Apple just announced the HomePod mini in midnight and it's a stealthy update in more ways than one

HomePod mini in midnight
(Image credit: Apple/Future)

Apple has today unveiled a new HomePod mini that will be immediately familiar to those of us who already own one — especially those who own a Space Gray one.

Apple's unveiling of the "HomePod mini in midnight" comes as the company says that it will officially go on sale on Wednesday, July 17 although there was no suggestion that the midnight HomePod mini launch would happen at midnight, unfortunately.

The new speaker appears to be identical to the previous model albeit carrying Apple's new fondness for midnight as a descriptor for its darkest color. We'd suggest that existing owners probably won't need to rush out to upgrade, that's for sure, but it's possible that photos of the new color don't do it justice but we'll need to see the new and old models side-by-side to confirm that.

You look ... familiar

Apple's stealth update by press release matches the stealthy changes that appear to be going on here. On the inside, the new HomePod mini matches those already on sale in other colors including the same Apple S5 chip and speaker configuration. "At just 3.3 inches tall, HomePod mini offers big sound in an impressively compact design," Apple says, adding that with "a seamless, acoustically transparent mesh exterior and a backlit touch surface that illuminates from edge to edge, HomePod mini is a stunning smart speaker that complements any space."

The new color joins the existing yellow, orange, blue, and white options and will retail for the same $99 this Wednesday. It'll initially launch in the U.S., Canada, China mainland, Singapore, and 28 other countries and regions.

HomePod mini |$99$95 at B&H Photo

HomePod mini | $99 $95 at B&H Photo

The HomePod mini is the super compact HomePod, and it’s currently just $95, a small saving on a small speaker. 

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Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.