# HomeView, HomePod mini 2 and Apple TV 4K: what Apple's new hubs change for Matter homes Apple's three new home devices all include Thread and work as Apple home hubs. HomeView adds a shared touchscreen for Apple Home, but prices rise, Siri AI arrives in stages and HomeView skips the EU. Canonical page: https://matterhome.io/news/apple-homeview-homepod-mini-2-apple-tv-4k-matter-hubs Markdown page: https://matterhome.io/news/apple-homeview-homepod-mini-2-apple-tv-4k-matter-hubs.md Author: Matterhome Editorial Team Author profile: https://matterhome.io/authors/matterhome-editorial-team Editorial lead: JC Martinez Editor profile: https://matterhome.io/authors/jc-martinez Published: 2026-10-13T20:30:00.000Z Category: Device launch Tags: Apple Home, Apple TV, Smart speakers, Thread, Matter ## Feature Image - Origin: sourced - Image: https://assets.matterhome.io/content/news/2026-10-13-apple-homeview-homepod-mini-2-apple-tv-4k/feature.72ae0b8330d90bce116a/source.webp - Alt text: Five Apple HomeView displays in several colors showing a clock, a FaceTime call, a photo, Home app controls and music playback - Caption: Official Apple Newsroom image of the HomeView lineup, announced October 13, 2026. - Source: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/images/2026/10/meet-apple-homeview-a-new-way-to-enjoy-entertainment-and-manage-the-home/tile/Apple-HomeView-lineup-261013-lp.jpg.og.jpg ## Sources - https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/10/meet-apple-homeview-a-new-way-to-enjoy-entertainment-and-manage-the-home/ - https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/10/apple-announces-the-next-generation-of-homepod-mini/ - https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/10/apple-unveils-the-new-apple-tv-4k/ - https://www.apple.com/apple-homeview/specs/ - https://www.apple.com/homepod-mini/specs/ - https://www.apple.com/apple-tv-4k/specs/ - https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-homepod/homepod-mini - https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-tv/apple-tv-4k - https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/buy-home/apple_homeview - https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/buy-homepod/homepod-mini - https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/buy-tv/apple-tv-4k - https://www.apple.com/de/shop/buy-homepod/homepod-mini - https://www.apple.com/de/shop/buy-tv/apple-tv-4k - https://support.apple.com/en-us/111839 Apple announced three new home devices on October 13, 2026: [Apple HomeView](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/10/meet-apple-homeview-a-new-way-to-enjoy-entertainment-and-manage-the-home/), a 7-inch smart display for a countertop or wall; [HomePod mini 2](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/10/apple-announces-the-next-generation-of-homepod-mini/); and a fourth-generation [Apple TV 4K](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/10/apple-unveils-the-new-apple-tv-4k/). All three have a Thread radio and work as Apple home hubs, so any of them can run Matter-over-Thread locks, sensors and plugs in Apple Home. HomePod mini 2 costs $149 and is available October 30. HomeView and Apple TV 4K cost $299 each and arrive November 13. Pre-orders for all three opened on announcement day. For a Matter household, this is new hardware around the same Home app. None of Apple's three announcements describes a new Matter capability that requires the new hardware, so a working [HomePod mini](/devices/apple-homepod-mini), [second-generation HomePod](/devices/apple-homepod-2nd-gen) or Thread-equipped [Apple TV 4K](/devices/apple-tv-4k-wifi-ethernet-3rd-gen) keeps doing the hub job. Buy HomeView for a shared touchscreen, and HomePod mini 2 or the Apple TV for audio, streaming or a first Thread hub. The changes that affect hub buyers are practical ones: Apple's store no longer lists an Apple TV without Thread, both replacement models cost more, and HomeView is not sold in the European Union. | | HomeView | HomePod mini 2 | Apple TV 4K (4th generation) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | US price | $299 | $149 | $299 | | UK price | £299 | £149 | £299 | | Germany price | Not sold in the EU | €169 | €349 | | Available | November 13 | October 30 | November 13 | | Thread | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Home network | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 7 and Gigabit Ethernet | | Siri AI | Beta at launch | Later software update | Beta in tvOS 27.2 | Prices are from Apple's US, UK and German online stores on October 13, 2026. Hardware details come from Apple's [HomeView](https://www.apple.com/apple-homeview/specs/), [HomePod mini](https://www.apple.com/homepod-mini/specs/) and [Apple TV 4K](https://www.apple.com/apple-tv-4k/specs/) specification pages. ## HomeView puts Apple Home on a shared screen On HomeView, a Home Modular face keeps favorite accessories one tap away, and a Home Camera face can show up to nine camera feeds at once. Apple says HomeView works with Works with Apple Home and Matter accessories by touch or voice, and recognizes up to six household members by face so each gets a personal Home Screen. It also has a temperature and humidity sensor, which the thermostats in Apple's new [LG and Schneider accessory lineup](/news/apple-home-collection-lg-schneider-matter) can use as a room reading. That makes it the most interesting of the three devices for a Matter home. Until now, a shared Apple Home control panel usually meant a spare iPad