Second generation Apple HomePod announcement reveals support for spatial audio, new smart home features and an early February release date

Similar, great design; Sound quality terrific; Handoff is simply brilliant; Deep integration with OS;

Still rather expensive; Rivals are plentiful; Siri not as natural as other assistants; No native Spotify support;

The second-generation Apple HomePod looks similar to the original, but it costs $50 less and features a tweaked external design, improved audio functionality, and brand-new smart home powers to rival alternatives from Amazon and Google. While still pricey at $299, it brings a room-sensing feature that adjusts audio on the fly, seamless integration with the Apple TV 4K, and plays nice with both HomeKit and Matter smart home devices. And sonically, it delivers impressively rich bass depth for its size and can be paired with a second speaker for true stereo audio. While the second-gen HomePod isn't flawless, it's a well-designed product that earns our Editors' Choice award for Apple-first smart speakers.Simple Design Choices Available in Midnight or White, the cylindrical, 5.2-pound HomePod measures 6.6 inches by 5.6 inches (HW). The speaker has a textured wraparound grille with an intricate mesh pattern. The exterior surface has a little bit of give to it, sort of like stiff memory ...

Apple's second-generation HomePod carries over the elegant design from the original, but improves the audio and smart home experiences to better compete with speakers from Amazon and Google.

Rich bass response and clear highs; Room-sensing audio; Strong mic clarity; HomeKit and Matter support; Temperature and humidity sensors

Expensive; No user-customizable EQ; Matter setup issues in testing

Fantastic sound and strong Spatial Audio representation; Removable power cable; Small and compact;

Strangely slow in some situations; You need to be an Apple user to get the most out of it; Not overly different from the previous version;

Excellent sound quality; Dolby Atmos & Spatial Audio; Mics pick up voices well; Lossless streaming;

Siri is bad; Must use Apple Music for voice; No line in port; Limited EQ options;

As I write this, the new Apple HomePod hasn’t even hit store shelves, and I’m already seeing a lot of snarky opinions about it. I get the skepticism: It’s an expensive smart speaker in a market flooded with more affordable options that are “good enough” for most folks. The original version was a hard sell, and it at least appears that this version might be, too. But what the premature punditry fails to consider is the powerhouse potential that could be unleashed when you pair two HomePods together. In this review, I’ll cover what’s new in the second-generation HomePod for posterity. But instead of droning on about whether a standalone HomePod or even a house full of HomePods makes sense for most people, I want to talk about what I experienced when I paired two new HomePods together and mated them to an Apple TV 4K and a Sony A95K QD-OLED TV because, folks, the experience was downright magical. On paper, it may not appear there’s a whole lot new about the second-generation HomePod. But ...

Great sound quality; Incredible bass performance; Dazzling Spatial Audio surround; Plug and Play wireless; Slick design;

Limited connection options; No direct Spotify playback;

As I write this, the new Apple HomePod hasn’t even hit store shelves, and I’m already seeing a lot of snarky opinions about it. I get the skepticism: It’s an expensive smart speaker in a market flooded with more affordable options that are “good enough” for most folks. The original version was a hard sell, and it at least appears that this version might be, too. But what the premature punditry fails to consider is the powerhouse potential that could be unleashed when you pair two HomePods together. In this review, I’ll cover what’s new in the second-generation HomePod for posterity. But instead of droning on about whether a standalone HomePod or even a house full of HomePods makes sense for most people, I want to talk about what I experienced when I paired two new HomePods together and mated them to an Apple TV 4K and a Sony A95K QD-OLED TV because, folks, the experience was downright magical. On paper, it may not appear there’s a whole lot new about the second-generation HomePod. But ...

Great sound quality; Incredible bass performance; Dazzling Spatial Audio surround; Plug and Play wireless; Slick design;

Limited connection options; No direct Spotify playback;

Excelente calidad de sonido; Dolby Atmos y audio espacial; Los micrófonos cogen bien el sonido; Streaming sin pérdida;

Hay que mejorar Siri; Debe usarse Apple Music para controlar por voz; No hay línea de entrada de audio; Opciones del ecualizador limitadas;