Apple HomePod leak suggests a full touchscreen display model is coming, but all I want is next-gen Siri

Apple HomePod Mini
(Image credit: Future)

The rumor mill has once again lurched into action regarding an upcoming Apple HomePod with full touchscreen. In this new leak (shared by X user @Kosutami_Ito), an alleged part image appears to show a new, bigger HomePod display top plate – yes, where the current waveform swirling orb lives. 

There's no point of reference to estimate the circular screen's actual size, but the tipster says it shows a "glossy" HomePod with display, codenamed B720.

This isn't the first we've heard of an Apple smart display-enhanced HomePod, mind you. Back in October 2023, a leak posted by a KotsutamiSan (an X handle that seems to be no more, although it sounds remarkably similar to Kotsutami_Ito, author of the latest leak) also referenced a B720 HomePod with a bigger touchscreen which might be capable of showing images – of album covers, say. 

Just over a year ago in March 2023, the respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted a HomePod with a display would land at some point in 2024.

And the story goes back even further, to February 2022, when Siri allegedly started slipping up by mentioning a HomePod display of some kind – and let's not forget, that was long before the HomePod 2 arrived, in January 2023.

'Siri, we need to talk' 

An iPhone on a blue background showing the Siri logo

Oh, Siri…  (Image credit: Apple)

Look, I don't think there's anything wrong with Apple's smart speakers design-wise – I loved the original HomePod's dimensions and configuration. More than that though, I loved the way it sounded. And I loved the swirling, almost haunted vibes from the distinctive top-plate; no notes there. 

It's no secret that I also loved the Apple HomePod Mini; a classy but inexpensive (for Apple) update that sounded far bigger than it had any business being, with a driver that sonically still leaves Amazon's Echo Dot (5th Gen) for dust. 

The thing is, it's also no secret that Apple's voice assistant (originally integrated into the iPhone 4S way back in October 2011, after starting out as an app for iOS in February 2010) is lagging behind. TechRadar's own senior news editor, Mark Wilson, recently lamented "Siri is truly terrible", and despite his optimism about its rumored iOS 18 reboot (due September 2024), he's not alone in voicing this opinion. 

Siri was largely left behind in Apple's most recent WWDC 2023 event, with the once-pioneering vocal subordinate's big 'update' being… a shortening of the wake-up phrase from ‘Hey Siri’ to ‘Siri’. Wow. It's easy to think that Apple simply no longer cares about Siri.

The problem as I see it has nothing to do with how impressive a bigger, more fully-featured screen on an Apple speaker might be. The issue is that an Apple HomePod with the current version of Siri at its core can't compete with the best smart speakers in the business in 2024. Since April 2023, we've bemoaned the fact that Siri is being left behind – and Apple knows it.

But wait! All is not lost; at the start of the month, Apple researchers revealed an AI breakthrough that could make Siri much smarter. The new paper (entitled 'ReALM: Reference Resolution As Language Modeling') contains intel from Apple on how the Cupertino giant’s own AI system will aim to consider both what's on your device’s screen and the tasks you're performing simultaneously (both in the foreground and the background) as stimuli to respond to your queries.

If your HomePod can understand the context and the direct request, Apple thinks that'll give its AI an edge. Might this stop it from playing the top 25 hits on Apple Music when I say, "Siri, play me a good song" (and instead consider the genres of music I actually like)? Or, might it mean that if I say "Siri, play the hits" it would play the actual hits, rather than the Backstreet Boys 2001 album that also happens to be called The Hits? We live in hope… 

You may also like

Becky Scarrott
Audio Editor

Becky became Audio Editor at TechRadar in 2024, but joined the team in 2022 as Senior Staff Writer, focusing on all things hi-fi. Before this, she spent three years at What Hi-Fi? testing and reviewing everything from wallet-friendly wireless earbuds to huge high-end sound systems. Prior to gaining her MA in Journalism in 2018, Becky freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 22-year career as a professional dancer and aerialist – any love of dance starts with a love of music. Becky has previously contributed to Stuff, FourFourTwo and The Stage. When not writing, she can still be found throwing shapes in a dance studio, these days with varying degrees of success.  

Read more
Homepod mini review
HomePod mini 2: all the latest rumors, what we know and 5 things we want to see
A mock up of an Apple HomePod hub based on the Amazon Echo Show 10 sitting on a kitchen table
Apple’s HomePod hub tipped to be its biggest launch of 2025 – here are 3 things it needs to beat Amazon and Google
Apple HomePod mini on black background
New HomePod minis will almost certainly land this year – and Siri might even get good
A mock up of an Apple HomePod hub based on the Amazon Echo Show 10 sitting on a kitchen table
Advantage, Alexa – Apple's smart home hub reportedly 'postponed' due to Siri slowdown
Amazon Echo Show 15 on blue background
The best smart display 2025: top smart screens tested by experts
Amazon Echo
Alexa Plus needs a flagship smart speaker – here are 5 things I'd like to see in the next Echo
Latest in Smart Speakers
Amazon Echo
Alexa Plus needs a flagship smart speaker – here are 5 things I'd like to see in the next Echo
A collection of Amazon Echo devices on a grey background
Want to try Alexa+? Here are the Echo devices it'll work on
Panos Panay at Amazon Alexa event
You can pay $19.99 a month for Alexa Plus – but why would you?
Panos Panay at Amazon Alexa event
Amazon Alexa event as it happened - Alexa+ subscription service officially announced with ample AI features
Google Nest Hub
If your Google Nest smart speaker has been giving you the silent treatment, there's now a fix
Amazon Echo deals
My technophobe mom loves her new Amazon Echo, so I'm shopping these after-Christmas sales to kit out her new smart home
Latest in News
Super Mario Odyssey
ChatGPT is the ultimate gaming tool - here's 4 ways you can use AI to help with your next playthrough
Brad Pitt looks over his right shoulder with 'F1' written behind him
Apple Original Films will take you behind-the-scenes of a racing cockpit in this new thrilling F1 movie trailer
AI writer
Coding AI tells developer to write it himself
Reacher looking down at another character from the Prime Video TV series Reacher
Reacher season 3 becomes Prime Video’s biggest returning show thanks to Hollywood’s biggest heavyweight
Finger Presses Orange Button Domain Name Registration on Black Keyboard Background. Closeup View
I visited the world’s first registered .com domain – and you won’t believe what it’s offering today
Image showing detail of the Leica D-Lux 8
Still can't get a Fujifilm X100VI? This premium Leica compact costs less, and it's in stock