Apple unveiled a brand-new HomePod mini at its "Hi, Speed" event. Find out what the new Siri speaker can do and how much it costs below.
Some leakers had already hinted at it a few days ago. Now the time has come. With the HomePod mini, Apple wants to go on the offensive and declare war on Amazon's Echo 4 and Co. The brand new HomePod mini appears in a new spherical design and, like the classic version, is available in black and white. The new version of the Siri smart speaker also supports a stereo connection. This means that two HomePod mini devices can be connected to each other to ensure an even better sound experience.
HomePod mini: “Stereo pair creates a wide soundstage”
In addition, the cheaper version of Apple's speaker supports all the features that the classic HomePod offers. This is what the press release:
HomePod mini is designed to work with Apple Music, podcasts, radio stations from iHeartRadio, radio.com and TuneIn, and in the coming months, popular music services like Pandora and Amazon Music. Multiple HomePod mini speakers work together to stream music or podcasts to multiple rooms in perfect sync. Placing two HomePod mini speakers in a single room can create a stereo pair for a wide soundstage that fills the room with rich, enveloping sound.
HomePod mini: Acts as an ultra-wideband base station
Although the device is smaller than the HomePod introduced in 2017, the mini version also places a similar emphasis on high-quality playback combined with standard audio hardware. One of the most important innovations of the HomePod mini is a new feature that allows it to act as an ultra-wideband base station to better communicate with U1-equipped devices such as the iPhone (from 11th generation - exception iPhone SE 2020) and the Apple Watch Series 6.
HomePod mini: Price and availability
Like the standard HomePod, the 3.3-inch HomePod mini includes Apple audio features that allow it to deliver rich, vibrant sound quality. While it doesn't have quite the same parts list, it still has a dynamic full-range driver and two passive tweeters for bass reproduction. It also has an acoustic waveguide for 360-degree audio reproduction. The device will be available for pre-order for $99 starting November 6 in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Spain, the UK and the US, with shipping starting November 16.
Have you seen it yet? Amazon Prime Day 2020 (13 & 14 October) has started. You can find interesting offers in various categories in our storefront and in the corresponding Amazon section – have fun browsing. (Image: Apple)
