The HomePod mini also supports Thread, a low-power, low-latency IoT protocol that’s backed by Apple, Google, Samsung, Qualcomm, and other tech titans. Like the full-size HomePod, the HomePod mini works as a HomeKit “home hub,” allowing you to control your HomeKit devices even when you’re out of the house. But many popular smart device manufacturers do support HomeKit, including Signify’s Philips Hue smart lighting brand, Anker’s Euf圜am smart camera line, Logitech, Belkin’s Wemo brand, August, Yale, and Lutron. Apple hasn’t given a recent count for Siri’s smart device support. HomeKit doesn’t enjoy the wide degree of smart device support that Alexa and Google Assistant do more than 100,000 smart devices support Alexa, while about 50,000 devices support Google Assistant. Siri on the HomePod mini can also control smart devices that are compatible with HomeKit, Apple’s smart home platform. ![]() On the HomePod mini, Siri responded relatively quickly to my requests, and its four far-field microphones were able to pick up my voice from across the room, even when I spoke in a quiet voice. Powered by Siri, Apple’s nine-year-old voice assistant, the HomePod mini can respond to a wide variety of queries (“Hey Siri, how’s the weather today?”) and commands (“Hey Siri, send a message to my wife”), and like Alexa and Google Assistant, it can be a friendly, obedient, and impressively accurate companion. By way of comparison, both Amazon’s Echo speakers and Google’s Nest speakers have mic mute buttons and switches (respectively), and both have lights that glow (red for Echo speakers, orange for Nest) when their mics have been turned off. But even if you do ask Siri to stop listening, the HomePod mini lacks a visual cue to confirm that its microphone is off. Of course, you can just say, “Hey Siri, stop listening” if you want some privacy, and then press and hold the top of the mini to summon Siri again (at which point you can ask her to turn “Hey Siri” back on). You can tap the “+” or “-” icons to adjust the volume, tap once to play or pause music, or double-tap to skip, while touching and holding the touchpad summons Siri.Ī physical control that’s conspicuously missing from the HomePod mini is a mic mute button. Similar to the bigger HomePod, the HomePod mini’s top, backlit touchpad has “+” and “-” icons, and the multicolored backlighting glows during music playback and pulses when you’re chatting with Siri. The cable terminates in a male USB-C connector, and a chunky 20-watt power adapter is included fortunately, the adapter is designed to jut out from the outlet, meaning that nearby plugs are still accessible. ![]() It’s worth noting that the HomePod mini’s six-foot braided power cable is “captive,” meaning that it’s permanently attached. But if you’re open to Alexa or Google Assistant, you can find cheaper entry-level options (such as the $50 Amazon Echo Dot and Google Nest Mini), as well as better-sounding speakers (like the $99 Google Nest Audio) and better smart home-oriented devices (the $99 Echo with its Zigbee smart home hub). Now, if you’re a dedicated Apple user and you’ve been waiting for a more affordable Siri-powered smart speaker than the $300 HomePod, the $99 HomePod mini is your best-and only-bet. And while Apple’s new Intercom feature makes for an easy way to broadcast messages to household members, it doesn’t allow for two-way calling. The HomePod mini also has a Thread radio that lets it act as a smart home hub, but for now, there are only a few Thread-enabled smart devices available to control. On the other hand, it doesn’t sound as good as other smart speakers in its price range. On the one hand, the HomePod mini boasts impressive audio quality for its size. ![]() ![]() Apple’s new, cheaper HomePod is a tough smart speaker to nail down.
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