Announced in October 2020, HomePod mini arrives in Italy today.
The small wireless speaker costs 99 euros and is available in five colors.
Already on sale in stores, from 25 November it will also be possible to order online, with delivery in the following days.
The speaker echoes the features of the original HomePod, but in a smaller size.
Just over 8 cm high, on the top it integrates a touch surface, with the volume keys, which shows the typical Siri gradation colors when the voice commands are activated. Right in the vicinity of the volume, Apple has integrated the possibility, through the Ultra Wideband (U1) chip present from the iPhone 11 onwards, to transfer the sound from the phone to the speaker simply by approaching them, without the need for further settings. Despite the size, the audio part has been treated in detail by the Cupertino giant, which has created a 360-degree music and voice diffusion system. What's more, multiple HomePod minis can be paired in different rooms to play audio from the same source, more or less what the competition from Alexa and Google can do with their respective smart speakers.
On board there is Wi-Fi, to obtain information and news in real time, even if the connection with iPhone, iPad and Mac takes place via AirPlay, Apple's proprietary support.
As the company is keen to point out, HomePod mini is made sustainably, preferring recycled rare earths for both the chassis and the speaker.
The fabric is made from 90% recycled plastic while the quantity of wood fibers used in the packaging is 100% from sustainably managed forests.