HomePod mini 2 reaches stores October 30 at $149

The HomePod mini 2 begins arriving to customers and goes on sale in stores on Friday, October 30, after more than two weeks of pre-orders. In the US it costs $149.

That is $20 above the $129 the original HomePod mini has cost since Apple raised its price in June. The first model launched at $99.

Siri AI, the more personalized version of Siri built on Apple Intelligence, is billed as one of the speaker's main upgrades. It will not be there on day one. Apple said support will come in a future software update and gave no date. Siri AI has been available on iPhone 15 Pro and newer since September.

Hardware changes

The speaker runs on the S10 chip from the Apple Watch Series 10, replacing the S5 from the Apple Watch Series 5. Apple says the chip enables "advanced computational audio". The company did not say outright whether sound quality is better than on the original.

Wi-Fi moves from Wi-Fi 4 to Wi-Fi 6E.

The number of Siri microphones drops from four to three.

Colors are green and pink, new for this model, plus blue, midnight and white.

With other Apple devices

The fourth-generation Apple TV 4K can pair with four speakers, HomePod mini 2 or full-size HomePod 2, as front and rear pairs for surround sound. The two pairs must match within themselves, so two HomePod 2 units can sit at the front with two HomePod mini 2 units at the back. The front pair virtualizes the center channel to some extent. A Whole Room Audio feature covers parties.

On Macs with Wi-Fi 6E or later, the HomePod mini 2 can be the default audio output. The full-size HomePod 2 gets the same option with HomePod software 27.2, installed through the Home app.

The new Sound Glow effect makes the top of the speaker glow and pulse in time with the music. A software update also brings it to the original HomePod mini and the HomePod 2.

Source: MacRumors