The latest Smart Home Insider podcast dropped a stack of fresh updates this week, covering everything from Apple’s upcoming event rumors to breakthrough gear from Sonos and Matic’s square-shaped robot vacuum. Here’s what’s worth knowing.
What’s Up with Apple’s “Surprise and Shine” Event
Apple is gearing up for its September 9 event, where the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are expected to be the centerpieces. Speculation suggests these models could bring a smaller Dynamic Island, under-display Face ID components, camera enhancements—possibly variable aperture in the Pro Max—and a new 2nm A20 chip paired with a C2 modem. It’s shaping up as a refresh heavy on power and precision. Also in the mix: a folding iPhone. However, the standard iPhone 18 and “18e” models might be delayed until spring 2027. The latest event week coverage dives into what Apple may actually launch versus what’s merely in rumor territory.
Sonos Releases Ace Ultra, Beam Ultra & Revamps Platform
Sonos has brought in two new high-end devices: the Beam Ultra soundbar and the Ace Ultra headphones, alongside launching Sonos 27, its rebranded audio platform backed by AI. Key updates include the option for Sonos-native voice control through Sonos 27voice, expanded control with outside assistants via Sonos 27mcp, and redesigned app navigation. The Beam Ultra, priced at $699, upgrades Sonos’s home theater experience with nine drivers—including upward-firing units for true Dolby Atmos height effects—and AI enhancements for speech clarity, Night Sound, and room tuning features. The Ace Ultra, at $449, offers better battery life, active noise cancellation, and a “Headphone Linking” feature for seamless audio handoff between Sonos speakers and private listening via headphones. Both products are slated to begin general availability on September 29.
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Sonos 27’s voice assistant and AI agent integrations suggest the company is doubling down on intelligent features. Tracking scenes in your listening environment and shifting controls from app to voice or AI-driven agents looks to be where audio systems are headed.
Matic’s Square Vacuum: Redefining Robot Cleaners
In a crowded robot vacuum market dominated by disc designs, Matic is pushing a radically different vision. Its new robot is square, taller, and camera-led rather than relying on lidar. That design allows it to go all the way to edges and clean under toe kicks—areas that traditional round vacuums struggle with. Instead of a big self-emptying dock, this model stands upright with wheels that tackle thresholds, and a boost in autonomy with on-device mapping and voice-gesture controls. Privacy is also built in: sensitive data remains local to the device, with encrypted servers only used when necessary.
Matic’s ideas feel bold—not incremental. This isn’t just “a robot vacuum,” but perhaps a preview of what cleaning automation may need to become to move past familiar compromises.
Other updates from the podcast included new smart home apps—Wallflower 3.0 that reorganizes camera and accessory dashboards based on context; Overflight, a plane radar app for Apple TV; and Threadlytics, a beta tool to audit Thread and Matter networks by ecosystem.
Finally, Google silently bumped the price of its Google TV Streamer from $99 to $150, still undercutting the $199 base price of Apple TV.
