After the big flop HomePod, Apple has rethought and the sequel is called HomePod Mini. This is a compact speaker crammed with functionality.

When installing your HomePod Mini you need an iPhone or iPad, hold one of these close to the speaker to begin the installation. Make sure that the Home app is installed on your iPhone, then all settings will take place in here.

A very simple process but that unfortunately requires you to already own an iPhone or iPad. You cannot install a HomePod Mini with a Mac.
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Music & Audio

The HomePod Mini has an incredibly good sound. Considering its size (only 9.8 cm wide), the HomePod Mini delivers rich sound with a large 360 degree register. It does this thanks to its neodymium magnet, in other words a very strong permanent magnet.

The new S5 chip in the speaker ensures that the sound sounds great no matter what volume you choose.

One of the big disappointments for most people here in Sweden is that HomePod Mini does not support Spotify as the default app. This means, for example, that you can't use Apple's voice assistant Siri to play music. Currently, only Amazon Music and Apple Music work. You can even use Apple's podcast app to listen to your Poddar. The only way to play music from Spotify on a HomePod Mini is to stream the music with Airplay. You can either do this from an iPhone or a Mac.

If you're listening to music, you can hold your iPhone against your HomePod Mini to carry over the playback of your music or pod. For example, if you come home and listen to a pod in headphones, just hold your iPhone against the speaker and tilt and the sound will play in the speaker. This also works with phone calls.

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Stereo

The HomePod Mini has the ability to be paired with another to play stereo sound. This setting is easily done in the Home app. In this way, you can use the speakers as additional speakers for your Apple TV.

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Intercom function

Apple's new intercom feature lets you easily send voice messages between your devices either using Siri or in the Home app. You can choose to send your voice messages to one or more HomePod Mini's at the same time.

If you live in a larger house, you can easily tell the family when the food is ready or when it is time for the children to go to bed. The intercom also works on your iPhone, Apple Watch and CarPlay so you can tell the family when you're on your way home e.g.

In the Home app, you can also choose who will be able to use the Intercom function in your home.

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Voice assistant Siri

Unfortunately, this is where Apple is not successful. The competition from other big tech giants is far too great and Apple has not been fully successful. But there are glimmers of light.

When it comes to using voice assistant Siri to ask factual questions such as “Which city in Sweden is the largest?” Siri is pretty much useless. It's no wonder, on the other hand, that Google Assistant sits on most of the answers and Siri doesn't. Rumor has it that Apple may launch its own search engine in the future and then Apple could challenge on this front. But if it even becomes a reality, we'll probably have to wait a while.

Siri often misunderstands what we are saying and the result is usually wrong. After a while, you get crazy and realize that the HomePod Mini doesn't live up to what it promises.

After four months with the HomePod Mini, we find ourselves using only the voice assistant for our IoT gadgets. This is what we have included in our Home app. The response time is fast and the speaker usually understands what we are saying e.g. when we want to light a lamp.

Another feature that we use frequently is the timer function. Unlike the iPhone, on HomePod Mini you can set more timers at the same time, which is very convenient when cooking, for example.

Thanks to the four microphones that work together to reduce noise and listen for “Hey Siri”, you can talk to the speaker even if it's playing loud music or if something else in your home is disturbing.

When we compile Siri's overall capabilities as a voice assistant, there's more to be desired. There will be a lot of misunderstandings and Siri can't handle all the pronunciations in Swedish. Very often, Siri sends its response in the form of various Google searches to your phone, and this is not always what you want when using a voice assistant.

Design

Built in a sleek grid created from recycled plastic, the HomePod Mini comes in four colors, white, space gray, blue, yellow and orange. At the top you will find the touch panel which also serves as an indicator with a variety of led lights underneath. These glow in different colors when you interact with the speaker to provide visual confirmation. It is quite small and has a diameter of 97.9 mm. The power cord sits at the bottom and about a meter long.

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Sensors

With Update 16.3, you as a user got access to two sensors that are installed in your HomePod Mini. A temperature sensor and a humidity sensor. In the Home app, you can now view these values and create automations based on the values. The values can be misleading when you get started, so it's good to calibrate these by pulling out the power cable to the speaker for a little while and then inserting it back. Now think about where you placed your HomePod Mini to measure the correct temperature in the room. Close to an element or near a window is therefore not recommended.

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HomeKit

Last year, the new smart home standard, Matter, was launched. A collaboration between some of the tech giants to simplify the smart home for us as users. This requires a so-called Thread Border Router in your home if you want the ability to control or access your smart home when you are not at home.

HomePod Mini is one of the products on the market that works as a Thread border router and therefore becomes a very good choice if you are looking to invest in a border router anyway

Here is a list of some of the products that can act as a Thread border router:

• Apple HomePod Mini
• Apple HomePod (2nd Gen)
• Apple TV 4K (2nd Gen or later)
• SmartThings Hub V3 (iOS Q1 2023)
• Nanoleaf Lines
• Nanoleaf Shapes
• Nanoleaf Elements
• Eero 6
• Eero Pro 6
• Eero Pro
• Eero Beacon
• Echo (4th Gen)
• Nest Hub (2nd Gen)
• Nest Hub Max
• Nest Wifi

HomePod Mini pops up in the Home app of the iPhone that's part of your smart home. Here you can make various settings, automations and set timers and alarms.

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Home automation

In the Home app settings you can add various automations. For example, you can choose to play music and turn on the lights when someone or a specific person in the home comes home. The HomePod Mini thus becomes part of your smart home where it is possible to create automations that include the various functions offered by the HomePod Mini.

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Phone calls

Something we also use quite often is to make phone calls with the HomePod Mini. You simply ask your HomePod Mini to call up someone from your phone book. The sound is clear and good and we have not experienced any problems with volume or the like. Extra useful when cooking and is messy on the hands. You can always hold your phone against your HomePod Mini to transfer the call to your phone.

Who should buy the HomePod Mini?

HomePod Mini is, above all, a product we recommend to users who use iPhone. The more Apple gadgets you use, the more you'll get out of your HomePod Mini. If you also need a Thread border router and like to listen to music in small scattered speakers, we can recommend the HomePod Mini.

Our conclusion

HomePod Mini works great when it comes to controlling your HomeKit home with your voice. When it comes to Siri and the HomePod Mini's attempts to compete as voice assistants, Google is a bit ahead. Siri needs to get itself a hefty upgrade in the future if Apple is to have a chance to grab a bigger share of the market.

Although the HomePod Mini is small, it is not a portable speaker because it requires a power cord. Some rumors have been circulating that Apple would release a larger HomePod in the same round format, hopefully then with even better sound.

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This article is not sponsored and no one has been able to influence our review in how we write or what we write.