
Apple HomePod mini: Blueprint
The Apple HomePod mini is about the size of, well, a big apple tree. Measuring 3.9 inches in bore, it's nearly exactly the same size every bit the quaternary-gen Amazon Repeat Dot, simply smaller than the 5.7-inch diameter Amazon Echo and much smaller than the original HomePod. Similar Amazon'due south devices, the HomePod mini'southward circular blueprint is meant to attract attention — just not too much.
The audio-visual cloth covering on the HomePod mini, along with its apartment superlative, reminds me of those candles y'all'd notice at an onetime-schoolhouse Italian restaurant with red-checkered tablecloths. Yet, I like that the fabric wraps virtually entirely around the speaker; on Amazon's devices, the fabric covers only about half the speaker, which diminishes the overall await.
Like the full size HomePod, at that place'southward a translucent touch panel at the top to control volume and activate Siri. When Siri is active, this panel glows in a multitude of colors, which is a great event, and one I wish you lot could control. Given that information technology also looks similar a magic 8-brawl, I wish I could pick it up and milk shake information technology to reveal my fortune. Tapping the top of the HomePod besides lets you play/intermission your music, skip or become back, and summon Siri.
Unlike other smart speakers, there's no concrete button to turn off the mini's microphones. While Apple has stringent privacy policies — all Siri requests use a random identifier, for instance — I'd similar the reassurance of an actual switch, as can be found on the Amazon Echo and Google Nest Sound.
There are no sound ports on the dorsum of the HomePod mini, just a fabric-wrapped USB-C cable. It makes for a seamless await, but presents ii issues: If the cablevision were to interruption, you'll have to ship the whole matter dorsum to Apple to get repaired. And, because there'due south no sound port — as with the Echo — you tin can't plug the HomePod mini into an audio source. You can use the HomePod mini as an output for Apple tree TV 4K, but need to connect them via Airplay.
Apple HomePod mini: Audio performance
Despite its other problems, the HomePod is 1 of the all-time-sounding smart speakers around, thank you to its array of 7 tweeters, woofer, and power to adapt its audio automatically based on the acoustics in your room.
The constraints — both physical and financial — of the HomePod mini necessitate some compromises. At that place'due south only one speaker (a total-range commuter), but thanks to two passive radiators and an audio-visual waveguide, the HomePod mini delivers the best audio I've heard in a speaker this size or at this price.
While the mini can't accommodate its audio to the room, it uses computational audio to clarify annihilation playing, and tweaks the speaker's output to provide what Apple calls an "optimal listening experience."
Overall, the listening experience from the HomePod mini was very skilful, simply vicious curt of the Sonos One as the best-sounding smart speaker. To test the mini, I placed it next to the Amazon Repeat, Amazon Repeat Dot, and the Sonos 1, and streamed the same songs through Spotify.
Across multiple genres, the HomePod mini outperformed the Repeat, and completely blew the Repeat Dot out of the water. When compared to the Echo, the HomePod mini produced clearer vocals and more balanced audio.
Lin Manuel-Miranda's voice shot through when I played the Hamilton soundtrack; when I switched to the Echo, it merely missed the mark — just like Hamilton.
Similarly, Etta James' vocalization had more graphic symbol and soul when I played At Final on the HomePod mini; it didn't band out quite so much on the Echo, though Amazon's speaker had a flake more bass.
The Echo did outperform the mini when playing "Happy: past Pharrell. Vocals were more nowadays, and the bass had more punch. Also, the Echo can go significantly louder than the HomePod mini; it loses a bit of fidelity when pumped upward, though.
In all instances, switching from either the HomePod mini or the Echo to the Echo Dot was jarring; Amazon'southward $50 speaker was quieter, harsher, and tinnier in all respects. That'southward to be expected, though; it'southward not designed to be a room-filling party automobile, like the Echo or HomePod mini.
My biggest question, though, was how the HomePod mini compared with the Sonos One. I listened to both a unmarried mini and two minis paired for stereo sound, but it fabricated no difference; the Sonos One was conspicuously the amend option. Everything that I played had amend-divers vocals, crisp trebles, and smooth, deep bass. Merely maybe that's comparing Apples and oranges.
In May 2021, Apple appear that the HomePod mini would support Apple Music'due south new lossless audio tier.
Apple HomePod mini review: Music services
If there'south i area where the mini lags backside other smart speakers, it's with streaming music services. Through the HomePod, you can stream music from Apple Music, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and Pandora, merely that's it for now. However, if you don't take an Apple Music account — or just adopt something else — you lot tin can specify a default music service in the Dwelling app.
By comparison, Alexa not only lets you listen to the above services (including Apple Music), but too SiriusXM, Deezer, Tidal, Spotify, and Vevo. And, the Sonos One can connect to dozens upon dozens of streaming sources.
Of course, you tin besides utilize Airplay to beam audio from your iOS device to the mini, but information technology'southward not equally seamless as asking Siri to practise it for yous.
Update (June 7, 2021): At WWDC21, Apple announced that the HomePod mini would receive an update that volition allow information technology to be used as an sound output for the Apple TV 4K. This update volition non come until the autumn of 2021, though.
Apple HomePod mini review: Siri
We've given Siri a lot of flack, and rightfully and so. It simply hasn't kept up with Alexa or Google Assistant. It's made some improvements — yous can at present set multiple timers and name them — but it still lacks many skills and features you'll discover on competing virtual administration.
