HomePod mini: The essential $99 piece of the Apple smart home

The HomePod was discontinued after simply three years on the market (get it now whereas provides final), however Apple isn’t giving up on its smart speaker ambitions. Released final September alongside the iPhone 12, the HomePod mini was meant to be a smaller various to Apple’s high-priced, high-fidelity speaker, however now it’s the solely recreation on the town. And if you wish to arrange a Siri-based smart home, it’s essential.

Size and design

The HomePod mini nonetheless has the mesh grill exterior accessible in area grey or white, however it has a completely totally different form than the HomePod. It’s a sphere slightly than a cylinder, and its look is considerably reminiscent of the mesh-protected apples you may discover at the grocery store and isn’t a lot greater. The HomePod mini measures 3.Three inches tall, lower than half the top of the HomePod, however it feels even smaller than that in individual. The whole high is a show, however it’s primarily for Siri and standing lights and may be exhausting to see from throughout the room. Like the authentic HomePod, the mini’s wire is completely connected and considerably rigid, however irrespective of the place you place your HomePod mini, it’s actually an announcement piece.

Speakers and microphones

While it’d look small and unpowered, the HomePod mini is definitely simply as succesful as the bigger mannequin, whereas its dimension signifies that it has fewer audio system and microphones than the bigger mannequin. As Apple describes, the HomePod mini has a “full-range driver, powered by a neodymium magnet and a pair of force-canceling passive radiators,” however its sound isn’t practically as deep as the bigger HomePod. It’s notably missing in bass, which was the authentic HomePod’s strongest swimsuit, however the mini continues to be lots highly effective sufficient to fill a room with sound, particularly when you choose up a pair of them and set them up as stereo audio system on an iOS system or Apple TV.

Since the HomePod mini is a Siri system, it has three microphones which are all the time listening for voice prompts, in addition to an inner mic to assist isolate the speaker’s sound so it might probably hear the “Hey Siri” command even whereas taking part in music. Apple makes use of the S5 chip to course of the sound, the identical processor in the Apple Watch SE.

Even with a pair of audio system, nonetheless, the HomePod mini doesn’t assist Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital 7.1, or Dolby Digital 5.1 encompass sound like the bigger HomePod.

Apple Music and different streaming companies

The HomePod mini biggest power is taking part in music, and when you’re an Apple Music subscriber, it’s a wonderful companion. It additionally works effectively with the Apple Podcasts app, and radio stations from iHeartRadio, Radio.com, and TuneIn. During the HomePod mini announcement, Apple teased assist for third-party music companies, however to this point solely Pandora is supported. The Google Home and Amazon Echo each assist Amazon Music and Spotify, so it stands to motive that extra companies are on the method.

Siri

Like the full-sized HomePod, HomePod mini depends on Siri as its most important interface, utilizing voice instructions to play music and podcasts, management smart home units, and reply normal information questions. You also can use Siri for private updates, resembling asking about your schedule, the climate, visitors, and reminders in addition to any Siri Shortcuts made in your iPhone or iPad.

Michael Simon/IDG

Apple continues to guard your privateness whereas utilizing Siri. Siri requests are despatched to Apple’s servers solely when Siri is activated, and people requests aren’t related along with your Apple ID. Apple additionally says it doesn’t promote your private info to 3rd events. It does, nonetheless, retailer some nameless audio recordings to enhance the accuracy of Siri, however you’ll be able to opt-out in the Privacy tab in Settings in your iPhone. You also can delete your whole Siri historical past in the identical tab.

Home hub

Apple permits you to arrange a tool as a home hub to manage HomeEquipment units remotely from a central location, and the HomePod mini is the most economical of the choices. And the magnificence of it’s you don’t truly must do something to set it up. Once you signal into your iCloud account, your HomePod mini will robotically arrange as a home hub so something you add to the Home app will be capable to be managed once you’re not round. You’ll additionally be capable to create scenes and automations based mostly on time or location that do issues like activate the lights once you get home or shut them off with a easy command.

Michael Simon/IDG

Intercom

In addition to taking part in music and summoning Siri, HomePod has a nifty Intercom function that allows you to send and receive messages from one HomePod mini to a different, or an iPhone, iPad, iPod contact, Apple Watch, and CarPlay-connected automotive. When you ask Siri to “Intercom” or “ask everyone,” it’s going to show an alert on all accessible units with Intercom turned on and supply an audio recording that may be performed. Oddly, the Mac isn’t half of the Intercom function.

U1 Ultra-wideband chip

The HomePod mini has Apple’s U1 chip, which offers the system with ultra-wideband, a radio communication expertise that makes use of little or no energy, works in a brief vary and has a excessive bandwidth. The U1 permits for some cool iPhone tips as effectively. You can “hand off” music playback out of your iPhone to the new HomePod, in addition to obtain pop-up media controls with out having to unlock your ‌iPhone‌. You also can get personalised listening ideas in addition to visible, audible, and haptic results when transferring sound between units.

But Apple possible has a lot greater plans for the U1 chip. It may create an API that lets smart system makers faucet into the U1 chip and create automations and interactions that don’t want an app to be put in. Or it may faucet into Siri Shortcuts to generate room-based responses and actions from HomeEquipment units with out calling on Siri to behave. There are heaps that Apple can do with the HomePod mini’s U1 chip, so we’ll have to attend and see what arrives in future updates.

However, to make use of these options, you’ll want units which are geared up with the U1, in line with Apple’s HomePod mini web site. That means you want an iPhone 11 or later. Older iPhones gained’t be capable to carry out these options.

Apple

Price, availability, and system compatibility

The HomePod mini is $99 USD, and is offered in area grey and white in the following nations: 

• Australia
• Canada
• France
• Germany
• Hong Kong
• India
• Japan
• Spain
• U.Ok.
• US
• China
• Mexico
• Taiwan

HomePod mini is appropriate with the following units:

• iPhone 6s or later
• iPhone SE
• iPod contact (seventh technology) operating iOS 14
• iPad Pro, iPad (fifth technology or later)
• iPad Air 2 or later
• iPad mini four or later operating iPadOS 14

Conclusion

If you’re seeking to arrange an Apple smart home, there are three choices for a hub—an iPad, Apple TV, and HomePod mini. At $99, the HomePod mini is the most economical of the bunch and it’s a smart speaker, so you’ll be able to ask it to carry out actions and routines identical to an Amazon Echo system. HomeEquipment units have gotten cheaper and extra prevalent, so establishing an Apple smart home is easier than ever particularly with a HomePod mini to manage all of it. It doesn’t sound nearly as good as the authentic HomePod, however it’s nonetheless higher than an Echo Dot, and for $99, it’s a must have system.