 Apple HomePod Review

I’ve had my HomePod for a few weeks now and had plenty of time to get to grips with it. It’s safe to say in a very short summary that I love the speaker! I purchased the Space Grey HomePod and has it shipped to me on the day of launch, Friday 9th February 2018. I had preordered the speaker as soon as I could on the Apple website as I’ve been eagerly awaiting the launch! It was delayed from the original December launch date but in hindsight that was probably a good thing in regards to finances with the holidays!

The build quality of the HomePod is fantastic. It actually has a fabric feel to it opposed to the metal casing I was expecting. It is fairly weighty for such a small speaker as well but considering how much technology Apple has packed inside this is understandable. The power cord is also fabric-like and is more like a thin rope than the usual plastic/rubber style. It is very easy to conceal (as it is very pliable) and as you can see from the pictures I have placed a fake trailing plant strategically to hide the cord. The base of the speaker is silicone (and no I’ve not had any ‘rings’ appear on the two wooden surfaces it has been on so far) which helps prevent movement when the speaker is playing loud music. Finally the top of the speaker is touch-responsive allowing you to activate Siri, adjust the volume and play/pause music. The lights/controls respond to your voice and touch (see images above and below) and when the speaker isn’t playing any music the top stays black (or white on the light coloured model).

The audio quality is phenomenal. I have been using speakers for so many years now and nothing (not even my £1k+ mobile disco speakers) has come close in regards to audio clarity. The levels automatically adjust as the speaker learns where it is placed in the room and how audio deflects off surfaces around it. This means you can position the speaker, move it about and never have to worry about re-tuning it or adjusting the EQ. It balances the bass very well and has extremely high output at maximum volume. Amazing from a speaker that is barely noticeable on the shelf. Some speakers I have had in the past distort the music when used at maximum volume but the HomePod manages this effortlessly.

I’m also impressed with how well the speaker responds to my voice. It has several microphones (six I believe) located around the speaker to pick up voice controls wherever you are in the room. I’ve actually been able to control my HomePod from the room next door as well which is pretty amazing! I was concerned to begin with about ‘Hey Siri’ on my other devices as I have iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and MacBook products. The answer is ‘seamlessly’! The HomePod takes over from any other device nearby which may have reacted to the ‘Hey Siri’ command. You can control music, ask for the news, play radio stations and even send text messages from the HomePod. Siri has criticism when being compared to Google Home and Amazon’s Echo with Alexa but I think that’ll improve with time and as Apple adds more functionality to Siri. Plus I’m totally happy with what it can do already.

Overall I am extremely happy with the HomePod. Totally worth the £359 I paid for it (including AppleCare+) and I’d even consider purchasing a second speaker for stereo audio in the future or for when Apple releases multi-room functionality in a software update later this year.

Before I had received my HomePod I read an in-depth review online which sold the speaker so well articulately. I’ve popped a link here so you can take a read if interested. The review was very accurate and I have to say every point mentioned is spot-on.

That just about sums up my blog post and review of the HomePod. Have you got a smart speaker yourself? How do you find it? Let me know in the comments! If you have any questions about the HomePod please let me know and I’ll be sure to answer them. Have a great day and thanks for reading!