Apple HomePod mini – UK pricing and details

Apple has launched the HomePod mini 2 in the UK at £149. Apple announced the second-generation smart speaker on Tuesday (13 October), and UK customers can pre-order it now from the Apple online store and the Apple Store app ahead of its in-store launch on 30 October.

The speaker comes in five colours: pink, green, blue, white and midnight.

Its biggest addition is Siri AI, Apple’s rebuilt voice assistant, which will reach the HomePod mini 2 through a free software update after launch. Apple confirmed the UK is among the first countries to get Siri AI in English, alongside the US, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa.

“With Siri AI, it understands you better than ever, drawing on personal context and broad world knowledge to make music discovery even richer,” said Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Home Product Marketing.

What Siri AI adds

Apple said Siri AI runs on a new architecture built on the latest generation of its Apple Foundation Models. When paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad, the speaker can draw on a user’s personal context to complete tasks, including:

• Finding a song a friend recommended in a text message
• Setting a reminder tied to a calendar event or location
• Locating a recipe from an email
• Adding ingredients to a grocery list

The HomePod mini 2 can recognise up to six people in a household by their voice. Users without an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad still get Siri AI’s web-based general knowledge, natural back-and-forth conversation and improved music discovery once the feature is switched on.

The owner of the home in the Home app needs an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad running the latest software for Siri AI to work on the speaker. Apple added that certain server-based Apple Intelligence features carry daily usage limits, and it plans to charge a fee for expanded access in future.

Siri requests on the speaker use either on-device processing or Apple’s Private Cloud Compute, which Apple said does not store data or make it accessible to Apple or anyone else.

Sound and home theatre

An Apple S10 chip powers the speaker, analysing music in real time to adjust dynamic range, loudness and acoustic performance. Owners can use it as a single speaker, in a stereo pair or as part of a multiroom setup.

For the first time, the HomePod mini 2 supports four-speaker surround sound with the new Apple TV 4K (4th generation). This setup needs four HomePod mini 2 or HomePod (2nd generation) speakers in matching front and rear pairs, and the system calibrates audio timing and levels automatically to each speaker’s position in the room.

The speaker can also serve as the default speaker for a Mac, provided the computer supports Wi-Fi 6E or later.

A new feature called Sound Glow turns the top of the speaker into a light display that pulses in time with bass and treble. It generates colours from the album artwork of the track playing, and users can choose soundscapes such as rain to trigger their own animations.

Voice control for Sound Glow requires an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone running the latest software.

Smart home features

The HomePod mini 2 acts as a home hub, letting users control smart home accessories through the Home app on iPhone both at home and away. Voice commands can lock the front door, close the garage, lower blinds, adjust the thermostat and switch off lights.

Sound Recognition listens for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and sends an alert to the owner’s iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch when it detects one. Apple warned that users should not rely on the feature in high-risk or emergency situations, and it needs an updated Home architecture that Apple will release as a separate update.

The speaker also works with Apple’s new Home Collection video doorbells and cameras, using Face Recognition to announce visitors at the door. Apple Home Collection launches in December, with some accessories arriving in early 2027.

Apple said the HomePod mini 2 uses 100% recycled rare earth elements in all its magnets and ships in fully fibre-based packaging. The speaker runs HomePod software 27.2.

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