Apple HomePod mini

Replaced, but still a capable hub

Since Apple announced HomePod mini 2 on October 13, 2026, its US, UK and German stores have listed only the new model. HomePod mini 2 ships from October 30 and costs $20 more in the US and UK, and €30 more in Germany, than Apple charged for the original in September. Any new original mini now comes from remaining retailer stock.

Nothing about the original's hub job has changed. It remains an Apple home hub with a Thread border router, so Matter-over-Thread locks, sensors and plugs keep running through it in Apple Home, with remote access and automations. Home Assistant also lists it as a usable Thread border router, although Home Assistant supplies its own Matter controller. Apple gives HomePod mini 2 the same hub and Thread role and announced no Matter feature that only the new speaker supports.

That makes the replacement easy to ignore if a mini already sits on a kitchen counter or bedside table doing the hub job. The small speaker, the room temperature and humidity readings and the included 20 W adapter are all still there. There is no smart home reason to swap it.

Where the original falls behind

The gap is in the speaker. Apple pairs only two speakers of the same model and generation, so an original mini cannot form a stereo pair with a HomePod mini 2. It also cannot join Apple's new four-speaker surround setup, which needs HomePod mini 2 or second-generation HomePod speakers in matching front and rear pairs, plus the new Apple TV 4K. Apple promises Siri AI for HomePod mini 2 in a later software update, in English and in eight countries that include the US and UK but not Germany, and told 9to5Mac on October 14 that the original will not get it. Its 802.11n Wi-Fi is also several generations older than the new model's Wi-Fi 6E.

The pairing rule cuts the other way too. If you want a stereo pair with a mini you already own, you need another original, and leftover stock is now the only source of a new one.

The original's music limitation is unchanged. Apple Music and supported connected services play through Siri, while other services rely on AirPlay from a nearby iPhone or iPad, and playback can stop when that device leaves range. Setup still needs an iPhone or iPad, so someone with only an Android phone or a Mac should look elsewhere.

Buy a leftover one only at a clear discount

For a new buyer, HomePod mini 2 is the default. The small premium buys newer Wi-Fi, a newer chip, the new pairing options and, in the US, Canada and UK, the promised Siri AI update, which needs the home's owner to have an Apple Intelligence iPhone or iPad. The hub role stays the same. An original is worth choosing when it costs clearly less, for a bedroom, office or second room where Siri and a small speaker are enough and the speaker will never need to pair with a new one.

The second-generation HomePod is still on sale at Apple for more than twice the price of HomePod mini 2. It adds a woofer, five tweeters, room sensing and Spatial Audio. Buy it for listening, since its hub role is the same.

If you also want a streamer, a Thread-equipped Apple TV covers the hub job; our third-generation Apple TV 4K review explains what its replacement changed. Our report on Apple's October launches covers HomePod mini 2, HomeView and the new Apple TV 4K in more detail.