Apple HomePod Review: Great Sound, But Siri Needs Work

Our Verdict

Apple's offset smart speaker sounds amazing, merely Siri needs to do more to compete with Alexa and Google Assistant.

For

Excellent sound quality
Attractive blueprint
Easy setup

Against

Supports fewer music services than other smart speakers
Siri is very limited compared with Alexa and Google Assistant
Expensive

Tom'southward Guide Verdict

Apple's first smart speaker sounds amazing, but Siri needs to do more than to compete with Alexa and Google Assistant.

Pros

+
Excellent audio quality
+
Attractive design
+
Easy setup

Cons

-
Supports fewer music services than other smart speakers
-
Siri is very limited compared with Alexa and Google Assistant
-
Expensive

Music has long been function of Apple's raison d'etre; Steve Jobs drew inspiration from Bob Dylan to The Beatles to Yo-Yo Ma as he shepherded through products as iconic equally the iPod. So it'southward but natural that when Apple tree came out with a smart speaker, it would exist a smashing-sounding device and would look good doing information technology.

But when it comes to the "smart" part of "smart speaker," the $299 HomePod falls behind the contest. Siri just tin can't exercise equally much as Alexa and Google Banana — but can information technology practise plenty for Apple diehards?

Editor's Notation: Apple has discontinued the HomePod, but the company will continue to support the device. If you're looking for an culling, the $99 HomePod mini delivers very skillful sound for its size (though not as robust as the full-size HomePod) and measures simply 3.3 inches tall. Cheque out our full Apple tree HomePod mini review.

Apple HomePod review: Pattern

Apple has always placed a premium on design, and the HomePod is no exception. But while it's elegant, this simple rounded cylinder covered in a fabric-like material doesn't break any new ground. In some ways, it resembles a larger version of Ultimate Ears' Wonderboom Bluetooth speaker.

The HomePod comes in dark gray ("space greyness") or white; the latter color makes the speaker look a lot larger. The top of the HomePod has a glossy black-plastic circle, which lights up and is touch-sensitive; yous can tap information technology to change the volume, advance or replay a rail, and activate Siri.

When Apple'south assistant is listening, the middle of this circle lights up in an amorphous, colorful blob. If you don't want Apple's assistant to heed in, you can press and hold the pinnacle, and Siri asks if you really desire to plow off the microphone. Unfortunately, there's no indicator on the HomePod to know at a glance if the mic is on or off; it's a feature on pretty much every other smart speaker I've tested, and something that Apple tree should add for y'all to know if the HomePod is listening for your voice.

Apple has always placed a premium on design, and the HomePod is no exception.

At six.eight inches tall and five.6 inches in diameter, the HomePod is slightly larger than the Sonos I (6.4 x four.7 x 4.seven inches) but much smaller than the Google Domicile Max (13.two x vii.iv x half-dozen inches), which seems massive sitting side by side to the other two.

Apple likewise paid attention to the HomePod'due south power cord; it'due south covered in a fabric-like material that's soft to the impact. Unfortunately, in its quest for aesthetics, Apple did not brand the cord detachable. If it gets damaged by a hungry dog or a ravenous vacuum cleaner, you'll need to sign upwardly for AppleCare+ ($39), which adds ii years of coverage for up to 2 incidents. Y'all'll also accept to pay a $39 fee (plus tax) for each of those incidents.

Apple tree HomePod review: Setup

Setting up the HomePod couldn't accept been easier. After the HomePod made its startup audio, I merely held my iPhone a few inches from the speaker, and a window appeared on my iPhone asking to set it upwardly. Subsequent windows asked me to pick the room in which the speaker would exist placed, subscribe to Apple Music and enable personal requests; this latter option lets anyone apply the HomePod to send and read letters, add reminders, create notes and more from your iPhone, if your telephone and HomePod are on the same Wi-Fi network. That'south a footling troubling to me, so I turned off this feature.

In all, it took less than five minutes and was much less involved than the process for the Sonos One, which, among other things, requires y'all to moving ridge your telephone around your room to properly configure its audio.

If yous don't take an iPhone or iPad, you're out of luck; you tin only set up up the HomePod with an iOS device.

Apple tree HomePod review: Performance

Above all, a $349 smart speaker meliorate audio adept, and on that, the HomePod delivers. It has 7 tweeters, a large woofer and an array of six microphones that help the speaker automatically adapt its audio contour to the room it's in. The Google Abode Max has the aforementioned adequacy, only the Sonos One requires yous to walk around your room with your smartphone equally the speaker plays various tones, in club for its speaker to adjust the audio.

To test the HomePod, I set information technology up on a wood console next to the Google Habitation Max and two paired Sonos Ones, and listened to the same songs on each, streamed from Spotify. In brusque, all were first-class, but there were some subtle differences.

Compared to a unmarried Sonos One ($175), the HomePod produced a somewhat richer sound, almost noticeably when it came to bass, simply non by a huge amount. But when I paired 2 Sonos Ones (which price the aforementioned as a single HomePod), the dual speakers outshone Apple's production with a fuller sound that did a improve chore of filling my living room.

The bass response on the HomePod was great — low-terminate notes on songs such as "Summertime Madness" past Kool and the Gang and "Shape of Yous" past Ed Sheeran rang through conspicuously and cleanly, fifty-fifty at college volumes.

Sherri Smith, our resident audiophile, was as well impressed with the bass response of the HomePod just noted that, on tracks from Chris Stapleton and Diana Krall, the singers' voices took a back seat to the residuum of the instruments.

One nitpick: There'southward no style to manually adjust the equalizer settings, which yous can do with the Sonos and Google Habitation Max speakers.

