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PRICE £249 (£299 inc VAT) from apple.com/uk
Apple discontinued the original HomePod in 2021, but it hasn't years doing a radical redesign. Both are fabric-covered cylinders with a circular touchscreen on top, albeit that this second iteration panel illuminates almost to the edges.
There are two other physical changes, one being that the power cord is detachable. The bottom is now made of plastic rather than silicone, but it will still stain wood furniture (as I discovered). It's only a shame that Apple hasn't added a switch to turn off the HomePod's four microphones.
As before, the HomePod uses these mics to listen for echoes, so it can sonically map the room and then adjust the audio output. It's all done automatically; by comparison, the Sonos One requires you to move your phone round your room as the speaker plays a tone. It only takes a minute, but it's not as slick.
Inside the HomePod, a single 4in speaker faces upward, while an array of five smaller tweeters is arrayed around the bottom. It should come as no surprise that the second-gen HomePod sounds just as good as the original. The Sonos One still does a better job with mids and highs, making voices sound more present, but the HomePod delivered stronger bass.
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