First Impressions — based on official specifications only. We have not tested this device hands-on.
At a glance
- It went on sale today, 13 November, at ₹39,900 — the same price for the tabletop model and the wall-mounted one.
- The question is whether a screen that belongs to the house earns ₹39,900 of space on a kitchen counter.
Products in this article: Apple HomeView - HomePod
Apple HomeView has been rumoured for years, and now it is on Indian shelves. It went on sale today, 13 November, at ₹39,900 — the same price for the tabletop model and the wall-mounted one. It is a 7-inch screen on a speaker base, powered by the A18 chip, with a new version of Siri at its centre. The question is whether a screen that belongs to the house earns ₹39,900 of space on a kitchen counter.
The screen belongs to the room
The display is a 7-inch Liquid Retina panel in an aluminium frame, joined to a domed speaker base by a stainless steel hinge that tilts for viewing from any height. True Tone dims it from 500 nits in bright light down to 0.3 nits, so it can sit on a nightstand without glowing at you all night. The interface changes with distance: simple information from across the room, richer detail as you step closer — a screen you glance at, not one you sit in front of.
It comes in silver, starlight, rose pink and space gray, each with a matching cable. The wall-mounted version, in silver and space gray, needs purpose-built mounts from Schneider Home, sold separately.
Siri AI is the actual product
The screen is the excuse; Siri AI is the product. HomeView runs an entirely new version of Siri, built on Apple Intelligence, which Apple says is far more conversational and can draw on personal context — your Calendar, Messages and music — when paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad. Conversations started on HomeView continue in the Siri app. At launch in India, Siri AI is available in English and still in beta, so the assistant you get today is not the finished one.
The other half of the personal story is face recognition. HomeView recognises up to six people and gives each one their own Home Screen, while shared albums and music stay available to everyone. Personal content only surfaces when the enrolled person is recognised and their paired iPhone or iPad is present and recently unlocked. That is a genuine privacy design, and also a limit: without an iPhone or iPad in the house, much of what makes HomeView personal does not work.
Sound and the smart home
The tabletop model has two full-range drivers in the display, a down-firing woofer and two force-cancelling passive radiators in the base, with Spatial Audio and computational audio. FaceTime uses Center Stage to keep people framed as they move, and Intercom broadcasts to other HomeView and HomePod speakers around the house.
As a smart-home dashboard, HomeView controls lights, thermostats, locks and blinds by touch or voice. The Home Camera face can livestream up to nine camera feeds at once, and with a supported iCloud+ subscription it recognises people, pets, packages and vehicles from compatible cameras. It can also detect the sound of smoke or carbon monoxide alarms. It works with Apple’s new Home Collection accessories and with other Works with Apple Home and Matter devices, so it is not limited to Apple’s own hardware.
The catches
Three things to weigh. First, this is a first-generation product with a beta assistant — the Siri AI experience will change. Second, it is not a general-purpose tablet: you cannot take it to the sofa and browse like an iPad. Third, the wall version costs more than ₹39,900 once the mount and power are added.
Pros: a thoughtful screen for shared spaces — distance-aware, dimmable to 0.3 nits, private by design with face recognition for up to six people; strong audio for its size with Spatial Audio; a serious smart-home dashboard with camera feeds and alarm detection; works with Matter, not just Apple’s own accessories.
Cons: ₹39,900 for a first-generation device whose assistant is still in beta; the wall-mounted version needs mounts and power bought separately; full personal features need an iPhone or iPad paired to it; a dedicated home display, not a tablet you can carry around.
CompareIdea verdict
Buy the Apple HomeView if your home already runs on Apple and you want one screen in the kitchen or hallway that the whole household can use without handing anyone your phone. In that home it is the most polished hub Apple has made, and the face-recognition privacy design is the feature other smart displays should copy. Wait if your home is not Apple’s, if you want a screen you can carry to the sofa, or if you would rather let the first software updates land before spending ₹39,900 on a beta assistant. Between the two versions, the tabletop model is the honest buy: the full product at the stated price, with no mount and power bill hiding behind it.
Sources
- Apple Newsroom, “Meet Apple HomeView, a new way to enjoy entertainment and manage the home”, 13 October 2026 — https://www.apple.com/in/newsroom/2026/10/meet-apple-homeview-a-new-way-to-enjoy-entertainment-and-manage-the-home/
- Apple India Store — Apple HomeView, ₹39,900, available from 13 November 2026
- CompareIdea price watch, 13 November 2026 — no retailer price yet (Apple Store only at launch)
Last updated: 13 November 2026
