Apple announces HomePod Mini smart speaker to take on the Amazon Echo and Google Nest Audio

Apple is bringing the HomePod experience to even more people with the HomePod Mini. Announced during its “Hi Speed” iPhone 12 launch event, HomePod Mini is Apple’s answer to Google’s Nest Audio and the Amazon Echo smart speakers. As expected, HomePod Mini is powered by Siri.

While the original HomePod took a long time to make its way to India, things are different with HomePod Mini. India is among the first wave of markets to get the HomePod Mini. It will be available for buying beginning from November 16 with pre-orders beginning from November 6. HomePod Mini India price has been set at Rs 9,990 and buyers will be able to purchase it directly from Apple Online Store and Apple Authorised Resellers.

Apple is promising an incredibly rich and detailed acoustic experience inside a compact form factor with the HomePod Mini. This is achieved through something that Apple is calling computational audio using its custom S5 chip. With a combination of hardware and software chops, HomePod Mini can analyse and apply complex tuning models to different kinds of music to optimise factors like loudness and dynamic range in real time. Like the HomePod, HomePod Mini also features 360-degree sound. At launch, HomePod Mini will be compatible with Apple Music, podcasts, iHeartRadio, radio.com, and TuneIn with support for Pandora and Amazon Music expected in the coming months.

Multiple HomePod Mini speakers can be paired together for a stereo effect. There’s also a new Intercom feature in the HomePod Mini that will allow family members to connect with each other at home through multiple HomePod speakers or even through iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, and CarPlay. Later this year, Apple will be adding visual, audible, and haptic effects to HomePod Mini for a more personalised pairing experience.

Under the hood, HomePod Mini packs a full-range driver with a neodymium magnet and two force-cancelling passive radiators. It has four microphones, three that listen for “Hey Siri” and a fourth that helps isolate sound coming from the speaker to improve voice detection.

HomePod Mini comes with a tweaked design in comparison to the HomePod though it has the same mesh fabric exterior available in white and space gray. It has a backlit touch surface at the top with controls for play, pause and more.