APPLE HOMEPOD £319

SOUND

Big love

If those white buds you get with your iphone are anything to go by, then the Homepod’s sound shouldn’t be anything to get excited about. Thankfully, Apple’s done something remarkable with its first smart speaker – and that’s school the competition in just how good a one-box setup can be. The scale and detail of its audio are hugely impressive, and this speaker is a class above its rivals. You’ll have to put together a pair of Sonos Ones to top it. (Mind you, a two-for-£349 deal means that isn’t actually a bad idea.)

DESIGN Round, round baby

What with the ‘notch’ and headphone jack furores, Apple’s design chops have come under scrutiny of late, but the Homepod is a winner. Its bulbous aesthetic feels unique, and the shape-shifting light-up dot on top is delightful. SMARTS

Out of touch

The Homepod has two major issues: Siri isn’t all that clever, and support for Apple Homekit is limited. Since Apple’s voice assistant has been around for some time now, it’s unlikely that these two circumstances will change any time soon.

APP Remote control

Unlike Amazon and Google’s, Apple’s own Home app doesn’t really act as a hub for all things Homepod-related. It’s more of a place to tweak settings and how it collaborates with all your other smart home kit, which feels like a missed opportunity. Remember, Apple doesn’t do ‘skills’ or ‘services’ for you to add to the Homepod, so you’ve got to settle for the abilities included at launch. Seeing as Siri can’t even set two alarms at the same time, that’s a sad state of affairs. But judged on the stuff it can do, the Home app is decent enough.