Siri's best attribute in relation to the HomePod mini is its integration with your iPhone. You can ask Siri to cheque your calendar, brand a phone call, send a message, create a new note, and even find your iPhone or Apple tree Lookout. Still, there are a few things here that Alexa and Google Banana practise ameliorate.
I asked Siri via the Homepod mini to "search the spider web for pictures of elephants," and Siri sent a card to my iPhone with relevant photos. (Interestingly, it used Bing equally a search engine). When I tried to perform a similar search on an Amazon Echo and a Google Nest mini, they were unable to consummate the activeness.
Both Siri and Alexa were able to correctly answer the question "what does Hakuna Matata mean," simply Google Assistant was stumped. I then asked all three assistants "Who played 3rd base for the Pirates in 1960?" Siri gave me the almost direct — and correct answer: Harry Brilliant and Don Houk. Google Assistant provided a bunch of other facts from an ESPN article about Houk being traded to the Pirates in 1959. Alexa returned some random information nigh Willie Stargell.
The question "How long has Jeopardy! been on the air" stumped all iii administration. Google only read the summary on Wikipedia—fifty-fifty asking if I wanted more than context—only didn't give me the total number of years. Alexa idea I was referring to Jeopardy the video game. Alexa responded "co-ordinate to Wikipedia, it's 30 minutes." Non helpful.
When I asked Siri about calendar information, she read what was on my schedule. Google Assistant and Alexa were besides able to read me my upcoming appointments. If you want things to be more secure, y'all can crave hallmark for personal requests in the Home app, in which case the mini won't read your calendar, merely rather open up it on your telephone.
When you ask for directions to work, Siri volition suggest a route, and send yous a suggestion in Apple Maps; I wish it would crusade Maps to open as well. However, Google Banana non merely popped a carte on my iPhone, but it gave me options for dissimilar modes of transportation.
I then asked the three assistants to "Social club a pizza." Both Siri and Google Assistant returned a list of pizza places nearly me. Siri read off a list of joints starting with the one nearest my location. Google Assistant led off with the highest-rated, and besides sent a carte to my iPhone showing it and other options on a map. Alexa asked if I wanted to enable the Domino's pizza skill.
While you tin can set up the HomePod mini to recognize personal requests for up to six people, they all need to take an iPhone. Both Alexa and Google Banana are platform-agnostic, and then it's easier to prepare accounts.
Because the HomePod mini requires you to have an iPhone, there's no mode to fix an account for your kid and accept information technology deliver child-safe results, as y'all tin with Amazon Echo smart speakers. Information technology too lacks such Amazon features as Kids+ (FreeTime), which has tons of child-friendly content and lets you monitor what they're doing. You can block explicit lyrics from individual HomePod minis, though.
Apple HomePod mini review: Smart Habitation features
You may not realize this, but Apple tree'south HomeKit is a sneakily good smart home platform, 2nd only to Alexa. That'south because equally with Alexa, you tin create some pretty sophisticated automations, which will trigger your smart dwelling devices based on a variety of inputs.
For example, you lot can accept your smart lights plow on at a certain time of day, when people leave or make it, a sensor is tripped, or one of your other smart devices turns on or off. Alexa's Routines are a flake more sophisticated, as they not only let y'all command smart domicile devices, simply tin also exercise such things every bit read your email summaries, send a notification, and more. You tin even programme in a delay as to when yous want an action to occur. Still, HomeKit is much better than Google Assistant when it comes to smart home automations.
1 of the features I similar all-time about Apple tree products is the Handoff feature; get a telephone call, just your phone is in the other room? You tin pick information technology upwardly on your iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch, and now, your HomePod mini. Conversely, you tin can likewise ask Siri to place a call through the HomePod mini. And, if you've started a call on i device, you tin can Paw information technology off to another device.
Like to Amazon's Drib-In, you can employ the HomePod mini'southward Intercom characteristic to send audio messages to other HomePod devices too as iPhones, iPads, Apple Watch, CarPlay. When you say "Siri, intercom 'x'," Apple's banana will make a recording of the phrase you lot say and evangelize information technology to the device y'all want.
It works well, only it's less advanced than Drop-In, which allows you to accept what's called total-duplex audio; that is, yous can both hear and talk to the other person, like a regular phone telephone call. With the HomePod mini, you lot're essentially making and receiving recorded messages.
Apart from Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, the HomePod mini also has Thread networking built in. This newish protocol is designed for low-power smart domicile devices to communicate with each other over longer distances, but despite support from both Apple tree and Google, information technology's been irksome to accept off. While Thread is congenital into the Nest Hub Max, it'due south not in the Nest Sound, Google'south newest $99 smart dwelling house speaker.
So, similar to the Amazon Echo, the HomePod mini can be used as a smart home hub, letting you connect devices, such equally smart locks, to your dwelling network.
Apple tree HomePod mini review: Verdict
It'southward funny how timing works. Like the releases of Amageddon and Deep Affect, it'south pure coincidence that both Apple and Amazon launched spherical smart speakers within months of each other. And like those movies, the Echo and the HomePod mini volition be sure to exit a $99 crater in consumers' wallets.
The mini sounds great for its size, and will certainly concenter many more buyers than the $299 HomePod — which has at present been discontinued — did. The HomePod mini likewise integrates well with your iPhone and other products in the Apple ecosystem. Still, while I like HomeKit as a smart dwelling house platform, I'm still less impressed with Siri overall every bit a voice assistant. And I really wish the HomePod mini had support for Spotify. But Apple tree fans who have been looking longingly at Amazon and Google'southward budget smart speakers finally have a device to call their own.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/apple-homepod-mini
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