If you're an Apple user in the market for a Siri-powered smart speaker, one of Apple's HomePods should be high on your wishlist. There are two excellent, five-star models to choose from, that are also the best-sounding smart speakers in their respective price bands. They are the latest HomePod 2 (£299 / $299 / AU$479) and the smaller, more affordable HomePod Mini (RRP £99 / $99 / AU$149).
While discounts on these Apple HomePods are rare, you might get lucky as the Black Friday 2024 sales are underway – the HomePod 2 is two years old now, while the HomePod Mini often has a tenner or so off. If there are any discounts, you'll find them on this page by checking out the price widgets below.
Both HomePods have similar features: they both operate seamlessly with your Apple devices, use AirPlay 2 for wireless streaming (there's no Bluetooth) and both support Apple Music Lossless and Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos. That means you can stream lossless tracks up to 24-bit/48kHz quality through both HomePods via compatible Apple Music tracks, while the Dolby Atmos immersive effect works well in both single speaker mode and as a stereo pair. They're also of a high quality in both design and daily use.
Of course, you really need to be a dedicated Apple user to get the most features out of them. You need an iOS device to set them up and an Apple Music subscription is necessary if you want to make the most of their excellent music curation features via Siri voice control.
Not sure which HomePod speaker is right for you? Read on to find out.
Apple HomePod 2
The HomePod 2 is the best-sounding smart speaker you can buy at this price, winning two What Hi-Fi? Awards in a row. It delivers a clear, weighty and energetic sound that trumps (admittedly cheaper) rivals from Sonos and Amazon. The HomePod 2's price has remained firm at £299 / $299 / AU$479, but it packs in plenty of technology and performance for that price.
The HomePod 2 is smarter than its predecessor, with improved Siri voice control, it's compatible with more smart tech thanks to new Matter platform support, and it's even more flexible in terms of placement than before, with the newer S7 chip analysing and and optimising the sound to its placement in real-time.
Crucially, it sounds even better than before. Apple has made considerable improvements under the hood to the driver arrangement, including a high-excursion woofer and five tweeters, that result in an impressive performance from the bigger speaker.
It sounds tighter, more organised and voices in particular are delivered with clarity and warmth. The sound is spacious and three-dimensional, particularly with Dolby Atmos tracks and in a stereo pair, and basslines, have vastly more weight and presence than a speaker this size has any right to produce – yet it’s never overbearing or flabby. Overall it's more engaging, exciting and enjoyable to listen to.
Combine two HomePods with an Apple TV 4K and you’d also get a viable home cinema system – a wildcard option that’s well worth considering.
Apple HomePod Mini
The HomePod Mini, also a multiple What Hi-Fi? Award winner, is effectively the HomePod 2 on a smaller scale. It's even smaller than the Amazon Echo Dot, but delivers an enjoyably detailed, organised and sophisticated sound for the price – you wouldn't believe such a tiny speaker was capable of such an authoritative performance. It's a mini musical marvel.
It delivers superb sonics thanks to Apple's S5 chip, which is said to analyse and optimise the performance over 180 times per second. A single full-range driver, held by a suspension system to reduce distortion, is flanked by two passive radiators designed to help create a bigger, weightier sound. For a speaker of its size and price, it offers an astonishingly good performance.
Remember, it packs in all the Siri, lossless and spatial audio tech as the newer HomePod 2, so it's quite the bargain at this very attracting sub-£100/$100/AU$150 price. And unlike its bigger sibling, the HomePod Mini comes in a range of colourful finishes: yellow, orange, blue, space grey and white.
While discounts aren't exactly plentiful, we do sometimes see savings across specific finishes – keep an eye out and you might be able to bag a bargain.
MORE:
Read our full Apple HomePod 2 review
Read our full Apple HomePod Mini review
Apple HomePod with a screen: rumoured release date, spec leaks and more