Overall, the Sonos Ones were the best at midrange tones and vocals. That's not to say that the HomePod was bad, merely singers, from Bruce Springsteen, to Idina Menzel, to Luciano Pavarotti, sounded a chip more subdued on Apple's speaker. When playing "1234" on the HomePod, I was impressed by Feist's phonation, which had a wonderful, breathy quality. Just then I listened to it on the Sonos Ones, and information technology sounded even better.

And, on tracks such as "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" by Santa Esmeralda, the guitar strums and clapping were more than pronounced on the Sonos Ones than on the HomePod. I likewise found that the Sonos speakers created audio that was more than enveloping than either the HomePod or the Google Habitation Max.

One nitpick: There's no style to manually arrange the equalizer settings of the HomePod, which you can do with the Sonos and Google Abode Max speakers. One other small critique: When using Spotify to stream music from my iPhone, I found that it took a second or so longer for the HomePod to respond to my commands, whereas it was near instantaneous with the Google Home Max and Sonos Ones.

Siri tin place music that's playing, musicians in the vocal and more, but the big caveat is that the HomePod supports just Apple tree Music. Past comparison, both the Sonos Ane and the Google Home Max support Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio and more than. Yes, yous can utilize AirPlay to stream music from your iPhone to the HomePod, but yous may too use any Bluetooth speaker at that point.

A software update will allow you to pair 2 HomePods for stereo audio (à la the Sonos One and Google Home Max) and utilise multiple speakers for whole-home audio. Yous'd need pretty deep pockets to fill up your business firm with $350 speakers.

Apple HomePod review: Siri

I like that when yous say, "Hey Siri," and and so intermission, Apple tree'due south assistant responds with a "mm hmm?" as if she's awaiting your response.

Audio is just one component of a smart speaker, and while Siri can exercise a lot, it'due south very express when compared with Alexa and Google Assistant. For starters, Siri can recognize only ane account at a time. So although you can utilize it to send messages, notes and reminders (but non calendar appointments), it will sync simply to the business relationship of the person'southward telephone used to gear up upward the HomePod.

There'southward also a security business here: If y'all give HomePod access to your messages, anyone can transport and listen to them by speaking to your Homepod. You lot can turn off this characteristic, but then you can't utilise HomePod to transport or receive messages, add reminders or create notes.

To make or receive calls, first y'all accept to make or accept the telephone call on your phone, and so you select the HomePod as a speakerphone. That'due south not every bit seamless every bit the procedure with Alexa or Google Banana, which allow y'all initiate calls using a smart speaker merely by voice.

In our comparison of Alexa versus Google Home versus Siri, Apple tree'southward assistant came in final. While it was good at ordering nutrient, sending messages and getting directions, it fell backside the other 2 assistants when it came to smart abode skills, general noesis and online shopping, among others.

For instance, y'all tin set only one timer with the HomePod, and yous can't name it.Nor tin you lot set calendar appointments, look up recipes or ask general-noesis questions as easily every bit you lot can with Google.

Apple HomePod review: Smart habitation features

Apple tree's HomeKit has consistently lagged behind Amazon and Google in integrating with other smart home devices. That's because Apple tree had more stringent security rules; companies had to incorporate a specific chip into their products to make them HomeKit-compatible. However, Apple has inverse its policies so that y'all now only need software certification, and so yous should see more companies adding HomeKit support.

I also like that you lot tin utilise the HomePod equally a HomeKit hub, and then you tin control scenes remotely. Previously, only an iPad or Apple Tv set could fulfill this role. In practice, Siri quickly responded to my commands to plough my lights on and off.

More: The Best Products That Work with Apple HomeKit

HomeKit currently supports smart home gadgets such as Philips Hue lights, Baronial Smart Locks, iHome smart plugs and Ecobee smart thermostats, but there are far more than compatible devices for Alexa and Google Home. For instance, they support Nest products (like its thermostats, cameras and smoke detectors), Netgear Arlo security cameras, and a multitude of other smart lights, such as those from Sengled and TP-Link.

Apple HomePod review: Value

At $349, the HomePod was one of the nearly expensive smart speakers; merely the $399 Google Dwelling Max toll more. Correct now, Sonos is running a deal where you lot tin can get ii Sonos Ones (ordinarily $199 each) for the toll of one HomePod — a $l discount.

The HomePod did receive a discount that makes its price a piffling more palatable. It now costs $299 instead of $349.

Apple HomePod review: Verdict

After listening to the HomePod, I have no doubt that Apple made an impressive-sounding smart speaker. Unfortunately for Apple, Google and Amazon have already set the bar for what a smart speaker can practice, and in that respect, the HomePod falls far behind. Information technology can't do things that are now table stakes, such as setting multiple timers and recognizing more than 1 phonation.

Even for music, it's disappointing that yous can use Siri to control playback just from Apple Music, rather than multiple sources, such every bit Spotify, Pandora and TuneIn (as you lot can with the Sonos One and Google Home Max).

If I had this much to spend on a smart speaker, I would become two Sonos Ones, rather than 1 Apple HomePod. They produce amend sound, work with more music streaming services and do much more with Alexa (and, presently, Google Assistant). However, if you are invested in Apple'due south ecosystem, the HomePod is the best — well, the only — smart speaker for yous.

Credit: Mike Prospero/Tom's Guide

Michael A. Prospero is the deputy editor at Tom'southward Guide overseeing the domicile, smart home, drones, and fitness/wearables categories, every bit well as all buying guides and other evergreen content. When he'due south not testing out the latest running lookout man, skiing or training for a marathon, he's probably using the latest sous vide machine or some other cooking gadget.