HomePod Mini Now Three Years Old: Here's What to Expect From the Next Generation

[MacRumors]

Apple announced the HomePod mini three years ago today at its "Hi, Speed" event alongside the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, offering a small form-factor version of its smart speaker for the first time, with a price tag of just $99.

Less than half a year after announcing the HomePod mini, Apple discontinued the original HomePod, leaving the HomePod mini as the company's only smart speaker until earlier this year when Apple relaunched the full-size HomePod form factor. The newly reintroduced HomePod offers a large number of features that were previously exclusive to the HomePod mini, including an Apple Watch S-series chip, a U1 ultra wideband chip, Thread support, a temperature and humidity sensor, and a larger backlit touch surface that illuminates from edge to edge.

Apple refreshed the HomePod mini with color in 2021, adding Blue, Yellow, and Orange options, but the device has remained otherwise unchanged since its introduction. It is now among the oldest devices that Apple still sells, surpassed only by the Pro Display XDR and second-generation Apple Pencil.

What Next for the HomePod mini?

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman was first to highlight Apple's work on a second-generation HomePod mini in August 2022. Gurman has since expressed skepticism about what a new HomePod mini could offer since "the latest HomePod doesn't include any major new functions that aren't already in the $99 mini."

A second-generation HomePod mini could conceivably introduce a lower-latency Handoff experience with the second-generation ultra wideband chip, improved sound and microphones, and the S7, S8, S9, or S10 chip. Siri requests are now processed locally on the Apple Watch Series 9 thanks to the improved performance of the S9 chip, so bringing the same hardware to the next-generation HomePod mini could considerably boost Siri's responsiveness. A new HomePod mini could also see specification upgrades, such as Wi-Fi 6E support.

The HomePod mini currently contains the S5 chip from the Apple Watch Series 5 and first-generation Apple Watch SE. 2024 will likely see the introduction of the S10 chip in the next-generation Apple Watch, so that's the most advanced chip Apple could feasibly give the device if it launches before late 2025.

The 2023 HomePod contains the S7 chip, the same chip used in 2021's Apple Watch Series 7. Despite the introduction of the S8 chip in late 2022 in the Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch Ultra, and second-generation Apple Watch SE, Apple elected to use the S7 chip. This suggests it isn't certain that Apple will use its latest S-series chip in the second-generation HomePod mini.

The S6, S7, and S8 chips are all fundamentally the same and based on the A13 Bionic chip. The S9 chip, on the other hand, is based on the A15 Bionic chip, leading to major performance and efficiency improvements. The S6, S7, or S8 chip would still be a notable upgrade for the HomePod mini, but the S9 or S10 chip would offer even more substantial enhancements.

It also seems highly likely that a new HomePod mini will come in a refreshed selection of color options. The current device is available in Space Gray, Blue, Yellow, White, and Orange. With the reintroduced full-size HomePod, Apple swapped Space Gray for Midnight, so a similar switch seems likely for the HomePod mini at a minimum.

Release Date

In February, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple will begin mass shipments of the second-generation HomePod mini in the second half of 2024, which seems likely given the age of the current model and apparent active development on a new version for over a year.

It is also possible that Apple could wait to introduce a new HomePod mini until the debut of a third-generation full-size HomePod, especially if it includes new features. Apple is developing an updated version of the HomePod that will feature a 7-inch display, according to Ming-Chi Kuo. The HomePod with a 7-inch display is expected to come out next year at the earliest.

Article Link: HomePod Mini Now Three Years Old: Here's What to Expect From the Next Generation

 

[lenningj]

looking forward to this

 

[w00master]

How about fixing Siri first? HomePod is just a glorified wirelesss bluetooth speaker right now.

 

[adamlbiscuit]

All I want is for my HomePod minis to actually talk to one another in a way they’re supposed to.

So far I’ve got stereo pairs ‘unpairing’ randomly and doing their own thing (or one of them outright just not responding), and I’ve got no hope of multi-room audio as there’s always one that decides it doesn’t want to interact with the others.

I have a mesh WiFi network which I think may be the culprit, but when all my other devices work together and it’s just the HomePod minis with issues, that’s not encouraging.

I’ve sworn off the HomePod line for now and it’ll be really hard to get me on board for the second gen sadly.

 

[Born Again]

How about add a screen for photos? Anyone interested?

 

[icanhazmac]

I still cannot see any reason to buy a "smart" speaker.

The speaker portion will almost always out live the "smarts" portion of the device. Once the manufacturer deems the device too old for updates it might become useless.

How about this... just buy great quality speakers and let your phone be the smarts. Most people aren't more than 3 feet from their phones anyway, or wearing a watch.

YMMV

 

[ralph_sws]

it sounds very average and the price is much too high, in my opinion it should cost a maximum of 50-60 usd. For a lower price than the mini ones sells, you can buy an Amazon Echo speaker (not the dot model, a larger one) that sounds way better.

 

[Steve121178]

Still dead on arrival as it relies on Siri which is absolutely hopeless.

 

[DaveN]

I have a pair of original HomePods in my bedroom and they are great for being a ‘soundbar’ for watching movies and Siri commands. I’m thinking a pair of minis would be nice for my RV.

 

[BrownyQ]

I actually own three of these, one I use in the bathroom, and two in a bedroom for ambient noise. I think they do the job just fine.

Yes, they're not cheap, but I've gotten my money's worth out of each one. I'm sure they could be improved in many ways, but I don't have any particular wishlist items outside being able to ask them to stream music from my phone without having to go through AirPlay on my phone.

 

[Powerbooky]

• It really must support 802.11ax
• Maybe adaptive computational audio

The current HomePod mini only uses 20MHz 802.11n and while it seems enough, it does bring down the actual wifi bandwidth significantly when using AirPlay simply due to inefficient channel use.

