Apple will unveil the HomePod mini 2 on Tuesday, October 13, at 9 a.m. Eastern Time — exactly six years after the original launched on the same date in 2020. The announcement arrives as part of Apple’s “Welcome home” event, which will be shared via press release on Apple Newsroom, not a live stream. No design overhaul is expected: it retains the compact spherical form, but adds new color options, pink and green. Alongside existing ones. It runs a newer chip than the S5 used since 2019, enabling on-device Siri AI features when paired with a nearby iPhone. That caveat matters: no standalone generative AI. Wi-Fi 7 support arrives via Apple’s N1 chip, a first for any HomePod model. And the Ultra Wideband chip steps up to second generation, likely improving spatial awareness for AirDrop handoffs or Find My precision. Sound quality is said to be improved, though no specifics, no wattage, no driver count, no frequency range. Are confirmed. Price? The current HomePod mini jumped to $129 in the U.S. In June. Apple has not announced the new model’s cost, nor its Indian price (Rs 79,999 was the old model’s launch figure in India, but that’s irrelevant unless updated). Availability follows the usual pattern: pre-orders open shortly after the announcement, shipping begins within days. No exact ship date is given. This isn’t a full HomePod refresh, that remains unchanged since 2023. Just a long-overdue iteration of the mini. And yes, people searching for “HomePod mini 2” will find this. It’s real. It’s coming. Next Tuesday.