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The Verge’s hands-on report says Apple’s $149 HomePod Mini 2 responds to voice and smart-home commands much faster than the original, and adds a setting to disable touch controls across HomePods. The reviewer praised its green finish and sound for its size, but reported a disappointing experience using it as a Mac’s default speaker; Apple’s promised Siri AI features are not available yet.
The Verge’s first hands-on report on Apple’s $149 HomePod Mini 2 finds that it responds to music requests and smart-home commands much faster than the original, while a new Home app setting can disable touch controls. The review also praises the speaker’s green finish and sound for its size, but says the new Mac default-speaker feature fell short in testing; Apple’s promised Siri AI upgrade is not available yet.
After using two speakers in a home office for a couple of days, The Verge reviewer said the Mini 2 regularly answered basic requests in under three seconds. A song began within a couple of seconds, and requests to turn off a light or open the shades took under three seconds. The reviewer compared that with waits of up to 10 seconds experienced on the first-generation Mini. The new model uses Apple’s S10 chip and Wi-Fi 6E, compared with the original’s S5 chip and Wi-Fi 4.
The reviewer distinguished this faster basic assistant from the more substantial Siri AI features Apple has said are coming in a later software update. Those features were not available during the test. For more complex questions, such as who will win the US midterm elections, Siri still offered to show web results on an iPhone, according to the report. For smart-home tasks, the reviewer also found the new speaker less talkative: it often carried out actions without the lengthy spoken confirmations heard on the first-generation model.
The report identifies a new Home app option to lock the top touch controls. The reviewer says the setting applies to older HomePods as well as the Mini 2, making it a software improvement for existing owners. Other observations include the new green color, which the reviewer preferred, and sound described as clear and capable for a speaker of this size. Two units paired in stereo filled the reviewer’s office with sound, though the report says the speakers themselves were not upgraded.
Faster Commands, Broader HomePod Controls
The Mini 2’s practical gains center on everyday responsiveness rather than a new speaker design. Shorter waits for music and smart-home actions could matter to people who find the first-generation Mini slow, while quieter confirmations make routine voice interactions less intrusive. The touch lock may also help households where a stray tap can start playback, and its availability on older HomePods means the setting is not limited to new hardware.
At $149, the device costs $50 more than the original’s $99 launch price, according to The Verge’s report. That makes the Mac speaker experience and the pending AI features relevant to buyers weighing whether the speed improvements justify the added cost. The review is one person’s short-term test, not a broad performance assessment, and it does not establish how every user or network will experience the speaker.
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From S5 to S10, With AI Pending
The first-generation HomePod Mini launched six years before the second-generation model, the reviewer wrote. At Apple’s Welcome Home event the previous month, the new speaker was presented at $149, with a faster chip, Wi-Fi 6E, new colors and improved AirPlay among its changes. The reviewer initially questioned the value because Apple had not changed the sound system and the price was higher than the original’s launch price.
The hands-on report revised that initial impression after several days of use, largely because of the faster response times. It also separates available changes from promised ones: basic Siri interactions were tested, while the planned Siri AI update remained a future software release. The report mentions Sound Glow, which matches the speaker’s lights to album artwork, but says it works with Apple Music and Podcasts and made little difference to the reviewer’s listening experience.
“Siri on the Mini 2 is much snappier than on the first-gen Mini, regularly responding in under three seconds.”
— The Verge reviewer
Mac AirPlay and Siri Still Unsettled
The supplied report ends while describing the Mini 2’s feature for serving as a Mac’s default speaker, after introducing Apple’s phrase “a responsive and persistent AirPlay connection.” It does not provide the reviewer’s account of what went wrong or enough detail to explain the disappointment. The report therefore supports saying that the feature disappointed the reviewer, but not specifying the failure or treating it as a confirmed problem affecting all users.
Apple has not given a specific date in the source material for the Siri AI software update. The hands-on test also covers only a couple of days and two devices in one home office. Long-term reliability, performance across different Wi-Fi setups and whether later software changes the experience remain unknown.
Watch for Software and Mac Testing
The next stated development is Apple’s promised Siri AI update, which the report says is due “later” through software but does not date. Further testing or a fuller account of the Mac AirPlay experience would clarify why the reviewer was disappointed and whether the issue is reproducible. Buyers can also look for longer-term reviews addressing everyday reliability beyond the short hands-on period.
Key Questions
What did The Verge find most improved on the HomePod Mini 2?
The reviewer reported that basic Siri and smart-home requests usually completed in under three seconds, compared with waits of up to 10 seconds they had experienced on the first-generation Mini.
Are the new Siri AI features available now?
No. The report says Apple described the features as coming “later” in a software update, but did not provide a date. The reviewer tested the basic assistant, not the promised AI features.
Can owners disable the HomePod’s touch controls?
The report says a new setting in the Home app locks the top controls and applies to older HomePods as well as the Mini 2.
What disappointed the reviewer?
The reviewer called the Mini 2’s ability to act as a Mac’s default speaker a disappointment. The supplied report cuts off before explaining the testing experience, so the specific problem is not clear.
Did Apple improve the Mini 2’s speakers?
The report says Apple did not update the speaker hardware. The reviewer nevertheless described the sound as good for the device’s size and said a stereo pair filled a home office with sound.
Source: theverge.com
