Home Speakers / Apple
Apple HomePod mini
A Thread border router in a lovely little sphere — on 2019 silicon.
Overall score 6.7/10
Pros
- + Thread border router and full Apple Home hub in the cheapest HomePod
- + Temperature and humidity sensing plus smoke and CO alarm recognition
- + Excellent sound for its size
- + Five colours and a genuinely lovely object
Cons
- − Still running the S5 chip from 2019, on Wi-Fi 4
- − Cannot be used as a Bluetooth speaker at all — Bluetooth is for setup only
- − Price rose from $99 to $129 in June 2026
- − Requires an iPhone or iPad to set up, with no Android support
- − A successor has been widely reported for autumn 2026
Apple HomePod mini review: what the specs say
A Thread border router in a lovely little sphere — on 2019 silicon. At $129, Apple's 2020 model sits in the middle of the range — the home Speakers we compare run from $49.99 to $749.95. It scores 6.7/10 overall, calculated from published specifications across 8 categories rather than from a subjective impression.
Its strongest showing is Design & Build at 8.5/10 — materials, finish and how it looks in a room. The weakest is Value at 5.0/10, 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: still running the S5 chip from 2019, on Wi-Fi 4; and cannot be used as a Bluetooth speaker at all — Bluetooth is for setup only. 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 full-range driver with dual passive radiators and an Apple-designed acoustic waveguide |
| Power Output | Not published by the manufacturer W |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4) |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 — used for setup and proximity only, NOT as 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 mini only |
| Smart Home Hub | Yes — Apple Home hub, Matter controller and Thread border router |
| Spatial Audio | No |
| Line In | No |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), Bluetooth 5.0, Thread, Matter, AirPlay 2, Ultra Wideband |
| Material | Seamless mesh fabric sphere |
| Warranty | 12 months |
Compare Apple HomePod mini With
Cheaper Alternative
Amazon Echo Dot Max — $99.99
Premium Alternative
Sonos Era 100 SL — $189.00