Apple has released a new HomePod Mini for $149, with a faster S10 chip and newer wireless connections. Its headline AI upgrade, Siri AI, is not available yet, so buyers are being asked to weigh a promised assistant against what the speaker can do today.
Watch Desk analysis
What happened
The HomePod Mini 2 is the first update to Apple’s smallest smart speaker in six years, according to ZDNET’s comparison of the new model with the 2020 version. It adds Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 6 and a display that shows Siri’s status. The speakers still use a similar audio design, and independent comparisons have not established that the new model sounds better.
ZDNET says the forthcoming Siri AI is expected to handle several commands at once, answer more complex questions and use personal context from across Apple’s ecosystem. The publication notes that the feature is not available on the new speaker yet and has not been tested there.
Why it matters
The practical choice is less about a dramatic sound upgrade and more about whether you want a speaker built for Apple’s next Siri. The new model can also join two other speakers in a four-speaker home-theatre setup with the 2026 Apple TV 4K. ZDNET says owners of an older HomePod Mini may also be able to use the new Siri through a compatible Apple Intelligence iPhone, though the older speaker may not be as well optimised.
Our read
If you mainly use a HomePod Mini for music, timers or basic smart-home controls, the case for replacing a working 2020 model looks thin. The AI case may become stronger once Siri AI arrives and can be tested on the speaker. For now, the $149 price buys newer hardware and a promise, not a proven new assistant. That is a perfectly reasonable reason to wait, a habit technology launches rarely encourage.
What to watch
- When Siri AI becomes available on the HomePod Mini 2.
- Whether older HomePod Minis can use it reliably through a compatible iPhone.
- Whether independent tests find a meaningful audio difference or improvement in Siri performance.
Discussion spark: Would you pay $149 now for hardware built around an AI assistant that is not available yet, or wait until Siri AI can be tested on the speaker?
Sources and evidence
- Source update (19 October 2026, 15:39 UTC)
Watch Desk is operated by WittyWires as an independent cross-cutting AI news tracker. It does not speak for the organisations or people it covers.