4 Cool New Features That Make The HomePod Mini 2 Worth It

Six years after the introduction of the original HomePod mini, Apple updated its small smart speaker with an official second-generation model. Powered by the Apple Watch's S10 SoC, Apple says the new device has improved audio, thanks to advanced computational algorithms, alongside new Siri AI features. Potentially most important, though, is that the device is designed to work with the company's new HomeView hub, Apple TV 4K, and Home Collection accessories.

Still, not everything is golden with the HomePod mini 2. The company increase the price for its original model a few months ago, citing higher component costs because of the AI data center boom. This new speaker is even more expensive, coming in at $149. The HomePod mini 2 comes in new colors–pink, green, blue, white, and midnight, with matching cables. 

Perhaps the most interesting detail about the HomePod mini 2 is that it doesn't have more capable hardware that can run the new Siri AI on its own. Instead, Apple says the new Siri AI capabilities are available whenever a compatible Apple Intelligence device is around, such as an iPhone 15 Pro or newer.

Even so, the company calls the HomePod mini 2 the company's "most immersive home theater setup," as users can pair up to four-speakers for a surround sound when connected to the new Apple TV 4K. The product is already available to pre-order and it begins shipping Friday, October 30. Here are the new features that could make the new HomePod mini 2 worth it for you.

With an Apple Intelligence-capable iPhone or iPad around, the HomePod mini 2 can take advantage of two of the most important features introduced with the revamped Siri: What Apple calls "personal context" and "world knowledge." In other words, the HomePod mini can pull up a song a friend mentioned in a text chat, play a podcast you've been sent last night, or even load up that playlist your friend made for you last year but you never added to your Apple Music account. With world knowledge, you can ask the HomePod mini 2 anything about a subject you're interested in, and it will use the iPhone, in addition to Apple's Private Cloud Compute, to bring the correct answer.

The HomePod mini 2 is also designed to sit in a central location within the home, and used by more than one person. It can recognize up to six people in a household by their voice, meaning that whenever you tell the smart speaker to play your favorite tunes, they will offer different suggestions that if your partner was the one asking for their favorite songs.

The company even says that once Siri AI is enabled on HomePod mini 2, even if someone from the household has an iPhone or iPad without Apple Intelligence, they can still benefit from Siri's world knowledge with "rich, natural conversations" that can improve music discovery.

More than being smart, the HomePod mini 2 also needs to be a good speaker. When the first generation was released, it received some praise from reviewers thanks to its big sound even in such a small form factor. Still, the device lacked a proper bass and a single unit made the sound less impactful than with a stereo pair. Apple says that it has improved the audio quality of the HomePod mini 2 thanks to the S10 chip and advanced computational audio by analyzing the music in real time and optimizing dynamic range, loudness, and acoustic performance.

Apple is also allowing the HomePod mini 2 to pair with up to four speakers to create a surround sound experience with the new Apple TV 4K. Users can choose between four of the HomePod mini 2, or two of the HomePod mini 2 and two of the HomePod 2, as the set-top box can recognize each speaker's position to make audio timing and levels calibrated to the space. Notably, Apple says the new HomePod mini 2 will not pair with the older, original HomePod or HomePod mini.

Apple also says that a pair of HomePod mini 2 speakers can work with its other devices, such as the iMac–currently with the M4 processor. While the iMac is available in seven different colors and the HomePod mini 2 in five, the company says that the accessory can create a "beautifully unified desktop setup with Mac." The HomePod mini 2 can be used to improve movie sounds, the gaming experience, and even for FaceTime calls. Interestingly, the company didn't say how the HomePod mini 2 will interact with its $1599 pro-level Studio Display, which has its own onboard array of six speakers for spatial audio.

Another feature Apple introduced with the HomePod mini 2 is called Sound Glow, which transforms the speaker's top panel into a "visual canvas that glows and pulses in sync with the music, reacting in real time to bass and treble." While this feature doesn't necessarily change the audio waves coming out of the speaker, it does create new ways for the device to integrate into a listening experience. For example, if you pass by the HomePod mini 2 while playing a song, the device will generate a color-matched light experience based off the album artwork from Apple Music's Now Playing feature.

The company also says users can take advantage of soundscape to trigger animations for a "soothing atmosphere." Apple also says that this feature is coming to the second-generation of the HomePod via a software update. It's not the first time Apple has extended capabilities of a product after launch. In 2023, the company sent a software update to its original HomePod minis that activated secret temperature and humidity sensors that had laid dormant years.

The original HomePod mini was already a basic smart home hub, capable of controlling devices, playing music, and interacting with basic Siri functions. However, Apple is now making everything a lot more smoother by adding a more capable chip and more accessories it can connect to. With the new Apple Home Collection devices, the HomePod mini can more easily lock a front door, lower the blinds, adjust the thermostat, and even turn off the lights at bedtime. It can also tell if someone is at your front door, like a delivery person, a friend, or a parent, and give you information on what other smart home accessories gathered.

On the iPhone, users can also create automations that the HomePod mini 2 and its new Siri AI. The new feature will also be accessible through natural language, and by using the Shortcuts app. 

Apple is also improving another feature called Sound Recognition, which sends a notification to a user's devices if the HomePod mini 2 hears a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm. As in the past, customers can also take advantage of the Home app and an included intercom feature to listen and talk to someone via the HomePod, or several HomePod speakers throughout the house.