What you need to know
- Apple has confirmed the repair fees for its new HomePod Mini.
- An out-of-warranty service fee is $79, almost as much as the device itself.
- With AppleCare+, you'll pay just $15, seemingly making the coverage a must-buy.
Apple's new HomePod mini will cost $79 to repair out-of-warranty, compared to just $15 if you're covered by AppleCare+.
Ahead of the HomePod mini launching next week, Apple has revealed that it will charge a fee of $79 to service the speaker for customers without AppleCare+ coverage. This is only $20 cheaper than buying an entirely new HomePod mini for $99.
Apple's support page lists the repair price of Apple's new smaller smart speaker alongside those of the original, full-size HomePod.
As per the report, Apple has confirmed that a service out-of-warranty will set a user back $79. Considering that the HomePod mini costs $99, this makes AppleCare+ seem like a bargain.
AppleCare+ for HomePod mini is just $15 and extends your HomePod's hardware repair coverage through its limited warranty from one year to two. Just like AppleCare+ for iPhone, it will also grant you four instances of accidental damage protection, two every 12 months, with a service fee of $15 dollars each time. If you were to accidentally damage your HomePod mini without AppleCare+, or if the device needed a repair after 12 months, you'd be paying almost as much as you paid for the device originally. By contrast, with AppleCare+, you could accidentally damage your HomePod mini four times and get it repaired for a grand total of $75, just four dollars shy of what one mishap might cost you without cover.
On balance, your HomePod mini is a stationary device, and not exposed to the same rigors of life that an iPhone or laptop might be, but given the high repair cost (as a proportion of the device's overall price), compared to the relatively low cost of AppleCare+, HomePod mini users will likely want to seriously consider coverage as an option when buying.
The HomePod mini was announced alongside iPhone 12 last month and is already proving popular, with delivery times currently pushed back to mid-December.
