Home Speakers / Apple
Apple HomePod (2nd Gen)
Superb sound and a Thread hub — held back by Wi-Fi 4 and no Bluetooth audio.
Overall score 7.6/10
Pros
- + Outstanding sound for the size — the five horn-loaded tweeters do real work
- + Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, and it doubles as an Apple TV 4K sound system
- + Full Apple Home hub with Thread border router
- + Room sensing genuinely adapts to placement
Cons
- − Wi-Fi 4 in a $349 product released in 2023
- − Cannot be used as a Bluetooth speaker — there is no Bluetooth audio input
- − Price rose from $299 to $349 in June 2026
- − No aux input
- − Requires an Apple device to set up, and Siri only fully controls Apple Music
Apple HomePod (2nd Gen) review: what the specs say
Superb sound and a Thread hub — held back by Wi-Fi 4 and no Bluetooth audio. At $349, Apple's 2023 model sits in the middle of the range — the home Speakers we compare run from $49.99 to $749.95. It scores 7.6/10 overall, calculated from published specifications across 8 categories rather than from a subjective impression.
Its strongest showing is Sound Quality at 9.0/10 — tonal balance, clarity and detail for the size. The weakest is Connectivity at 5.5/10, which is the trade-off to weigh before buying: if that is the specification you care about most, one of the alternatives below will serve you better.
Worth knowing before you buy: Wi-Fi 4 in a $349 product released in 2023; and cannot be used as a Bluetooth speaker — there is no Bluetooth audio input. Every specification on this page comes from Apple's own documentation or a verified retail listing — where a figure is not published, the table says so rather than estimating it.
Specifications and price last verified . Report an error
Full Specifications
| Voice Assistant | Siri |
| Drivers | 1x 4-inch high-excursion woofer plus an array of 5 horn-loaded tweeters, each with its own neodymium magnet, and a 4-microphone array |
| Power Output | Not published by the manufacturer W |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4) |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 — for setup and proximity only, NOT a Bluetooth audio input |
| Streaming Protocols | AirPlay 2, native Apple Music and direct Spotify playback |
| Multiroom System | AirPlay 2 and Apple Home |
| Stereo Pairing | Yes, with a second HomePod 2nd Gen only — it cannot pair with a 1st Gen or a mini |
| Smart Home Hub | Yes — Apple Home hub, Matter controller and Thread border router |
| Spatial Audio | Yes |
| Line In | No |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), Bluetooth 5.0, Thread, Matter, AirPlay 2, Ultra Wideband |
| Material | Seamless mesh fabric |
| Warranty | 12 months |
Compare Apple HomePod (2nd Gen) With
Cheaper Alternative
Amazon Echo Studio (2nd Gen) — $219.99
Premium Alternative
Sonos Era 300 — $479.00