Apple announces new HomePod mini smart speaker

13 October 2020, 22:04

Apple HomePod mini
Apple_homepod-mini-white-10132020. Picture: PA

The £99 smart speaker is a new rival to Amazon’s Echo range.

Apple had expanded its smart speaker range with a new, smaller version of its HomePod to take on the likes of Amazon and Google.

The new HomePod mini will cost £99 and includes the same voice control features as the full-size HomePod, carried out through virtual assistant, Siri.

However, Apple has attempted to make the mini a more agile speaker by making it smaller – it is just under 8.5cm tall – and through a new Intercom system which allows users to send voice messages from one HomePod to another around a home, as well as to other Apple devices such as the iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods.

A hand-off feature also enables iPhone users to bring their smartphone close to the HomePod to hand over audio playing on the phone to the speaker.

Several mini units can also be paired together around the home and play audio in multiple rooms, while placing two HomePod mini speakers in the same room will create a stereo pairing.

Last month, Amazon announced a new line-up of its own Echo range of smart speakers, including the flagship Echo, which is priced at £90 – making the HomePod mini a direct rival to the device.

Apple’s Bob Borchers said the HomePod mini had “everything customers want in a smart speaker”.

“HomePod mini is the ultimate smart speaker for anyone with an Apple device. It works effortlessly with iPhone to hand off music, answer calls, or deliver personalised listening suggestions, elevates the sound from Apple TV, plays music from a Mac, and so much more,” he said.

“There’s a lot of Apple innovation packed into such a small speaker, all at an affordable price.”

Industry expert Thomas Husson, principal analyst at Forrester’s, said he expected the mini to perform well.

“Thanks to aggressive pricing and advanced integrated services with its Apple ecosystem such as the new Intercom service, the new HomePod mini is also likely to sell well in the coming months,” he said.

“These keynote announcements demonstrate one more time that the total Apple experience is more than the sum of the device parts.”

By Press Association

More Technology News

See more More Technology News

A laptop user with their hood up

Terror laws watchdog warns of risk posed by extremists using AI

An eldery man getting into an Uber vehicle

Uber rolls out ‘senior accounts’ in UK to help elderly people travel

A blurred laptop screen

Ofcom boss: Tech firms not given much power over how to protect children online

European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake (PA)

No limit to ChatGPT searches ‘remarkable’ given environmental impact – Tim Peake

CityFibre Broadband van

Openreach challenger CityFibre secures £2.3bn financing deal

The Grok X AI logo is displayed on a mobile phone with Grok seen in the background

Elon Musk's chatbot that praised Hitler was 'trained to use his personal beliefs'

Top view of the Milky Way galaxy showing the estimated orbits of both our Sun and the 3I/ATLAS comet

Mysterious space object may be oldest comet ever discovered, scientists say

Children with multiple long-term health issues undergo severe emotional stress at the same time as they are trying to cope with the physical challenges of their conditions, a study has found (Dominic

Children’s social media activity ‘highlights stress of living with health issue’

Scientists at Sheffield Hallam university have developed a new technique which they describe as a "powerful double weapon" to prevent cancer patients losing their hair during chemotherapy.

New technique hailed as ‘powerful double weapon’ against chemotherapy hair loss

Elon Musk

Elon Musk says his new AI model ‘better than PhD level in everything’

President of France Emmanuel Macron with Sir Keir Starmer

UK and France agree ‘Entente Technologique’ to help protect infrastructure

SHANGHAI, CHINA - JUNE 18, 2025 - The Nvidia logo displayed on a smartphone in Shanghai, China on June 18, 2025. (Photo by CFOTO/Sipa USA)

Nvidia becomes world’s most valuable listed company at $4trn

Surgical Robot

Robot performs realistic surgery ‘with 100% accuracy’

Peter Kyle outside the BBC smiling

Government makes deal with Google to provide free tech for UK public services

Former Wimbledon line judge Pauline Eyre

Wimbledon technology change ‘has turned officials into glorified butlers’

The Grok X AI logo is displayed on a mobile phone with Grok seen in the background

Elon Musk's Grok chatbot forced to delete a slew of posts after praising Adolf Hitler