Apple’s second-generation HomePod Mini is a familiar-looking smart speaker with a higher price, a faster chip, a fresh set of colors, and a handful of software features that change how the device behaves day to day. At $149, it costs $50 more than the original $99 model, and it arrives six years after Apple first launched its entry-level smart speaker. The exterior is almost identical to the first-generation Mini, but the internal hardware has moved forward. The new model uses an S10 processor instead of the older S5 chip and adds Wi-Fi 6E support in place of Wi-Fi 4. Those changes may look modest on a specification sheet, but they have a clear effect in everyday use. During early hands-on testing in a home office, the Mini 2 started music in a few seconds and handled smart-home commands much faster than the first-generation model. The biggest promised upgrade, however, is not available yet. Apple says the more advanced Siri AI experience will arrive later through a software update.

Key facts at a glance

• Price: $149, up from $99 for the original HomePod Mini.
• Core hardware: S10 chip and Wi-Fi 6E support, up from the S5 chip and Wi-Fi 4.
• Design: the same rounded shape as before, now offered in a deep green finish alongside other colors.
• Audio: the speaker hardware is unchanged, but stereo pairs still produce room-filling sound for their size.
• Siri: basic responses are faster and less verbose; the promised Siri AI upgrade is still coming later.
• Controls: a new Home app setting can lock the top touch controls on all HomePods, old and new.
• Sound Glow: top LEDs can match album art colors with Apple Music and Apple Podcasts.
• Mac feature: persistent AirPlay is meant to make a Mini or stereo pair a default Mac speaker, but it did not work during early testing.

Siri is quicker and less chatty

The most noticeable change is speed. Siri on the new Mini regularly responded in under three seconds for routine requests. A request to play Taylor Swift produced music in a couple of seconds. A question about the World Series winner was answered in under two seconds. Lights and shades were controlled in under three seconds. By contrast, the first-generation Mini often took up to ten seconds to complete similar tasks. That difference is easy to feel in daily use. When a smart speaker is slow, people stop asking it for small things, and the device gradually becomes less useful. The Mini 2 narrows that gap enough that simple requests feel much closer to instant.

Another improvement is that Siri talks less. On the first-generation Mini, a smart-home command often produced a wordy sequence: an acknowledgment, a short pause, and then a confirmation of the action. On the Mini 2, many actions simply happen. The speaker is not silent for every request, but it is quiet enough to be a noticeable improvement, especially at night or when several commands are issued in a row. The faster processor and Wi-Fi 6E support likely help here. Still, the basic assistant has improved in speed and brevity, not in overall intelligence. Harder questions, such as who will win the US midterm elections, still bring up the familiar offer to look at web results on an iPhone. That is a reminder that the promised Siri AI upgrade has not arrived.

A deep green finish that stands out

The green color is the best part of the new design. It is a deep, sophisticated shade that fits well in different rooms, and it looks more polished than some of the brighter colors offered on earlier Minis. The pink option is very pale, while the blue is functionally similar to the previous blue, perhaps a shade lighter. Black remains the safe choice. White is best avoided unless the owner plans to dust it regularly. The green stands out because it feels intentional rather than decorative. It is the kind of color that can sit on a desk, a shelf, or a kitchen counter without calling too much attention to itself.

Apart from the color, the Mini 2 looks identical to the first-generation speaker. It comes with a power brick and a color-matched fabric cord. The cord is very pale green, practically white, and the base now has an embossed logo instead of a painted one. Two green Minis look especially good on a walnut monitor stand, and the pair can make a home office feel upgraded with very little effort. Apple did not update the speaker hardware in the Mini 2, but the audio remains very good for the size. The speaker handles bass well, including on a Bad Bunny track, and delivers clear mids and vocals. A stereo pair costs about $300, which is steep for computer speakers, but two Minis can fill a room with sound.

Touch controls can finally be locked

A new setting in the Home app lets owners lock the top touch controls on the Mini. The feature also works with older HomePods, old and new, and it is a major quality-of-life upgrade. Accidental touches are common. A person reaching for a phone on a nightstand can easily hit the top of a HomePod and start music at 3AM. That kind of mistake is annoying enough to make the lock feature valuable. Most people rarely touch the top of a smart speaker on purpose, so disabling accidental input makes sense for many homes. The setting does not solve every privacy or control concern, but it gives owners more say over how the device responds.

The other new trick for the top of the HomePod is Sound Glow. This makes the LEDs display colors that match the album art of the song currently playing. It works with Apple Music and Apple Podcasts, and it is backward compatible with the first-generation Mini and the second-generation HomePod. The effect is neat, but it is also subtle. It does not add much to the music-listening experience, and it is unlikely to be a reason to buy the speaker. It is a small visual flourish rather than a core feature.

The Mac speaker feature needs work

Beyond the speed improvement, the other new feature that generated interest is the Mini 2’s ability to serve as the default speaker for a Mac using what Apple calls a responsive and persistent AirPlay connection. The idea is to create a wireless point-to-point connection between the computer and the HomePod. A single speaker or a stereo pair can be paired to a Mac, and the feature also works with the second-generation HomePod. Two or four HomePod Mini 2 units can also be part of a surround sound setup with the new Apple TV 4K. On paper, this is a useful addition. It could turn a pair of Minis into a simple desktop audio system without a cable.

In practice, the feature did not work during early testing. The required hardware was in place: a Mac supporting Wi-Fi 6E, running the public release of macOS 27.2, and HomePods on HomePod Software 27.2. The Sound pane in the Mac’s settings did not offer an option to set a HomePod via AirPlay as the default sound output. The Mini showed up and connected like any other AirPlay speaker, with the same flaws as regular AirPlay, including occasional artifacting, drop-offs, and some lag with notification sounds. The Mac also defaulted to its built-in speakers when the computer restarted, or anytime Siri was activated on the HomePod. A stereo pair was tried as well, but it also played over regular AirPlay.

According to other hands-on reports, when the persistent AirPlay feature is enabled, the HomePod Mini should show up as a default system output device in the System Information, and there should be an option to enable it under Play sound effects through in the Sound pane in System Settings. Neither appeared during testing. Both HomePods were reset completely after they updated to 27.2 out of the box, and the feature still did not work. Apple was contacted for comment but had not responded at the time of writing. The feature has potential, but based on this experience, it feels unfinished.

What remains to be seen

The Mini 2 has only been tested for two days, and the real test will come when it receives its Siri AI upgrade. Even so, the chip bump and speed improvements make this a bigger upgrade than it initially seemed. The device is faster, the green finish is excellent, and the ability to lock the touch controls is a practical improvement. The Mac pairing feature is the clear disappointment. It may improve with software updates or troubleshooting, but it did not deliver the simple wireless desktop audio setup that was promised. At $149, the Mini 2 is now the cheapest way to get an Apple Home hub with Thread and Matter support. The upcoming $299 Apple HomeView smart display will also act as a Home hub, but its screen gives it more functionality. A full review will follow once Siri AI launches, including a comparison with the HomeView display.

Source:The Verge News