Buy the $149 HomePod mini 2 if you want a speaker for your Mac or a room. Pay $299 for the tabletop HomeView only if you want Siri AI on a screen from day one. Skip the wall model.
Buy the $149 HomePod mini 2 if you want a speaker for your desk or a room. It ships October 30 and can be the default speaker for your Mac. Pay $299 for the tabletop HomeView only if you want a screen that runs Siri AI from day one, and only if you live in one of the eight countries where Apple sells it.
Skip the wall-mounted HomeView. It costs the same, sounds thinner, and needs at least $59.95 of extras before it’s on the wall.
How I picked
Apple announced both devices on October 13, and neither has shipped. I haven’t used either one, and nobody has published a full review yet. This guide is a preorder decision built on Apple’s newsroom posts and spec pages, plus two walkthroughs of the fine print: MacRumors’ summary of the event and 9to5Mac’s video on the details Apple left out of its presentation. I’ll update it once real reviews land. For the full list of what Apple announced, including the new Apple TV 4K and the LG-built cameras and lock, see my news piece on the event.
I’m judging both for the way I’d use them: a desk with a MacBook Pro, a home where calls run all day, and a phone that stays in my pocket. Prices are US prices.
The two side by side
| HomeView (tabletop) | HomeView (wall) | HomePod mini 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $299 | $299 + mount from $59.95 | $149 |
| Ships | Nov 13 | Nov 13 | Oct 30 |
| Screen | 7-inch, 1088 × 1088, 500 nits | Same | None |
| Speakers | 2 full-range drivers, woofer, 2 passive radiators | 2 drivers | 360-degree sound |
| Camera | 12MP Center Stage | 12MP Center Stage | None |
| Siri AI | Beta at launch, English only | Beta at launch, English only | Later, in a software update |
| Mac speaker | Not listed | Not listed | Yes, on Wi-Fi 6E Macs |
| Recognizes | Up to 6 faces | Up to 6 faces | Up to 6 voices |
What each one is for
These two only overlap on music and smart home control. The HomeView is a small screen with a good speaker underneath. The HomePod mini 2 is a speaker with a light on top.
Pick the HomeView if you want to see things: a calendar from across the kitchen, a doorbell feed, a recipe, a FaceTime call with a camera that follows you around the room. Pick the HomePod mini 2 if you only want to hear things: music, a podcast, your Mac’s audio, a timer.
Best for most people: HomePod mini 2, $149
The new feature I’d use most is the least flashy one. Apple says the HomePod mini 2 can serve as the default speaker for a Mac with Wi-Fi 6E or later, alone or as a stereo pair. Every MacBook Pro since the M2 Pro models of early 2023 has Wi-Fi 6E, so most current desks qualify.
That’s a cleaner setup for long workdays. One speaker or a stereo pair sits next to the monitor, and music and video play from the desk while the Mac drives the screen. It fits a desk like the ones in my MacBook Pro monitor guide.
The rest of the list:
- Voice recognition for up to six people, so each person gets their own music and reminders.
- Sound Glow, where the top lights up in colors pulled from the album art.
- Four-speaker surround with the new $299 Apple TV 4K, using matching front and rear pairs.
- Alarm alerts. It listens for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and pings your iPhone.
- Home hub duty, so you can control accessories from the Home app away from home.
The catches are real. Siri AI isn’t on it at launch. Apple says it’s “coming to HomePod mini 2 in a future software update” and gives no date. The price went up from the original’s $99 to $149, and 9to5Mac’s read of the specs is that the acoustics barely changed. Apple published no driver details. You’re paying $50 more for new chips, new radios and features that arrive over time.
Best screen: HomeView tabletop, $299
This is the only device of the two that runs Siri AI on day one. It runs in beta, in English, in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, India, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa. Apple says it isn’t for sale in the EU at all.
