TESTED APPLE HOMEPOD MINI78
Ball and
response
Even with music playing,
the Mini’s four mics mean
Siri is keen to respond.
There’s rarely any
need to raise your
voice.As a smart home hub it might not be quite as capable as an Amazon Echo, but from
a musical point of view the HomePod Mini comfortably outperforms expectations...
although it’s currently a little too picky about where it gets its tunes from. Apple fans
won’t mind those limitations much, and there’s still a lot to love here, but for now the
Mini falls just short of greatness.A great little
Apple Music
speaker with
Siri on top
Tom WigginsCan Apple’s diminutive Siri-packing smart
speaker be an even more well-rounded
performer than the latest Amazon Echo?
■ The Mini is much smaller and
more rounded than the original
HomePod, but there’s no doubt
they’re related – it wears the
same fabric coat (available in space
grey or white) and has an almost
identical touch-sensitive disc on
top, which illuminates when it’s
playing music or Siri’s listening.■ You’ll need a relatively recent
iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch
(remember those?), but getting
the HomePod Mini up and running
really is a masterclass in simplicity:
plug it in and hold your iThing
nearby to transfer the Wi-Fi
details. Apple’s process puts most
other tech companies to shame.■ With Siri on board, the Mini can
do all the usual smart speaker
stuff – set timers, check the
weather forecast, add events
to your calendar – but it also works
as a HomeKit Hub fo r control over
products from the likes of Philips
Hue, Netatmo and Belkin.■ This speaker produces a far
more well-balanced sound than
you’d expect from something the
size of an orange. It inevitably falls
short on sheer room-filling power,
but linking two to form a stereo pair
takes just a few taps in the Home
app and adds some real sonic heft.■ For n ow, you’ll still need an Apple
Music subscription to make the
most of a HomePod Mini. There’s
an AirPlay-based workaround that
allows you to use other services,
but that rules out voice control and
makes things feel a bit disjointed.Ball of duty
STUFF SAYS This smart speaker is a sonic success – but old issues remain HHHH✩
Drivers 1x full-range, 2x passive
radiators Processor Apple S5
Connectivity Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2,
Thread, U1 ultra-wideband
Dimensions 99x98x84mm, 345g■ Conference ball
The intercom function allows you
to send short voice messages to
other Apple devices inside and
outside your home. It could come
in handy if you’ve a family of Apple
fans, although it’ll struggle to
usurp the trusty WhatsApp group.■ Too close to ball
If you’ve got an iPhone 11 or newer,
you can transfer songs between
it and the HomePod Mini just by
holding them close together. The
novelty might wear off but it’s a
decent substitute for the flexibility
offered by Spotify Connect.£99 / stuff.tv/HomePodMiniTech specs