The HomePod mini has finally arrived in the Netherlands. Fanatics have of course long managed to score the small smart speaker via a detour, but now it can also be ordered for €109.99 in our own country.
Is this little HomePod worth its money or should you as a consumer look further? I’ll explain it to you in this review.
HomePod mini: these 5 things you need to know
There are a few things that are important to know when it comes to the HomePod mini. Here they are:
#1 Small speaker delivers 360-degree sound
The HomePod mini is small in design, but big in sound quality. The speakers acoustic design consists of a full-range driver, two passive emitters, and an acoustic waveguide. In practice, that boils down to the following two things.
First, with the HomePod mini, you don’t have to deal with reverb. Because the sound of the small speaker is produced in the center, it does not reflect on the surface. So no matter where you place the speaker, you’ll always have the right sound quality to tackle.
(Image: Mark Hofman / OMT)
The second, and as far as I’m concerned the biggest, benefit is the 360-degree sound of the mini. People never sit exactly in the middle of a speaker and move around a lot during the day. That’s why the HomePod mini focuses not on product, but on people placement. It simply means that the sound can be heard properly from any angle.
Apple is betting high on this. The company recorded exactly how the sound sounded in about 1,000 different locations and then incorporated them into the algorithm. Combined with computational audio, this ensures that the sound really serves you from all angles. Impressive for a speaker of this size.
#2 Fully controllable with Siri
The HomePod mini is a smart speaker, so it also carries with it a virtual assistant. In Apple’s case, that’s obviously Siri. There are three touch-sensitive buttons on the speaker. On the left to turn down the volume, in the middle to activate Siri or play/pause content and on the right to turn up the volume. Three buttons you probably won’t use nearly as much.
The integration with Siri is so good that you can practically control the entire speaker with your voice. If connected to an iPhone, it is even possible to answer calls, send messages or ask where your other products are (Find My).
(Image: Mark Hofman / OMT)
If you have an Apple TV at home, it is possible to use the HomePod mini as a remote control. Pause content, rewind and resume: you can do it all with your voice thanks to Siri.
This brings us to the next point.
#3 HomePod mini: central hub for your Smart Home
In addition to its deep integration with Apple products, the HomePod mini is actually directly a Hub for your Smart Home. Through the Home app, you can connect all of your smart devices in your home to Apple’s speaker. Through it, you can ask Siri to turn on the lights, control the thermostat, or operate smart locks.
Installation is extremely easy. You simply need Apple’s Home app and therefore an iPhone or an iPad. Good news for consumers with such products in their homes. Are you interested in the HomePod mini, but do you use Android devices? Then this model will not be of much use to you.
(Image: Mark Hofman / OMT)
In addition, I’ve also noticed over the past week that certain “smart” devices, such as cheaper smart lights, don’t work ideally with the Home app. My INNR lights, which are connected via a Hue Bridge, are difficult or impossible to connect. So keep that in mind.
#4 Support for third-party apps
That’s not to say, by the way, that the support is only for Apple-related services and devices. In addition to support for all smart devices, the HomePod mini is a so-called Open API. As long as developers give their applications support you can use them.
So through this way you can just ask Siri to play music through Spotify or send messages through WhatsApp or other services.
#5 Five different color options
You can currently order the HomePod mini in the Netherlands. Of course, it was already possible via a detour, but without the service that Apple provides. So it’s kind of nice that you can also buy the smart speaker directly in our country.
In five different colors (Image: Apple)
For $109.99, you’ll get the speaker and have a choice of the following colors:
Space gray
Blue
White
Yellow
Orange
Is the HomePod mini worth its money?
The HomePod mini is a good deal as far as I’m concerned. For $109.99, you get a relatively powerful speaker that works great with all your other Apple devices. The intergration with the Home app is ideal and allows you to control almost your entire home by voice. Provided you are already fully in Apple’s ecosystem at this point. The more so, the better the speaker will work for you.
I can hardly say otherwise, the HomePod mini will be a wonderful addition to your Apple ecosystem and your Smart Home.
