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HomePod Mini 2 compact smart speaker with glowing top display

Apple has unveiled the HomePod Mini 2, the first major refresh of its compact smart speaker in six years. Announced at the company’s “Welcome Home” event in New York on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, the new HomePod Mini 2 brings a more intelligent Siri, a glowing light display and the option of four-speaker surround sound. It is priced at $149, with pre-orders open now and availability in stores from October 30.

Key Facts: HomePod Mini 2

  • Price and availability: $149; pre-orders open now; in stores from October 30, 2026, in the United States and more than 23 other countries and regions
  • Colors: pink, green, blue, white and midnight
  • Chip: Apple’s S10 with advanced computational audio
  • Headline features: Siri AI (arriving in a future software update), Sound Glow light display, four-speaker surround sound with the new Apple TV 4K
  • Smart home: home hub with Thread, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 6, Ultra Wideband, temperature and humidity sensors, and sound recognition for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

Smarter Siri arrives as a software update

The biggest change is support for Siri AI, Apple’s upgraded assistant built on Apple Intelligence. It promises more natural conversation, an understanding of personal context and access to up-to-date information from the web. When connected to an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad, the speaker can recognize up to six users by voice and handle tasks across apps — for example, finding a song a friend sent in a text message, or setting a reminder tied to a calendar event.

There is a catch: Siri AI will not be available at launch — Apple says it is still in beta and will arrive in a future software update, with no firm date.

Sound Glow and bigger sound

The S10 chip drives a new computational-audio engine that tunes dynamic range, loudness and acoustic performance in real time. A new feature called Sound Glow turns the top of the speaker into a light display that pulses in sync with the music, reacting to bass and treble and picking up colors from a song’s album artwork.

Two speakers can be paired for stereo, and up to four HomePod Minis can be combined with the new Apple TV 4K to create four-speaker surround sound. Apple says the speakers and the TV box automatically recognize their position in the room and calibrate audio timing and levels to the space. The speaker can also serve as a sound output for the Mac.

A home hub with wider duties

The HomePod Mini 2 keeps its role as a smart-home hub, controlling accessories and running automations by voice. It can listen for smoke or carbon monoxide alarms and send an alert, while built-in sensors track temperature and humidity.

Apple’s vice president of worldwide home product marketing, Kaiann Drance, said the new model combines Siri AI, new colors and stronger audio, and called the pairing with the new Apple TV 4K the company’s most immersive home-theater setup yet.

For more technology stories, visit Watan News English.

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