The HomePod mini 2 is up for pre-order in the UK at £149, and the feature Apple put in the headline isn't in the box. Siri AI arrives in a future software update, so on 30 October you get a faster chip, new colours and a glowing top, and the same Siri you have today. That changes the maths on whether to buy one, wait, or hunt down an old one.
I've been through Apple's UK store, the footnotes and the price history so you don't have to. Here's what the HomePod mini 2 actually costs a UK buyer, what it can and can't do next to an original mini, and who I think should press the pre-order button now.
HomePod mini 2 UK price: £149, and that's everywhere
Apple UK charges £149 in all five colours: white, pink, green, blue and midnight. Currys lists every colour at the same £149 on pre-order for release day, and Apple's education store doesn't knock anything off either. There's no cheaper way in at launch.
For context, the original HomePod mini launched at £99 in 2020. It sat there for years until Apple's June 2026 price rise took it to £129, as What Hi-Fi reported at the time. So the jump to the new model looks like this, by my maths:
- Against the original's £99 launch price: +£50, or 50.5% more
- Against the £129 the original cost this summer: +£20, or 15.5% more
- Against the full-size HomePod at £349: the mini 2 is 42.7% of the price
Most of that increase happened in June, not this week. If you were weighing up a mini at £129 over the summer, the new one is £20 more for a newer chip, Wi-Fi 6E and the features below.
What £149 gets you on day one
When it lands on 30 October, the HomePod mini 2 brings an S10 chip, the same one as the Apple Watch Series 10, plus Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 6, Thread and Ultra Wideband for handing music off from your iPhone. The size and shape haven't changed, so it still looks like the mini you know, just in brighter colours. MacRumors has the full spec rundown if you want every number.
The new tricks are these:
- Sound Glow. The top lights up in time with the music, with colours taken from the album art. Controlling it by voice needs an Apple Intelligence iPhone.
- Surround sound. Four HomePod mini 2s work with the new Apple TV 4K as matching front and rear pairs.
- Mac speaker. It can be the default speaker for a Mac, but only Macs with Wi-Fi 6E or later.
- Home sensing. Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm alerts, plus temperature and humidity sensors you can use in automations.
What it doesn't get on day one is Siri AI. Apple's own announcement says it's coming in a future software update, with no date attached.
Siri AI on HomePod mini 2: the UK is in, the timing isn't
Here's the bit most coverage skips if you're reading from the UK. When Siri AI does arrive on the HomePod mini 2, Apple lists the UK among the first countries, English only, alongside the US, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa. The EU isn't on the list, because Siri AI isn't available on iPhone or iPad there yet, which I covered in my piece on the Siri AI EU delay.
There are strings attached, though:
- The person who owns the home in the Home app needs an Apple Intelligence iPhone or iPad on the latest software, with Siri AI switched on.
- Personal requests, like your calendar or messages, need that kind of device too. Everyone else in the house still gets the general knowledge and more natural conversation.
- Some server-side features have daily usage limits, and Apple says it plans to charge for expanded access later.
That last point matters for the price. £149 buys you the speaker. It doesn't necessarily buy you unlimited Siri AI forever, and Apple hasn't said what any paid tier will cost or when it starts.
The original HomePod mini won't get Siri AI
If you were hoping an update would bring Siri AI to the mini already on your kitchen shelf, don't count on it. CNET first reported that the first-generation model would get it, then changed its article to say only the HomePod mini 2 will, as MacRumors spotted. Apple's fine print names the mini 2 and says nothing about the original.
There's another catch for anyone who already owns a mini. Apple's footnote says a stereo pair needs two speakers of the same model and generation, so an original mini and a mini 2 can't pair. The surround setup only accepts the mini 2 or the full-size HomePod (2nd generation) as well. Your old minis still work for multi-room audio and Home control, but they're shut out of the new tricks.
That's why I wouldn't chase old stock even if you spot it. Apple and Currys have both switched entirely to the mini 2, so any original you find will be leftover stock or second-hand. My break-even is simple: under £99 it's a decent music speaker and Home hub for a room you'll never pair. Anywhere near the £129 it cost this summer, the extra £20 for the mini 2 is the better buy.
HomePod mini 2 surround sound: what four of them really cost
Surround is the most interesting thing Apple added, and it's also where the UK price adds up quickly. You need four speakers plus the new fourth-generation Apple TV 4K, which is £299. I went through that box and its price in my Apple TV price UK post.
My maths for the two ways to build it:
- Four HomePod mini 2s at £149 plus Apple TV 4K at £299: £895
- Four HomePod (2nd generation) at £349 plus Apple TV 4K at £299: £1,695
The mini route is £800 cheaper. It also beats a pair of full-size HomePods: two of those cost £698 and only give you stereo, while four minis cost £596, which is £102 less for surround.
Bear in mind these are small speakers. Four little spheres won't move air like a soundbar with a subwoofer, and nobody outside Apple has tested the surround setup yet. I'd want to hear it in a real living room before spending close to £900.
Should you buy the HomePod mini 2 now or wait?
Buy now if:
- You don't own a HomePod mini and want one for a single room. A newer chip, Wi-Fi 6E and a speaker that will get Siri AI is a better long-term buy than an original that never will.
- You're getting the new Apple TV 4K anyway and planned on four speakers for surround.
- The Home app owner in your house has an Apple Intelligence iPhone and you want to be first in the queue when Siri AI lands.
Wait if:
- You already own original minis that work. Nothing on 30 October changes how they sound, and the main reason to upgrade has no date.
- Nobody in your house has an Apple Intelligence iPhone or iPad. Without one as the home owner, Siri AI won't switch on at all.
- You want one speaker to fill a big room. That's the full-size HomePod's job, not the mini's.
My take
The HomePod mini 2 is a sensible update being sold on a feature it doesn't have yet. At £149 it's £20 more than the original cost this summer, and the gap between the two is real: the original can't stereo pair with it, can't do surround and won't get Siri AI.
So my advice splits cleanly. If you're buying your first HomePod mini, buy this one and ignore old stock. If you already have one, keep your £149 until Siri AI is actually running on the mini 2 and someone has lived with it for a few weeks. And if the smart display Apple announced alongside it is more your thing, I wrote about Apple's smart home push before it even had a name.
HomePod mini 2 FAQ
How much is the HomePod mini 2 in the UK?
£149 from Apple and Currys in all five colours. It's on pre-order now and available from 30 October 2026.
Does the HomePod mini 2 have Siri AI?
Not at launch. Apple says a future software update adds it, in English, with the UK among the first countries. The home owner needs an Apple Intelligence iPhone or iPad with Siri AI turned on.
Can I pair a HomePod mini 2 with my old HomePod mini?
Not as a stereo pair. Apple requires two speakers of the same model and generation. They can still play the same music together through multi-room audio.
Source: Apple announces the next generation of HomePod mini, Apple Newsroom
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