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Door staff@engadget.com (Billy Steele) - 13 Oct 2026
The HomePod mini 2 has also been updated for Siri AI. Right off the top, the speaker is now powered by the S10 chip, a big upgrade over the S5 that was in the 2020 model. This hardware will eventually enable Siri AI, but the next-gen — or now current-gen — assistant won't be on the HomePod mini 2 at launch. Apple says that feature is coming at a later date.
For now, the two big new features are Sound Glow and expanded surround sound functionality. Sound Glow mimics album artwork on the HomePod mini 2's back-lit touch panel. If you're listening to a soundscape, the lights will mirror things like rain drops and waves. This is a neat addition, but I wonder how often I'll actually see it since I don't tend to sit near or even look at my HomePod speakers. Next, you can now use up to four HomePod speakers with the new Apple TV 4K for home theater audio. Before, you could only use two as a stereo pair.
After hearing two different configurations at Apple's event, I'm convinced this is going to be an audio upgrade for those willing to buy four HomePods. I enjoyed the setup of two second-gen HomePods in the front and two HomePod mini 2 speakers in the back as it offered more bass and rumble during my demo. However, a quartet of HomePod mini 2 speakers holds its own, providing dimensional sound that enveloped the sofa I was sitting on. But again, this is all dependent upon you buying four HomePods and putting them all in your living room, which seems like a rare scenario.
Lastly, I got to hear a pair of HomePod mini 2 speakers being used for audio from an iMac. These new speakers can sync with any Mac over AirPlay to function as a set of desktop speakers. This setup provides an obvious upgrade over built-in iMac speakers, and the stereo pair offered solid directional sound for basic games like Angry Birds. At around $300 for two of the HomePod mini 2, this seems like a more plausible arrangement than the four-pack in the living room.
For now, the two big new features are Sound Glow and expanded surround sound functionality. Sound Glow mimics album artwork on the HomePod mini 2's back-lit touch panel. If you're listening to a soundscape, the lights will mirror things like rain drops and waves. This is a neat addition, but I wonder how often I'll actually see it since I don't tend to sit near or even look at my HomePod speakers. Next, you can now use up to four HomePod speakers with the new Apple TV 4K for home theater audio. Before, you could only use two as a stereo pair.
After hearing two different configurations at Apple's event, I'm convinced this is going to be an audio upgrade for those willing to buy four HomePods. I enjoyed the setup of two second-gen HomePods in the front and two HomePod mini 2 speakers in the back as it offered more bass and rumble during my demo. However, a quartet of HomePod mini 2 speakers holds its own, providing dimensional sound that enveloped the sofa I was sitting on. But again, this is all dependent upon you buying four HomePods and putting them all in your living room, which seems like a rare scenario.
Lastly, I got to hear a pair of HomePod mini 2 speakers being used for audio from an iMac. These new speakers can sync with any Mac over AirPlay to function as a set of desktop speakers. This setup provides an obvious upgrade over built-in iMac speakers, and the stereo pair offered solid directional sound for basic games like Angry Birds. At around $300 for two of the HomePod mini 2, this seems like a more plausible arrangement than the four-pack in the living room.