Our house has multiple mobile devices (>10) and 802.11ax is a great benefit. Macbook's that complete TimeMachine backups so much faster at the same time. But a soon as AirPlay is used on multiple HomePod mini's - we have eight, that hogs the network.

(picture explaining 802.11ax efficiency - source)

 

[tomtad]

it sounds very average and the price is much too high, in my opinion it should cost a maximum of 50-60 usd. For a lower price than the mini ones sells, you can buy an Amazon Echo speaker (not the dot model, a larger one) that sounds way better.

The mini is one of the best priced products Apple sells. Bear in mind this is a company that charges $49 for silicone phone cases

 

[Timpetus]

Hard to see a ton of room for improvement beyond updating the processor, which would bring better wireless standards with it and possibly on-device Siri. I would actually love it if Apple would make each HomePod a WiFi mesh node, with the option to either have their own separate network to minimize latency and keep your primary WiFi free of sound streaming traffic or to extend your primary network as I've got more HomePod Minis than WiFi APs.

 

[solafide]

I'd like to see Apple make it possible to link two HomePod minis to two paired HomePod (2)s, for truer dolby atmos/spatial audio. Currently, if your set up is in a wide room, a paired-set of HomePods (2s) cannot virtualize Dolby Atmos well. You hear no sounds behind you, etc... I think Apple certainly has the capability to make this type of configuration possible - pairing 2 HomePod 2's in front with 2 HomePod minis in back.

 

[w00master]

The mini is one of the best priced products Apple sells. Bear in mind this is a company that charges $49 for silicone phone cases

Price doesn't matter when Siri is complete dogsh*t

 

[MathersMahmood]

How about fixing Siri first? HomePod is just a glorified wirelesss bluetooth speaker right now.

My God it’s so slow.

Hey siri pause

…………………

Literally 6 seconds go by and then it pauses. It’s stupid at this point and way too inconsistent.

 

[George Dawes]

I never cease to be amazed at the volume and sound quality of this tiny thing

 

[emmab2006]

I'm sorry, but before even a thought go's into a new HomePod mini , apple needs to sort Siri out , it is a joke , their refusal to make changes to it is frustrating. every time I ask a question I'm told '' I will send to your iPhone '' . I don't want to be sent to my phone ! , when Google , and Amazon tell you instantly what you want. Apple Sort it out. my HomePod mini is literally nothing more than a timer for when I cook.

 

[SoldOnApple]

Let the mini act as rear and side speakers for surround sound.

 

[MrMojo1]

Recently bought 2 open box returns of the Homepod Mini from BB at a small discount ~12%.
It's still a bit inexpensive but good for what it does. Really needs a small instructional page to reset the speaker (press the top until it turns red then turns white, hopefully a sound is given when done).
Wipe it down with a disinfectant cloth and it'll look new instead of returned items.
It works relatively well esp. after pairing for the stereo effect.
Not doing anything special except listening to music and to audiobooks from my iPhone.
The minis have some decent sound for small speakers but Siri is a real pain. Just use her to tell the outside temp and time.
Fix the slight pause (~3~5 secs) when starting up the speakers and when playing anything.

Looking online, noticed that there are Lots of people who are selling off their minis for whatever reasons.. open box or refurbished or just want them anymore.
If the Homepod Mini is so 'popular', then why is there such a 2nd hand market for them?
Maybe some people's expectations were too high when they bought them bought they could've just returned them within a few days which many companies allowed under their return policy.
Have to hand it to Apple's PR/sales dept. to get people to buy the minis then have lots of them dump it later because of false expectations or whatever.

The yellow is hard to find for whatever reason, then the orange one. Hopefully, a red Homepod mini will be released soon.
Thinking of getting a 3rd one for the bedroom but holding off to see if it'll go on sale for Black Friday.
Apple should also redo the mini to make it have an attachable cord like the 2G Homepod and include a battery option for traveling.

Some of Sonos' speakers cost just as much, if not more, than the Homepod. If you're into the Apple ecosystem, just get the Homepod. If you want some freedom, then consider other brands like Sonos.

 

[HMFIC03]

No complaints on my 5 x minis and 1x OG, but on my wish list is being able to use them w/o wi-fi like a true bluetooth speaker and a USB C to USB C connection so that they could travel outside or be used a speaker phone in a conference room . The upside for Apple is they could keep cost down by not including a cable.. the new iPhone 15s have a nice braided cable already. 🧠

 

[StudioMacs]

I suspect the rumors Gurman spread a while ago about a display on the HomePod and/or a stand alone display to control HomeKit accessories was a misunderstanding of StandBy on the iPhone. He may have seen or heard about the software without the people who shared it knowing the hardware it was intended for.

 

[Le0M]

Excuse my ignorance, but is the technology behind speakers still improving year-over-year?
I thought it's been reached the maximum quality and power for a determined volume. If not, and if someone knows details about it, I'd be happy to learn.

 

[Le0M]

Let the mini act as rear and side speakers for surround sound.

You mean they don't already???
What are they doing at Apple? 🤣🤣

 

[StudioMacs]

I'm sorry, but before even a thought go's into a new HomePod mini , apple needs to sort Siri out , it is a joke , their refusal to make changes to it is frustrating. every time I ask a question I'm told '' I will send to your iPhone '' . I don't want to be sent to my phone ! , when Google , and Amazon tell you instantly what you want. Apple Sort it out. my HomePod mini is literally nothing more than a timer for when I cook.

The standard HomePods are excellent for music and connected to the Apple TV. Even the minis are fine for controlling HomeKit devices and setting timers. Answering trivia questions isn’t the most beneficial use, but they are pretty solid — Siri always understands my HomeKit requests and pauses/plays my Apple TV for me so I don’t need to use the remote.