Apple HomePod (1st generation) vs Apple HomePod (2nd generation)

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HomePod (1st generation) compared with HomePod (2nd generation)

	AppleHomePod (1st generation)	AppleHomePod (2nd generation)
Overview
Released
Released	February 2018	February 2023
Sound
Type
Type	Speaker	Speaker
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos	Yes	Yes
Drivers
Drivers	High-excursion woofer; seven horn-loaded tweeters	4-inch high-excursion woofer and an array of five horn-loaded tweeters, each with its own neodymium magnet
Amplifiers
Amplifiers	Custom amplifier for the woofer and a separate custom amplifier for each tweeter	–
Audio formats
Audio formats	Dolby Atmos home cinema with Apple TV 4K was added in software 14.2; Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos and Apple Music lossless playback were added in 15.1	Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos for music and video
Room tuning
Room tuning	Direct and ambient audio beamforming; computational audio for real-time tuning; internal low-frequency calibration microphone for automatic bass correction; Apple A8 processor	Room sensing; computational audio with system sensing for real-time tuning; internal low-frequency calibration microphone for automatic bass correction
Connections
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Yes	Yes
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	No	No
AirPlay
AirPlay	Yes	Yes
Voice assistants
Voice assistants	Siri	Siri
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11ac with MIMO	802.11n Wi-Fi; Thread; Ultra Wideband chip for device proximity
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0 radio; no Bluetooth audio streaming (TechRadar)	Bluetooth 5.0 (RTINGS found no Bluetooth audio playback)
Ports
Ports	Mains power cable; no analogue audio input (TechRadar)	Power only
Streaming
Streaming	Apple Music, iTunes purchases, iCloud Music Library with an Apple Music or iTunes Match subscription, supported third-party services, radio and podcasts; AirPlay from iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV or Mac	AirPlay from iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac; Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, third-party music services, TuneIn and UK radio stations by voice
Multi-room
Multi-room	AirPlay 2 multi-room audio and stereo pairing with another original HomePod were added in iOS 11.4 after launch	Multi-room audio with AirPlay; stereo pair with a second HomePod (2nd generation)
App
App	Home app; initial setup requires a compatible Apple mobile device and Wi-Fi internet access	Home app on iPhone or iPad
Design
Weight
Weight	2.5 kg	2.3 kg (better)
Controls
Controls	Tap to play or pause, double-tap to skip, triple-tap to skip back; touch and hold for Siri; tap or hold + or – for volume	Backlit touch surface (tap to play or pause, double-tap to skip, triple-tap to skip back, touch and hold for Siri, + and – for volume)
Microphones
Microphones	Six-microphone array for far-field Siri; separate internal low-frequency calibration microphone	Four-microphone design for far-field Siri; Sound Recognition, temperature and humidity sensors and an accelerometer
Size
Size	172 mm high, 142 mm wide	168 mm high, 142 mm wide
Colours
Colours	Space Grey, White	Midnight, White
In the box
In the box	HomePod, documentation	HomePod, power cable, documentation