Interactions just feel less natural, and often simple requests aren't handled as seamlessly as Google or Alexa. Compared to the ever-evolving and personable voice assistants from Google and Amazon, Siri falls short. In addition to the U1 chip, the HomePod Mini also works with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 4 and Thread, a network protocol for low-power IoT devices.Įven with a new design, price improvement and smarter software, there's still the issue of Siri as an assistant. What that means for HomeKit isn't clear yet, as Apple didn't have anything to say about UWB and smart home devices. Ultra Wideband can not only precisely locate items, but it can also communicate data. This method is much more precise than Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. UWB measures the distance between two devices by calculating the time it takes for a radio wave to pass between them. The U1 chip enables Ultra Wideband communication between equipped devices, including the new HomePod Mini. Other household members can also ask Siri to send a reply to the broadcast. Apple announced an Intercom feature that, like Drop In on Amazon and Broadcast on Google smart speakers, allows you to send a voice message from one speaker to another, or to multiple rooms. HomePod Mini brings a few new smart home features to HomeKit.
What does the HomePod Mini add to HomeKit? Two HomePod Minis can also be paired to your Apple TV for surround sound, similar to pairing two Echo Studio speakers and a Fire TV. Other notable sound features include support for multiroom audio and stereo pairing for two HomePod Minis, which is common for other smart speakers. The two companies are embroiled in an antitrust investigation in Europe, sparked by a Spotify complaint filed last year.
Pandora and Amazon Music are slated for a future update, although Spotify was conspicuously missing from Apple's presentation. Streaming services for the HomePod Mini will include Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn at release.
Google's Nest Audio and Nest Minis perform similar real-time audio tuning, thanks to their machine learning chip. That means it can retune itself over 180 times per second to optimize loudness and dynamic range. Apple did equip the HomePod Mini with what it calls computational audio, however. A smaller speaker likely means sound quality will be less impressive than the stellar original HomePod (we'll test that out in our upcoming review).
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