Apple - HomePod mini - White

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’ve been using Apple products for a good portion of my life. My first college computer was an iMac. About a year ago, I finally made the transition from Android to iOS. From there, I’ve slowly integrated myself into the Apple ecosystem. As an I.T. Technician, I personally enjoy utilizing home automation. However, the cheaper cost of the Google devices lead me to build around them. With increasing security concerns with the likes of Google and Amazon, this HomePod Mini couldn’t have come at a better time. Not only does it sound amazing for its size, it is the perfect product to begin the transition to Apple’s HomeKit. If you are someone dedicated to using Apple devices and are on a budget, like myself. I can’t recommend the Apple HomePod Mini enough.

Realistically I would give this like a 4.5 star review. Its not perfect, "Alexa" and "hey google" are probably better androids and the price for the home pod mini is higher than the similar sized product from amazon and google. But in the end, this is a beautiful, clean, reliable and secure device that sounds SIGNIFICANTLY better than the Google home mini and echo dot, like its not even close. I plan to get a couple more and would like to hear how much better stereo pairing the music would be. It doesn't bother me that Siri isn't as smart as the others, but it for sure is the safest and most secure at protecting your privacy. my only dock on this would be the price vs its direct competitors, but to me, the quality and sound more than make up for it. Especially as your turn up the volume, it still sounds great and doesn't dilute like the competitors. I'm also impressed at how lightly I can say "Hey Siri" when the music is loud and she will still hear me. I'm impressed.

These speakers are so amazing! I was able to remove all of the speakers and wires from my TV! No extra speakers needed. We have a HomePod next to each of the chairs we sit in to watch TV, so no more need for hearing aid adjustments to hear TV. It works for movies on TV AND apple music, using TV or iPhone. There is no drain on our iPhone batteries either. When you want the volume adjustment you just ask Siri to do it. To pause the music or movie, you can ask Siri to pause or you can touch the top of the HomePod to start and stop. Great sound, great technology for us aging folks! They are a big deal for such a small speaker!!

I bought two of these, the second because I was so satisfied with the first. I’m deep in the Apple ecosystem and wanted to start automating my house. The HomePod Mini is the cheapest way to start and you also get a great sounding speaker to boot. The quality and feel is at the usual high Apple standards and set up with HomeKit was very easy. The listening range is good enough that if I yell loud enough it was able to hear my voice on the first level but it was better to just buy another for my bedroom, especially at $100. My only wish is that it could possibly connect easily to my TVs. One other thing I liked is the security and privacy that Apple focuses on in comparison to the competitors. Definitely a great option for Apple lovers.

Packs a lot of sound for an small speaker love the seamless compatibly with my apple devices, I can listen to podcasts or music, Youre not hindered to the HomePod you can still browse and use other apps like tiktok or something on your phone while your music plays on your HomePod only issue which I believe should be fixed with an update, is that it gets hung up sometimes when transitioning between the device speaker and HomePod when I’m using an app like Apple Music or pandora, have not used any HomeKit features as of yet; I would say if you can, get two speakers it takes up the whole room well worth it

I find myself liking this speaker more every day! I’ve had two full size speakers for almost 8 months now. I have this unit in the kitchen. I also keep one on my nightstand and in my bathroom to listen to podcasts and. We’d while I get ready. Great Apple integration as you’d expect. Really nice sound for the size and more features to come as the updates roll in. I want one for every room!

Fantastic device and very pleased with the purchase. HomePod mini was a perfect price, sound is super clear, and sounds great for it's size. It works with Apple Music, messaging, phone calling via iPhone, and so much more. It was very easy to set up, and easy to configure and control in the Home app. I got the Space Gray color, and it looks really nice in my home.