Apple HomePod (2nd generation)
The second-gen Apple HomePod is as slick and great-sounding as ever, but it’s no radical overhaul
SCORE PRICE £249 (£299 inc VAT) from apple.com/uk
Apple discontinued the original HomePod in 2021, but it hasn’t spent the intervening two years doing a radical redesign. Both are fabric-covered cylinders with a circular touchscreen on top, albeit that this second iteration panel illuminates almost to the edges.
There are two other physical changes, one being that the power cord is detachable. The bottom is now made of plastic rather than silicone, but it will still stain wood furniture (as I discovered). It’s only a shame that Apple hasn’t added a switch to turn off the HomePod’s four microphones.
As before, the HomePod uses these mics to listen for echoes, so it can sonically map the room and then adjust the audio output. It’s all done automatically; by comparison, the Sonos One requires you to move your phone round your room as the speaker plays a tone. It only takes a minute, but it’s not as slick.
Inside the HomePod, a single 4in speaker faces upward, while an array of five smaller tweeters is arrayed around the bottom. It should come as no surprise that the second-gen HomePod sounds just as good as the original. The Sonos One still does a better job with mids and highs, making voices sound more present, but the HomePod delivered stronger bass.
For example, on “Rosalita” by Bruce Springsteen, the Boss’s voice wasn’t as brassy on the HomePod, but the bass was stronger and punchier, especially when Clarence Clemons’ sax and the rest of the band came in on the chorus. While I preferred Rihanna’s vocals from “We Found Love” on the Sonos One, the HomePod 2’s beefier bass made my living room feel like a dance club. As with most other smart speakers, you can pair two HomePods together to create a stereo pair. However, you can’t pair an original HomePod with the new speaker. And while Apple has opened up Siri to work with third-party services such as Pandora, Deezer, TuneIn Radio and iHeartRadio, it frustratingly doesn’t work with Spotify. Perhaps the most significant change is the addition of support for Matter, the universal smart home standard. This is especially notable for Apple, as its smart home platform, HomeKit, works with far fewer devices than Alexa and Google Home. But HomeKit isn’t to be underestimated. For example, you can create an automation to lower your window blinds if the temperature in a room gets too hot (temperature and humidity sensors are built in). You can also add multiple people to your “home”, so that you can create an automation to lock the doors and turn down the heating when everyone leaves the house. An upcoming update will mean the HomePod can listen for the sound of a smoke or carbon monoxide detector, and send you an alert.
There are still places where the HomePod needs work. Take the Intercom feature: if you want to send a message from an iPhone, iPad or the HomePod to another HomePod, it still just records a clip and sends it to the intended recipient. It’s not as instantaneous as the live interaction you get with Alexa Drop-in. I’m also disappointed to see 802.11n here, so no Wi-Fi 5 or 6.
Not that this gets in the way of Apple’s slick setup routines. After you plug in the HomePod, you only need bring your iPhone near the speaker and a card appears on your phone to set up the HomePod. If you’re playing music on your phone and want to transfer it to the HomePod, simply tap the speaker with your iPhone. Chatting on your phone? Bring it next to the HomePod and it becomes a speakerphone.
Another example of Apple’s interoperability is how the HomePod and Apple TV 4K work together. Setup was seamless: when I switched on the Apple TV, it asked if I wanted to use the HomePod as an audio output. The new HomePod also supports Dolby Atmos, so while you’re not getting a full surround-sound system, it’s better than nothing. When I spun up Top Gun: Maverick, I was suitably impressed by the roar of the F/A-18 fighters. As with music, though, vocals — especially during music tracks — were muted.
There isn’t anything revolutionary about the second-generation HomePod, but it’s a slick and wellthought-out device. In terms of audio quality, it’s only rivalled by the Sonos One, and the additional smart home features and support for Matter make it a far superior smart device. All of this makes its £299 price palatable for Apple-centric homes. MIKE PROSPERO
“Perhaps the most significant change is the addition of support for Matter, the universal smart home standard”
SPECIFICATIONS
4in high-excursion woofer 5 x horn-loaded tweeters 4-microphone array 802.11n Wi-Fi Bluetooth 5 142 x 142 x 168mm (WDH)
2.3kg 1yr RTB warranty