Along with the new iPhone 12 series, Apple also announced the more affordable Siri-powered smart speaker HomePod Mini. HomePod Mini costs just $99 (Rs. 9,990) in India. Now when consumers have an affordable option, they want to know what they could miss if they buy the HomePod Mini in place of HomePod. In this article, I will tell you the difference between HomePod and HomePod Mini. Home Pod Mini is smaller and also packs a lower configuration to cut the cost. Before I talk adopt these two in detail, check the side by side specs comparison of HomePod Mini and HomePod.
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HomePod mini vs HomePod
| HomePod Mini | HomePod | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions (inches) | 3.3 x 3.9 | 6.8 x 5.6 |
| Weight (pounds) | 0.76 | 5.5 |
| Processor | S5 | A8 |
| Speakers | Full-range driver and dual passive radiators, Custom acoustic waveguide | High-excursion woofer with a custom amplifier, 7 horn-loaded tweeters with custom amplifiers. |
| Microphone Array | 4 | 6 |
| Connectivity | 802.11n Wi-Fi Bluetooth 5.0 Thread Ultra-Wideband | 802.11ac Wi-Fi Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Colors | White, Space Gray | White, Space Gray |
| Price | $99 | $299 |
HomePod Mini is smaller as compared to HomePod. HomePod Mini has 3.3 inches in height as compared to HomePod that is 6.8 inches tall. HomePod is cylindrical in shape, while the HomePod is spherical. Both the speakers feature a backlit control surface on top.
HomePod can do 5.1, 7.1, and Atmos sound output while HomePod Mini cannot. HomePod Mini has fewer speakers than in the HomePod. The HomePod has a high-excursion woofer along with a collection of seven beamforming tweeters. Each speaker has its own custom amplifier. HomePod Mini has a single full-range driver that covers both deep bass sounds and crisp high frequencies. Switching from multiple separate speakers to one has dropped the audio quality. Apple has included force-canceling passive radiators to create bass extension so your experience with HomePod mini remains good.
Apple has also used a trick in design, so the speaker can produce 360-degree audio from a single speaker.
HomePod doesn’t have an Ultra Wide Band chip while HomePod mini has. Ultra Wide Band lets iOS devices sense when other UWB packed device is near to enable faster data transfer and more accurate location tracking.
HomePod supports 802.11ac while HomePod mini features 802.11n. Audio streaming doesn’t need large bandwidth, so this change doesn’t affect much. Both speakers come with Bluetooth 5.0. HomePod Mini also supports Thread, a smart mesh networking standard, that lets multiple HomePod Mini to connect to each other and communicate.
HomePod comes with six microphones around the device to pick up the sound. It also features echo and noise cancellation processing for perfectly picking Siri commands. HomePod Mini has four microphones. Three points outward for coverage and fourth points inward to isolate sound from speaker sound.
HomePod uses the A8 chip that was also used in iPhones while HomePod mini uses the newer S5 chip. The S5 chip was also used in Watch Series 5 and has a good ability to play and process audio. S5 chip has improved power-efficiency but that doesn’t matter because speakers will be connected to power outlets.
HomePod is still much better than HomePod Mini, but HomePod Mini also has some features that aren’t available in HomePod. Both speakers use advanced software and computational audio to better sound, good dynamic range, and optimize loudness. If you want to use it in a big room, go with the original HomePod otherwise HomePod Mini is also an awesome pick on a low budget. HomePod aims at audiophiles who want better sound along with Siri and smart home control. HomePod Mini’s Intercom feature and support to more music streaming services make it a good deal.
