HomePod (2nd generation): the large speaker that is also a home hub

HomePod (2nd generation) is Apple’s large speaker. It is also a home hub. Apple sells it in the UK for £349, in midnight and white. It went on sale on 3 February 2023 at £299, so the price has gone up since launch.

What it does in Apple Home

Apple calls it “your smart home hub”. When you set up a HomePod it becomes a home hub automatically.

• Remote access. Control your accessories from the Home app when you are out, for example to unlock the door for a guest.
• Automations. Apple says HomePod lets you control your accessories automatically by creating automations.
• Thread. The specifications list “Thread networking technology”, for HomeKit- or Matter-enabled Thread accessories.
• Matter. In Apple’s words, HomePod “connects to and controls Matter-enabled accessories, and serves as an essential home hub, giving users access when away from home.”
• Sensors. A temperature and humidity sensor and an accelerometer. Apple’s example is an automation that closes the blinds when the room reaches 30 degrees.
• Alarm sounds. It listens for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and sends a notification to your iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.

Siri

HomePod has a four-microphone design for far-field Siri, plus an internal microphone for low-frequency calibration. Apple has said Siri AI will come to HomePod mini 2 via a future software update.

Specifications

The S7 chip, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, Thread and an Ultra Wideband chip. It is 168mm high, 142mm wide and weighs 2.3kg. Setup needs an iPhone SE (2nd generation or later) or iPhone 8 or later with the latest iOS, or an iPad Pro, iPad (5th generation or later), iPad Air (3rd generation or later) or iPad mini (5th generation or later) with the latest iPadOS.

Who should buy it

Buy it if you want one speaker that fills a living room and also runs the house. If the speaker is not the point, you are paying £200 more than a HomePod mini 2 for the same hub role.

How it differs from the other Apple hubs

HomePod mini 2 at £149 has the same temperature and humidity sensor, Thread and Ultra Wideband chip. It has newer radios, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6, and Apple says Siri AI comes to it via a future software update. Apple does not list an accelerometer for it. For the hub alone, it is the better buy.

Apple TV 4K (4th generation) at £299 is a hub with Gigabit Ethernet and Siri AI in UK English at launch as a beta. It needs a television.

Apple HomeView at £299 adds a screen and a camera.

The first HomePod is no longer sold by Apple. This model replaces it.

Apple lists “Multi-room audio with AirPlay” for this HomePod. That is how audio reaches it, not what makes it a home hub. Keep the two apart when you compare it with third-party speakers.

Specifications