Published 2026-04-16 by James Maxwell
Apple’s smart home range is about to get a lot busier. Reports from Tom’s Guide suggest Apple could launch up to seven new smart home devices in 2026, covering everything from updated HomePod hardware to entirely new product categories. The catch? Most of them aren’t here yet, and the HomePod mini at £98.98 is currently the most affordable way into Apple’s ecosystem. Whether you buy now or hold on depends on what you actually need.
The Apple HomePod mini is Apple’s entry-level smart speaker, sitting below the full-size HomePod (£299) and aimed at anyone who wants Siri control, multi-room audio, and smart home integration without spending a significant sum. It was released in November 2020 and remains on sale today at £98.98 across CPC and OnBuy.com, per Shopping.co.uk price tracking data.
It’s a compact, spherical speaker about the size of a large grapefruit. Sound quality is good for the size, driven by a full-range driver and dual passive radiators, but it’s not a substitute for a proper hi-fi setup. The real value is in the ecosystem: if you use an iPhone, MacBook, or Apple TV, the HomePod mini slots in naturally, handling Handoff calls, acting as a HomeKit hub, and playing audio through AirPlay 2.
It’s best suited to Apple-heavy households. If you run Android or use Spotify as your primary music service, you’ll find the experience more limited — Siri still lags behind Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa for third-party service support.
Apple’s current smart home hardware is deliberately narrow. The full-size HomePod (second generation, £299) offers noticeably better room-filling sound and a temperature and humidity sensor baked in. The HomePod mini at £98.98 drops those sensors and some audio depth, but covers most of the same HomeKit hub functionality.
Beyond speakers, Apple sells the Apple TV 4K (from £149) which doubles as a HomeKit hub, and the Apple Watch range integrates with home controls via the Home app. There is no Apple-branded smart display, camera, or router currently available in the UK, which is a significant gap compared to Amazon and Google’s offerings.
That gap is exactly what the rumoured 2026 devices are expected to address.
The HomePod mini at £98.98 is the most expensive option in its class. The Amazon Echo (4th gen) sits around £54.99, and the Google Nest Audio comes in at roughly £89.99, making the HomePod mini a premium choice by comparison.
Device | Price (approx.) | Voice Assistant | Music Services | Smart Home Hub |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Apple HomePod mini | £98.98 | Siri | Apple Music, AirPlay 2 | HomeKit |
Amazon Echo (4th gen) | £54.99 | Alexa | Spotify, Amazon Music, most services | Alexa, Matter |
Google Nest Audio | £89.99 | Google Assistant | Spotify, YouTube Music, most services | Google Home, Matter |
What the table doesn’t capture is the friction of switching. If your home runs on Apple devices, the HomePod mini’s integration is tight: Handoff for calls, intercom across rooms, and U1 chip-based Precision Finding for AirTags nearby. If you’re not in the Apple ecosystem, neither the Echo nor the Nest Audio requires you to be, and both support a wider range of streaming services out of the box.
The Echo is the better choice for raw Alexa skill breadth. The Nest Audio edges ahead on Google Assistant accuracy and YouTube Music integration. The HomePod mini wins specifically if you’re an iPhone user who wants a HomeKit hub and doesn’t want to think about setup.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Works as a HomeKit hub, replacing the need for a separate hub device | Siri is less capable than Alexa or Google Assistant for third-party service control |
360-degree audio performs well for its size in rooms up to about 4 metres | No screen, so visual feedback from smart home controls requires your phone |
Intercom and Handoff features work smoothly across Apple devices on the same network | Spotify and other non-Apple Music services require AirPlay workarounds, not native voice control |
At £98.98, it’s cheaper than the full-size HomePod by £200 | The hardware is now over five years old with no confirmed refresh date |
According to Tom’s Guide, Apple is planning up to seven new smart home products in 2026, though the timeline for UK availability is unconfirmed. The most credible rumours point to a new smart home display (essentially an iPad-like device for the home), an updated HomePod with a built-in screen, and potentially a home security camera.
The catch flagged by Tom’s Guide is software readiness. Apple’s Home app and broader smart home platform still lacks the feature depth of Amazon’s or Google’s equivalents, and launching hardware before the software catches up would repeat the stumbles of previous smart home bids from Apple. There’s also the question of UK launch windows: Apple frequently releases US-first, with UK availability following weeks or months later.
If a wall-mounted Apple smart display is coming this year, that changes the calculus on buying a HomePod mini right now. A display device would likely include speaker functionality and a HomeKit hub, potentially making the mini redundant in the same room.
For anyone who needs a HomeKit hub today, the mini at £98.98 still makes sense. Those who can wait six to nine months should probably do so.
At £98.98, the HomePod mini is the cheapest entry point into Apple’s smart home ecosystem, though it costs nearly double the Amazon Echo (4th gen) at £54.99 and sits above the Google Nest Audio at around £89.99.
Best place to buy: CPC and OnBuy.com are the only UK retailers currently listing stock at £98.98 at the time of writing — compare live prices across both at Shopping.co.uk before ordering, as availability can shift.
vs. the full-size HomePod: The second-gen HomePod at £299 is a £200 step up for better audio and a built-in temperature sensor, but the mini handles HomeKit hub duties just as well. For most rooms, the mini is the more sensible spend.
Our take: Buy the HomePod mini now only if you need a HomeKit hub immediately and are committed to the Apple ecosystem , if you can wait until late 2026, the rumoured new hardware could make this five-year-old device look very dated, very quickly.
Does HomePod mini work without an Apple device?
You need an iPhone or iPad to set it up, but once configured it runs independently. Ongoing features like personalised Siri requests and Apple Music require an active Apple account.
Can I use Spotify on HomePod mini?
Yes, but not via voice command. You can stream Spotify to the HomePod mini via AirPlay from your phone or Mac, but you can’t say “Hey Siri, play my Spotify playlist” and have it work natively.
Will the 2026 Apple smart home devices work with the existing HomePod mini?
Likely yes for HomeKit and Matter compatibility, based on Apple’s track record with backward-compatible software updates. However, new hardware features (screens, cameras) would require the new devices themselves.
Is the HomePod mini still being sold new in the UK?
Yes. At the time of writing, it’s available new from CPC and OnBuy.com at £98.98. Compare current offers on Shopping.co.uk.