Watch: HomePod Mini Reviews, Sound Quality Tests, and Unboxing Videos

Apple's embargo has lifted on reviews for the HomePod mini ahead of the speaker launching on Monday. In addition to our in-depth HomePod mini reviews roundup, we've gathered a collection of unboxing videos and sound quality tests below.

homepod mini event shot
As its name implies, the HomePod mini is a smaller version of the standard HomePod, standing just 3.3 inches tall. However, despite its more compact, spherical design, Apple says the HomePod mini still delivers "amazing sound" using "computational audio." The speaker is equipped with the same S5 chip as the Apple Watch Series 5, allowing the speaker to optimize loudness, adjust the dynamic range, and more.

Like the standard HomePod, the HomePod mini offers HomeKit smart home capabilities, handing off of audio from an iPhone, multi-user detection, ambient sounds, and compatibility with Apple's new Intercom feature for sending voice messages — from one HomePod to another, or to an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, or vehicle with CarPlay.

Videos









HomePod mini is priced at $99 in the United States. Pre-orders began Friday, November 6, with the first deliveries to customers and in-store availability set to begin Monday, November 16. In addition to the United States, launch day countries include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Spain, and the UK.

Related Roundup: HomePod mini

Popular Stories

iphone air thickness

Apple Said to Cut iPhone Air Production Amid Underwhelming Sales

Friday October 17, 2025 8:29 am PDT by
Apple plans to cut production of the iPhone Air amid underwhelming sales performance, Japan's Mizuho Securities believes (via The Elec). The Japanese investment banking and securities firm claims that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are seeing higher sales than their predecessors during the same period last year, while the standard iPhone 17 is a major success, performing...
iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps. More features and changes will follow in future ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.2 Update for iPhones Coming Soon

Friday October 17, 2025 7:35 am PDT by
Apple's software engineers continue to internally test iOS 26.0.2, according to MacRumors logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. iOS 26.0.2 will be a minor update that addresses bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, but we do not know any specific details yet. The update will likely be released by the end of next week. Last month, Apple released iOS 26.0.1,...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
iPhone Siri Glow

Some Apple Employees Have 'Concerns' About iOS 26.4's Revamped Siri

Sunday October 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by
iOS 26.4 is expected to introduce a revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, but not everyone is satisfied with how well it works. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said some of Apple's software engineers have "concerns" about the overhauled Siri's performance. However, he did not provide any specific details about the shortcomings. iOS 26.4 will...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

New iPad Pro Has Six Key Upgrades Beyond M5 Chip

Saturday October 18, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
While the new iPad Pro's headline feature is the M5 chip, the device has some other changes, including N1 and C1X chips, faster storage speeds, and more. With the M5 chip, the new iPad Pro has up to a 20% faster CPU and up to a 40% faster GPU compared to the previous model with the M4 chip, according to Geekbench 6 results. Keep in mind that 256GB and 512GB configurations have a 9-core CPU,...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

New 14-Inch MacBook Pro Has Two Key Upgrades Beyond the M5 Chip

Thursday October 16, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with an M5 chip, and there are two key storage-related upgrades beyond that chip bump. First, Apple says the new 14-inch MacBook Pro offers up to 2× faster SSD performance than the equivalent previous-generation model, so read and write speeds should get a significant boost. Apple says it is using "the latest storage technology," ...
m4 macbook air blue

M5 MacBook Air Coming Spring 2026 With M5 Mac Studio and Mac Mini in Development

Thursday October 16, 2025 3:57 pm PDT by
Apple plans to launch MacBook Air models equipped with the new M5 chip in spring 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple is also working on M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models that will come early in the year. Neither the MacBook Pro models nor the MacBook Air models are expected to get design changes, with Apple focusing on simple chip upgrades. In the case of the MacBook Pro, a m...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

M5 Chip Achieves Impressive Feat in 14-Inch MacBook Pro Speed Test

Friday October 17, 2025 7:10 am PDT by
The first alleged benchmark result for the M5 chip in the new 14-inch MacBook Pro has surfaced, allowing for some performance comparisons. Based on a single unconfirmed result uploaded to the Geekbench 6 database today, the M5 chip has pulled off an impressive feat. Specifically, the chip achieved a score of 4,263 for single-core CPU performance, which is the highest single-core score that...

Top Rated Comments

magbarn Avatar
65 months ago
I may be in the minority, but I definitely miss the well written reviews of yesteryear than youtube videos yearning for clicks and subscriptions?
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
profets Avatar
65 months ago
Amazing, the $99 HomePod mini includes the 20W USB-C charger in the box, but the $129 MagSafe duo charger (which is essentially just 2 induction chargers in a portable design) doesn't. Wtf.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tymeframe Avatar
65 months ago

Yay, a mini homepod! Can't wait to take this camping, or to the Beach or for the BBQ!....oh wait. Tethered.
It's in the name of the thing man.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lah Avatar
65 months ago

My issue is with Amazon and their business model there being one that benefits from serving ads for junk you can buy in their store. I have had Alexa suggest many times things I can buy from the store many times after asking for the news, etc.
yup. I'd rather not have amazon harvest all my voice information. Siri will do just fine.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SirAnthonyHopkins Avatar
65 months ago

HomePod Mini seems to be good enough for what it is , but for $150 you can get Echo Studio , which sounds fantastic IMHO
so if I go for a HomePod mini I get to keep my privacy AND my $50?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
averagenerd81 Avatar
65 months ago

HomePod Mini seems to be good enough for what it is , but for $150 you can get Echo Studio , which sounds fantastic IMHO
My issue is with Amazon and their business model there being one that benefits from serving ads for junk you can buy in their store. I have had Alexa suggest many times things I can buy from the store many times after asking for the news, etc.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)