When Apple unveiled the new HomePod Mini last week along with the iPhone 12 lineup, it introduced a litany of next-level features aimed at competing with Google Home, Nest Audio and Amazon’s family of Echo speakers.

Not only does the compact HomePod Mini’s US$99 price tag make the Siri-powered smart speaker more affordable than the HomePod (US$299), it also includes an array of new features that even the full-size HomePod and rival speakers lack, like automatically pairing two HomePod Minis in the same room. Here’s a look at the biggest new features Apple announced, as well as how you’ll use them.

One of the downsides to using a smart speaker is you lose the 3-D sound you’d get from a stereo, which separates music into two channels (surround-sound uses even more) and plays sounds at different levels on opposite speakers. Other smart speakers let you pair them up in their respective apps, but Apple says when you put two HomePod Minis in the same room, the speakers will recognize each other and automatically separate into left and right channels to create a stereo pair.

HomePod Mini’s new intercom feature means no more shouting to announce dinner. Instead, get everyone’s attention by broadcasting a message that plays on HomePods and appears as a push notification on iOS devices scattered throughout the house. Record a message on a HomePod, iPhone, iPad or Mac, and Siri will play it on all your HomePods as well as household members’ AirPods and will send a push notification to household iOS devices and Macs.

Later this year, Apple says, when you bring a compatible iPhone up next to a HomePod Mini, you’ll be able to “hand off” music, with visual, sound and haptic cues that create a stronger sense of connection between the devices. The HomePod Mini has the same ultra-wideband chip Apple included in the iPhone 11 and 12 series, which theoretically allows the devices to sense the distance between each other more accurately than other technologies like Bluetooth.

(SD-Agencies)