HomePod mini plays Apple sound for a rikiki price

HomePod mini: we tested the small Apple speaker sold for 99 euros -

• Announced during the iPhone 12 presentation keynote on October 13, Apple's HomePod mini speaker is now on sale at 99 euros, a tight price for a device from the Apple brand.

• "20 Minutes" tested the HomePod mini, which turns out to be a good wired speaker for small spaces or as part of a multiroom setup.

• At 99 euros also, the competing speakers Nest Audio from Google and Echo 4 from Amazon nevertheless produce a more muscular sound.

Patience paid off.

Two and a half years after its first HomePod speaker, Apple is back with the HomePod mini, announced during Tim Cook's keynote on October 13.

Small and accessible (99 euros, almost the price of an accessory at Apple!), The wired speaker wants to invest our interiors with the promise of quality sound, but also that of a personal assistant more responsive and efficient than previously.

"Hey SIRI, what's the HomePod mini worth?"

"...

The HomePod mini speaker is just 84.3mm tall.

- APPLE

In the Apple universe only

She doesn't betray her name.

Apple's HomePod mini speaker is really small.

With its 84.3 mm height, it is the size of an… apple!

If the connected speaker fits in the palm of your hand (345 g), it remains wired.

Its cable covered with braided fabric measures 1.40 m, which allows you to put the speaker almost where you want.

It is available in black or white, a color that can get messy over time.

And the HomePod mini is used in the Apple universe.

You therefore need an iPhone or an iPad to configure it.

So, we used an iPhone 12 Pro to test the speaker.

As with an Apple Watch, it suffices to bring the smartphone close to the device to be instantly recognized and configured.

The HomePod mini speaker does not need more than 3 minutes to install.

We salute Apple, but also Amazon and Google who, for pairing their Echo and Nest Audio speakers with mobile devices, have simplified handling to the extreme.

And you can immediately send sound.

"Hey Siri, play

by Lana Del Rey".

Particularly polished voices

Surprise, despite its rikiki size, the mini has a bit of a trunk.

Another try.

"Hey Siri, play

by Gaëtan Roussel".

Confirmation, the speaker has a lot under the hood.

Be careful, we can not compare its sound performance, neither in terms of audio quality, nor in terms of volume or space occupation with more opulent speakers.

But the observation is there: the HomePod mini has a real acoustic quality.

Our numerous listenings (from The Smashing Pumpkins for pop, to Gecko Turner for Latin music, via Tom Walker in acoustics and a good little Al Green in nostalgic mode!) Testify that the device knows how to particularly take care of the register of mediums, therefore voices.

This is all the more important since in the days of audio podcasts, the small speaker placed on a desk corner or nightstand can perfectly fulfill this function.

A foray into the world of jazz with Emmet Cohen - a great discovery - does not disappoint, either.

HomePod mini should first be for small rooms.

- CAPTURE

You can increase the volume of the speaker (manually with the + and - keys on the top of the device, or by asking Siri) without the sound saturating.

At the helm, Apple's S5 chip manages the equalization (on which it is impossible to intervene), and does it well.

According to the manufacturer, the audio stream is analyzed and optimized 180 times per second.

Non-deactivatable microphones

The HomePod mini speaker incorporates a wideband speaker (capable of reproducing the entire sound spectrum) facing down, as well as two so-called “passive” radiators facing the sides.

On either side, deflectors widen the sound diffusion.

If there is no question here of a 360 ° sound (we would more like a radiant sound), it is clear that the HomePod mini knows how to fill its space.

A downward-facing full-range loudspeaker and two passive radiators for sound.

- CAPTURE

Whether you're on one side of the speaker or the other, the sound comes to us the same way.

The device has four microphones (not deactivatable, unlike those of Android connected speakers).

HomePod mini on all floors

With the HomePod mini, Apple's idea is also to support the user towards multiroom sound.

At 99 euros per enclosure, it may be possible to integrate several, little by little, into its interior without necessarily breaking the bank.

When configuring, simply choose the room where the desired speaker will be installed.

This will allow when the time comes either to play the same score in each room, or to play music here, a radio station there, etc.

And if you don't want the HomePod mini scattered around the house you have to squeal in unoccupied rooms, you can also ask when you are in the dining room and pass into the kitchen : "Hey, Siri, send to the kitchen".

The music will change rooms.

Good point, some compatible equipment, such as Sonos speakers, can integrate this eco-system.

And if you have an Apple Watch, you can even control each speaker by pressing the watch face by choosing which room you want your music to be played in.

Fun little tip: the speaker has an intercom function.

“Hey Siri, 'it's time to go' intercom” and the networked speakers will call the troops back.

Let's give back to César: this already exists among the competitors ...

Finally, it is possible to pair two HomePod mini in stereo (via the Apple Home application).

This option, which we were able to test, offers the sound a greater opening, with a significantly increased spatialization.

In a kitchen, the integrated SIRI assistant can be called in to help with the stoves.

- CAPTURE

Little tip.

You're playing music on a HomePod mini and about to leave your home.

Bring your iPhone closer to the speaker so that the current listening can continue.

This little trick seemed particularly interesting to us when we went to work with headphones on!

And it also works in reverse: listening to an iPhone can be transferred to the speaker just as easily (when you come home from work ... if you don't telecommute!).

Competition plays harder

The price of 99 euros for this speaker (against 329 euros for its elder HomePod) seems justified.

We even found it surprisingly tight for an Apple product.

Which product is well thought out, with a real and controlled sound quality, and an environment conducive to seduce fans of the apple brand.

Make no mistake though: for the same price, Google's Nest Audio speakers and Amazon's Echo 4 sound louder.

Where the HomePod mini will easily add sound to an office, bedroom or kitchen, its connected rivals will be more comfortable in a room with a larger surface area, such as a dining room.

Their personal assistants Google Assistant and Alexa do a lot more as well.

Apple's assistant, Siri, is making progress, that's indisputable.

It is faster, understands better, but it does not yet make the maximum.

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