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Apple HomeView: Price, Features and Is the $299 Hub Worth It?

Apple HomeView is Apple’s first smart display, a $299 home hub with a 7-inch touchscreen and Siri AI that Apple announced on October 13, 2026, and will ship on November 13, 2026. It comes in a tabletop version with a built-in speaker and a slim wall-mounted version, both at the same starting price.

HomeView headlined Apple’s “Welcome home” launch, which also included the HomePod mini 2, a new Apple TV 4K, and a line of cameras, thermostats and a smart lock called the Apple Home Collection, built with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric.

This guide covers what HomeView does, what it costs once you add accessories, and who should buy one. It is based on Apple’s official announcements and early hands-on reports from other outlets. CyReader has not tested HomeView.

Quick Answer: Apple HomeView is a $299 smart display with a 7-inch screen, an A18 chip and Siri AI. It controls Apple Home devices, makes FaceTime calls, shows up to nine camera feeds and recognises up to six faces. Pre-orders opened October 13, 2026, and it ships November 13, 2026. It is best for iPhone households.

Key Takeaways

Apple announced HomeView on October 13, 2026, priced at $299 (£299 in the UK) for both the tabletop and wall-mounted models.
HomeView ships on November 13, 2026, in the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, India, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa, but not in the EU.
It uses Apple’s A18 chip, a 7-inch Liquid Retina display, and Face Recognition for up to six household members.
Siri AI launches in beta on HomeView, in English only, and some server-side features have daily limits, according to Apple.
The wall-mounted model needs a separately sold Schneider Home Power Mount, starting at $59.95.
The new Apple Home Collection of LG and Schneider accessories starts at $39.95 and arrives in December 2026.

What Is Apple HomeView?

Apple HomeView is a smart display: a touchscreen device that combines a speaker, camera and microphones to control your smart home, show information and handle video calls by touch or voice. It competes with devices like Amazon’s Echo Show and Google’s Nest Hub.

On October 13, 2026, Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, said in Apple’s announcement that “Apple HomeView is designed to be shared by everyone in the home yet feel completely personal to each user.”

HomeView specs at a glance

Spec	Tabletop HomeView	Wall-mounted HomeView
Price (U.S.)	$299	$299, plus mount
Display	7-inch Liquid Retina, 500 nits, True Tone	Same
Chip	A18	A18
Audio	Two full-range drivers, down-firing woofer, two passive radiators	No separate woofer, according to Macworld
Colors	Silver, starlight, rose pink, space gray	Silver, space gray
Weight	952 g (2.1 lb), according to Macworld	286 g (0.63 lb), according to Macworld
In the box	USB-C cable and 30W adapter, according to Macworld	Mount, cable and adapter sold separately

According to Macworld, the screen is 1088 x 1088 pixels at 220 ppi, the camera is a 12MP Center Stage camera, and connectivity includes Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 6.0, Thread and Matter. Neither model has a battery, so HomeView must stay plugged in.

What Can HomeView Do?

Apple lists a long set of features. These are the ones most buyers will care about.

Smart home control

Control lights, locks, thermostats, blinds and cameras by touch or voice.
See up to nine live camera feeds at once using the Home Camera face.
Act as a home hub, so automations run even when you are away.
Hear smoke and carbon monoxide alarm sounds and alert you.

According to The Verge’s first look, as summarised by Slashdot, HomeView also works as a Matter controller and Thread Border Router. Matter is an industry standard that lets smart home devices from different brands work together, and Thread is a low-power wireless network many of those devices use.

Personal features for each family member

Face Recognition lets HomeView identify up to six people, each with their own Home Screen. Apple says personal content from Messages and Calendar appears only when HomeView recognises your face and your paired iPhone or iPad is nearby and was recently unlocked.

Siri AI, calls and entertainment

Siri AI in beta, with broad world knowledge, personal context and onscreen awareness.
FaceTime with Center Stage, plus Messages, Intercom and Find My.
Apple Music, Podcasts, News and TV, with Spatial Audio and multiroom audio.
Kitchen tools, including recipe conversion, hands-free timers and ingredient tracking.

