The last Apple HomePod Speaker is on sale for $285 at B&H Photo, which is $14 less than if you bought it directly from Apple. It is not the biggest discount we saw it, and Apple previously band the device with a $50 gift card during Black Friday. But deals of any kind on home speakers have been few and far between since they arrived in early 2023, so this modest drop still represents the lowest price we've seen in recent months. The discount applies to both black and white versions of the speaker.
Photo by Billy Steele / Engadget
This discount isn't an all-time high, but deals of any kind on Apple's premium smart speaker are rare.
We gave the second-generation HomePod a score of 84 in our review from last year. This will make more sense if you're a particularly dedicated Apple user who prioritizes audio quality. It still works easily with other Apple devices and services, from iPhone has Apple TV has Apple Musicand we generally find it richer and clearer than competing smart speakers from Amazon and Google. As a smart home device, it is compatible with Matter and Thread on top of Apple's HomeKit protocol, so you can use it to control a growing range of security cameras, thermostats, outlets, and other smart home accessories. It also has built-in temperature and humidity sensors, and the included mics help detect your voice through noise.
To be clear, this is still an expensive and relatively specialized device. Speakers like the Sonos Five and Sonos era 300 costs more but offers louder and more dynamic sound quality, while the Sonos era 100 may be a better value if you want to save a little more money. Apple's own HomePod Mini has almost all of the same smart home features if that's your main concern, while Google Assistant and Alexa users should still look to Google Nest Audio or an Amazon Echo device. The HomePod also has its own problems: Siri isn't the most capable voice assistant, there's no Bluetooth audio, you can't customize its EQ, and you need a workaround to control Spotify via voice. Rumors of a HomePod compatible with touchscreen have also floated over the past year. That said, if you're going with Apple, this is a good opportunity to save on the company's most premium home speaker.
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