Apple HomePod mini review
Our Verdict
The HomePod mini is the smart speaker Apple fans accept been waiting for.
For
- Not bad sound for size
- Competitive price
- Attractive design
Against
- Few streaming music services
- Express 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 physical microphone push button
Apple HomePod mini: Specs
Size: 3.nine inches (diameter), 3.three inches alpine
Weight: 0.76 pounds
Wireless: 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth five.0, Thread
Mayhap — and I'one thousand merely spitballing here — people are more likely to buy a $99 smart speaker rather than one that costs $299. Only in that location's more to the Apple HomePod mini than just its price. This small-scale spherical speaker aims to compete with the Amazon Repeat, simply in a bundle the size of the Repeat Dot.
And for the size, there's no better-sounding smart speaker than the HomePod mini. But there's more than to a smart speaker than but its audio. In this Apple tree HomePod mini review, we'll examine how well Siri and HomeKit performs, and how information technology stacks up to the all-time smart speakers you tin can buy. You can likewise read why it earned a Tom's Guide Award 2021 for Smart Home.
- Best HomeKit devices
- Best cheap smart abode devices
- Apple HomePod vs. HomePod mini: Which should you buy?
Apple HomePod mini review: What I like
Small size: At just 3.nine inches in diameter, it'due south the same size every bit the Amazon Echo Dot, then you tin can stick it just nigh anywhere.
Great sound: Despite its minor size, the Mini sounded better than the much larger Amazon Echo.
iPhone integration: If you're playing music on your iPhone, you can merely tap it to the HomePod mini to keep the music playing on the speaker. You lot tin can also use the mini to make calls, transport messages and more than using Apple tree's Handoff feature.
HomeKit hub: The HomePod mini can act as a smart abode hub for Apple'southward HomeKit, letting you command all sorts of devices.
The price is correct: At just $99, the HomePod mini is much more affordable than the $299 HomePod.
Apple HomePod mini: What I don't like
Streaming music back up: Yes, y'all 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 fabricated improvements, it withal lags behind Alexa and Google Banana.
No mic off switch: I wish there was a physical switch to turn off the HomePod mini's microphones. Apple's products may be more than secure, but 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 space gray.
Update (Oct. 2021): Apple announced that the HomePod mini will also be available in yellowish, orange, and blue starting in November. The new colors will also toll $99.
Apple HomePod mini: Design
The Apple HomePod mini is about the size of, well, a large apple. Measuring three.9 inches in diameter, it's almost exactly the same size as the 4th-gen Amazon Echo Dot, only smaller than the 5.7-inch diameter Amazon Echo and much smaller than the original HomePod. Like Amazon's devices, the HomePod mini's circular design is meant to attract attention — but not as well much.
The audio-visual fabric covering on the HomePod mini, along with its flat pinnacle, reminds me of those candles yous'd find at an old-school Italian eating place with ruby-checkered tablecloths. Nevertheless, I like that the fabric wraps almost entirely around the speaker; on Amazon's devices, the textile covers only nearly half the speaker, which diminishes the overall look.
Similar the full size HomePod, there's a translucent impact console at the peak to control volume and actuate Siri. When Siri is agile, this panel glows in a multitude of colors, which is a neat effect, and one I wish you could control. Given that it also looks like a magic 8-ball, I wish I could pick it up and milk shake it to reveal my fortune. Tapping the height of the HomePod too lets you play/pause your music, skip or go back, and summon Siri.
Unlike other smart speakers, there's no physical button to turn off the mini's microphones. While Apple has stringent privacy policies — all Siri requests employ a random identifier, for example — I'd like the reassurance of an actual switch, as can be found on the Amazon Repeat and Google Nest Audio.
There are no audio ports on the dorsum of the HomePod mini, just a fabric-wrapped USB-C cable. It makes for a seamless look, but presents ii bug: If the cable were to break, you'll have to send the whole thing back to Apple to get repaired. And, because in that location's no audio port — equally with the Repeat — you tin can't plug the HomePod mini into an audio source. You can apply the HomePod mini as an output for Apple tree Boob tube 4K, but demand to connect them via Airplay.
