Apple's Welcome Home Launch: HomePod mini 2, a New Apple TV 4K and HomeView

Apple had a busy Tuesday. In one go it announced a new HomePod mini, a new Apple TV 4K, a brand new kind of device called HomeView, and a range of cameras, locks and thermostats made with LG and Schneider Electric. It called the whole thing Welcome Home, and it is the biggest push Apple has made into the smart home in years. Here is what each one is, what it costs in the UK, when you can get it, and which ones I think are worth your money.

HomePod mini 2: £149, in stores 30 October

The small speaker gets its first proper update in six years. Inside is the S10 chip, the same family as the Apple Watch, which Apple says gives it better computational audio, and outside there are five colours: pink, green, blue, white and midnight. The top surface now glows in colours taken from the album art of whatever is playing, which Apple calls Sound Glow, and it can act as a speaker for a Mac for the first time.

Two things matter more than the colours. You can now pair four of them with the new Apple TV 4K for proper surround sound, front and rear pairs, and it will get Siri AI through a free update later on. That update is not there on day one, so buy it for the speaker, not the promise. Pre-orders are open now and it reaches stores on Friday 30 October. I will be honest, after six years of waiting for a new one, a chip, some colours and a glowing top is a bit disappointing. It is a good little speaker and it was before, but I had hoped for more.

Apple TV 4K: £299, in stores 13 November

The fourth-generation Apple TV 4K gets the A19 chip from this year's iPhones, which Apple says is up to 50 percent faster than the old box, and three microphones in the unit itself so you can talk to Siri without picking up the remote. The full-screen Siri AI experience is coming in tvOS 27.2 as a beta, and that part also works on the previous two generations, so do not upgrade just for Siri.

The new Siri Remote looks the same but can be found with Find My, including a play-a-sound option, which for a lot of households is worth the upgrade on its own. It is sold separately and works with older Apple TVs too. Pre-orders are open and it arrives on Friday 13 November. At £299 it is too pricey for what is, day to day, a box for watching telly, and the one thing in its favour is that they last. People are still using the 2017 model happily. I am hoping tvOS 28 next year does more with the hardware than this year's software does.

HomeView: £299, in stores 13 November

This is the new thing. HomeView is a 7-inch screen on a speaker base, or a version that mounts flat on the wall, that sits in a kitchen or hallway and does the jobs you would otherwise pull a phone out for: FaceTime calls, intercom between rooms, recipes with timers, music, and a live view of your doorbell and cameras. It recognises up to six faces and shows each person their own calendar and messages when they walk up to it. I really like the look of it, and I have written a separate piece on what HomeView does and who it is for, because it raises more questions than the other two put together. Both versions are £299, pre-orders are open, and it is not available in the EU.

Apple Home Collection: from December

Finally, a range of accessories that set up with a single tap of an iPhone and live entirely in the Home app. The cameras come from LG: a video doorbell from £229.95, a floodlight camera from £349.95, an outdoor camera from £279.95 and an indoor one from £179.95. There is an LG deadbolt lock that unlocks as you approach, two thermostats, one from LG and one from Schneider, and temperature sensors. Ten days of video history comes with iCloud+ rather than a separate camera subscription, which is the detail that will make the most difference to monthly bills. Availability starts in December, with some items early next year, and Apple has not yet given UK prices for the lock, the thermostats or the sensors.

What I would actually buy

• HomePod mini 2 is a fine buy if you want music in a room or a cheap way into HomeKit, and £149 is fair. Just do not expect it to feel much different from the old one, and if you have an original, there is no reason to replace it.
• Apple TV 4K is worth it if you are on an Apple TV HD or the first 4K model, or if you keep losing the remote. If you bought one in the last couple of years, keep it. They go on for years.
• HomeView is the one I am most interested in and the one to wait on. The design is lovely, but it is a first-generation product in a new category, Siri AI on it is in beta, and the personal features need a recent iPhone. Let the reviews land in November.
• Home Collection is promising, especially the no-subscription cameras, but wait for the full UK pricing and the first units in December.

As ever, if you are setting any of this up and want it to just work, book a session and we will do it with you. The products are all in the buying guide with a verdict on each.

Alex