Apple has refreshed its smart speaker lineage - up with the addition of a novel full - sized HomePod , and so if you ’re someone who has n’t yet tote up one of the Apple speaker to their home , how doe theHomePod 2nd GenandHomePod Minicompare to each other ?
Each speaker cover interchangeable ground , so this guide will go the deviation between them to clear up their intention , and ultimately which impudent speaker is the best choice if you ’re deciding between the two .
Price
The HomePod 2 is priced at £ 299 , which is actually more expensive than the original HomePod was when it was first discontinued .
The HomePod miniskirt is £ 99 , which makes it £ 200 less expensive . There ’s a reason for the gulf in price , of course of study , but if your first priority is to save money , then the HomePod miniskirt is where you ’ll be spending your cash .
Design
The HomePod mini is about half as tall the full - sized HomePod , but they share a similar design language .
The most obvious dispute is that the Mini is spherical rather than cylindrical in shape . Both come wrapped in a mesh cloth that ’s signify not look good and aid acoustical performance . Both speaker system also boast a backlit ascendence surface on top for interaction with volume , playback and Siri .
The HomePod miniskirt has a confined transmission line that power the building block while the HomePod 2 ’s tycoon cable can be detached . The detach cable is useful as if it ’s damaged you wo n’t have to send the intact social unit back .
Both come in white-haired and white variations to tally in with your abode décor , another big difference between the two speakers is their dimension and weight ; the miniskirt weighs 345 gibibyte compared to the HomePod ’s heftier 2.3 kilogram .
Really , the main deviation is distance . Do you favor a speaker system with a smaller footprint ? The Mini is the speaker to get . If you have the space for a with child speaker system on a desktop , one in which you would n’t mind listening to from across a room , consider getting the HomePod 2 .
Features
When it comes to both speaker ’ specifications , they are pretty much a mate with each other , so regardless of which speaker you get , they ’ll extend a consistent experience .
TheUltra Wideband chipis integrate into both products and this earmark for other compatible iOS product to sense when they ’re near to one another and talk to each other , enabling faster data point transfer of training and more exact location tracking . The UWB poker chip is essentially how the initial frame-up outgrowth is start up , which is achieved via Apple ’s Home app .
Both support two-channel pair functionality but this is only possible with speakers of their ilk . For instance , you may only geminate two HomePod 2 ’s , not a HomePod with a HomePod Mini as Apple say the intention is to get the correct audio counterbalance and two-channel image . you could , however , tie in the two verbaliser together viaAirPlayto create a multi - elbow room organization to trifle audio recording .
While you could utilize a brace of Mini speaker system to connect to anApple TV 4Kto act as surround speaker , the HomePod mini does n’t digest Dolby Atmos with Spatial Audio . If you a ) have an Apple TV box seat and b ) have access to Atmos soundtracks , you ’ll desire to pick out the HomePod 2 over the Mini for a home cinema set - up .
Both HomePods integrate Apple ’s Siri voice assistant , either speaker able to realize the ‘ Hey Siri ’ mastery through their four - field of operations microphone set - up and play euphony , or relay race travel update , news and sport , set timers , make call or agenda appointment , and recognise the interpreter of each penis in a household ( up to six mass ) .
Intercom is also another feature they divvy up , which take into account user to send an audio message from one equipment to another .
With regards to bright home , the speakers are a fairly even match . The HomePod 2 includes a temperature detector to detect a room ’s humidity and temperature , and it can also listen out for smoke or carbon monoxide dismay and inform the consumption . An update has enabled temperature and humidness sensors in the HomePod miniskirt so the data point if collect can be reap to create mechanization relating to temperature control in the dwelling house .
Both HomePods haveMatter compatibilityandHomeKit support , again the HomePod mini has been updated to to support the former , allowing groovy background within a impertinent home for the speaker to ‘ utter ’ to other smart devices .
Sound
The HomePod boast a 4 - inch eminent - excursion woofer with a custom amplifier , five tweeters and internal broken - frequency calibration microphones for machinelike bass chastisement . Due to its minor size , the HomePod miniskirt does n’t have the same driver configuration , featuring a full - range equipment driver and treble inactive radiator for mysterious basso and crisp high frequencies . There ’s a impost acoustical wave guide to avail dot the sound from the speaker as well .
Both make use of computational sound recording for real - meter tuning of the talker ’s sound , the mini ’s S5 chip working alongside software to optimise loudness , adjust the dynamic reach , and control the movement of the miniskirt ’s driver and passive radiators 180 times a instant . Apple says it ’s capable of produce a phone similar to a bigger speaker and in our testing we found that title to be on the money .
Bass is n’t as large as the HomePod 2 , but the Mini does manage to bring forth a balanced performance across the frequency ambit , and its intensity control is telling , descale well as it reaches full bulk to avoid optical aberration and maintain clearness .
HomePod 2 is as various as the original HomePod and fathom great across a number of genres . Well balanced , with unspoiled active shifts and bragging bass , it ’s a speaker that can fill a way with sound quite easy ( as can the HomePod mini )
The welfare here is the Dolby Atmos withSpatial Audiosupport that produces a more immersive feel to soundtracks with more profoundness to well motley tracks . Both speakers sound excellent at their Mary Leontyne Price points .
Verdict
It ’s a rather easy choice to make as Apple has made choose between the two a simple decision . Both portion out a feature set that ’s for the most part exchangeable , so the first main difference is size and whether you want a small speaker and can accommodate a bigger one with a turgid footprint .
The second alternative is if you have an Apple TV box and whether you think to watch content in Dolby Atmos . For home cinema use the HomePod 2 is the success , and if you ’re an Apple Music contributor with approach to the subroutine library of Spatial Audio mixes then that ’s another rationality to pick the 2nd Gen HomePod over the HomePod mini
Both are speakers we rate extremely , and if you ’re an iOS user , you have the selection of choosing between two great overbold talker .
