TESTED APPLE HOMEPOD MINI 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.
Ball of duty
Can Apple’s diminutive Siri-packing smart speaker be an even more well-rounded performer than the new Amazon Echo? £99 / stuff.tv/HomePodMini ■ 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 for 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.
n 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.
n 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.
■ For now, 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.
Tech specs Drivers 1x full-range, 2x passive radiators Processor Apple S5 Connectivity Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2, Thread, U1 ultra-wideband Dimensions 99x98x84mm, 345g
STUFF SAYS This smart speaker is a sonic success – but old issues remain HHHH✩ A great little Apple Music speaker with Siri on top Tom Wiggins
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. 73
T1 Tested homepod.indd 73
10/12/2020 14:26
