/ Apple's audio lineup has a clear winner, depending on your priorities.
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You’ll know when you have that moment, the first time you have a HomePod in a quiet room playing music and you actually stop doing what you are doing. Not just because it’s pretty good for a smart speaker but because it actually sounds like it’s a real speaker. That was when I stopped buying this HomePod stuff for its convenience but for its seriousness. It’s not about which one sounds better, because it is about which one suits you, your room and what you listen to, the $99 HomePod mini or the $299 HomePod. I have spent time with both and this guide is exactly what I would’ve liked to read before I purchased either one.
An Apple HomePod is a smart speaker that has two key aspects that Apple is very focused on: sound and integration. It’s not just a speaker you speak to. It’s a Siri-powered hub that manages your smart home, streams music from Apple Music or other apps and integrates effortlessly with your iPhone, iPad and Apple TV.
At this moment there are two models: HomePod mini (the smaller, $99 version) and HomePod 2nd generation (the larger, $299 version). Both are Apple Silicon powered, both include support for Siri, and both are HomeKit smart home hubs. They have more in common than you think. It’s just that you’re taking audio more seriously and trying to fill more space with music.
The key distinction of HomePod from other smart speakers is that Apple didn’t regard the sound as an afterthought. Whether it’s woofer size, tweeter positioning, microphone array, it’s all for the listening experience. The speaker is the top of the line, with Siri and smart home control features built-in.
The process of setting up a HomePod is one of Apple’s least uncomfortable hardware experiences. The simplest way to do this is:
I have had the HomePod mini for a week before I was no longer amazed by it. For $99, you expect a speaker that works. You don’t want one that makes you shut down whatever you’re playing on your larger system and then leave the mini system on. That compact sphere is wrapped in a mesh and delivers sound in all directions but the 360-degree coverage is not even proportionate to the size of the sphere. What is required in terms of sound amplification is adjusted by Apple’s computational audio system on the fly, depending on the music and its volume.
The Yellow color is one of the my favorite Apple has made in years. It does not look like a piece of tech that you’re putting on a shelf. It looks like something you have been deliberately chosen to be a part of your space. This yellow color brings a subtle pop of color to my space which white and black color could never be able to do.
Temperature and humidity sensors are a soft sell but a worthwhile addition when you need it. Having Siri say “the room feels like” before you switch on the AC or have it build an automation makes the mini more of a small home controller than speaker. The HomePod also quietly functions in the background: if you have a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm going off when you’re not home, you’ll get a notification to your iPhone. That level of ambient awareness at $99 is something most people don’t realize they’re getting.
Where it shines:
The honest constraints: The mini does not do Spatial Audio. There is no dedicated tweeter array or room sensing, so it won’t adjust to your specific listening conditions, as the full HomePod will. It won’t make any difference when using podcasts, ambient music or listening to music every day. You’ll find that for a real home theatre or critical listening application.
The full-size HomePod is a speaker that will get you to revisit albums you thought you had already heard. The 4” high-excursion woofer is driving its diaphragm 20mm, a spec sheet line until you feel the bass in a room. Then the 5 horn-loaded tweeters work together to spread sound around the room, making the audio feel larger, wider and more enveloping.
Room sensing is where the HomePod feels smarter than its competition at this price. The HomePod “listens” to the way sound reflects in your room and adapts. From a small bedroom to an open living room, it adjusts on its own without touching a finger. This is not something that you switch on and off, it just happens, all the time.
Attention grabbing feature is Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos. The HomePod, when used with an Apple TV 4K, elevates a living room TV system to a cinematic level of audio. Movies feel wider. Music mixes open up in ways a flat-facing stereo speaker doesn’t produce. The midnight color option is a perfect match for my TV setup as it disappears in the background while still looking sleek and sophisticated.
Where it shines:
The honest limits: At $299, the HomePod is not an impulse purchase but its value is totally based on how invested you are in Apple’s ecosystem. The support for third party music is available but the experience feels more complete with Apple Music. For android users many of its advantages quickly disappear.
| Feature | HomePod mini | HomePod (2nd Gen) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $99 | $299 |
| Colors | White, Yellow, Orange, Blue, Midnight | White, Midnight |
| Height | 3.3 inches (84.3 mm) | 6.6 inches (168 mm) |
| Width | 3.9 inches (97.9 mm) | 5.6 inches (142 mm) |
| Weight | 0.76 lb (345 g) | 5.16 lb (2.3 kg) |
| Woofer | Full-range driver + dual passive radiators | 4” high-excursion woofer |
| Tweeters | Not available | Array of five horn-loaded beamforming tweeters |
| Audio | Stereo pair capable | Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos
Stereo Pair capable |
| Microphones | 4 (far-field Siri) | 4 (far-field Siri) |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth 5.0, Thread networking technology | Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth 5.0, Thread networking technology |
| Power | 20W adapter (included) | Power cable (included) |
Get the HomePod mini if:
Get the full HomePod if:
Buy two minis instead of one HomePod if:
Unlike other smart speakers, the HomePod line doesn’t boast specs to beat. This is a listening experience that Apple created here because after a week or so with it in your room, the rest of the room feels as if something was missing before. The HomePod mini is an easy yes. The full HomePod usually needs about 20 minutes in your living room before it stops needing to justify itself. The HomePod is more of a paper tiger when it comes to convincing but less convincing when you actually hear it in your space.
Both models are available directly from Apple. The HomePod mini comes in four colors for $99. The full version of the HomePod will cost $299. The new buyers will also receive three months of Apple Music for free, which should be sufficient time to get a good feel for these speaker’s capabilities when used with fine music. When in doubt, go for the mini and who knows, you might even return for the other one.
Looking for alternative speakers? Read Google speakers, Amazon Echo, Samsung Music Studio 5 and Sonos Play and Era 100 SL articles.
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