A Command Performance

FOR Weighty, assured sound; effective processing; stylish

AGAINST Reliance on voice control; too Apple-focused

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That Apple does things in its own sweet time is no new discovery – but, even by its own standards, the company has arrived late to the wireless speaker party. Still, as everyone knows, being late is perfectly acceptable if you’re the life and soul when you arrive – and that’s pretty much the story with the HomePod.

Despite some flaws and limitations, the HomePod is the best-sounding smart speaker available by quite a margin. When combined with Siri’s reinvention as your personal DJ/musical guru, it makes for an endlessly entertaining all-in-one system. Assuming you’re already deep in the Apple ecosystem, that is.

Classy understatement

It comes as no surprise that the HomePod is beautifully made and looks classy. It’s also smaller and heavier than you imagine, but is a subtly styled device, particularly in the Space Grey finish of our review sample. This is a speaker that, between its cylindrical shape and seamless mesh fabric cover, is designed to blend into, rather than dominate, its surroundings.

Not that it’s without neat touches. That glossy top panel, uniformly black when the speaker is resting, is where Siri appears as a shifting ball of colour. The way it floats within the blackness of the panel is undeniably cool. When playing music, plus and minus symbols appear, giving you touch points to raise or lower the volume. Tapping the centre of the surface will play/ pause, skip a track or go back to the previous track, while keeping your finger pressed will summon Siri.