Yes, I decided to splurge on the new Homepod Mini. 

I’ve had several bluetooth/wireless speakers over the years. The cheap ones are really not worth it unless you’re planning to be at the beach and don’t care if one gets carried out with the tide. 

I have the Bose Soundlink, which has superior sound but occasionally the bluetooth connection gets wonky. I also have the Sonos One speaker, which also has very good sound quality. My chief complaint with the Sonos speaker is the requirement to use the Sonos app, which sometimes creates problems with the playlists and inability to play music. There should be no friction. Just play the song!

My first impression of the Homepod Mini is that it’s smaller than I expected. It’s somewhere between a tennis ball and a softball. I plugged it in and put my iPhone next to it for set-up. Easy peasy. 

Despite the small stature, it pumps out pretty good sound. It may not quite have the chops of the Bose or the Sonos speaker, but it’s also much smaller. Good enough for my ears. I know there’s functionality for Siri, and Homekit, and other bells and whistles, but I really just want to play music/podcasts/audiobooks. Here’s another cool feature. You can have something playing on the iPhone, and when you hold it next to Homepod Mini it will automatically start playing on the speaker. Bring the iPhone close again and it will take the stream back. Of course, you can also use Airplay settings on the iPhone if you don’t want to get up from the comfy couch.