Apple has rolled out a refreshed HomePod mini, packing in a new S10 chip and moving the price to $149 — a $50 increase over the original model introduced in 2020.
Performance Boost & Smart Assist
The upgraded chip is designed to enhance the speaker’s clarity and power. Among the improvements are better dynamic range, louder sound output, and overall improved acoustic performance. Meanwhile, Siri is receiving its most significant update yet on the HomePod mini. In future software updates, it’ll support multi-turn conversations, enabling more natural back-and-forth voice interactions. Apple has not yet revealed when this enhanced Siri experience will go live for HomePod mini users.
Smarter Home Integration & Visual Features
New functionality adds smarter home awareness. Users will be able to control smart home devices entirely by voice, and the system can now detect sounds like smoke alarms, sending alerts directly to users’ phones — modeled after features rival smart speakers have offered for years.
Visually, Apple has introduced “Sound Glow,” a top-mounted lighting effect that pulses to the rhythm of music and mirrors the color palettes from album art. Soundscapes, such as ocean waves or rain, can also animate these lighting effects for a more immersive experience.
Design, Colors & Availability
The refreshed HomePod mini comes in five new finishes: pink, green, blue, white, and midnight. Pre-orders begin today, with the device set to ship on October 30.
On the ecosystem side, Apple emphasized tighter integration: users can group four of the new HomePod minis with an Apple TV 4K to create a surround setup. Additionally, the HomePod mini 2 can now serve as the default speaker for Mac devices, whether for music playback or video conferencing, replacing the internal speakers.
Updating this product more than six years after its debut reflects Apple’s push to keep its smart home speaker competitive amid rising AI and smart assistant expectations. The new HomePod mini aims to deliver not just better sound, but smarter home awareness, visual flair and deeper inter-device cohesion.
