If you're looking for a smart speaker to add to your home and you're all-in on Apple services and HomeKit, the HomePod is the right choice for you. The high-quality speaker comes in two sizes, the original room-filling HomePod and more compact HomePod mini, with a few key differences.
The original HomePod came out way back in 2018 with the smaller (and cheaper) HomePod mini being released in late 2020. Apple officially discontinued the original HomePod in 2021, though it is still available while supplies last.
Both models can be used with Apple Music and as a HomeKit smart home hub. The larger model may be overkill for many people in terms of volume and audiophile-level sound quality, plus the price might put it out of reach for those simply looking for an affordable speaker for streaming music and smart home controls.
In addition to music streaming and smart home stuff, you can ask Siri to set timers, check the weather, play a podcast, ask for information, set reminders, and even access your messages or initiate phone calls. With multiple HomePod devices around your home, you'll be able to get multi-room audio going easily or add two to the same room for stereo sound.
Here's a breakdown of current HomePod deals and prices.
| Model | Regular Price | Best Price | Current Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| HomePod mini | $99 | $89 | $99 at Apple |
| HomePod | $299 | $199.99 | $298 at OWC |
We've rounded up the best HomePod and HomePod mini deals that you can find around the web below. Be sure to check out the list and give one of them a try today!
Best HomePod Mini Deals
Apple's HomePod mini debuted in fall 2020 as a compact and more affordable alternative to the original HomePod. Despite being just over 3 inches tall, the HomePod mini is still a great speaker with a balanced and surprisingly loud sound, but its smaller form and cheaper price make it easier to justify picking up a few for different spaces around your home.
Best HomePod Deals
Apple's full-sized HomePod has been officially discontinued by Apple but it is still available to buy while supplies last. The discontinuation hasn't caused a fire sale, though. In fact, quite the opposite. HomePod prices have risen since the news that it is soon to become available was made official.
The original HomePod pumps out impressive high-fidelity audio with the subwoofer and seven tweeter array, and it has spatial awareness with support for your Apple TV 4K audio, and works great as a HomeKit hub and Siri voice control device.
HomePod vs HomePod mini: Which HomePod deal should you buy?
The original HomePod came out back in 2018 and has now officially been discontinued, though you can still buy it through Apple and third-party retailers where supplies allow. It launched as Apple's answer to the Amazon Echo and other smart speakers that were growing in popularity, but it focused on music and sound quality specifically rather than smart home capabilities. The first-gen HomePod features a high-excursion woofer with an array of seven tweeters, plus spatial awareness to fine-tune the output, so the audio quality is high-fidelity and rich. It works with Apple Music as well as other streaming services and it can even be used as a part of your home theater setup with Apple TV.
Being older, it is more dated. Internally it runs on Apple's A8 system-on-a-chip which was already a several years old chip at the time it launched (though sufficient to run an audio-only device) and it is possible that support for the device could be dropped in the near future, worth considering when you are thinking of which HomePod to buy.
HomePod mini is Apple's newest smart speaker, having launched in 2020, and is more akin to an Amazon Echo Dot in terms of size. It doesn't pack the same level of punch in audio quality as the original, but it's still a fantastic smart speaker with its single full-range driver and dual passive radiators. While you don't get spatial awareness or home theater with Apple TV 4K support like the regular HomePod, you still get multiroom audio and the ability to create stereo pairs.
In terms of smart features, both HomePod devices do effectively the same thing with access to Siri, Intercom, as well as serving as a hub and control point for your HomeKit accessories, and more. The newer HomePod mini is also the first Apple device that features Thread, a low-power mesh networking technology for internet-of-things devices.
HomePod Price Tracking
HomePod sales are fairly rare, though the original model did see some significant savings around Black Friday in 2019, dropping as low as $200. Those sorts of prices have not returned since and 2020's holiday season didn't bring around any similar sales.
The HomePod mini is already more affordable at $99 and is much newer, having been on the market for just a few months, so hasn't had as much opportunity for discounting. The lowest we have seen it go so far is $89, just $10 off its retail price.