The hardware is solid for $299: an A18 chip, a 7-inch 1088 × 1088 display at 220 pixels per inch that dims to 0.3 nits for a nightstand, a 12MP Center Stage camera, four microphones, Thread, and a temperature and humidity sensor. The base holds a down-firing woofer and two passive radiators, so it should sound fuller than a HomePod mini. Both MacRumors and 9to5Mac expect the same.
Face recognition is the headline. It knows up to six people and shows each one their own messages, calendar, reminders and Find My. Personal content only appears when it recognizes your face and your paired iPhone is nearby and was recently unlocked. At a desk that’s easy, because the phone is right there. In a busy kitchen, 9to5Mac points out, people walk past without their phones, and the screen falls back to shared content.
What I’d wait to see in reviews:
- Whether it fits work. Apple lists FaceTime with Center Stage. It hasn’t named Zoom, Teams or Meet, and 9to5Mac found no App Store on the device itself. For client calls I’d keep using the Mac with a close USB mic like my HyperX SoloCast or my AirPods Pro 3.
- How good the beta is. As MacRumors notes, Siri AI is still in beta on the iPhone too.
- What it will cost later. Apple’s fine print says server-side Apple Intelligence features have daily limits and that expanded access “will be available for a fee in the future.” That applies to the HomePod mini 2 too.
It needs wired power and has no battery. Setup requires an iPhone on iOS 27.2 or an iPad on iPadOS 27.2.
Why I’d skip the wall-mounted HomeView
It’s the same $299 for less. The wall version has two drivers and no woofer, weighs 286 grams to the tabletop’s 952, and ships with no cable or adapter. Schneider Home sells the mounts:
- USB-C wall connector: $299 + $59.95 = $358.95, plus a 20W or larger USB-C adapter if you don’t have one.
- AC wired: $299 + $79.95 = $378.95, and likely an electrician.
- Power over Ethernet: $299 + $129.95 = $428.95, and it doesn’t arrive until early 2027.
The cheapest wall install costs about $60 more than the tabletop model and sounds worse. Buy it only if counter space is the problem.
What it costs to do both
- One HomePod mini 2: $149.
- A stereo pair for your Mac: 2 × $149 = $298, a dollar less than one HomeView.
- A tabletop HomeView plus one HomePod mini 2 for another room: $299 + $149 = $448.
If the HomeView goes in the kitchen and you also want better sound at your desk, the $448 combination makes sense. If you’re choosing one, the pair of minis is the better desk upgrade and the HomeView is the better kitchen upgrade.
A note if you live in Brazil
I work from São Paulo, so I checked. Apple doesn’t sell the HomeView in Brazil, and its Siri AI language list for both devices is English only. Apple hasn’t said when Portuguese arrives on either one. A HomeView bought in the US and brought home would run Siri AI in English. Wait for an official launch.
My recommendation
Preorder the HomePod mini 2 if you want a speaker now, especially for your Mac. It’s $149, it ships first, and nothing about it depends on a beta. Wait for reviews before buying the HomeView. If you’re in a supported country, want a kitchen or nightstand screen, and are fine with Siri AI in beta, the tabletop model is the one to get. Leave the wall model for people with no counter space.
FAQ
Does the HomePod mini 2 have Siri AI?
Not at launch. Apple says Siri AI comes to the HomePod mini 2 in a future software update and hasn’t given a date. The HomeView runs it in beta from day one.
Can the HomePod mini 2 work as a speaker for my Mac?
Yes. Apple says it can be the default speaker for a Mac with Wi-Fi 6E or later, either as one speaker or a stereo pair.
Is the HomeView worth $299?
For a kitchen or nightstand screen with a good speaker, a camera and Siri AI, the price is reasonable for the hardware. It’s a first-generation product running beta software, so wait for reviews unless you want to be early.
Should I buy the tabletop or wall-mounted HomeView?
The tabletop. It costs the same, adds a woofer and two passive radiators, and comes with a cable and a 30W adapter. The wall model costs at least $358.95 once you add the cheapest mount.
Is the HomeView available in Brazil?
No. Apple sells it in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, India, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa. Siri AI on both devices is English only for now.