Apple Home Pod (2nd Generation) review:

Apple Home Pod (2nd Generation) review: The best speaker in Apple’s catalog The new Home Pod is Apple’s top-of-the-line smart speaker, equipped with five tweeters, a 4” inch high-excursion woofer, and four microphones for picking up Siri Voice Commands. It supports spatial audio with Dolby Atmos and automatically tunes itself to room acoustics when you move it. An additional internal mic is used to tune bas response.

Design-wise, it’s similar to the original Home Pod, but some key differences exist. The Home Pod (2nd Generation) has fewer tweeters and two fewer Siri mics, which may be excused by the lower asking price – the 1st Gen Home Pod started at $349. It’s marginally smaller as well, at 6.6 Inches tall versus 6.8, and its touch control/response light panel has been recessed. The power cord is now detachable in case you need a replacement, and its processor has been upgraded from an A8 to an S7 (the chip in the Apple Watch Series 7).

Color options include White and Midnight shades, the latter similar to the pure black for the original, except that it’s silvery in bright light. If you pick White, be sure to put some sort of protection under the base — while I tested the Midnight color, reports say that Apple still hasn’t solved the tendency of white Home Pods to stain wood surfaces. Feature-wise, the Home Pod 2 has gained temperature and humidity sensors, out-of-the-box Matter support, and a Thread radio for connecting compatible accessories. Since both Matter and Thread are only just picking up steam, the extra sensors may be the most (immediately) relevant smart home addition, enabling climate-based Home Kit automation without a separate sensor, such as triggering a fan or dehumidifier. If you like, though, you can just ask Siri about the temperature or humidity of the room your Home Pod is in. Speaking of Siri, it’s worth reiterating that Home Pods are for Apple users only. You need an iPhone or iPad for setup, and settings are managed via the Apple Home app. Likewise, while you can use Siri voice control for a few third-party music/podcast services such as Pandora, Deezer, and Tune In, it defaults to Apple Music and Apple Podcasts, and Spotify remains conspicuously absent. There are workarounds to listen to Spotify on a Home Pod, but you’ll have to use Airplay casting every time. If you are immersed in the Apple ecosystem, note that the Home Pod is one of a handful of devices that can act as a Home Kit hub for managing automation, Matter, and remote access. You can pair one or two Home Pods with an Apple 4K for wireless TV audio. The latter’s HDMI ARC or eARC allows Home Pods to output all of your TV’s audio.