When the first-generation HomePod was released in 2018, I did not rush to get it because of the many negative reviews about it.
But now, the second generation is so good that I’ve gotten TWO of them, and I’ve also gotten the HomePod Mini and even the Apple TV 4K.
Why? Because once you combine all of them, this becomes the Ultimate Smart Home Setup with HomeKit, and here’s how.
HomePod
Now let’s start with this new 2nd-generation HomePod. Since I was a user of HomePod Mini, functionality-wise, I was very well aware of its capabilities.
And if you’re not familiar with what it does, well, it is essentially Apple’s very own smart speaker, which you can activate by saying, “Hey Siri, use AirPlay” to cast your music if you’re physically away from the speaker…
…or use the Handoff feature to transfer the music playback from your iPhone to the speaker or even phone calls as well, thanks to its S7 chip.
So yeah, while I was already familiar with and used to all of these features already, what made me go with this bigger variant? Of course, it’s the sound quality.
Because when it comes to the sound projection, I was indeed blown away by its audio performance. While many talk about how the bass was one of the best and probably the deciding factor in going with this HomePod over the Sonos ERA 100 that I have reviewed, thanks to the HomePod’s high excursion woofer with a very satisfying thump of the bass.
However, one very interesting fact is that the higher frequency also projected very well. So that made me curious on how was this possible.
And then, I found out why, because something that a lot of typical bookshelf-type speakers do is place the tweeters at the top of the speakers, but this HomePod places it at the bottom instead.
So these five beam-forming tweeters are really optimized for the overall treble sounds, such as the plucking of guitar strings and similar instruments with a higher frequency range.
Now, what’s also extremely lovely is their room-sensing capabilities where no matter where you place the HomePod, whether it’s right in the middle of the room or near the wall, it senses the environment within seconds to produce and project the best sound quality accordingly.
So in terms of sound quality, it’s surely very much improved compared to the previous generation.
But Adam, why get two, so much money? Yeah, well, that is a simple answer, and that is because of the stereo-pairing capabilities.
And here’s where the listening experience of the HomePod blew me away even further as the stereo separation was amazing. And if you love watching Dolby Atmos content on your TV, these speakers are able to fill your room very well, even here in our living room studio. And I’ll discuss my TV experience with the Apple TV later on.
Then the acoustic transparent material surrounding the speaker also made the speaker look very unique to the point that Sony decided to follow a similar look with the LF-S50G, which I personally did not like how that sound.
And speaking of looks, it comes in two colors which is Midnight and also in White.
HomePod Mini
Next, let me tell you why I got the HomePod Mini. Well, this is not only because I already loved it to the point where I got two at home, but I wanted to really experience the multi-room audio here in the new studio by placing the HomePod Mini in the second level up here in this room too.
In terms of functionality, you get exactly what I’ve mentioned in the HomePod. However, the room sensing tech is not available in the HomePod Mini. But one huge thing worth mentioning is the extremely quick response time, both on the HomePod and this HomePod Mini, thanks to its far-field microphones.
So whether or not it’s asking Siri something or even performing smart home commands like turning off the lights, it was notably faster than the Google Home and the Amazon Echo.
I almost mentioned Samsung because remember the Galaxy Home? I really wonder if that will really come out.
Compared to my HomePod Mini at home in Midnight, I went with the white color variant instead, just for the sake of having a different colored version of the Mini. And while there are many other colors to choose from, I love how this had no fingerprints or any dust visibility on this particular white color variant of the HomePod Mini.
Then another key feature that both the 2nd-generation HomePod and this HomePod Mini have is the built-in temperature and humidity sensor, that way, I can easily read both of these levels either by asking Siri, or you can find it in the HomeKit app as well, which is the next topic that I’ll talk about next.
HomeKit
So, HomeKit, if you did not know, is Apple’s smart home ecosystem, similar to what you expect on Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home, this is compatible with all of Apple’s software ecosystem.
However, with the introduction of Matter, it has even widened the device compatibility of HomeKit to join other amazing brands like Yeelight, Yeelight Pro, Eufy, Aqara, and more.
Since we moved to a new studio, I wanted to have another HomeKit setup here as well, like how I had my setup at home. And since the HomePod and the Apple TV are also HomeKit hubs as it is Thread-enabled, I had to integrate that into my studio as well.
Now, before I go into my use case scenario with HomeKit on Apple TV, specifically for my iPhone, iPad, and the Mac, I can view my entire smart home devices with HomeKit over there.
From the new D200i Aqara Smart Door Lock to my fully equipped Yeelight Pro setup, it is all inside the HomeKit app as well, other than their own native apps.
So yes, I can easily view all of the devices and control them, create automations, scenes, and easily arrange them by rooms too. And speaking of this Yeelight Pro setup, I’ll do an in-depth tour of the entire studio on which exact Yeelight Pro lights that I’m using.
Apple TV 4K
Then finally, let’s talk about the Apple TV. So the main reason I got another Apple TV in the studio is because of its HomeKit capabilities on the Apple TV OS.
You can view your camera’s feed over there and even get notifications when the studio door is opened or closed. That comes in very handy especially while the boys are chilling between their work, knowing that I’m in the studio, they can pretend to go back to work… (just kidding, I love you guys!)
Other than that, as a longtime user of the Apple TV at home, even with different OSs available on TVs, I still default to using the Apple TV together with the Apple TV remote, which you can use the Apple TV remote to turn on and turn off your TV too.
Now, the interface and the apps available are also very optimized, whether or not it’s for regular streaming apps like Disney+ Hotstar, or even gaming apps via Apple Arcade.
And speaking of Disney+ Hotstar, here’s where I will track back to let you know on how all of the Dolby Atmos content over here was truly amazing with a pair of the HomePods too.
Then finally, if you haven’t tried Apple Music Sing, oh my God, it is totally addictive!
It lets you karaoke to your heart’s content on Apple Music with the lyrics being shown and you can adjust the vocal volume over there too. And since this feature has already been out for quite a while, the list of songs available is getting more.
Conclusion
So those are the reasons why I’ve got this combination of devices; the good news is that the Apple HomePod and the HomePod Mini are officially available in Apple’s official distributors, priced at RM1,549 (HomePod 2nd Gen) and RM529 (HomePod Mini).
And if you’d like to see the full potential of what HomeKit can do, check out my HomeKit house tour video over here: https://youtu.be/AwCkqVjMyWs
