Apple unveiled the HomePod mini 2 on October 13, 2026, refreshing its entry-level smart speaker with new colors, a faster chip, and a smarter light show, while raising the US price to $149.99, a 50 percent jump from the $99 the original commanded just five months ago.
Preorders are open now, and the speaker ships from October 30, according to TechRadar, which published a hands-on report on the device. The UK price is set at £149, and Australian buyers will pay AU$229. The launch came alongside Apple's first smart display, the HomeView, as the company pushes deeper into the smart home market ahead of the holiday season.
What is new in the HomePod mini 2
Physically, little has changed. The speaker keeps the roughly tennis-ball shape of the 2020 original, with a flat top and bottom, and it still ships with a color-matched cord and a USB-C power plug. The palette now includes White, Blue, Midnight, and two new finishes, Green and Pink. Apple has dropped Yellow and Orange, which were available on the first generation.
The real upgrade sits inside. Apple replaced the S5 chip with the S10, the same silicon that premiered in the Apple Watch Series 11, Ultra 3, and third-generation SE. TechRadar reports the new processor speeds up everyday tasks and improves connectivity, cutting latency when the speaker is used as a dedicated audio output for a Mac, a capability new to this model.
The S10 also enables grouping the HomePod mini 2 with other HomePods as a surround sound setup for the new Apple TV 4K. Audio hardware is otherwise unchanged: a full-range driver and dual passive radiators carry over from the first generation.
The light show now matches your album art
The most visible change is the top surface. The circular touch panel still uses LEDs rather than a proper display, but the diodes are more precise and can now mirror the colors of the album artwork you are listening to, whether the source is Apple Music or Spotify. TechRadar compared the effect to the colorful glow of the iPhone's Dynamic Island during playback.
The feature also works with soundscapes, so rain sounds at bedtime produce a gentle, rain-tinted glow. In a demonstration, the lights matched the blues, whites, and violets of an Olivia Rodrigo album, though TechRadar noted the illumination stays fairly dim.
When does Siri AI arrive on the HomePod mini 2?
Not at launch. The smarter, more personalized Siri will reach the HomePod mini 2 through a free software update at an unconfirmed future date. Users will opt in through the Home app on an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence and that has recently connected to the local Wi-Fi network. The update applies to the account, so members of a shared household can each enable it.
Once live, the new Siri will handle personal requests, such as finding a song a friend texted you or pulling details from your calendar. Apple has not given a date, so buyers paying the higher price today are effectively prepaying for features that do not exist yet on the device in their hands.
A 50 percent price increase in five months
The pricing is the story that will sting consumers. The first-generation HomePod mini sold for $99 for years. In June 2026, Apple raised it to $129. Now the second generation lands at $149.99, meaning the entry point to Apple's smart home has risen by half in roughly five months, with no currency crisis or component shortage cited as justification.
Apple is hardly alone in treating loyal customers as a revenue line, but the pattern deserves scrutiny. The upgrades here are modest: a chip swap, two new colors, and LEDs that match album art. The headline AI feature is deferred, undated, and dependent on owning a recent iPhone. Buyers are being asked to pay more for less certainty about what they are actually getting on day one.
Competitors sell capable small smart speakers for far less, and the market will judge whether Apple's ecosystem lock-in justifies the premium. Consumers who value choice and price competition should note that every dollar spent here reinforces a model where the hardware, the software, and the assistant all come from one company, on one company's timetable.
For now, the HomePod mini 2 reaches doorsteps on October 30. Halloween buyers hoping for an orange speaker to match the season are out of luck, though Siri can still be asked, politely, for spooky tunes.
FAQ
How much does the HomePod mini 2 cost?
The HomePod mini 2 is priced at $149.99 in the US, £149 in the UK, and AU$229 in Australia. That is a 50 percent increase over the $99 launch price of the original HomePod mini.
When does the HomePod mini 2 ship?
Apple is taking preorders now, with shipping starting October 30, 2026.
Does the HomePod mini 2 support Siri AI at launch?
No. The personalized Siri AI features will arrive through a free software update at a date Apple has not confirmed. Users will need an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence to enable it.
What chip powers the HomePod mini 2?
The speaker runs on Apple's S10 chip, the same processor used in the Apple Watch Series 11, Ultra 3, and third-generation SE, replacing the S5 chip in the original model.
