Apple HomePod Mini review

The HomePod Mini was launched by Apple in 2020 as a smaller alternative to the HomePod speaker. The full-size HomePod was then discontinued, leaving the Mini as the only Apple smart speaker option for a while, before the larger speaker made a return in 2023.

Once again, the Mini sits alongside a bigger and more expensive Apple HomePod option in the firm’s product range.

Very much like the Nest Mini from Google and the Amazon Echo Dot, this compact smart speaker doubles as both a way to play audio and an interface you can use with your voice. Apple’s Siri digital assistant is built-in here, allowing you to ask for music, trivia, news, weather and plenty more besides.

Apple being Apple, this is a device that’s very much intended for households that already have an iPhone or iPad. In fact, you can’t set up the HomePod Mini without a phone or tablet that’s also made by Apple.

If you don’t already have an iPhone or an iPad, then the HomePod Mini isn’t for you.