Apple’s Refreshed HomePod Smart Display Reported to be Still on Track for 2025

Apple is reportedly still on track to release a new version of its HomePod. Much like Google’s Nest Hub or the many Echo Show devices, the new HomePod is said to have a 7-inch display and is slated to launch later this year.

Word comes by way of Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman. In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman expressed that the new HomePod will be “Apple’s most significant release of the year.” The report continues to emphasize that the HomePod hub-style device will be Apple’s “first step toward a bigger role in the smart home.”

Gurman claims that the HomePod will be akin to a small and cheaper version of an iPad. The device will reportedly enable users to interact with and control smart home appliances like lights. It may also be able to “conduct FaceTime chats, and handle other tasks.”

Last year, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also reported the existence of a HomePod hub with a smart display. At the time, Kuo believed the device would arrive in late 2025, after the annual WWDC conference. The earlier report also went on to state that the device would feature a 6.7-inch display and be powered by the A18 chipset from Apple.

In 2024, Gurman reported that with the investment in Apple Intelligence, the Cupertino company may leverage AI-powered operations for the smart home. It was around this same time that reports of a new version of homeOS began popping up. It’s believed that Apple may be developing a version of its HomePod smart display that would be attached to a robotic tabletop arm. Using the iPad-like display, Apple Intelligence would be able to recognize who is interacting with the device. If this device does launch, it may be the first device built from the ground up for Apple Intelligence.