Apple's HomePod mini 2 reaches stores today, 30 October 2026. Apple announced it on 13 October and opened preorders the same day in the US and more than 23 other countries and regions. It costs $149 in the US and comes in pink, green, blue, white and midnight. The speaker ships with HomePod software 27.2, which Apple released for existing models on 26 October.

What changed for the smart home

On the outside it is still a small fabric sphere: 84.3 mm tall, 97.9 mm wide, 335 g, powered by a bundled 20 W adapter. Inside, Apple moved to the S10 chip and updated the radios. The spec sheet lists Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 6, an Ultra Wideband chip for handoff from a nearby iPhone, and Thread.

Thread is the part that matters most for home automation. Like the first HomePod mini, the new one works as a home hub for Apple Home, so it runs automations and gives remote access to accessories, and it acts as a Thread border router for Thread and Matter-over-Thread devices. It also keeps the built-in temperature and humidity sensor, which shows up in the Home app as a reading you can use in automations.

Sound Recognition listens for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and sends a notification to an iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch. Apple's footnote says it needs the updated Home architecture and that every Apple device in the home must run current software. It also warns that the feature should not be relied on in emergencies. With Apple Home Collection doorbells and cameras, which start shipping in December, the speaker can announce who is at the door through HomeKit Secure Video Face Recognition.

Siri AI comes later

The headline feature of the launch, Siri AI, is not on the speaker yet. Apple says it will arrive in a future software update, in English only, in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa. It requires the home owner to have an Apple Intelligence-capable iPhone or iPad, and Apple's footnotes say Siri AI will not initially be available in the EU on iOS or iPadOS. For now, buyers get the same Siri as on the older models.

HomePod 27.2 on the existing speakers

The 27.2 update brings four features, and not all of them depend on new hardware:

  • Lock Controls disables the touch surface on top so a stray tap does not pause music, skip a track or change the volume. Apple's support page lists it without model restrictions.
  • Sound Glow turns the top of HomePod mini, HomePod mini 2 and HomePod (2nd generation) into a light display that pulses with the music and picks colours from the album artwork.
  • HomePod as a Mac speaker sets a single HomePod or a stereo pair as the persistent audio output for a Mac. It works with Macs that have Wi-Fi 6E or later.
  • Four-speaker surround with the Apple TV 4K (4th generation) needs matching front and rear pairs of HomePod mini 2 or HomePod (2nd generation) speakers.

If you already have a first-generation HomePod mini acting as your Thread border router, the new model does not unlock a new smart home capability. Its arguments are faster wireless, Bluetooth 6 and the promised Siri AI.