With HomeKit and AirPlay 2 integration, the HomePod can be accessed in the Home app and paired with other AirPlay 2 speakers for multiroom audio. HomePod also works with the Apple TV 4K and can be used as an Apple TV speaker system and its connected peripherals using eARC. Two HomePods can be paired together for stereo support, but the second-generation HomePod cannot be paired with the original model in this way. The HomePod integrates with Apple Music and features built-in Siri support, but it is also compatible with third-party music services that have added HomePod support. The HomePod supports Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos for music and video, for sound that seems to come from all around you.Īpple says that the HomePod is able to offer rich, deep bass and stunning high frequencies, with directional control enabled through the tweeters. It has fewer tweeters than the prior-generation model, and there is a four-microphone design for use with Siri, two fewer microphones than before.Īn S7 chip first used in the Apple Watch Series 7 powers the HomePod, and it uses spatial awareness, room sensing and advanced computational audio to adjust the music in real time for the environment it is in. It includes a five-tweeter array with each tweeter outfitted with its own driver, and an Apple-designed 4-inch high-excursion woofer for crisp, clear, distortion free sound even at loud volumes. Sound quality is Apple's main focus with the larger HomePod, though it also serves as a home hub for HomeKit and Matter. Siri does not actively monitor what's being said in the room until the magic words are spoken, and all communication between Siri and Apple's servers is anonymous and encrypted. There is an interactive touch screen at the top of the HomePod that supports music playback gestures and lets you know when Siri has been activated and is listening to a command.

Compared to the original HomePod, the second-generation model is the same width, but just 0.2 inches shorter. The second-generation HomePod looks similar to the original and has the same $299 price tag, but it includes new features that make it a more worthwhile purchase.Īvailable in white and midnight color options, the HomePod features a compact, round design and it is covered in a 3D mesh fabric selected for its acoustic properties. Apple in January 2023 introduced the second-generation HomePod, with the speaker coming almost two years after the original HomePod was discontinued.

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