Wire flash
Apple unveils new HomePod mini with S10 chip, priced at $149
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Source reporting is collected, normalized, translated or condensed automatically when needed.
- Automatically published source-backed update
Apple refreshed its HomePod mini smart speaker at its smart home event on Tuesday, introducing a new S10 chip and Siri AI integration that will arrive via a future update. The new model is priced at $149, $50 more than the original 2020 version. The S10 chip is said to improve dynamic range, loudness, and acoustic performance. Users can control smart home devices via voice commands, and the speaker can detect sounds like smoke alarms and send phone notifications. Apple said Siri AI will enable multi-turn conversations but did not provide a release date. The speaker also features a visual canvas called 'Sound Glow' that syncs with album art colors and music, and it works better with other Apple devices, including forming a four-speaker system with Apple TV 4K. It comes in five colors and will be available starting October 30, with pre-orders open now.
Source report
Apple's new HomeView device was the center of the show at its smart home event on Tuesday, but the company also refreshed its HomePod Mini smart speaker with a new chip and Siri AI integration, the latter of which will be available through a future update.
Pricing and Hardware
The $149 update is $50 more expensive than the original version launched over six years ago in 2020. The new HomePod mini has an S10 chip that helps improve optimize dynamic range, loudness, and acoustic performance.
Features
With the new HomePod mini, users can control their smart home devices through voice commands. Plus, the speaker can listen for sounds like a smoke alarm and send a notification to users' phones — a feature that Alexa devices have offered for years.
Apple said that with Siri AI, users will be able to have multi-turn conversations, but it didn't provide a date for when the new assistant will be available to HomePod mini 2 buyers.
The company also said the new speaker works better with its other devices. For instance, users could form a four-speaker home entertainment system paired with the new Apple TV 4K. Plus, the HomePod mini 2 speakers can be the default speaker for Mac for video calls or music playback instead of built-in speakers.
The device has another new feature, as well: a visual canvas called "Sound Glow," which uses the color scheme of the album art to turn the top of the HomePod mini into a visual canvas that will glow and pulse in sync with the music. Users can also pick soundscapes like rain or ocean waves to start animations.
Availability
The new speaker comes in pink, green, blue, white, and midnight colorways and will be available starting October 30. Consumers can pre-order starting today.
Source
TechCrunchNeutral / independent
Part of this Story
Apple Unveils $149 HomePod Mini 2 With Siri AI and Sound Glow