European HomePod mini buyers must now pay more for the same speaker

HomePod mini touch panel illuminated
(Image credit: Luke Filipowicz / iMore)

Buyers of the HomePod mini in some European countries are now having to pay more for the same speaker thanks to stealth price increases.

Apple’s launch of the 2nd-generation HomePod also saw an increase in the price that Europeans have to pay to get its smaller cousin, with prices going up around 10% across the board.

The HomePod mini’s price increase comes after Apple also increased the price of the iMac in the UK by £150.

Going up!

The price increases appear to be relatively minor, but they’re large in terms of the percentage of the original asking price. For example, the HomePod mini previously sold for £89/€99 across Europe, but buyers must now hand over £99/€109.

MacRumors reported that the price increase affects the UK, Austria, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. In addition, the new price also reflects that of other European countries that only received the HomePod mini recently, including Belgium, Sweden, and others.

It’s important to note that this price increase doesn’t also come with new hardware, however, and is merely a price hike for those looking to buy a HomePod mini in the affected countries. 

The HomePod mini, arguably the best wireless speaker for most people, will at least get new software features soon. The upcoming HomePod Software 16.3 update will support the humidity and temperature sensors already hidden inside the miniature speakers.

The HomePod Software 16.3 is set to be made available to the public alongside IOS 16.3 sometime next week, although an exact release date hasn’t been given.

For those looking to pick up Apple’s returning HomePod, that’s available for pre-order right now and will go on sale starting February 3.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.