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First Impressions From HomePod Mini Customers: 'The Sound Quality is Great'

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Today is HomePod mini launch day in the United States and nine other countries, and as orders begin arriving to customers, first impressions of the speaker are beginning to surface on the web. While we've already seen HomePod mini reviews from media outlets and YouTubers, customer opinions provide additional perspective.

homepod-mini-customer.jpeg
HomePod mini photo shot by Oliur​

MacRumors forum member "boultonn" said the HomePod mini "really is mini," yet delivers "great" sound for a study room. They also complimented the HomePod mini's simple setup process, which involves plugging in the speaker, holding an iPhone or iPad near the speaker, and following the onscreen instructions on the iPhone or iPad.

UK-based developer Matt Cheetham said "the sound quality is great," a sentiment shared by Tokyo-based developer Enrico Pangan.

Of course, not everyone has been as impressed. UK-based writer and PR director Max Tatton-Brown said that he was "deeply underwhelmed" by his HomePod mini.


UK-based designer and photographer Oliur had a mixed opinion. He said that the HomePod mini has "amazing" sound quality that "can get loud," but he added that it "lacks bass," which he said "makes sense" since it's a small speaker.


Last week, KTLA tech reporter Rich DeMuro tested the sound quality of the HomePod mini and Google's Nest Audio speakers, both priced at $99. While the video is a rather trivial way of comparing audio, many users who commented on the video believed the HomePod mini was the better sounding of the two.


HomePod mini offers many features of the full-size HomePod, including Siri, HomeKit, Apple Music, Intercom voice messaging, and stereo pairing, but a few customers have been surprised to learn that HomePod minis cannot be set as the Apple TV's default audio output, something that is only possible with the full-size HomePod.

HomePod mini pre-orders began November 6 in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The speaker will also be available in China, Mexico, and Taiwan later this year.

Article Link: First Impressions From HomePod Mini Customers: 'The Sound Quality is Great'
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2020/11/16/homepod-mini-customer-impressions/
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The sound quality is the biggest thing I'm curious about with the Mini. Obviously I know it's not going to sound as good as the HomePod, but for the use case I'm thinking of, if it sounds decent it would be good enough and I would get one.
 
It might be a little bit odd that you can't set them as audio output for the TV, but it does lead to the question quite why you'd want to?
 
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SirAnthonyHopkins said:
It might be a little bit odd that you can't set them as audio output for the TV, but it does lead to the question quite why you'd want to?
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If you live in an apartment and want to upgrade from built-in TV speakers? This is basically a $200 "smart" 2.0 system. Apple is saying you need to spend $400 for that I guess.

I don't get the arbitrary software crap on these. Can't use the mini as TV speakers but the full size on you can. Neither one can be paired via Bluetooth even though they have the radio. This is all software gimping and there is no reason for it to exist.
 
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I’m eager to hear if the mini has less bass than the regular HomePod (I would prefer that in my vintage apartment building).
 
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The main disappointment for me is that it's not portable (no battery) and it's not water resistant.

The HomePod mini should have been the answer to WonderBoom Ultimate Ears.

I would have loved to take my HomePod mini outside in the Summer in the garden or to a barbecue/garden party.
 
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I’m really impressed by the sound quality. There’s definitely bass, it’s just not overwhelming or overpowering which I personally appreciate. For the price, what it does and how well it integrates with all my other Apple stuff I might get another one for a stereo pair. It‘s more then good enough for my apt.
 
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Attirex said:
Anyone who can actually gauge the sound quality of two speakers via a YouTube video has amazing powers of....something.
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Haha, yeah... I mean.... one would think it would depend a bit on the equipment you use to watch the video. But I might be wrong.
 
GadgetBen said:
The main disappointment for me is that it's not portable (no battery) and it's not water resistant.

The HomePod mini should have been the answer to WonderBoom Ultimate Ears.

I would have loved to take my HomePod mini outside in the Summer in the garden or to a barbecue/garden party.
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It’s literally called the HomePod, this is like complaining that you can‘t take an iMac to a Starbucks because it’s not portable like a laptop. Thats not its designed purpose. Maybe one day they’ll consider making something like that but this definitely isn’t it, as the name implies.
 
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The home pods seem kinda cool but what I don't like about them (either of them) is that you've always got to keep all your devices up to date with the latest software. And in a few years, the old hardware won't be allowed to run the required software. It's like an arms race owning apple peripherals. Everything depends on everything else being the latest tech.
 
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The Verge said it sounds decent but cannot compete with other smart speakers at this price. This is about what I expected from a clock radio speaker. Let me see if I can find the quote...

"The key thing to notice is that the HomePod mini outperforms other “small” smart speakers like the Echo Dot and Nest Mini, but it can’t compete with larger speakers like the regular Echo, Nest Audio, or Sonos One. The HomePod mini is priced closer to those larger speakers, although it really belongs in the small speaker class when it comes to the sound it can produce."
 
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Kyle4 said:
It’s literally called the HomePod, this is like complaining that you can‘t take an iMac to a Starbucks because it’s not portable like a laptop. Thats not its designed purpose. Maybe one day they’ll consider making something like that but this definitely isn’t it.
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There are other speakers of similar size that do have batteries, so I’d say it’s a valid point, regardless of how Apple chooses to brand its speakers.
 
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