截至 2027-02-04，苹果是否会在其官方网站或新闻稿中正式宣布 HomePod Mini 2 支持具备大模型能力的新版 Siri AI 功能？

Table of Contents Design and setup: Once more with feeling (and lights) Audio playback: Packed with more power App controls, Apple Intelligence and Siri AI Final thoughts on the HomePod Mini 2 Tyler Lacoma/CNET

Apple HomePod Mini 2 9.0 $150 at Best Buy $150 at Apple Pros & Cons Much better sound than the old HomePod Mini Upgraded chip for seriously fast Siri conversations Apple's setup is as effortless as always New color schemes to play with Can pair with other Mini 2 model for more complex sound setups It looks exactly like the first HomePod Mini, except for a rather disappointing sound glow feature You'll have to wait for all the Siri AI features Apple’s extensive October announcements featured a new push into the smart home, heralded not only with new security equipment and the first-ever HomeView smart display, but also a long-awaited update to the HomePod smart speaker line, the HomePod Mini 2 ($150).

It’s a bit more expensive than the old HomePod Mini ($129) and significantly more expensive than Google’s new Home speaker ($100), but price is only part of the story. This new HomePod model looks and acts so much like the original Mini, it can be hard to tell if you need an upgrade.

Now I’ve just finished testing out the little speaker and its capabilities: The trick is that Apple’s description of the speaker is nearly identical to the old model, but performance shows major differences, and not just with Siri.

If you really want an audio upgrade from your old Mini, Apple delivered in a big way, though it still won’t compete with the original HomePod. I’m less sold on other features, which can seem like upgrades for the sake of upgrading with limited value, but if you’ve been waiting for a powerful home speaker that fits right into the Apple ecosystem and all Siri AI’s latest tricks, this is a worthy upgrade.

Anyone could be forgiven for mistaking the 2026 HomePod Mini for its 2021 counterpart. They’re the same size and shape, though the Mini 2 comes in new color options.

Inside, Apple also describes both speakers as having a “full-range driver and dual passive radiators” with no other details, something I’ll talk about below. What has changed is invisible, but it includes an extra microphone for Siri conversations and a new Apple S10 chip to manage the latest computational audio and various upcoming Siri AI features.

Oh, there is one visible change. The top control panel on the HomePod Mini used to glow only during activation or handoffs. Now there’s a new Sound Glow mode that lights up and sort of pulses to the song being played. It’s not impressive. Maybe I’m jaded by my testing of the latest music syncing smart lamps from Govee, Lepro and Philips Hue, but this seems like just an on light to me, one you can shut off if you listen to the speaker while trying to sleep.

Setup will be familiar to Apple users. Once you’ve downloaded the latest iOS or iPadOS updates, your Apple device will automatically detect the nearby Mini 2 and set it up for you, transferring your old settings over in under a minute.

So the HomePod Mini 2 looks the same and has audio hardware with the exact same description, but does it sound the same? To test, I set up the HomePod Mini 2, the HomePod Mini and the big ol’ second-gen HomePod next to each. The results surprised me more than I expected.