The Apple HomePod is the company’s first and only smart speaker, and it has some of the highest sound quality of any smart speaker. To learn more about the Apple HomePod smart speaker, read the following Apple HomePod review.
Apple HomePod Review
Price
In the first part of the Apple HomePod review, we will refer to its price. At launch, the pricing was a hefty $349 / £319 / AU$499. However, you can generally purchase it for less these days, with prices ranging from $299 / £279 / AU$469 on average.
Design
It wouldn’t be an Apple product if the design and build quality didn’t stand out, and the HomePod’s design and build quality did. The entire outside, according to Apple, is made of a plastic mesh that allows all sounds to pass through without being distorted.
A Siri light display on what a touch-sensitive layer is can be found at the top. This may be used to mute or activate Siri, as well as control volume, play, pause, and skip tracks. A single power cord is attached to the back, which is constructed of a durable outer material for protection and a nice finish. Because it’s hefty, the spherical leg at the bottom is silicone to ensure it doesn’t damage whatever it’s laid on.
The HomePod is barely 5.5 pounds despite being 6.8 inches tall and 5.6 inches broad (2.5kg). However, the heavier the audio equipment, the better. This is the case here, with a high excursion woofer with special amplifiers, seven tweeters with bespoke amplifiers, and a six-microphone array being used to compute the weight.
The only essential feature lacking is a 3.5mm audio output, which isn’t necessary given the excellent sound quality. With Bluetooth 5.0, this will be well-proven in the future and may work with devices other than Apple’s.
Features
Assuming you’re an Apple customer (with iOS 11.2.5 installed), setting up the HomePod is a breeze. Simply place your iPhone or iPad near the top panel of the speaker, and it will display on your screen. Select the room you’ll be using it in, allow personal requests, and tap again to transfer your preferences, and the HomePod will be ready to use.
Surprisingly, there isn’t a specific app for the HomePod on iOS. There are a few settings in the Home app, and you can bounce back and forth between tracks and adjust the volume via the Apple Music app, but this is essentially a hands-off, voice-controlled user experience, with all the benefits and drawbacks that entails.
The big plus is that Siri performs admirably here. In the run-up to debut, Apple clearly tuned it for music, and when combined with Apple Music’s superior curation engine, it allows for engaging musical experiences.
These features, when combined with the numerous ways you can issue a command or ask an inquiry, result in natural and beneficial interactions with Siri.
It’s worth noting that HomePod is capable of hearing your commands over the loudest music, even when you can barely hear your own voice, and it’s now even better for busy households with multiple family members using the smart speaker, thanks to iOS 13’s ability for HomePod to distinguish between different voices and provide a more personalized experience.
Siri can do more than just play music; it can also control your lighting and heating, read and respond to messages, locate movie tickets, read news headlines, and perform a variety of other tasks. However, the focus is on music, which we support.
Audio performance
To put it simply, the Apple HomePod’s audio quality is exceptional. It easily fills a room and clearly separates all aspects of music tracks.
When positioned against a wall, it’s at its best, breaking apart the sounds beautifully and allowing aspects like voices to come through with remarkable width.
The bass, in particular, is powerful, yet the audio is stable, as are most of the noises coming from the speaker, with sharp notes clipping nicely. Electronica, in particular, provided a lot of clarity, while bass guitar tones added a tiny reverberation to the sound — anyone with an untrained ear will be blown away.
When you ask Siri to play at full volume on the HomePod, Siri will ask if you are sure you want to do that. And if a music has any sound effects, such as water splashing, rain, or a faux-vinyl sound, the clarity is outstanding.
