Apple’s HomePod smart speaker rarely sees a discount, but a special holiday deal from B&H cuts the price by $20 for a limited time.
The timing is awesome, because a HomePod makes a great gift for the Apple lover in your life. And with this deal, you can scoop up a full-size, second-generation Home Pod for just $279 in either midnight or white.
This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.
HomePod deal: Save on Apple’s second-gen smart speaker
Built for entertainment and utility, high-quality smart speakers let you blast your tunes and listen to podcasts and news briefings. But they also do much more: They can answer questions (sometimes) and control smart-home products.
Cupertino introduced the HomePod in 2018 to inject high-quality audio into the Apple ecosystem — and compete with the growing ranks of popular smart speakers from Amazon and Google.
The original HomePod sounded great, but at $349 list, consumers didn’t view it as a great deal. It simply cost too much, especially compared with Amazon’s inexpensive Alexa lineup. Apple eventually cut the price to $299, then discontinued the first-gen model in 2021. Then, Apple surprised us all and released the second-generation HomePod in 2023.
The HomePod 2 model in this deal comes with two fewer tweeters (five rather than seven) but adds other features — including a built-in temperature and humidity sensor — and still delivers high-quality audio.
The HomePod also acts as a home hub, so you can control smart devices throughout your living space. It also supports the Matter smart home standard, so the second-gen HomePod connects to and controls Matter-enabled accessories like locks, lights and sensors.
Rare HomePod deal puts a great price on a great gift
The HomePod makes a great gift for any Apple fan. Just like AirTags — which are the ultimate stocking stuffers for Apple lovers — you can never have too many HomePods in your house.
Plus, they sound even better when you set them up as a stereo pair. (Note: You cannot set up a second-gen HomePod with the original model in a stereo pair.)
You definitely want to go with B&H rather than Amazon on this deal.
Apple’s best smart speaker
Apple HomePod (second generation)
Cheaper than Apple’s original smart speaker, the second-gen HomePod delivers great audio and acts as a capable smart home hub.
- Sounds great (and even better in a stereo pair).
- Works with Apple’s Home app to control your smart devices.
- Still more expensive than competing products.
Another option: Buy a refurbished HomePod 2 from Apple
Want to save even more with a refurbished HomePod deal?
If you don’t mind taking a chance on a refurb model (and why would you, really?), you should consider buying a second-gen HomePod from Apple. However, currently, Apple only offers the midnight color.
Lewis Wallace is the managing editor of Cult of Mac and author of our weekly newsletter, The Weekender.
He’s a San Francisco-based writer and editor specializing in technology and culture. He loves his iPhone, hates Siri, and appreciates any hardware that combines form and function.
Prior to Cult of Mac, he juggled words and ideas as culture editor at Wired.com, homepage editor at TechTV, news product manager at NBCi, copy editor at PC World, reporter at The (Hayward) Daily Review and editor in chief of EveryBody’s News in Cincinnati.
He earned a bachelor of general studies degree with a journalism certificate from the University of Cincinnati. While in school, he worked as the entertainment editor of The News Record and as editor in chief of Clifton Magazine.
He’s also a bass player, who’s recorded and performed around the United States with Those Darn Accordions, The Electric Boogie Dawgz and The Mad Maggies. When not writing, editing or laying down bass lines, he plays darts and serves on the board of the San Francisco Darts League.