Apple finally has an answer to the Amazon Echo Show and Google Nest Hub. It is called HomeView, and it is a small screen with a speaker that is meant to sit in the middle of your home and run it.
At a glance
- What it is: a 7-inch smart screen with a speaker, for the kitchen, nightstand or wall
- Price: $299 (tabletop or wall-mounted)
- Announced: October 13, 2026
- In stores: November 13, 2026 (pre-orders open now)
- Brains: Apple A18 chip and the new Siri AI
- Competes with: Amazon Echo Show and Google Nest Hub
What it does
- Runs your smart home: lights, locks, thermostat, blinds and cameras, by touch or by voice. It can show up to nine camera feeds at once.
- Knows who is looking at it: it recognizes up to six people by their face and shows each person their own messages, calendar and apps.
- The new Siri AI: a smarter, more conversational Siri. It works best with a newer iPhone or iPad that supports Apple Intelligence.
- Music and calls: a real speaker with a woofer in the base, plus FaceTime with a camera that follows you around the room.
- Kitchen helper: turns online recipes into step-by-step instructions with hands-free timers.
- Safety: listens for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and alerts your phone.
“Apple HomeView is designed to be shared by everyone in the home yet feel completely personal to each user.”
Greg Joswiak, Apple
Tabletop or wall-mounted
There are two versions, and both cost $299.
| Tabletop | Wall-mounted | |
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Silver, starlight, rose pink, space gray | Silver, space gray |
| Best spot | Kitchen counter, nightstand, side table | Entryway, hallway |
| Sound | Speaker with a woofer in the base | Two speakers tuned for the wall |
The wall version needs one of three mounts made by Schneider Home, sold separately:
| Mount | Price | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| USB-C wall connector | $59.95 | Easiest. Plugs into power with a cable. |
| AC wired | $79.95 | Wired into your home power. An electrician may be needed. |
| PoE wired | $129.95 | Power and internet over one network cable. Coming in early 2027. |
Before you buy
- Siri AI on HomeView is English-only for now, and HomeView is not sold in the European Union.
- To get the most out of it, you need a newer iPhone or iPad that supports Apple Intelligence. Without one, you still get the smarter Siri, but not the personal features.
- It works with Apple Home and Matter smart home gear, so many existing lights, locks and plugs will work. Check yours before you buy.
- Some camera features, like recognizing packages, people and pets, need a paid iCloud+ plan.
My take
Let me say what a lot of people are thinking: is HomeView a genuinely cool addition to the Apple home, or is it a $299 dust collector with a really nice screen?
Be honest. You already own a phone that does all of this. Most of us also have an iPad that has been sitting in a drawer since 2022, waiting for its big comeback. HomeView is basically that iPad, glued to a speaker, with a hinge. Give it six months and I can picture a lot of these living their best life as the world’s most expensive digital photo frame. “Hey Siri, what’s dust?”
And this is the first big new product under Apple’s brand-new CEO, who took over in September. A smart screen? Amazon and Google have been selling those for years. If this is the big new vision, where is the innovation? To be fair to the new boss, this thing was in the works long before he got the corner office. But it still landed on his watch, and it does not exactly scream “new era.”
Now, before the Apple fans come for me in the comments, here is what Apple actually got right:
- Face recognition for the whole family. One shared screen that shows each person their own stuff, and only theirs, is genuinely clever. Your teenager will not be reading your texts on the kitchen counter.
- Privacy. If you are going to put a camera and microphone in your kitchen, I would rather trust Apple than an ad company.
- It actually sounds good. A real woofer in the base beats most smart displays, which tend to sound like a phone in a cup.
- The wall mount. A screen by the front door that shows your doorbell, locks and cameras at a glance is something a phone cannot do as well, because nobody wants to dig out their phone to see who is at the door.
So here is my verdict. If you already live in the Apple world and have a smart home to control, HomeView makes sense, especially on the wall. If you are buying it just because it is new and shiny, save your $299. Your iPad in the drawer is feeling left out.
Your turn: genius or dust collector? Tell me in the comments.
What to watch next
HomeView goes on sale November 13. The first hands-on reviews should show whether the new Siri AI lives up to the promise. We will update this post when they do.
Top photo and wall photo: Apple. Sources: Apple Newsroom, MacRumors, TechCrunch.
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