The HomePod Mini 2 is here and looks incredibly similar to the first Mini, so I tested how audio, AI and more differ across HomePod generations.
After an announcement at Apple’s huge Home tech event in October (which also featured the HomeView smart display), the HomePod Mini 2 smart speaker ($150) is now available for sale, and I’ve been experimenting with it all week.
For diehard Apple fans looking for a home or audio upgrade, one question outshines the rest: Is the Mini 2 worth the upgrade from the old Mini speaker, even at a higher price? To find out, I broke down the two speakers by design differences, audio streaming quality, the much-mentioned Siri AI capabilities and more to determine which wins.
Since I had every HomePod speaker available, I also compared the Mini 2’s performance and capabilities with the much larger second-gen standard HomePod. The big brother is currently selling for around $349, so it’s a hefty price increase, but I thought it was important to judge results across all of Apple’s options. Here’s what I found.
I was surprised to see just how little Apple’s HomePod Mini design philosophy had changed, at least at the hardware level. Right down to the technical specs, the size and weight, the Apple HomePod Mini 2 is largely the same as the first Mini, albeit available in different colors. Even the descriptions of the driver and tweeters are word-for-word the same.
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