Apple - HomePod mini - Space Gray

Having purchased a pair of Home Pods on on launch day from Best Buy (at the $349 price) I've been a long-time fan of the smart speaker category. It wasn't long before my Google Home and Amazon Echos became paperweights. This HomePod mini at a $99 price point makes for the perfect stocking stuffer or even primary gift. In fact it does some things even better than the original. Sound quality is amazing, particular when paired with another for left/right Stereo. Even solo, they produce surprisingly full volume from a small sphere. Siri still trails the other smart assistance, and sends me to my phone more than I care to admit, but the utility of these are amazing. Adding them to rooms in your house makes your abode that much more accessible. Also cool is the ability to schedule or add events to play specific music or playlist based on a trigger (Wake up event, bed time chime, sunrise, sunset, etc. ). We used an Eve outlet to turn on Christmas tree, so "Siri, Christmas time" turned it on, dimmed other (Lutron Caseta) lights, and started playing Christmas Music throughout the house. My wife and I purchased a dozen of these between BB and Apple, mostly as gifts. The responses have been overwhelmingly positive, especially among those who's only other Apple device is an iPhone, thus making this an excellent gateway entry expanding usage on the ecosystem. The new to iOS 14 feature for HomePod mini has to be the INTERCOM. With it you can use your iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, or other HomePod to communicate with Mini's in other rooms. "Hey Siri, intercom, We're starting the movie", or "has anyone taken the dogs out?". Your voice is then played either through the HomePods and mini's in every room, specific rooms, or just a floor (based on the room and floor you select upon setup) Family members then "reply, I did, got it" or whatever. This sure beats the 70s built-in wall units of yesteryear. Additionally the new Mini sports Thread Mesh Networking protocol, so the more Thread devices you add, the more redundant, and wider your mesh network becomes. We're also starting to see other manufactures support Thread, namely $20 Nanoleaf interactive color light bulbs. PROS +compact cute WAF wife-acceptance factor +surprising sound quality +cool factor adds tech to every room +Whole-house (floor, or room) Intercom is great +Thread Mesh Networking future proofs expanded functionality +magic price point +Apple Music and playlist integration CONS -only big brother model sports Dolby Atmos -would love to see a $179 / 2-pack for stereo CONCLUSION This product might be one of Apple's more successful sleeper hits, if the Reddit /Homepod forum is to be believed. Countless new users RAVE about sound quality, and then are later ingratiated with other features they didn't know it could do. Recommend : BUY !!

I recently purchased another Apple HomePod mini, and it's been a fantastic addition to my home. The sound quality is impressive for such a compact device, filling the room with rich, clear audio. Setting it up was a breeze, and it integrates seamlessly with all my Apple devices. The Siri functionality makes controlling my smart home and playing music effortless. Its sleek design also fits perfectly with my home decor. Highly recommended for anyone looking to enhance their audio experience and smart home setup!

I am writing this review in hopes this helps others thinking to buy them. This review is for 2 HomePod mini stereo paired. I bought one black and one white. They have to be paired in the home app on an iPhone and then updated separately. This is a pain, but be patient. Once paired, you can use with airplay. I personally just use them as a pair of speakers for my Mac mini. You can use airplay, or actually use as the audio output. I have issues with one speaker not working while the output, always works as airplay. You cannot use the EQ in airplay, only as output. Sometimes there is a gap in seamless tracks, sometimes there isn't. But all in all, I am very pleased with them. They sound great. I can use with all my apple devices. I do not use Siri, but it is possible. There is an intercom I also do not use. It is not as simple as bluetooth speakers. They do not charge, but do require a USB-c power block (included, whew). My Mac mini would not power them despite having 4 usb-c jacks. Music and movies sound great. 360 sound. I used to have the JBL BT speaker, but it died. I am not mad I replaced it with these. There are also stands that I recommend for cable management.

Incredibly compact and very well built! Well worth the money if you’re looking for a good home assistant and you want to be in the Apple ecosystem. Pros: - Sound quality is absolutely amazing for the size. Honestly impressed with how Apple has done this. - Extremely compact so can be kept very easily on a corner table or desk - Integrated with Siri and HomeKit so it works great as a digital assistant - Very easy to set up, takes seconds to connect on an iPhone, compared to the tedious process required to set up an Alexa device Cons: - On the expensive side compared to an Alexa or Google device (sound quality makes up for it though, miles better than the other two) - Space Grey model comes with a black body and black cable but a white power adapter. Looks a little odd and not very aesthetically pleasing

This is an absolutely wonderful and surprisingly powerful little speaker! It’s also absolutely packed with awesome features and it works so effortlessly and seamlessly with any Apple device. Setup literally takes less than 2 minutes; just hold your device near it and it’ll automatically register it. It also has the ability to control your entire smart home with Siri, as well as the ability to do all other features Siri can do. I absolutely love the cool colors they come in, and I also love that you can pair two of these together in one room to make a set of stereo speakers. It’s roughly the size of a softball, but it has the power and sound of a speaker triple it’s size. It also has 360° audio as well as the ability to play music in spatial audio from Apple Music. And the price of it makes it an absolute bargain, making it very easy to have one for the entire family in each of their bedrooms, which also allows you to fully utilize the intercom function of HomePods, which is a super cool feature that works exactly like it sounds, acting as intercoms throughout the whole house to each speaker or to only certain speakers you choose, and you’re able to use this feature from your phone to communicate with someone at home on their HomePod. These are the absolute coolest smart speakers that also offer excellent sound quality and beautiful aesthetics and work flawlessly with Apple products, so it’s especially great for those who already have and own Apple products, but it’s also great for those without any Apple products as well.

A great smart speaker for iPhone users. I love this device because it can distinguish different people's voices. Good sound quality for its size Intercom feature Can AirPlay from any Apple device Microphone reliably hears wake phrase Seamless setup I bought more than one of this , so happy to have this compare to other brand

The HomePod Mini is a great sounding speaker with a promising future as a personal assistant. Apple says improves to Siri and the addition of Apple Intelligence will revolutionize Siri. The sound quality is far better than you’d imagine given the size of the Mini. The sound really comes to life when you pair two Minis for a room filling stereo sound. It’s more than I expected to because.

The HomePod mini is a fantastic speaker for its tiny size. It’s packed with features like controlling your smart home, playing music, and Apple’s smart assistant Siri. It’s super easy to use - just say “Hey Siri,” and your request is instantly fulfilled. It even has a built-in temperature and humidity sensor! You can control your smart home by asking for the temperature in the room, turning on lights, smart plugs, and even running scenes. It’s a Thread and Matter hub, so it can connect to any devices labeled “Works with HomeKit” or “Matter”. It works seamlessly with the Apple Ecosystem - you can send texts, receive and make calls, make reminders, check your calendar, and more. The HomePod mini is a real powerhouse for its small size, but it’s a bit pricey compared to other options.