Apple has officially unveiled the HomePod mini 2, bringing a smarter Siri, improved audio performance and a new lighting feature that reacts to music. The upgraded smart speaker will launch on October 30 for $149/£149, with five colours to choose from.
The biggest upgrade comes from Apple’s new S10 chip, which powers advanced computational audio to adjust dynamic range, loudness and acoustic performance in real time. Apple says this should deliver a more balanced listening experience, regardless of what’s playing.
There’s also a new feature called Sound Glow, which turns the top of the HomePod mini into an animated light display. It reacts to the bass and treble of whatever you’re listening to, using colours pulled from the song’s album artwork to create a different visual effect for each track.
Apple is also expanding what the HomePod mini can do as part of a home entertainment setup. Users can now pair four HomePod mini 2 speakers with the latest Apple TV 4K to create a surround sound system. The speakers can recognise their positions in a room and automatically calibrate audio levels to suit the space.
The HomePod mini 2 can also work as a speaker for a Mac, giving users another way to make use of the upgraded audio hardware.
On the software side, Siri AI is coming through a future update, although it won’t be available at launch. The feature will require an Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhone or iPad and will support voice recognition for up to six users, allowing personalised access to information such as Messages.
Smart home features remain largely familiar. The HomePod mini 2 can still act as a home hub, control connected devices and listen for smoke or carbon monoxide alarms, sending alerts when either is detected.
The new speaker comes in pink, green, blue, white and midnight, with the $149/£149 price making it a more expensive proposition than the original HomePod mini. However, the combination of improved audio, smarter controls and four-speaker surround sound gives buyers a few more reasons to consider upgrading.
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