Engadget Podcast: What We Thought of Samsung’s Galaxy Announcements and Apple’s HomePod Review

If you’ve been staying up to date with the latest news in tech, then you know that Samsung and Apple recently had their own big announcements. These big-name technology players promised new and exciting products and features, and we couldn’t wait to see how they lived up to the hype.

Taking a Look at Samsung’s Galaxy Announcements

The Galaxy line of products is always highly anticipated, and this time was no different. On their way to us we have the:

• Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G: Comes with a 6.8 inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display and a 108MP Quad Camera setup.
• Galaxy Buds Pro: This model boasts Active Noise Cancellation and 3D spatial audio.
• Galaxy SmartTags: Samsung’s answer to tracking devices is small and attaches to every day items.

The offerings are top notch, but there was some minor disappointment about the lack of more groundbreaking features. The consensus in the podcast was that the new releases were great and check all the boxes, but there’s still room for something more out of the Galaxy line.

Checking In On the HomePod Review

Meanwhile over at Apple, they released their new HomePod mini. As always, everything looks great on paper and at first glance. It’s much smaller than the original HomePod and packs a punch of sound.

1. The smart assistant is integrated and responds quickly to commands like home automation control and audio playback.
2. The sound quality is pretty good, but there’s also a noticeable drop by switching from the original HomePod to the mini.
3. One big plus is the price tag, which is half the cost of the original HomePod.

When the panel discussed the HomePod, the overall sentiment was that if you’re already invested in the Apple ecosystem and want something more connected then the HomePod mini is an option.

Wrapping Up

In short, Samsung and Apple have been busy with their product rollouts, and what they have to offer is pretty good. Our podcast team agrees that although they’re both worth checking out, it’s still a great time to invest in a quality speaker system.