Apple HomePod Mini - Handling - News - UFC -Que Choisir

© Apple.com

Handling

A little over a year ago, Apple created the surprise by launching a small smart speaker within € 100.Called HomePod Mini, it connects to your Wi-Fi network to listen to music, manage your connected equipment and answer your questions with the Siri vocal assistant.It also serves as a hands -free kit and makes it possible to communicate with the members of the household.But all these functions are not without constraints.First impressions before our laboratory test.

An atypical format and price

In 2018, Apple launched its first connected speaker, called Homepod.The manufacturer recently announced that it stopped production to focus on its small model launched just over a year ago: the HomePod Mini.8.4 cm high, barely more in width ... This small ball displays a look as sleek as its price, € 99.At Apple, few products sold at affordable prices!

The HomePod Mini is wearing a touchpad to adjust the volume, change track and trigger the Siri voice assistant.That's all...No on/off button, no button to cut the microphone: the ergonomics of this speaker is a bit disconcerting.Note that this is a product of the Apple ecosystem, dedicated to being used with an iPhone, an iPad or even a Mac.But not with an Android smartphone, nor a Windows PC.The HomePod Mini rests exclusively on the Apple Airplay 2 wireless communication protocol.Impossible, for example, to simply connect in Bluetooth, like a classic Bluetooth speaker.

A simple configuration, multiple uses

To configure the HomePod Mini, just plug it in to the sector and approach your iPhone.The speaker is instantly detected, connection to the Apple account of the user takes a few seconds.Then the HomePod Mini is visible in the Apple home automation application, called house.It is from this interface that you will allow other people in the household to use it and pilot all the settings.

More than an enclosure, the HomePod Mini is a domestic mini-brain.Of course, you can listen to music, radio, podcasts.You can also amplify the sound of your series by coupling it to an Apple TV, answer the phone, pilot your lighting or your connected heating.And above all, you can do all this by the voice, by addressing the vocal assistant Siri.The experience is quite surprising: during our tests, Siri has always heard and understood our requests perfectly, even several meters away.A good point.

Listen to music, podcasts

The HomePod Mini can play any audio content of your iPhone: just send it via Airplay by touching the dedicated icon on your phone.You can also simply pass the iPhone above the speaker so that the sound switches (conversely, you can recover the sound on your phone while ironing above).

On the other hand, all services are not natively integrated into the ecosystem;In other words, it is not possible to control the enclosure via Siri with all third -party services.No problem if you subscribe to Deezer, Amazon Music, Pandora or Tunein.The HomePod will understand requests like "Say Siri, plays Orelsan's latest album on Deezer" or "Say Siri, launches the last episode of the podcast les feet on the ground".But it is still impossible if you use Spotify, which is a big absent.

We will leave it to our experts to measure and judge the sound quality of the device.But whatever the musical style, the sound appears balanced and never saturates: Apple preferred to limit the maximum volume rather than degrading the user experience.We were pleasantly surprised by the clarity of the voices when we listen to the radio and the podcasts.Note that it is also possible to use two homepod mini and configure them in stereo in order to enjoy better sound quality for movies or series.

Turn off the light, lower the heating

The HomePod is also able to execute the commands of all connected devices compatible with Homekit, the Apple home communication protocol.Bulbs, radiator heads, smart sockets ... just add your accessories to the home application to entrust Siri your home automation system.There too, the assistant is of undeniable efficiency."Say Siri, turn off the light of the living room"."Say Siri, lower the light in the kitchen by 50 %".It works, and we find ourselves getting used to this practical vocal assistance when we arrive at home with loaded arms, for example.The house app also makes it possible to create automation, that is to say scenarios in which the user chooses for example to light France Inter at 7:25 a.m. or to turn off the lights when he leaves fromhim.

Intercom function and hands -free kit

If several homepod mini are installed at home, you can play the same content on all speakers, or listen to different content.During our grip, several bugs, however, appeared.For example, one of the homepods who automatically plays the music of the music app library when asked to duplicate the radio already launched on the homepod of the office ... We sometimes have the impression that these HomePods makeA little what they want, and it's quite unpleasant.

It is also possible to send voice messages on each of the homepods of the home, or on some of them, via the intercom function.From a homepod, or from any iOS device (except a Mac), or from the home application, you can for example ask "Say Siri, ask everyone if the dog has eaten" or else"Tell Siri, tell Paul's room that the film will start".The recipient immediately hears your voice in his homepod.

Finally, the homepod allows you to hold a conversation in hands -free kit.You can use Siri to make a call, or take an incoming call.Our tests were a little chaotic, especially to launch a call.At the request "Say Siri, calls Sarah", Siri was able to answer only in the negative, arguing of a connection problem ("check that the iPhone and this homepod are on the same Wi-Fi network", thiswho was the case).On the other hand, by winning a call, the conversation was fluid and of good audio quality.

Our opinion

The HomePod Mini is an effective and fun intelligent speaker.Its correct price (€ 99) even makes it possible to envisage basic use, simply for music, radio, podcasts, without necessarily exploiting the functions related to home.It remains to be seen what will give its sound quality compared to other wireless speakers.Answer in our test, which will be published in a few days.

Camille Gruhier