Apple’s lower-cost $129 HomePod mini smart speaker is now available to pre-order in Canada from the Apple Store.
The tiny spherical speaker aims to be a cheaper alternative to the expensive $399 HomePod and a direct competitor to Google’s recently released Nest Audio and Amazon’s Echo.
The smaller version of the HomePod comes in at 3.3-inches tall, includes Siri support and features an acoustic weave fabric similar to the full-sized HomePod’s. According to Apple, its pair of radiators and one tweeter push out powerful, room-filling 360-degree sound. If you place two of HomePod mini speakers in one room, they’ll also automatically stereo pair.
It’s important to note that while the HomePod mini is currently only primarily designed to be used with Apple Music, Amazon Music support is coming later this year.
You can also play music from Spotify through the smart speaker via Apple’s AirPlay 2 wireless protocol. Though Apple announced it was opening up HomePod to third-party music streaming platforms back at WWDC in June, Spotify has yet to take advantage of this.
The HomePod mini is available to pre-order directly from Apple’s website for $129. The smart speaker officially releases on November 16th.
