The newest Apple HomePod speaker is on sale for $285 at B&H Picture, which is $14 lower than shopping for from Apple instantly. This is not the most important money low cost we have seen, and Apple beforehand bundled the system with a $50 present card throughout Black Friday. However offers of any sort on the house speaker have been unusual because it arrived in early 2023, so this modest drop nonetheless represents the bottom value we have seen in the previous couple of months. The low cost applies to each the black and white variations of the speaker.
Picture by Billy Steele / Engadget
This low cost is not an all-time low, however offers of any sort on Apple’s top-end sensible speaker have been unusual.
$285 at B&H Picture
We gave the second-generation HomePod a rating of 84 in our overview final yr. It will take advantage of sense in the event you’re a very devoted Apple consumer who prioritizes audio high quality. It nonetheless works simply with different Apple gadgets and companies, from iPhones to Apple TVs to Apple Music, and we typically discover it to sound richer and clearer than competing sensible audio system from Amazon and Google. As a wise dwelling system, it is appropriate with Matter and Thread on prime of Apple’s personal HomeKit protocol, so you should utilize it to manage a rising vary of safety cameras, thermostats, plugs and different sensible dwelling equipment. It additionally has built-in temperature and humidity sensors, and its included mics do properly to pick your voice by noise.
To be clear, that is nonetheless a dear and comparatively area of interest system. Audio system just like the Sonos 5 and Sonos Period 300 value extra however supply louder and extra dynamic sound high quality, whereas the Sonos Period 100 could also be a greater worth if you wish to preserve somewhat additional cash. Apple’s personal HomePod Mini has practically the entire similar sensible dwelling options if that is your essential concern, whereas Google Assistant and Alexa customers ought to nonetheless look to Google’s Nest Audio or an Amazon Echo system. The HomePod has its personal points, too: Siri is not probably the most succesful voice assistant, there isn’t any Bluetooth audio, you’ll be able to’t customise its EQ and also you want a workaround to manage Spotify through voice. Rumors of a touchscreen-enabled HomePod have additionally floated round over the previous yr. All that stated, in the event you’re all-in on Apple, this can be a first rate likelihood to save lots of on the corporate’s highest-end dwelling speaker.
Comply with @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Offers e-newsletter for the newest tech offers and shopping for recommendation.
