Don't miss the new color addition "HomePod mini" and the new features of version 15.1!

We will approach the new features of "HomePod mini" with three new colors.The actual selling price is 11,880 yen for all colors.

The cable is also the same color!Check new colors with fine finish on the actual machine

First of all, I would like to take a look at the new colors of the newly added HomePod mini with photos of the actual machine. Three colors, blue, orange, and yellow, have been added. Like Apple, the bottom, power cable, and USB-C terminal cover are finely matched to the key color, resulting in a highly satisfying finish. I think that the pop colors that have never been seen in white and space gray will match any home.

HomePod is an ever-evolving smart speaker

With the latest software version 15.1, which went on sale in late October, the HomePod mini and HomePod now support lossless audio playback for Apple Music. The HomePod will also enable stereophonic playback of Apple Music's "Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio." The current latest version is 15.1.1, with bug fixes to stabilize the playback of the podcast app.

Update the HomePod series software from the "Home" app that comes standard with iOS. Tap the house-shaped icon on the left side of the top of the home screen and select "Home Settings". If "Software Update" is set to "Automatic", downloads and updates will be performed automatically when updates are possible.

Apple Music distributes music works of various genres and artists with over 75 million songs. Losless Audio, which started on June 8th this year, is a service that increases the amount of data information, increases the resolution, and enjoys Apple Music content with higher sound quality than the traditional AAC format music streaming. There is no additional charge for lossless audio playback.

Apple Music delivers all songs in lossless audio quality, except music videos and Apple Music 1 radio shows. The user can select the sound quality from the settings of the "Music" app.

For the HomePod series, select "Home Settings", then tap your username, select "Apple Music" alongside the media, and turn on "Lossless Audio." Apple Music also has high-resolution audio-compatible works that can be enjoyed with "sound quality as produced in the studio" up to 192kHz / 24bit, but even if you select these songs, the HomePod series can play up to 48kHz. Up to 24bit lossless audio.

On the Apple Music settings screen mentioned above, there are also buttons that allow you to turn on / off "Dolby Atmos", but as of the beginning of November when this article was written, the HomePod mini can be either a single unit or a stereo pair. It does not support Dolby Atmos playback. This feature is only available on HomePods that have been discontinued.

I listened to the lossless audio playback by HomePod mini

We prepared an environment for stereo pair playback with the new color HomePod mini, and experienced the power of lossless audio playback of Apple Music.

Lossless audio playback gives the impression that the amount of music information increases, the stereoscopic effect of the sound image becomes clearer, and the expansion of the sound field in the vertical, horizontal, and depth directions increases at once. "Trio Sonata No. 6 in G major BWV530-3rd movement: Allegro" of the album "Bach: Trio" by Yo-Yo Ma of cello, Chris Seeley of mandolin, and Edgar Meyer of contrabass was originally on Apple Music. The maximum sound quality is 96kHz / 24bit high resolutionless sound quality, but HomePod mini plays it at maximum 48kHz / 24bit. Even so, the tone of the stringed instrument becomes thicker, and you can get a fulfilling response that the overtone components are brilliantly revived. The mandolin's tunes are also brilliant, and the bass of the cello and contrabass, which becomes even more plump, stabilizes the feet of the performance, and the small HomePod mini portrays the magnificent three-dimensional performance.

The difference is clear when you turn lossless audio on and off from your home app settings. The sound quality is good enough for playback in AAC format when it is off, but compared to lossless playback, it still seems to be somewhat flat and unsatisfactory. I felt the same when I listened to the HomePod mini alone.

In the case of HomePod mini, you can listen to it by connecting to Wi-Fi without worrying about the amount of data consumed by streaming, so if you have a contract other than Apple Music's Voice plan, lossless audio is always on. I think it's good to enjoy it as it is.

HomePod mini becomes an external speaker for Apple TV 4K

From software version 15 of HomePod, cooperation with Apple TV 4K and voice operation by Siri are further enhanced.

The HomePod mini can now be set as the default speaker for Apple TV 4K. Whether you use the HomePod mini alone or in a stereo pair, you can use the HomePod mini to enjoy the sound of content played on Apple TV 4K with higher sound quality.

If you select HomePod mini as the device from the home app and enter the setting menu, the menu "Reduce bass" is increasing. When this is turned on, the bass sound pressure is suppressed without compromising the audibility of music playback. This is convenient when you want to enjoy listening to music or watching the theater with HomePod mini even at night.

You can now talk to your HomePod mini and ask Siri to launch your Apple TV 4K. Music playback by Apple Music can also be played, paused, and forwarded by calling the music / playlist by voice operation.

When you bring your iPhone closer to your HomePod mini playing music, the media playback controller will now automatically appear on your iPhone's lock screen. Since tapping the screen is quicker and more reliable than voice operation, I also use this function a lot to operate the HomePod mini on my work desk.

HomePod mini is a smart speaker that gives you a rich color in your life by adding not only music but also gorgeous color variations so that you can enjoy Apple Music's music streaming with better sound and conveniently while using Siri. The performance is the same even if the colors are the same or staggered, so you can combine them without worrying about the balance of the sounds. For those who have put up with one HomePod mini, why not take this opportunity to arrange stereo pairs and enjoy richer lossless audio playback.

Author: Atsushi Yamamoto

Journalist and writer. He became a freelancer after working as a web editor and reporter for an audio-visual magazine. Since he has been interviewing the electronics show "IFA" held in Berlin, Germany every year, he is particularly familiar with the latest situation related to smart home appliances and IoT in Europe. He has a deep knowledge of audio-visual fields and covers a wide range from high resolution to music distribution, 4K and VOD. Taking advantage of his fluent English and French, he handles many events and interviews with developers from Japan to overseas.