Apple unveils $149 HomePod mini 2 with S10 chip and Siri AI
publishers 18articles 24first reported 11 Oct, 14:24 UTCdeveloping since 11 Oct · 10 editions
Apple has unveiled the second-generation HomePod mini, a $149 smart speaker scheduled to ship on October 30. Preorders are open now, and the device will be offered in pink, green, blue, white and midnight.
The HomePod mini 2 retains a design similar to the original model but replaces its S5 processor with Apple’s S10 chip. Apple says the new chip improves computational audio, including dynamic range, loudness and overall acoustic performance.
The speaker will support Siri AI, enabling more natural, multi-turn conversations and improved responses to general-knowledge questions. The upgraded assistant will arrive in a future software update rather than at launch, and Apple has not announced a release date. Some personalized functions, including answers based on emails, messages and calendars, will require the speaker to be paired with an iPhone or iPad that supports Apple Intelligence.
A new feature called Sound Glow animates the speaker’s touch-sensitive top in time with music, using colors drawn from album artwork. It can also display animations for soundscapes such as rain and ocean waves. Engadget reports that Sound Glow requires a compatible Apple Intelligence device.
The new model can detect sounds such as smoke alarms and send phone notifications. It can also serve as a Mac’s default speaker and be combined with other HomePod speakers and the new Apple TV 4K in a four-speaker home-entertainment setup. The $149 price is $50 above the original HomePod mini’s 2020 launch price.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, 2 with the publisher's own text; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 54 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
- Publishers
- 18
- Source articles
- 24
- Given to the writer
- 8, 2 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 8
- This version written
- 54 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
- Publication gate
- passed
- Human review
- none
WHAT THE EDITOR DID
The second model checked the writer's draft against the same sources and published it as written.
Written by a language model from the sources above, then checked by a second model that may only cut, attribute or correct. How it works →