Apple recently launched the compact HomePod mini smart speaker that has most of the older HomePod’s features, but at an affordable price. Great looks and sound quality aside, it listens to you, gives you music recommendations and handles everyday tasks using Siri. Priced at Rs. 9,900*, the HomePod mini comes in two colours too – White and Space Grey. There is a lot more to it than meets the eye.
The HomePod mini is spherical shape and stands 3.3 inches in height. It has a mesh fabric wrapped exterior, made of recycled plastic. There is a touch interface on the top, like the older HomePod that lets you play, pause, adjust the volume, skip a song, and activate Siri.
Apple uses the S5 chip used in the Apple Watch Series 5. It’s a powerful processor with its prime purpose being, producing great sound. The HomePod mini is equipped with neodymium magnets and a pair of passive radiators to achieve this feat, allowing it render great bass and sparkling highs despite its compact size. The speaker is down-firing. It’s able fill a room with audio, regardless of where you place it. You can setup several HomePod mini speakers around your home if you wish. They even double as your personal Intercom system, allowing your family members to talk to each other remotely. This feature also works with iPhone, iPad, AirPods, Apple Watch, and CarPlay. Two HomePod mini can also be paired together to create a pair of stereo speakers, with a wide soundstage.
The HomePod mini has four microphones, of which three are meant to detect commands and the fourth helps ignore the speaker playing, when it’s trying to listen to you.
Siri is more than a voice assistant. It understands your voice and recommends things you might like. It can also remind you of important dates and read out important messages. Finding music and podcasts you like, reading the news and setting reminders, giving traffic updates are just some of the other things it can do.
The HomePod mini offers a whole new personalized experience for Apple iPhone users. You can use it to answer calls, listen to music or connect to your Apple TV. You can seamlessly stream music from your iPhone to the HomePod mini. It works with Apple Music, and other popular online streaming services. Support for Amazon Music and some others is expected soon. Another feature expected later in the year is having personalized music recommendations and controls appearing on the iPhone screen when you hold it next to a HomePod mini.
The HomePod mini is both, easy to set up and control other devices with the Home app. The speaker acts as a home hub, letting you remotely control HomeKit devices such as lights, fans, smart door locks, etc. The benefits of a smart home are present in the app itself, in the Discover tab. The HomePod mini operates on Wi-Fi 802.11n and Bluetooth 5.0 that enables it to connect to other devices.
The HomePod mini will be officially available in India, beginning November 16, 2020, so you can book yours at the nearest Reliance Digital store or by visiting www.reliancedigital.in. It’s one of neatest smart home solutions today, now with a really attractive price, that can be your personal voice assistant, music streaming service and more.
