Apple’s second-generation HomePod will start arriving at customers and will launch in stores this Friday. Ahead, early reviews of the smart speaker were shared by some media publications and YouTube channels.
Priced at $299, the new HomePod features a virtually identical design to the full-size HomePod that Apple discontinued in March 2021, but with two fewer tweeters and microphones. The Siri-powered speaker also features a four-inch high-excursion woofer, an S7 chip for computer audio, and a U1 chip for streaming music from an iPhone. The speaker supports Matter for smart home accessories and Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos.
A new sensor in HomePod can measure temperature and humidity in indoor environments, and this feature was also enabled on the existing HomePod mini with a recent software update. Sound Recognition will also be coming to the new HomePod with a software update this spring, allowing the speaker to listen for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and push a notification to the user’s iPhone if a sound is identified.
The new HomePod can be pre-ordered from Apple’s online store, with white and midnight color options available. In-store availability and customer deliveries will begin Friday, February 3 in the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, UK and 11 other countries and regions.
Written notices
The edge‘s Chris Welch said the sound quality is very similar to the original HomePod:
After several days of listening to the new HomePod (both solo and in a stereo pair), I still think its sound signature stays true to the original HomePod. If you were a fan of this speaker, you’ll be happy with the second-gen version. Of course, you can hear subtle differences in how the music is rendered when comparing the two generations side-by-side with the same track. The new HomePod might bring out a guitar solo with a bit more emphasis than the original. But the central features are the same.
The Wall Street Journal‘s Nicole Nguyen also said that the new HomePod sounds the same as the original:
The updated HomePod looks a lot like its discontinued predecessor and also sounds the same. I tested the new HomePod, both as a single unit and grouped together as a stereo pair, in a room of around 370 square feet. For most tracks, keeping the volume at 30% was enough to fill the gap.
If you look at spec sheets comparing old and new HomePods, you might be scratching your head. The new one has a fast processor but fewer built-in microphones and speakers, and supports an older Wi-Fi standard. But in person, the new HomePod sounds and functions the same as the original.
Plush pocketBritta O’Boyle from was also impressed with the sound quality of the new HomePod:
In terms of hardware, there are five tweeters, a “high-excursion woofer” capable of displacing an impressive 20mm, and an array of four microphones. It’s a slightly different setup to the original HomePod – which had seven tweeters to start – but the performance is just as great. Make no mistake, the HomePod (2nd Gen) sounds fantastic.
In the midrange you get detailed, crisp and crystal-clear vocals, while at the lower end the HomePod packs a lot of bass. It’s charming and deep for its size, while still delivering expression and punch. It’s not as bad as the Sonos Five – which is a bigger, more expensive speaker – and HomePod is arguably a bit more confused in the mid-range when playing tracks like Skrillex’s Rumble compared to the Five, but he’s still very impressive overall – and it’s a pretty tricky trail to follow anyway. You can reduce the bass in the Home app, although we didn’t find this necessary.
EngadgetBilly Steele said that while Siri had several shortcomings when the original HomePod was released in 2018, the voice assistant has improved over the years. He also said that the new HomePod’s two fewer microphones compared to the original didn’t impact Siri’s ability to detect his voice, even in a noisy room:
When we reviewed the original HomePod in 2018, one of our biggest gripes was Siri’s limited capabilities. Sure, the speaker sounded great, but the lack of polish with the voice assistant made it sound like a work in progress. Apple has done a lot to improve Siri over the past five years, so many of those issues with the original have been resolved.
First, the HomePod, like Siri on your iPhone, is able to recognize multiple users. Personal requests can let him see your calendar, notes, reminders, messages, search, and more when you ask. Plus, HomePod can give each member of your family (up to six people) their unique responses from select iPhone apps. Plus, Siri can create recurring home automation without you having to pick up your phone and switch to the appropriate app.
Even with fewer microphones to pick up your voice, the new HomePod suffers no performance setbacks. It’s still as good at picking up your voice, even in a noisy room.
MobileSyrupDean Daley was impressed with Spatial Audio on the new HomePod:
A fantastic song for testing spatial audio is also one of my favorite tracks for karaoke, “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. It sounds decent at first, but after the “I see a small silhouette of a man” section of the song, the 2nd-gen HomePod takes it to a whole new level, making perfect use of the surround sound and spatial audio of Dolby Atmos with harmonies and melodies to create an epic concert in the entertainment space. It was definitely my favorite song that I tested and showed to several friends.
The streetJacob Krol discussed the new HomePod’s larger backlit touch surface:
The biggest design change is up top and involves the screen. While there isn’t really any new information displayed and the dream of a HomePod with a real screen is just a dream, the top surface is bigger. It gives extra control by tapping to play or pause among other controls and it can glow brighter and bigger in different colors.
Rather than the volume controls appearing after a touch like on the original HomePod, the “+” and “-” are now etched into this backlit touch surface, making it easy to adjust the volume at any time. When playing music, the top of the HomePod will glow in colors that resemble the album art of whatever you’re listening to, and when communicating with Siri, it’ll glow in all the colors you expect.
Tech CrunchBrian Heater tested audio transfer on the new HomePod:
Start a song with Apple Music on your iPhone, hold it near the HomePod, and it’ll start playing there, accompanied by a satisfying haptic punch. Move the phone near the speaker again and you can transfer it again. I really like this feature. It’s a good example of how hardware can work together if you create your own devices, software and chips. He’s also surprisingly responsive. In fact, I found myself having to turn it off while the HomePods are on my desk or it will accidentally go off when I use the iPhone within two feet of the speakers.