Apple HomePod 2nd Gen (2023)

Great sound quality Incredible bass performance Dazzling Spatial Audio surround Plug and Play wireless Slick design

Limited connection options No direct Spotify playback

“A pair of HomePods make a formidable home entertainment powerhouse.”

Stunning audio ; Works perfectly with Apple TV ; Now a proficient home hub

Bass can be a bit much ; Requires other Apple products ; Too tall to sit under your TV

The second-generation HomePod provides jaw-dropping audio, whether listening to music or watching films through the Apple TV, and it only gets better with two of them. If you've already bought into the Apple ecosystem, this provides a premium...

Rich bass response and clear highs ; Room-sensing audio ; Strong mic clarity ; HomeKit and Matter support ; Temperature and humidity sensors

Expensive ; No user-customizable EQ ; Matter setup issues in testing

Apple's second-generation HomePod carries over the elegant design from the original, but improves the audio and smart home experiences to better compete with speakers from Amazon and Google.

A promising smart home hub via HomeKit and Matter ; Two can form a stereo pair ; Supports AirPlay 2 for multi-room audio ; Supports Dolby Atmos

Lots of other speakers sound better and cost less ; Limited support for high-res music-streaming services beyond Apple Music ; You need two for the best audio performance ; You can’t add a subwoofer or rear surround channels

Apple’s second-generation HomePod is an improvement over the first and it costs less, but it will only be of interest to iOS users. Even then, it’s not the strongest smart home hub, nor is it the best speaker for music and movies in its price class.

Good wireless TV speakers + virtual center ; Great for music ; Neutral & balanced sound ; Automatic room calibration ; Flexible volume control

Requires Apple TV 4K ; No up-firing units ; No options for surround expansion

An outstanding speaker, audio performance out of this world, but still lacking true smarts.

Then there’s the matter of price. The HomePod (2nd generation) costs $299, which is a good deal more than its competition; if you wanted to create a stereo pair, you’re looking at $600. The HomePod 2 is a great smart speaker, but you’ll want to think...

The moment I first heard a pair of the new Apple HomePod speakers play spatial audio, I could not get one thought out of my mind: This is going to be more than good enough for 90+ percent of listeners. Of course there will still be a place in this...