At $99 within the U.S., the HomePod mini is a extra reasonably priced present choice for Apple fanatics. Nonetheless, the speaker was launched simply over 4 years in the past, so chances are you’ll be questioning whether it is nonetheless price buying or when you ought to maintain off.
Under, we define three issues to take into accounts.
First, there have been rumors a couple of HomePod mini 2, however none of them are current.
The firmest rumor got here from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Again in February 2023, he stated mass shipments of a brand new HomePod mini would start within the second half of 2024. Nonetheless, heading into the ultimate month of the yr, it’s unclear if that manufacturing has truly began or if it can quickly. There was no discuss a HomePod mini 2 being imminent, so a launch appears unlikely till 2025 on the earliest, barring a shock announcement.
Kuo didn’t reveal any new options deliberate for the following HomePod mini, however potential upgrades may embrace a more moderen chip for improved audio, a second-generation Extremely Wideband chip for a lower-latency Handoff expertise, and new colour choices. The present HomePod mini is provided with an S5 chip and a U1 chip.
Whereas the HomePod mini has obtained no main {hardware} upgrades because it was launched in November 2020, Apple has refreshed its colour choices a couple of occasions. The speaker was launched in Blue, Orange, and Yellow in November 2021, and House Grey was changed with a virtually-identical Midnight end in July of this yr.
The second factor to take into accounts is that Apple reportedly plans to launch an all-new sensible residence hub as early as March 2025. The hub is anticipated to characteristic round a 6-inch show that may be hooked up to a tabletop base with a speaker, so the system may primarily be a extra helpful different to the HomePod mini. It has been predicted that the hub could possibly be priced within the $199 to $299 vary, so an Apple present card that somebody may use in the direction of that system subsequent yr is one other concept to think about.
Third, Siri is broadly thought of to be an inferior digital assistant in comparison with the likes of Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Assistant. It is one thing to bear in mind relying on how a lot your giftee plans to make use of voice instructions.
When you do go forward with gifting a HomePod mini this yr, that could be a advantageous selection too. The speaker is a bit outdated now, however it stays an enough speaker for its worth, and it’ll proceed to serve its function for a number of years.