Apple HomePod mini: Sound performance
Despite its other problems, the HomePod is one of the all-time-sounding smart speakers around, thanks to its array of 7 tweeters, woofer, and ability to adapt its audio automatically based on the acoustics in your room.
The constraints — both concrete and financial — of the HomePod mini necessitate some compromises. There's just i speaker (a full-range driver), but thanks to two passive radiators and an acoustic 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 adapt its audio to the room, it uses computational audio to analyze anything playing, and tweaks the speaker's output to provide what Apple tree calls an "optimal listening experience."
Overall, the listening feel from the HomePod mini was very good, but barbarous short of the Sonos Ane equally the best-sounding smart speaker. To test the mini, I placed it next to the Amazon Echo, Amazon Echo Dot, and the Sonos One, 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 Repeat, the HomePod mini produced clearer vocals and more than counterbalanced sound.
Lin Manuel-Miranda'south voice shot through when I played the Hamilton soundtrack; when I switched to the Echo, it only missed the mark — just similar Hamilton.
Similarly, Etta James' vocalism had more grapheme 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 bit more bass.
The Echo did outperform the mini when playing "Happy: past Pharrell. Vocals were more present, and the bass had more punch. Also, the Echo can become significantly louder than the HomePod mini; it loses a bit of fidelity when pumped upwardly, though.
In all instances, switching from either the HomePod mini or the Echo to the Repeat Dot was jarring; Amazon's $50 speaker was quieter, harsher, and tinnier in all respects. That's to be expected, though; it's not designed to exist a room-filling party machine, 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 single mini and two minis paired for stereo sound, just it made no difference; the Sonos One was clearly the better option. Everything that I played had better-defined vocals, crisp trebles, and smooth, deep bass. But maybe that's comparison Apples and oranges.
In May 2021, Apple announced that the HomePod mini would support Apple Music's new lossless audio tier.
Apple HomePod mini review: Music services
If there'southward one area where the mini lags behind other smart speakers, information technology's with streaming music services. Through the HomePod, you lot can stream music from Apple Music, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and Pandora, but that's it for now. However, if you don't accept an Apple Music account — or just prefer something else — you tin can specify a default music service in the Home app.
By comparing, Alexa not only lets you listen to the in a higher place services (including Apple tree Music), but also SiriusXM, Deezer, Tidal, Spotify, and Vevo. And, the Sonos One can connect to dozens upon dozens of streaming sources.
Of course, you can too use Airplay to beam audio from your iOS device to the mini, but information technology's not equally seamless as request Siri to do information technology for you.
Update (June seven, 2021): At WWDC21, Apple announced that the HomePod mini would receive an update that will allow it to exist used as an sound output for the Apple Telly 4K. This update will not come until the autumn of 2021, though.
Apple HomePod mini review: Siri
We've given Siri a lot of flack, and rightfully then. It merely hasn't kept up with Alexa or Google Assistant. It's made some improvements — you lot tin can now ready multiple timers and name them — but information technology still lacks many skills and features you'll find on competing virtual assistants.
Siri'due south all-time attribute in relation to the HomePod mini is its integration with your iPhone. You lot can ask Siri to check your agenda, brand a telephone call, ship a message, create a new note, and even find your iPhone or Apple Sentry. All the same, there are a few things here that Alexa and Google Banana do better.
I asked Siri via the Homepod mini to "search the web for pictures of elephants," and Siri sent a carte to my iPhone with relevant photos. (Interestingly, it used Bing as a search engine). When I tried to perform a similar search on an Amazon Echo and a Google Nest mini, they were unable to complete the action.
Both Siri and Alexa were able to correctly reply the question "what does Hakuna Matata hateful," simply Google Assistant was stumped. I and then asked all 3 assistants "Who played third base for the Pirates in 1960?" Siri gave me the nigh direct — and correct respond: Harry Bright and Don Houk. Google Assistant provided a agglomeration of other facts from an ESPN article virtually Houk being traded to the Pirates in 1959. Alexa returned some random information most Willie Stargell.
The question "How long has Jeopardy! been on the air" stumped all three administration. Google simply read the summary on Wikipedia—fifty-fifty asking if I wanted more context—simply didn't give me the total number of years. Alexa idea I was referring to Jeopardy the video game. Alexa responded "according to Wikipedia, it's 30 minutes." Non helpful.