In Engadget’s brief hands-on on October 13, 2026, reporter Billy Steele said the display responded quickly to swipes and taps in Apple’s controlled demos, and that Siri understood a request to “play that song Jeff texted me about.” He noted that real-world response speed is still untested.

What Are the Catches?

HomeView looks polished, but read the fine print before you pre-order.

You need an iPhone or iPad. Apple says setup and multiuser support require a compatible iPhone or iPad running the latest software. Personal context in Siri needs an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad.
Siri AI is a beta. It launches in beta, in English only, in eight countries. Apple says some server-side Apple Intelligence features have daily usage limits, and expanded access will cost a fee in the future.
No EU launch yet. HomeView will not be sold in the EU because Siri AI is not available in iOS there.
No App Store. According to M.G. Siegler of Spyglass, citing Bloomberg reporting, HomeView supports a limited set of Apple apps and has no App Store.
Some features need iCloud+. HomeKit Secure Video features like recognising people, pets, packages and vehicles require an iCloud+ subscription.
The wall model costs more than $299. Macworld calculates the minimum U.S. cost of the wall-mounted model with the USB-C mount at $358.95.

If you are thinking of upgrading your phone for the best Siri features, CyReader’s look at the iPhone 17 Pro’s bigger, faster display covers one of the models Apple lists as compatible with HomeView’s expressive Siri voices.

How Much Does a Full Apple Smart Home Setup Cost?

HomeView launched alongside the Apple Home Collection, a new line of smart home accessories built with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric that you set up with a single tap on iPhone and manage in Apple’s Home app. Here are the U.S. prices from Apple’s announcement.

Product	U.S. price	Available
Apple HomeView (tabletop or wall)	$299	November 13, 2026
Schneider Home Power Mount USB-C Wall Connector	From $59.95	With HomeView
Schneider Home Power Mount AC Wired	From $79.95	With HomeView
Schneider Home Power Mount PoE Wired	$129.95	Early 2027
HomePod mini 2	$149	October 30, 2026
Apple TV 4K (4th generation)	$299	November 13, 2026
LG Video Doorbell Wired	$249.95	From December 2026
LG Smart Deadbolt Lock	$349.95	From December 2026
LG Smart Thermostat	$199.95	From December 2026
Schneider Home Smart Thermostat	$199.95	From December 2026
LG Indoor Cam Plug-In	$199.95	From December 2026
LG Outdoor Cam Plug-In	$299.95	From December 2026
LG Floodlight Cam	$399.95	From December 2026
LG Temperature Sensor / Schneider Home Room Sensor	$39.95 each	From December 2026

Apple says the Home Collection arrives starting in December, with select accessories in early 2027.

What the Home Collection adds

Cameras record up to 2.5K video and keep recording to built-in storage during Wi-Fi outages, according to Apple. Event history is stored in iCloud+ for 10 days with no separate camera subscription, though your iCloud+ tier limits how many cameras you can use.
The LG Smart Deadbolt Lock uses Ultra Wideband to unlock as you approach with a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch, and supports Matter and Aliro.
Thermostats use Adaptive Temperature to adjust heating and cooling automatically for home, night and away periods.
Every device supports Thread, which keeps devices connected if Wi-Fi drops.

Matthew Costello, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering, said “Apple Home Collection makes it easy to choose smart home accessories with confidence.”

Is HomeView Good for Privacy?

Apple is leaning hard on privacy, which matters for a device with a camera and microphones in your kitchen. According to Apple:

Camera and microphone data is processed in Secure Exclaves, which the HomeView software, apps, users and Apple cannot access.
Siri requests use on-device processing or Private Cloud Compute, where data is not stored or made accessible to Apple.
Home Collection camera footage is processed locally on a home hub or in Private Cloud Compute, and Home app data is end-to-end encrypted.

These are Apple’s claims and have not been independently audited for this product. For more on keeping connected devices safe, see CyReader’s Cybersecurity News section.