or a third-party tablet. HomeView does that job natively and adds a Thread radio and home hub. Apple presents it as a new screen for the Home app, though, and nothing in the launch material suggests Matter features beyond what Home already exposes on an iPhone. If Apple Home lacks support for a device type or feature today, expect the same gap on HomeView. The wall version costs more than its $299 sticker. Only the countertop HomeView includes a USB-C cable and a 30 W power adapter; the wall-mounted model ships without a mount, cable or adapter. Apple sells three Schneider Home mounts for it. The cheapest, the $59.95 USB-C Wall Connector, also needs a USB-C cable and a power adapter of at least 20 W, so a wall setup starts at $358.95 before those. The $79.95 AC Wired mount and the $129.95 PoE Wired mount, due in early 2027, need mains or Ethernet cabling at the wall. Setup requires an iPhone with iOS 27.2 or later or an iPad with iPadOS 27.2 or later. Apple is selling HomeView in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, the UK and the US, with Singapore pre-orders from October 15 and South African sales through authorized resellers. Apple says HomeView is not for sale in the EU because Siri AI is currently unavailable in iOS there. ## HomePod mini 2 is the cheapest new Thread hub, at a higher price HomePod mini 2 keeps the small speaker's hub role, Thread radio and temperature and humidity sensors, and now uses an Apple S10 chip, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6. It is the least expensive new Apple device that can act as a Thread home hub, but it costs $20 more than the $129 Apple charged for the original HomePod mini when Matterhome last checked on September 10, 2026. The UK price rises by the same £20 to £149, and the German price moves from €139 to €169. Apple's US store now lists only HomePod mini 2; our [original HomePod mini review](/devices/apple-homepod-mini) still applies to existing owners and remaining retail stock. Siri AI is not on HomePod mini 2 at launch. Apple says it will arrive in a future software update. Until then, the speaker's smart home job is the one current HomePods already do: voice control, scenes, automations and remote access through the Home app. Two details matter if you already own speakers. A stereo pair needs two of the same model and generation, so an original HomePod mini cannot pair with a HomePod mini 2. Apple's new four-speaker surround setup also needs HomePod mini 2 or second-generation HomePod speakers in matching front and rear pairs, plus the new Apple TV 4K. An existing mini still works as a hub and a room speaker; it cannot join the new audio arrangements. ## Apple TV 4K drops the model without Thread The fourth-generation Apple TV 4K comes in one configuration: 128 GB of storage, Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread, built around an A19 chip with three far-field microphones. That removes an Apple Home buying trap. The third-generation 64 GB Wi-Fi model has no Thread radio or Ethernet port, according to [Apple's specifications](https://support.apple.com/en-us/111839) for that generation. A buyer who saved $50 on the cheaper box could find it unable to act as the Thread hub for a new lock or sensor. Every new Apple TV now has the radio. The cost of that simplicity is a higher entry price. The new model is $299, against $249 for the third-generation 128 GB Wi-Fi + Ethernet model and $199 for the 64 GB model at Matterhome's September 10 check. UK pricing is £299 and German pricing €349. As a hub alone, the new Apple TV costs twice as much as HomePod mini 2. Its smart home features center on the TV screen. A compatible doorbell can show who is at the door, let you talk to them and unlock the door without stopping playback. Apple Intelligence adds descriptions of camera activity, which need an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad for setup and an eligible iCloud+ plan, and Siri can run accessories and scenes hands-free through the new microphones. Siri AI itself does not require the new hardware: Apple says the beta in tvOS 27.2 also runs on Apple TV 4K (2nd generation) and later. ## Siri AI arrives in stages, in English only All three devices lead with Siri AI, and none ships with a finished version. Apple limits it to English in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, the UK and the US. On Apple TV and HomePod mini 2, the owner of the home in the Home app also needs an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad with Siri AI turned on; on HomeView, personal requests need the user's own paired Apple Intelligence iPhone or iPad. Apple has not said whether the original HomePod mini or the second-generation HomePod will get Siri AI. Siri AI will not be available in iOS in the EU at first. Home app control of Matter accessories does not depend on it, so homes outside those countries keep the current Siri and the Home app. ## Before you pre-order If your only Apple hub is a third-generation 64 GB Apple TV and you are about to add Thread accessories, HomePod mini 2 is the cheapest current Apple route to a Thread hub from October 30. Our [Thread border router guide](/guides/do-you-need-a-thread-border-router) explains when you need one. For HomeView, the useful evidence arrives after November 13. Siri AI is still a beta, Apple's specification pages do not name a Thread version for any of the three devices, and how well HomeView works as a shared control panel day to day is something launch material cannot show.