- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Updates
- Comparison
- Best Speakers
- Conclusion
- Discussions
We've currently tested two Apple speakers. Apple is a brand known for making phones, laptops, and tablets, though they have some speakers on the market. Generally, their speakers have built-in Siri capabilities, making them suitable for home use.
Updates
- 01/19/2021 Apple HomePod mini reviewed
- 12/14/2020 Apple HomePod reviewed
Best Apple Speakers
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Best Apple Speaker
BluetoothNoWi-FiYesSpeakerphoneYesVoice AssistantYesBattery PoweredNoThe Apple HomePod is the best Apple speaker that we've tested. It has Siri voice assistant built-in, and it's a wired speaker designed for home use, so it has to connect to a power source to use it. Siri can understand you even if you're far away or in a noisy room. Although there's no mute microphone button, you can turn Siri off with a voice command if you want it to stop listening to you. It has a well-balanced sound profile, so it's suitable for listening to a wide variety of audio content. It lacks some low-bass, though, so you may not feel the deep thump and rumble in bass-heavy music genres like EDM or hip-hop. Thanks to its 360-degree design, it has outstanding directivity, resulting in a wide and open soundstage from all angles. Although its app is only compatible with iOS devices, it has many features, like Party Mode and Multi-Room, which let you pair multiple Apple HomePod speakers in a large space or across multiple rooms.
Unfortunately, you can't connect devices via Bluetooth to directly play audio content. However, you can use the audio handoff feature by tapping your iPhone against the speaker, which lets you stream audio content over Bluetooth if your device and the speaker are on the same Wi-Fi. Also, if you're using an iPhone, you can play audio wirelessly using Apple AirPlay. If you're looking for a speaker with a good voice assistant and a balanced sound profile out-of-the-box, it's a suitable choice.
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Best Budget Apple Speaker
BluetoothNoWi-FiYesSpeakerphoneYesVoice AssistantYesBattery PoweredNoThe best budget Apple speaker that we've tested is the Apple HomePod mini. This small speaker has Siri built-in and is fantastic at hearing you when you're far away. It also does a decent job of hearing you in noisier environments. It has a balanced mid-range, so vocals and lead instruments sound clear and present in the mix, though some higher-pitched vocals and instruments may sound somewhat veiled. It doesn't get very loud, but there are few compression artifacts present at max volume. This means your audio should sound clean at louder volume settings. Also, thanks to its 360-degree design, it has fantastic directivity, resulting in a wide and open-sounding soundstage. You can use its Apple Home App to pair it to another compatible speaker to create a stereo pair. You can also use it to connect it to multiple other speakers when you want your audio to fill a large room without increasing its volume.
Unfortunately, like most speakers its size, it struggles to reproduce low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble often present in bass-heavy music like hip-hop or EDM. There are no sound customization features like a graphic EQ that you can use to tweak the speaker's sound to your liking. Additionally, you can't pair your device to the speaker over a Bluetooth connection. You can only use Bluetooth connectivity for audio handoff, which allows you to transfer your audio from your device to the speaker by tapping your iPhone on top of the speaker. That said, if you're looking for an Apple speaker on a budget, it's still a good choice.
Compared to other brands
- Compatible with Apple AirPlay. Generally, Apple speakers support Apple AirPlay, so you can pair your iPhone to the speaker to wirelessly play audio content. Both the speaker and your iPhone need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network to use Apple AirPlay.
- Built-in voice assistant. Apple speakers typically come with a built-in Siri voice assistant. Siri can usually understand you, even if you're far away, though some Apple speakers perform better in noisier environments than others.
- Good soundstage. Generally, the Apple speakers we've tested have incredible directivity thanks to their 360-degree design, resulting in soundstages that are perceived as open and spacious. However, some Apple speakers have to downmix stereo content into mono.
- Can't easily stream audio content over Bluetooth. Apple speakers don't support Bluetooth pairing for playing audio content. However, you can use Bluetooth for audio handoff, which lets you transfer audio from your iPhone to the speaker. If the speaker and your iOS device are on the same Wi-Fi, you can stream audio content using this configuration.
- No EQs. The Apple speakers we've tested don't have an EQ to let you tweak their sound profile. That said, they have fairly balanced sound profiles out-of-the-box.
- Wired design. The Apple speakers we've tested need to be plugged into a power source to be used, so they're more suitable as home speakers than as portable speakers.
- Not impact or water-resistant. Since the Apple speakers we've tested are generally designed for home use, they aren't impact or water-resistant. They typically aren't rated for dust resistance.
Overall, Apple has a few speakers generally designed for home use, with a wired design and built-in Siri voice assistant. However, they typically don't come with an EQ and are hard to pair with devices over Bluetooth.
Recent Updates
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Jun 22, 2021: Verified text accuracy and product availability. There have been no changes in our recommendations.
Conclusion
Apple offers a limited range of speakers with similar features. They generally have a Siri voice assistant built-in and need to be plugged into a power source to be used. They're compatible with Apple AirPlay for streaming audio content from an iPhone, but you can't easily pair them with devices via Bluetooth. Typically, they're not water or impact-resistant since they're designed for home use.