HomeView vs HomePod mini 2 vs Apple TV 4K: Which Hub Do You Need?

Any of these three can serve as an Apple Home hub, according to Apple’s Home Collection announcement. Here is how to choose.

If you want…	Pick	Price
A screen for cameras, calendars, recipes and FaceTime	HomeView	$299
The cheapest hub with voice control and music	HomePod mini 2	$149
A hub that also powers your TV and home theatre	Apple TV 4K (4th generation)	$299

Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Home Product Marketing, said the “HomePod mini 2 brings together Siri AI, gorgeous new colors, and incredible audio.” Note that Siri AI is not available on HomePod mini 2 at launch, and arrives in a future software update, according to Apple.

The new Apple TV 4K uses the A19 chip, which Apple says delivers up to 50% faster CPU and up to 2x faster GPU performance than the previous generation.

Who Should Buy Apple HomeView?

Buy it if your household is all-in on iPhones, you already use the Home app, and you want a shared screen for cameras, calendars and calls.
Wait if you want to see how Siri AI performs once it leaves beta, or if you plan to buy Home Collection accessories, which do not arrive until December.
Skip it if you use Android, live in the EU, or want third-party apps on your smart display.

How to Prepare Before HomeView Arrives

Update your iPhone or iPad to the latest iOS or iPadOS. Macworld reports HomeView requires iOS/iPadOS 27.2 or later.
Check your Apple Intelligence support if you want personal Siri features.
Decide where it will go. The wall-mounted model needs a power mount and possibly an electrician for the AC or PoE versions.
Review your iCloud+ plan if you want camera recognition features or plan to add Home Collection cameras.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How much does Apple HomeView cost?

Apple HomeView costs $299 in the U.S. and £299 in the UK for both the tabletop and wall-mounted models. The wall-mounted version needs a separately sold Schneider Home Power Mount, starting at $59.95, so Macworld puts its minimum U.S. cost at $358.95.

When does Apple HomeView come out?

Apple HomeView comes out on November 13, 2026. Pre-orders opened on October 13, 2026, in the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, India and New Zealand. Singapore pre-orders began on October 15, and South Africa sales run through Apple Authorized Resellers.

Does Apple HomeView work with Android phones?

No, Apple HomeView is designed for Apple users. Apple says setup and multiuser support require a compatible iPhone or iPad running the latest software. Personal Siri features also need an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad, so Android households should look at other smart displays.

Is Apple HomeView available in Europe?

No, Apple HomeView is not available in the EU at launch. Apple says this is because Siri AI is not currently available in iOS in the EU, and it has not announced an EU release date. It is available in the UK, which is outside the EU.

What chip does Apple HomeView use?

Apple HomeView uses the Apple A18 chip with Secure Exclaves, which Apple says keep camera and microphone data isolated. Spyglass’s M.G. Siegler noted the A18 is two generations old, suggesting the hardware may have been waiting on Apple’s new Siri.

Can Apple HomeView be a smart home hub?

Yes, Apple HomeView acts as an Apple Home hub, running automations and enabling remote control when you are away. According to The Verge’s first look, as summarised by Slashdot, it also works as a Matter controller and Thread Border Router, so it supports a wide range of smart devices.

What is the Apple Home Collection?

The Apple Home Collection is a new range of smart home accessories built with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric. It includes cameras, a video doorbell, a smart deadbolt, thermostats and sensors, priced from $39.95 to $399.95. It arrives starting in December 2026, with select accessories in early 2027.

Final Thoughts

Apple HomeView is a polished, privacy-focused smart display at a competitive $299, and the Apple Home Collection finally gives iPhone owners a full set of Apple-approved cameras, locks and thermostats. The big unknown is Siri AI, which launches in beta with usage limits and future fees. If you are already in Apple’s ecosystem, HomeView is a strong pre-order candidate; if not, wait for full reviews after November 13.

For more smart home launches and buying advice, explore CyReader’s Home Tech section.