Apple plans HomePod mini 2 to power a new HomeView hub

Most of the upgrades are inside. Beyond the S10 chip, the mini 2 brings newer Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and Apple says the chip’s computational audio, its software tuning of sound, analyzes music in real time to adjust loudness and dynamic range. Apple did not announce new drivers, so whether it actually sounds better will come down to independent testing.

One change goes the other way. The mini 2 has three far-field microphones for hearing Siri across a room, down from four on the original. It is not yet clear whether that affects how well it hears you.

The most visible addition is Sound Glow. The touch surface on top now pulses with the music, reacting to bass and treble, and picks up colors from the album artwork of the song that is playing. You can also choose a soundscape like rain to trigger its own calming animation.

The mini 2 comes in five colors: pink, white, blue, green and midnight. Pink and green are new, and the blue is a different shade from before. The old orange and yellow options are gone.

At $149, it sits $50 above the original’s launch price. Compared with rivals, it costs more than Google’s Home speaker and Amazon’s Echo Dot Max but less than the Sonos Era 100. Apple has also shown it working as a four-speaker home theater: four HomePod mini 2 units come to roughly $600, which one hands-on reviewer said sounded nearly as powerful as a soundbar.

This is the fine print. The HomePod mini 2 supports Siri AI, but the feature will not be switched on when it ships. Apple says it will come in a future software update. One report expects it next month, another says later this year.

When it does arrive, Siri should handle multi-step requests, like turning off the lights and closing the blinds in one go, and hold more natural conversations. Personal features, such as finding a song a friend sent you in Messages or checking a flight in your email, need the speaker paired with an iPhone or iPad that runs Apple Intelligence. Sound Glow’s album-color effect also needs one of those devices.

Reports disagree on whether the 2020 HomePod mini will get Siri AI too. One says the original stays on the old Siri. Another says owners with an Apple Intelligence iPhone will be able to upgrade, though the older chip may not be tuned for it. Apple has not spelled this out, so do not count on it either way.

HomeView is Apple’s new smart home display, a dedicated screen for controlling lights, cameras, thermostats and music, built around Siri. Earlier reports said it runs on an A18 chip. It costs $300 and goes on sale November 13, though some tabletop colors have already slipped to early December delivery dates in parts of the US.

The mini 2 is the voice in the rooms where you do not want a screen, like a bedroom or a home office. It also adds two features the old model cannot do. It can be set as a Mac’s default speaker, on its own or as a stereo pair, rather than relying on AirPlay. And with the new fourth-generation Apple TV 4K, up to four of them can act as surround speakers that detect their positions and tune the audio to the room. You can mix them with the larger HomePod, two in front and two behind.

Apple also showed new cameras, thermostats and a smart lock from LG and Schneider to fill out the system, all controllable from HomeView.

If you mostly use your mini for music, timers and simple smart home commands, there is little reason to rush. The speaker hardware is largely the same, Siri AI is not here yet, and a $149 purchase per room adds up fast.

The upgrade makes more sense if you want an Apple TV surround setup, want a HomePod as your Mac speaker, or plan to build around HomeView. It also makes sense if you were buying a HomePod mini anyway, since the new model is the one that will get Apple’s future features first.