When I asked Siri well-nigh agenda information, she read what was on my schedule. Google Assistant and Alexa were also able to read me my upcoming appointments. If you desire things to be more than secure, you can require authentication for personal requests in the Home app, in which case the mini won't read your calendar, but rather open it on your phone.
When you ask for directions to work, Siri will advise a route, and send y'all a proffer in Apple Maps; I wish it would cause Maps to open up too. Notwithstanding, Google Assistant not simply popped a bill of fare on my iPhone, but it gave me options for different modes of transportation.
I and then asked the three administration to "Club a pizza." Both Siri and Google Banana returned a list of pizza places about me. Siri read off a list of joints starting with the one nearest my location. Google Assistant led off with the highest-rated, and also sent a card 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 can set up the HomePod mini to recognize personal requests for upward to six people, they all need to have an iPhone. Both Alexa and Google Assistant are platform-agnostic, so information technology's easier to ready accounts.
Because the HomePod mini requires you to have an iPhone, in that location'southward no manner to set up an account for your kid and accept it evangelize child-prophylactic results, equally yous can with Amazon Echo smart speakers. It also lacks such Amazon features as Kids+ (FreeTime), which has tons of child-friendly content and lets y'all monitor what they're doing. You tin can block explicit lyrics from individual HomePod minis, though.
Apple HomePod mini review: Smart Home features
Y'all may not realize this, merely Apple's HomeKit is a sneakily good smart abode platform, second only to Alexa. That'southward because as with Alexa, y'all tin create some pretty sophisticated automations, which will trigger your smart home devices based on a diversity of inputs.
For example, you can accept your smart lights turn on at a certain fourth dimension of day, when people exit or arrive, a sensor is tripped, or one of your other smart devices turns on or off. Alexa's Routines are a bit more sophisticated, equally they not only let you control smart home devices, merely can also exercise such things every bit read your email summaries, send a notification, and more. You can even programme in a delay as to when yous want an activeness to occur. Still, HomeKit is much better than Google Assistant when it comes to smart habitation automations.
One of the features I like best about Apple products is the Handoff feature; become a phone call, simply your telephone is in the other room? You can pick information technology up on your iPad, Mac, or Apple tree Watch, and now, your HomePod mini. Conversely, you can too ask Siri to identify a call through the HomePod mini. And, if y'all've started a call on one device, you can Manus it off to another device.
Like to Amazon's Drop-In, you can utilize the HomePod mini'south Intercom feature to send audio letters to other HomePod devices as well as iPhones, iPads, Apple tree Watch, CarPlay. When you lot say "Siri, intercom 'x'," Apple's banana will make a recording of the phrase you say and evangelize information technology to the device you desire.
Information technology works well, but information technology's less advanced than Drop-In, which allows you to have what'southward called full-duplex audio; that is, you can both hear and talk to the other person, similar a regular phone phone call. With the HomePod mini, you lot're essentially making and receiving recorded messages.
Apart from Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, the HomePod mini likewise has Thread networking congenital in. This newish protocol is designed for low-ability smart dwelling house devices to communicate with each other over longer distances, but despite back up from both Apple tree and Google, it's been ho-hum to take off. While Thread is congenital into the Nest Hub Max, it'due south non in the Nest Sound, Google's newest $99 smart home speaker.
So, similar to the Amazon Repeat, the HomePod mini can be used every bit a smart home hub, letting y'all connect devices, such as smart locks, to your home network.
Apple HomePod mini review: Verdict
Information technology's funny how timing works. Similar the releases of Amageddon and Deep Impact, it's pure coincidence that both Apple and Amazon launched spherical smart speakers within months of each other. And like those movies, the Repeat and the HomePod mini will be certain to go out a $99 crater in consumers' wallets.
The mini sounds corking for its size, and will certainly attract many more buyers than the $299 HomePod — which has now been discontinued — did. The HomePod mini also integrates well with your iPhone and other products in the Apple ecosystem. However, while I like HomeKit as a smart home platform, I'g still less impressed with Siri overall as a vox assistant. And I really wish the HomePod mini had back up for Spotify. But Apple fans who have been looking longingly at Amazon and Google's budget smart speakers finally take a device to phone call their own.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/apple-homepod-mini
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