Apple Debuts First Smart Display, New HomePod Mini and Apple TV 4K

The smart display is a seven-inch HomePod that adjusts its brightness automatically according to the time of day and changes how graphics are rendered when a user moves away from it, which Apple says improves viewability. A facial recognition feature personalizes displayed content for up to six different users.

The device will ship in two editions. A wall-mounted model comes with three mounts, while a tabletop edition sits on an aluminum base whose stainless steel hinge lets users tilt the screen and adjust the viewing angle by hand. The wall version carries two speakers; the tabletop unit has three, along with two force-cancelling passive radiators that prevent the speakers from rattling the chassis and improve audio quality.

HomePod mini 2, the latest version of Apple's entry-level smart speaker, adds a panel that displays light effects synchronized to the music being played and automatically tailors its acoustic settings to each track. It runs its audio processing software on an Apple S10 chip, which first appeared in the company's 2024 Apple Watch lineup. The same processor runs the Siri assistant, which users can direct to perform tasks inside apps installed on an iPhone or iPad and to change the settings of other smart home devices.

The new Apple TV 4K is a set-top box that attaches to a television by cable, giving the connected display access to streaming services, Siri and control over other smart home devices. It is powered by a custom A19 system-on-chip whose central processing unit delivers up to 50% more performance than the chip in the previous model, while the integrated graphics processing unit is up to twice as fast. Apple attributes smoother interface navigation to those gains. Streamed video arrives compressed and must be decompressed before playback; Apple says a dedicated hardware module in the A19 handles that task and lowers the box's bandwidth consumption. The device ships with a revised remote whose main addition is support for Apple's Find My service, which plots a lost remote on a map and plays a sound to help locate it.

Users can pair an Apple TV 4K with four HomePod mini 2 speakers to build a home theater setup. According to Apple, the speakers detect their own positions and calibrate their audio settings accordingly to optimize sound quality.

The Apple Home Collection, developed by LG Corp. and Schneider Electric SE, is the third-party portion of the launch. It comprises four cameras, one of which doubles as a doorbell, plus a door lock and two thermostats. Standalone temperature and humidity sensors that also debuted can extend the thermostats. All the devices connect to the Apple Home management app for remote adjustments, and some integrate with the iPhone and Apple Watch: LG's smart door lock, for example, unlocks automatically when a user approaches the door carrying an iPhone that stores a digital key.