Apple HomePod Mini Starts Shipping To Customers; What Early Reviews Are Saying

Cupertino tech giant Apple has already notified customers that it is shipping the HomePod mini. This new device is part of the company’s attempt to win more customers in the smart home speaker market and is a more affordable version of the pricier HomePod.

Several outlets already released their reviews of the HomePod mini ahead of its Tuesday shipping date. Reviewers have praised the $99 device’s features and sound quality.

Here’s what they have to say about Apple’s new HomePod mini smart home speaker:

Perfect for those invested in Apple’s ecosystem

The HomePod mini “does all the basic smart speaker stuff” like its bigger and more expensive sibling, according to CNET.

It connects to iPhones, iPads and other iDevices. It has Siri, allowing users to get information and do tasks easily and without much effort. And it’s relatively affordable, making it the perfect device to use when setting up smart home devices for those invested in Apple’s ecosystem.

Powerful for its size

The HomePod mini is small, but it’s “impressively powerful for its size,” per TechCrunch.

The 3.3-inch smart speaker boasts 360-degree audio that lets users enjoy the same audio quality regardless of where they place the device or where they are. The sound is “full and clear,” and only gets better when a second HomePod mini is added for stereo pairing.

A small but solid option

While the HomePod mini is able to deliver good audio output, consumers will need to note that “it’s still a small speaker,” Engadget said. Nevertheless, the HomePod mini is a “solid option” for those looking for a small home speaker that has a smart assistant and costs $100 or less.

Outperforms other speakers in its class

While Apple’s new smart speaker can’t compete with the bigger offerings in the market – like the larger HomePod, the regular Amazon Echo, the Sonos One, or the Nest Audio – the HomePod mini still overtakes other small smart home speakers in its size class, The Verge noted.

These are but some of the comments various tech reviews have made about the new HomePod mini. It’s now available via Apple’s Online Store.