HOMEPOD

When Apple announced the HomePod last June, the smart speaker market was still nascent. The original Amazon Echo and Google Home played music, but weren’t exactly an aural extravaganza.

This Christmas, things exploded. We had the release of the improved second-gen Amazon Echo, as well as smart speakers such as the Sonos One, Harman Kardon Allure, and tons more – the HomePod has entered a much more crowded market. At £319, it’s three times more expensive than an Echo, and over 50 per cent as costly as a Sonos One. Can it really be worth the price?

After getting to hear one in the flesh, we can say that it easily earns its price tag. The difficult question is whether it’s worth spending that over other options.

Let’s start with the audio, because