Everything You Need to Know About the Apple HomePod 2

The new second-generation HomePod is one of the most baffling Apple products I’ve come across in a while. We recently reviewed the 10th-gen iPad, which was already a bit odd, but this one takes things to a whole new level.

Here’s a quick recap for context:

A Little History
The original HomePod launched back in 2018. It was a $350 Siri-powered smart speaker with incredible sound quality, top-notch engineering, and solid build—though it did have a non-removable cable. Unfortunately, it didn’t really take off, and sales were pretty lackluster. Apple eventually dropped the price to $300, which is a big deal since they almost never do that. It peaked at around 6% of the smart speaker market, which is actually more than I expected.

In response, Apple introduced the HomePod Mini—a smaller, cheaper version for just $99. This one actually sold pretty well, and eventually, the original HomePod was quietly discontinued in 2021. But now, it’s back, and it’s been updated. That said, it feels like a bit of a “been there, done that” moment.

To be fair, the new version is a little better in a few areas. It’s not immediately obvious just by looking at it, but here’s what’s actually new.

Design
The design of the new HomePod is pretty much the same as before, just slightly different in proportions. It’s a little more compact, or “stout,” as you might say. Plus, there’s a new color called Midnight, which replaces the old Space Gray. It’s like the Midnight iPhone color — mostly black but with a subtle hint of blue. You’ll notice this with the HomePod too.

As for the touch surface, it’s still about the same size but has been slightly inset, and now the display covers the entire circle, not just the small middle part it used to. It makes a difference in how it looks when you’re using it—whether you’re adjusting the volume, chatting with Siri, or just talking to it. The vibe is a little more vibrant.

They’ve also improved the power cable—it’s now fully removable, which makes it easier to hide behind furniture when setting it up. Remember the issue with the original HomePod’s white plastic bottom leaving marks on wooden tables? It only took a minute or two to leave a permanent white ring. We tested the new one, which has a redesigned base that spreads out the surface area more, and while it still takes a little longer to leave a mark, it still does. Just a heads-up: if you go with the white HomePod, don’t expect it to leave your table untouched.

Sensors
Inside the new HomePod, you’ll find two new sensors: one for temperature and one for humidity. These are great additions, especially if you’re trying to create a smart home setup.

Hey Siri, what’s the temperature?
[Siri] “It’s currently 49 degrees outside.”
What’s the temperature in here, though?
[Siri] “It’s 71 degrees Fahrenheit in the office.”

With this, you can integrate it into your smart home system. For example, if the humidity drops below a certain level, it can trigger your humidifier to turn on, or if the temperature rises above 75°F, you could set it up to turn on your fan or AC. It’s nice to have everything built in instead of needing extra sensors like I do with my Google Home.

There’s also a new sound recognition feature. If the HomePod picks up an alarm or a smoke detector going off, it’ll send a notification to your phone. This feature is especially useful if you’re not home. For instance, if a smoke detector goes off, you’ll get an alert on your phone, so you can check your home security cameras to see what’s happening. It’s a good safety feature to have.

By the way, that $99 HomePod Mini I mentioned earlier actually already had these sensors built-in, and they’re now being activated with the latest HomePod software update. That update also brings sound recognition and Matter support. So, both the new HomePod and the Mini now have a Thread radio, meaning they can serve as a Matter hub, and Matter support is now available across the board.

But honestly, the biggest change is what’s been taken out. We’ve talked about how the HomePod was a real audio engineering marvel. If you were to cut open the original HomePod, you’d see a woofer on top, seven tweeters surrounding it, each pointing in a different direction, and six far-field microphones. In this new version—the Midnight HomePod—you’ve still got the same woofer, but now there are only five tweeters and four far-field microphones. So, they’ve cut two tweeters, two microphones, and shaved $50 off the price.

Sound

I should be impressed that it still sounds just as good to me, even with less hardware inside. Now, I’m not an audiophile, but I’ve heard my fair share of good speakers, and after spending some time with the HomePod, I can tell you: it still sounds fantastic. The audio is clear, balanced, and doesn’t distort at any volume, which is really important. The woofer still gives you that satisfying thump, and you can feel that sub-bass rumble, even at lower volumes, which is pretty awesome.

One of the cool things about the HomePod is that it uses computational audio to adjust the sound depending on its placement in the room, especially if it’s near a wall. So, if you plug it in and it’s close to a wall, the HomePod figures out its location, analyzes the room, and adjusts the sound accordingly. You can even pair two HomePods together for a stereo setup, and it’ll put out sound that’s way bigger than you’d expect from its size. It also supports Dolby Atmos, so you could even use them as TV speakers.

Now, I keep seeing people setting these up as TV speakers, and while it might look a little funny—$600 worth of speakers for a $300 TV—it’s actually not that crazy. In a smaller room, the HomePods could totally hold their own without needing a subwoofer. The sound is that good. It’s honestly a huge achievement in audio engineering.

The latest version of the HomePod has basically the same issues as before. It’s an expensive premium speaker with Siri—something that hasn’t really worked out in the past. As we discussed on the Waveform podcast (check it out if you haven’t yet), it’s tough to give this product a solid rating because it’s both amazing and frustrating at the same time.

If you’re using it as a speaker for your iPhone and Apple Music, though, it’s fantastic. Seriously, it sounds incredible, and it fills a room with sound beautifully. Pairing is a breeze, and it picks up your voice from across the room. But as a smart speaker, it still feels like it’s missing the mark. For one, it won’t let you set Spotify as the default music service, which is a big deal. Plus, it can only connect with an iPhone or an AirPlay-compatible device—no Bluetooth, no audio jack, and no display to show things like timers. And, of course, it still runs on Siri, which, as I’ve pointed out in my video, just isn’t on par with Google Assistant or Alexa. So, yeah… this might flop again.

Will the non-removable speaker be the thing that turns it around? Probably not. Will the bigger, better display make it a game-changer? Doubt it. Is the $50 price drop enough to save it? It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s still a bit pricey.

When the first HomePod came out, we learned an important lesson: people don’t want to pay a premium just for better sound. That’s why the HomePod Mini, which wasn’t quite as good sound-wise but cost a lot less, sold so much better. Maybe Apple’s just decided to give it another try since they’ve already invested so much into it. They’re ignoring the sunk cost fallacy and hoping the market will be more receptive now, but it’s hard to say.

Bottom line:
If you’re a die-hard Apple fan who cares a lot about sound quality and can overlook Siri’s limitations, this is the smart speaker for you. But for most people, the HomePod Mini is probably all you need, and there are way better smart speakers out there from Google and Amazon. And hey, remember that big, sleek smart speaker Samsung promised? Yeah, still waiting on that.

At least Siri now sounds great while it falls short.