Apple is preparing some smart home updates, with a new HomePod mini expected soon. Here’s what to expect from Apple’s small wireless speaker.
Apple’s HomePod mini is a key part of the smart home. While it is obviously a great and compact speaker and a way to communicate with Siri without using your iPhone, it’s also a hub to manage all of your smart home devices using Apple Home.
However, since its release in 2020, the HomePod mini hasn’t had much in the way of updates, save for some new colors. A glow-up is long overdue.
With the prospect of an update to the speaker on the horizon, here’s what the rumors say Apple is preparing to bring out for the next generation.
Externally similar
As is usual for Apple, it is keen on something known as a spec-bump update. That is where the changes are internal, while everything looks the same on the outside.
For the HomePod mini 2, this is probably going to be the case. The next version will probably still be a roughly baseball-sized speaker with a 3D mesh exterior, and a touch display on the top.
HomePod mini 2 should look just like the original, complete with a touch-enabled top.
There’s a chance that Apple could address the ghost touch issues that have started to plague existing models. But we’re probably going to see some new colors too.
We’d like to see a sage green, though we do really like the existing orange colorway.
Chip changes
As part of the spec-bump update, Apple will use a number of new chips. The first of interest will be a second-generation U1, an ultra-wideband chip.
The second-gen U1 is more accurate and has a greater range when it comes to detecting other devices. This could result in a much better hand-off experience with your iPhone.
It may even enable new capabilities, such as determining who is in a room by detecting the nearby iPhones.
A second chip candidate is for networking. Rumors say Apple could incorporate its self-designed N1 networking chip in the HomePod mini.
That chip includes support for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and a Thread radio.
A new communications chip will help improve handoff of audio from an iPhone.
Lastly, there’s a very good probability that Apple will be changing the S5 SIP running the show for a different one, possibly the S9 or S10.
Technically, the S9 and S10 are practically the same chip, with identical cores and performance capabilities. The difference is that the S10 is a single-sided package that’s 10% thinner, though this makes more sense on something like an Apple Watch where size matters more.
The upgrade to the chip probably won’t matter for most existing HomePod use, but it should finally bring Apple Intelligence as well as Siri AI to the speaker.
The existing Siri experience on the HomePod Mini is somewhat lacking, so hopefully Siri AI support will change that. That should mean improved accuracy in understanding commands, context awareness, and conversational flow, too.
If you stumble over your requests, that should be better handled by Siri.
As Siri AI can also tap into Apple Intelligence’s personal knowledge about you, it should also make for more personalized responses too.
Audio Quality
As it’s a speaker, we have to expect some level of audio improvement over its six-year-old counterpart. It may not necessarily have the audio chops of the full-size HomePod, but the HomePod mini can still pack a punch.
With the inclusion of a new SIP, that processing upgrade should also translate into better audio processing, and maybe an adjustable EQ, too.
A long time coming
While we are patiently waiting for the HomePod mini to be updated, it’s something that has been in the works for a while.
Previous reporting on the speaker indicates that Apple has sat on releasing a new version since the spring of 2025. This was when the original Siri update was scheduled to launch, but was then delayed.
A HomePod mini on a battery base. Expect HomePod mini 2 to still be powered by a cable.
Now, with Siri upgraded, Apple has cleared the path to actually release it. Though its not the only item that’s been on standby.
We also have rumors of a smart home device with a display, referred to as a Home Hub. That could make an appearance before the end of 2026, alongside the HomePod mini.
There’s also a new Apple TV 4K waiting in the wings. That, combined with multiple HomePod minis could make for a serious smart home upgrade if you really want it.
