Apple HomePod 2nd Generation Review: A Smart Speaker With Big Bass—and a Big Price

While the larger HomePod is nice—especially if you want fantastic, room-filling sound—the two Siri-powered devices now offer essentially the same smart features.

The new $299 HomePod, on shelves Friday, has built-in temperature and humidity sensors plus support for other smart-home technologies including the low-power networking protocol Thread. So does the Mini: Apple unlocked the same sensors in the existing $99 HomePod Mini in a recent software update.

There are more similarities between the two. Both can control Matter-enabled smart-home devices, recognize individual voices and serve as an intercom. Bring an iPhone close to either model and you can hand off the audio playing on your mobile device with a flick of your finger. 

You can pair two HomePods for stereo sound, just like you can with the Minis. They can be used as home-theater speakers for Apple TV. In a feature due later this year, both will detect emergency alarm sounds in your home, something Amazon and Google devices can already do.

In reviewing the updated full-size HomePod over the past week, I found that while it sounds amazing, it isn’t offering enough to match a price tag three times as large as the Mini’s.

Sound Quality

The updated HomePod looks a lot like its discontinued predecessor—and sounds similar, too. I tested the new HomePod, as a single unit and grouped as a stereo pair, in a room that’s roughly 370 square feet. For most tracks, keeping the volume at 30% was enough to fill the space.

If you look at spec sheets comparing the old and new HomePods, you might scratch your head. The new one has a fast processor but fewer built-in microphones and speakers, and supports an older Wi-Fi standard. But in person, the new HomePod sounds and performs the same as the original.

Compared with the Mini, or either of its standard-size Amazon Echo or Google Nest competitors, the audio delivers across genres. The fidelity is similar even to the more expensive $399 Sonos Move (which has other audio frills but doesn’t perform as a smart-home hub). The HomePod also has a new room-sensing feature that tunes the audio automatically based on the space, but the sonic adjustments are subtle.

The sound is doubly impressive when you group two HomePods as a left-and-right stereo pair. I especially enjoyed Apple Music tracks labeled as “lossless”—audio streamed at a higher definition than standard songs—including Sufjan Stevens’s “Chicago” and “Bunny Is a Rider” by Caroline Polachek. (You can’t pair the new model with a Mini or the original HomePod.)

The bass is punchy—sometimes overly so on pop and electronic tracks. In the Home app, a Reduce Bass setting effectively kills the thump. I generally preferred this, though I wish the setting was a slider instead of an on/off toggle.

Siri and Smart Home

Apple’s speakers are intended only for pairing with Apple devices. There’s no Bluetooth mode or a port for external audio sources. You can stream music from apps such as Spotify using an iPhone, iPad or Mac wirelessly via AirPlay. If you say “Hey Siri” and ask it to play tracks, the HomePod only uses Apple Music.

Siri has improved since the first 2018 HomePod—you can now set multiple timers—but it still struggles. When I asked Google’s assistant on Nest Audio, “What movies has Michelle Yeoh been in?” the speaker answered easily. Siri didn’t understand the question, but did manage a thorough answer to the more basic “Who is Michelle Yeoh?”

The HomePod was sharper when it came to smart-home capabilities.

Readings from the new embedded temperature and humidity sensor appear in the Home app. Compared with the Eve Room smart monitor and an $11 sensor I picked up at the hardware store, the HomePod mostly agreed, differing by a couple degrees at most.

You can use the sensor readings to trigger smart-home automations in the Home app, such as adjusting your thermostat, closing motorized blinds or activating a fan. Apple mentions in marketing material that if audio is playing at high volume for long periods of time, the sensors’ accuracy could be reduced.

The new speaker also has some future-proof technology that might become important going forward. It supports Matter, the unifying smart-home standard supported by Apple, Google, Amazon and others. It can also serve as a hub for Thread, a networking technology that allows newer smart devices to communicate even without internet access. The combination of Matter and Thread promises easier setup and more reliable connectivity. (The original HomePod supports Matter but not Thread. The HomePod Mini and Apple TV 4K support Matter and can also be Thread hubs.)

Who is the HomePod for?

The HomePod Mini has been a surprisingly full-feature, low-price device from Apple. It has been a good fit in Apple-centric homes for years, despite not being as popular as Amazon’s Echo speakers.

For most rooms, such as bedrooms and kitchens, the Mini is still sufficient. The new HomePod is for those looking to fill a much larger space with high-fidelity audio, but at $299, or $598 for a pair, the cost can add up. If you’re just starting out, I recommend first getting a $99 Mini—or two.

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Write to Nicole Nguyen at [email protected]