Apple HomePod 2 vs HomePod Mini: Is It Only About Size?

By Naila Syifa
Updated September 2023

Apple's HomePod line of smart speakers has been a popular choice among audiophiles and Apple fans alike. With a stylish design and high-quality sound, the HomePod has been a great option for those looking for a premium smart speaker.

With the release of the second-generation HomePod and the smaller HomePod Mini, we now have options to choose from. But which one is truly suitable for our needs and preferences? Let's compare the two and find out.

Key Takeaways

Apple HomePod 2 is not only bigger than the HomePod Mini, but also delivers a more powerful audio performance. HomePod 2 has an array of five beamforming tweeters, while HomePod Mini only has a single driver. HomePod 2 also features Spatial Audio and Room Sensing unavailable in HomePod Mini, making it the superior choice in terms of audio quality.

Apple HomePod (2nd Gen)

Powerful and Immersive

✓ Available in 2 colors
✓ Immersive, high-fidelity audio
✓ Integration with Apple devices and Siri
✓ Better for home theatre experience

Buy on Apple Store

Apple HomePod Mini

Small but Mighty

✓ Available in 5 colors
✓ 360-degree audio field
✓ Integration with Apple devices and Siri
✓ Better for small room audio experience

Buy on Apple Store

#1 Price

Apple HomePod (2nd Gen)

The HomePod Mini is perhaps the cheapest Apple device you can buy today, priced at only $99. The HomePod on the other hand is significantly more expensive with a price tag of $299. This big price difference may be a deciding factor for many people, especially those who are on a tight budget or may need to buy multiple speakers for their home.

#2 Design

Apple HomePod Mini

As the name suggests, the HomePod Mini is small and compact with only 3.3 inches tall and 0.3kg weight, making it easy to move around and place anywhere in your home. The HomePod is two times taller than the HomePod Mini, standing at 6.8 inches tall and a lot heavier at 2.5kg, making it better for fixed placement in a larger room such as a living room or home theater.

Apple HomePod and HomePod Mini also differ in their shape and color options. Apple HomePod is cylindrical and available in 2 colors (midnight and white), while the HomePod Mini is spherical with a wider range of colors including space gray, white, yellow, orange, and blue.

However, both devices share some common design features, such as a mesh fabric covering that gives them a sleek and modern look while also supporting better acoustic performance. Both smart speakers also feature no physical button, but they have a glass touch panel on the top with near-invisible plus and minus symbols for controlling the volume. You can also tap the touch panel to pause or resume your music, double tap skip forward, and long-press to activate Siri. When Siri is listening or processing, the top panel will display swirling colorful lights that look great in a dark room and give a visual cue to let you know that the device is working.

#3 Audio Performance

Apple HomePod (2nd Gen)

When it comes to audio performance, both the HomePod and HomePod Mini deliver excellent sound quality. However, the HomePod is the better option for those who are looking for a more powerful and immersive audio experience.

Apple HomePod (2nd Gen) features an array of five beamforming tweeters around its base that precisely beam direct sound, like primary vocals, into the middle of the room, and reflect ambient sound, like the backup band, off the walls. This produces detailed, articulate audio with stunning clarity. A high‑excursion woofer also helps to produce deep, rich, and super-clean bass.

Two audio experience-enhancing features that the HomePod supports but the HomePod Mini doesn't are Spatial Audio and Room Sensing. With Spatial Audio, you will experience the sense of being surrounded by music like never before. With Room Sensing, the device can automatically understand its location in a room to tune sound accordingly and optimize the listening experience no matter where it's placed.

The HomePod Mini, on the other hand, features a single full-range driver to deliver deep bass and crisp high frequencies, and two force-cancelling passive radiators for bass extension. It produces 360-degree audio that sounds amazing from every angle. The Apple S5 chip also enables computational audio that gives balanced, fine‑tuned sound at any volume. While it's not as powerful as the HomePod, the HomePod Mini still delivers impressive sound for its size.

#4 Features

Apple HomePod Mini

The Apple HomePod (2nd Gen) and HomePod Mini don't have many differences when it comes to features.

Both are supported by the intelligent voice assistant Siri and can work seamlessly with any Apple device. You can control your music, set reminders, check the weather, pick up an incoming call, and more with your voice. Siri can also recognize the voices of up to six different family members, creating personalized experiences for each person.

The Intercom feature allows you to broadcast messages throughout your home, and this will be especially helpful if you have multiple HomePod or HomePod Mini speakers placed in different rooms. You can also create a stereo pair by having two of the same model (either HomePod or HomePod Mini) to create a more immersive listening experience.

Apple HomePod Mini

Both HomePod (2nd Gen) and HomePod Mini are also equipped with indoor temperature and humidity sensors, allowing you not only to monitor your home environment but also trigger home automation by connecting the smart speaker to HomeKit-compatible or Matter-enabled smart home devices. For example, you can set your HomePod to turn on the air conditioner when the temperature gets too high.

Despite the common features they share, the Apple HomePod (2nd Gen), supported by its immersive audio performance, delivers a better cinematic experience than the HomePod Mini. You can use the HomePod with Apple TV 4k to enjoy Dolby Atmos audio for a complete cinematic home theater experience with fully immersive sound and vivid visuals.

Apple HomePod (2nd Gen) vs HomePod Mini

Final Thoughts

Apple HomePod (2nd Gen) vs HomePod Mini

The HomePod Mini is better suited for smaller rooms and everyday use such as playing music and podcasts, while the HomePod (2nd Gen) is more suitable for larger rooms or a cinematic home theater experience due to its larger size, weight, and more powerful and immersive audio performance.

However, both the Apple HomePod (2nd Gen) and HomePod Mini are great smart speakers that offer excellent sound quality and a range of smart features to enhance your smart home experience.

If you like to read more about Smart Home Speakers, check out our other relevant guides here:

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Apple HomePod Mini Review

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