Apple HomePod Mini 2 Gets S10 Chip, Siri AI and $149 Price
Apple's $149 HomePod mini 2 adds an S10 chip, Sound Glow and deeper device links, while Siri AI and multi-turn chats await an undated software update.
Summary
Apple used its Tuesday smart home event, centered on HomeView, to unveil the HomePod mini 2, available October 30 with preorders opening October 13, 2026. At $149, it costs $50 more than the original version launched over six years earlier in 2020. Its S10 chip optimizes dynamic range, loudness and acoustic performance. Voice commands control smart home devices, while sound detection can recognize smoke alarms and notify users’ phones, a capability Alexa devices have offered for years.
Siri AI will enable multi-turn conversations through a future update, but Apple provided no release date. Four speakers can form a home entertainment system with the new Apple TV 4K, while a HomePod mini 2 can replace a Mac’s built-in speakers for video calls or music. Sound Glow pulses the speaker’s top using album art colors, with rain and ocean-wave soundscapes also triggering animations. Color choices are pink, green, blue, white and midnight.
Positives
- The S10 chip optimizes dynamic range, loudness and acoustic performance.
- Smoke alarm detection can send alerts directly to users’ phones.
- Four HomePod mini 2 speakers can create an entertainment system with the new Apple TV 4K.
- Mac users can make the speaker their default output for video calls and music.
- Sound Glow synchronizes album art colors and animations with music or ambient soundscapes.
Risks & concerns
- The $149 price is $50 higher than the original HomePod mini launched in 2020.
- Siri AI and multi-turn conversations require a future update with no announced release date.
- Smoke alarm notifications arrive years after Alexa devices introduced a comparable capability.