HomeView is Apple's first smart display

Alex Choros - Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor

Last updated 14 October 2026

The HomeView on a desk with smart home controls on the screen | Source: Apple

Apple overnight announced a trifecta of new smart home products: the HomeView, a new Apple TV 4K, and the HomePod mini 2.

The HomeView is Apple's take on a smart display, similar to the Amazon Echo Show or the Google Nest Hub. It effectively pairs a HomePod with a square touschreen that's either similar to a giant Apple Watch or a small iPad, depending on your perspective.

In terms of functionality, the HomeView isn't too surprising. You can use it to control smart home accessories, play music, make FaceTime calls, run a digital picture frame, and use Siri AI. Up to six users in one household can use the HomeView and get personalised information.

HomeView is available to pre-order now priced at $449 ahead of a November 13 release date. You can pick from the standard HomeView on the HomePod-like base, or a wall-mounted option. The wall-mounted option misses out on the extra speakers the base offers, however, and the requires the purchase of a mount. These start at $94.95.

The HomeView comes in four colours: silver, starlight, rose pink, and space grey. If you opt for the wall-mounted option, you can only pick from silver and space grey.

The new Apple TV 4K and new Siri Remote look much like the one olds | Source: Apple

Meanwhile, the new Apple TV 4K looks pretty similar to the old one, but it has a few upgrades worth calling out. The big one is that there are now microphones in the set-top box itself, so you can speak to Siri without needing to use the remote. Similarly, the Siri Remote now has a speaker, so that it can play a sound if you can't find it. The other main update is an A19 chipset, which is the same processor found in the iPhone 17.

The new Apple TV 4K is available to pre-order now ahead of a November 13 release date. It has however gotten a fairly hefty price bump, with the device now starting at $449. This gets you 128GB of storage and an Ethernet port; the cheaper 64GB option with no Ethernet port is no longer available.

HomePad mini 2 — The HomePod mini 2 in the new pink colour option | Source: Apple

On the HomePod front, the HomePod mini 2 mostly benefits from a faster chipset (the same S10 found in the Apple Watch Series 10) and some new software features. The top panel can now glow to match the colour of the album you're playing, and the HomePod mini 2 can now be used as the default speaker for a Mac. In addition, multiple HomePod mini 2 speakers can be paired for surround sound. Either four HomePod mini 2 units, or two HomePods, and two HomePod mini 2s.

The HomePod mini 2 will also work with the new Siri AI if you have a compatible iPhone, but this functionality will be enabled down the line with a future software update.

HomePod mini 2 pre-orders start today, ahead of an October 30 release date. It is priced at $229, and comes in a choice of white, pink, blue, green, or midnight.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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