HomePod Mini 2 First Look: Speed, Siri, and Green
Hands-on with the $149 HomePod Mini 2 featuring the S10 chip, Wi-Fi 6E, faster Siri, and a stunning new dark green finish.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- The $149 HomePod Mini 2 features the upgraded S10 chip and Wi-Fi 6E support.
- Siri response times are significantly faster, completing basic commands in under three seconds.
- The new deep green color offers a sophisticated look compared to previous bright pastel options.
- Advanced features like full Siri AI and the upgraded Mac speaker integration are not yet ready.
When Apple announced the $149 HomePod Mini 2 at its Welcome Home event last month—marking a 50-dollar increase from the original 99-dollar launch price—initial impressions were somewhat underwhelming. After a six-year wait, the second-generation smart speaker seemed to feature only minor updates like a chip bump and new colors without any improvements to the internal sound system.
However, after setting up a pair of units in a home office environment, real-world usage paints a much more positive picture. The massive speed improvement eliminates the frustrating delays typical of the first-generation model. Key highlights and takeaways from the hands-on testing include:
- Lightning-fast Siri performance: Powered by the S10 processor and Wi-Fi 6E, basic requests are processed in two to three seconds.
- Quieter smart confirmations: The speaker executes smart home tasks immediately without wordy verbal replies.
- Sophisticated green finish: The deep green shade blends seamlessly into home decor, outperforming older yellow and orange tones.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Transitioning from the S5 chip to the S10 alongside Wi-Fi 6E represents a vital architectural leap for compact smart home devices. Although the physical enclosure and acoustic drivers remain unchanged, the expanded processing overhead successfully targets the latency bottlenecks that hampered previous smart speaker generations.
"The green color is divine. This is the prettiest small smart speaker I’ve seen — and I’ve tried them all."
Jennifer Pattison Toyho
Despite these improvements, the device is not without shortcomings. The upgraded Mac speaker feature failed to function properly during testing, and the highly anticipated advanced Siri AI capabilities remain absent until a future software update arrives.
Source: The Verge
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