Apple Announces HomePod mini 2 at $149 With S10 Chip, Sound Glow and Siri AI Support

Apple has announced the HomePod mini 2, the successor to its 2020 compact smart speaker. The new model swaps the S5 chip for the S10, adds a music-reactive light display called Sound Glow, and is built to support Siri AI, which will arrive in a future software update rather than at launch. According to Apple’s announcement, preorders open today at $149 in the US, with in-store availability starting Friday, October 30.

Price and availability

Apple is taking preorders in the US and more than 23 other countries and regions, though the announcement doesn’t name them. The speaker is compatible with HomePod software 27.2.

Detail	Info
Announced	October 13, 2026
Preorders	Open from October 13
In stores	Friday, October 30
US price	$149
Colors	Pink, green, blue, white, midnight
Chip	Apple S10
Siri AI	Future software update

What’s new

The design stays close to the original HomePod mini, so the most visible changes are the new colors and Sound Glow. With Sound Glow, the top of the speaker glows and pulses in sync with the music, reacting to bass and treble. Colors are pulled from the current song’s album artwork, and users can pick a soundscape such as rain to trigger its own animations. Voice control for Sound Glow requires an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone.

The S10 powers computational audio that analyzes music in real time to adjust dynamic range, loudness and acoustic performance. For the first time, the mini can also be used in a four-speaker surround setup with the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K. That setup needs four HomePod mini 2 or second-generation HomePod speakers in matching pairs, one pair at the front and one at the rear, and the system automatically calibrates timing and levels to each speaker’s position.

HomePod mini 2 can also act as the default speaker for a Mac, handling movies, gaming, FaceTime and video calls. Apple says this works with all Macs that have Wi-Fi 6E or later, using either a single speaker or a stereo pair.

Siri AI comes later

The speaker is designed for Siri AI, Apple’s more conversational assistant built on its latest Foundation Models. Apple hasn’t given a date for the update, which it describes as free. Once enabled, Siri AI can find a song a friend recommended in a text, set reminders tied to a calendar event or location, locate a recipe from an email, and answer questions using up-to-date information from the web. The speaker can recognize up to six household members by voice.

Personal-context features need an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad, and Apple says the home’s owner must have one with Siri AI turned on. Without such a device, users still get the broader world knowledge, natural conversations and improved music discovery.

Siri AI will be available in English in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and India. Pakistan is not on that list.

Smart home features

As a home hub, the speaker lets users control accessories and run automations from the Home app on iPhone, at home or away. Sound Recognition listens for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and sends a notification to the user’s iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Apple notes that it should not be relied upon in high-risk or emergency situations, and that it requires the updated Home architecture and the latest software on every Apple device that accesses the home.

The speaker also works with Apple Home Collection video doorbells and cameras, using Face Recognition to announce who is at the door. That feature requires HomeKit Secure Video with Face Recognition turned on, and Apple says Home Collection becomes available starting in December, with select accessories arriving in early 2027. Those accessories need a compatible home hub, such as the Apple HomeView that Apple unveiled the same day, a HomePod or an Apple TV.