> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.skimwire.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Apple HomeView reviews are in: a great smart home screen with a few family catches. Should you buy it? - URL: https://www.skimwire.com/apple-homeview-reviews-should-you-buy/ - Published: 2026-11-13T13:34:50.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-13T13:34:50.000Z - Description: Apple's $299 smart display is on sale today. What reviewers loved, the catches (texts, no buttons, wall-mount costs), rivals and our verdict. - Author: Theo Park - Tags: Gadgets ## The skim - **On sale today:** Apple HomeView, Apple's first smart display, goes on sale Friday, Nov. 13, for $299 in the U.S. The first reviews landed Thursday, and they mostly agree: it's an excellent Apple Home controller and kitchen screen with a few real catches. - **The catches:** no physical volume or mute buttons, a Siri AI that reviewers found slow at times, no App Store, and a family-privacy wrinkle. The Verge's reviewer says she could read her teenage daughter's text messages on it. - **Our verdict:** buy the tabletop model if you already run Apple Home. Wait if your house is split between Alexa, Google and Apple gear, or if the wall-mounted version tempts you. It needs a mount and power adapter that Apple sells separately. ## What HomeView is, in one paragraph We covered the specs when [preorders opened](https://www.skimwire.com/apple-homeview-apple-tv-4k-arrive-november-13/). Here's the short version. HomeView is a 7-inch square touchscreen on a speaker base, or a flat wall-mounted version, both $299\. It recognizes up to six faces and shows each person's own Messages, Calendar, Reminders and Find My. It runs Siri AI, and it's a full Apple Home hub with Thread and Matter. Apple's store page says it needs an iPhone on iOS 27.2 or an iPad on iPadOS 27.2 or later. Apple's [announcement](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/10/meet-apple-homeview-a-new-way-to-enjoy-entertainment-and-manage-the-home/?ref=skimwire.com) says it isn't sold in the EU because Siri AI isn't available on iOS there. What's changed since preorders opened is that people have now lived with one. Reviews from The Verge, Tom's Guide, 9to5Mac and MacRumors went up on Nov. 12\. Here's where they agree, where they split, and what that means for your money. ## Where reviewers agree: a great smart home screen - **Smart home control is the star.** The Verge's Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, who tests Alexa, Google and Apple systems side by side, calls it "superb at controlling my smart home." She says it switched her entryway lights about as fast as a wall switch. A camera face can stream up to nine HomeKit Secure Video feeds, and a doorbell press pulls up the live view at once. - **Cooking is the surprise hit.** Send a recipe from your iPhone with Handoff and HomeView turns it into step-by-step cooking mode. It also drops timers right into steps that call for them, so you can tap to start one without leaving the recipe. - **It looks and sounds good.** Tom's Guide lists "Nice-looking piece of hardware" and "Good audio" as reasons to buy. The Verge compares the sound to a HomePod mini 2 with a touch more bass. The 1088 x 1088 screen gets plenty of praise too. - **It grows on people.** 9to5Mac says that over 10 days it went from "a nice-to-have to something I use and rely on for multiple tasks each day." ## Where it stumbles - **Siri AI is better, but slow.** The Verge calls it "an improvement, if still slow at times." Tom's Guide is harsher: "Siri not as good as Alexa+." - **Family privacy is awkward.** HomeView shows your texts when your phone is home on the same Wi-Fi. The Verge says that let a parent and teenager read each other's messages. The reviewer's daughter's verdict was "I'll just use my iPhone." Reviewers want an option to turn some personal features off. - **No buttons.** There's no physical volume or mute control. Tom's Guide flags "No physical button to turn off camera or mic," which matters for a device with a camera sitting in your kitchen. - **Apps are thin.** MacRumors notes there's no App Store. It runs Apple's built-in apps plus CarPlay-enabled audio and video apps like Spotify and Apple TV. Tom's Guide says it has fewer streaming apps than rival displays. - **Apple Home only.** It controls only gear that works with Apple Home. The Verge notes that Ring doorbells and Nest cameras don't work natively, and few camera brands support HomeKit Secure Video. ## The wall-mount math Both versions cost $299, but they don't come with the same things. Apple's store page says the tabletop model includes a USB-C cable and power adapter. For the wall-mounted model, it says a "compatible wall mount, USB-C cable, and USB-C power adapter" are "sold separately." MacRumors puts Apple's mounts at $59.95 to $129.95 (USB-C, hardwired AC and a later power-over-Ethernet version). The Verge figures that, with Apple's power brick, the wall version starts at around $400\. You also get one fewer speaker. Unless you really need it on a wall, the tabletop is the better deal. ## HomeView vs. Echo Show vs. Nest Hub | | Apple HomeView | Amazon Echo Show | Google Nest Hub | | -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------ | | Best at | Apple Home control, cameras, personal info from your iPhone | Broadest smart home support; Alexa+ handles complex routines | Gemini for Home understands loose requests | | Assistant cost | Siri AI included (Apple says some features have daily limits) | Alexa+ $20/month or included with Prime | Gemini Live sits behind a paywall | | Ads on screen | None | Amazon has a history of showing them | Not flagged in reviews | | Watch out for | Apple Home devices only; no App Store | Ads; privacy trade-offs | Nest Hub Max is aging and laggy | *Comparison based on The Verge's three-way test and Tom's Guide's review, plus our* [*Echo Show 16 coverage*](https://www.skimwire.com/amazon-echo-show-16-price-release-date/)*. Skimwire hasn't tested these devices.* The Verge ranks Alexa+ "the best smart home assistant," Gemini for Home "the smartest assistant," and HomeView "the best smart display hardware and personal assistant." That's a fair way to choose. Buy the screen that matches the ecosystem your home already runs on. ## Before you buy 1. **Check your phone.** You need iOS 27.2 or iPadOS 27.2\. Personal context works best with an Apple Intelligence-capable iPhone or iPad. 2. **Check your gear.** Open the Home app. If your lights, locks and cameras show up there, HomeView can control them. If your doorbell is a Ring or Nest, it won't show up natively. 3. **Decide on texts.** If kids or roommates will use it, think about whose messages could show up on a shared screen. Wait for Apple to add more controls if that's a dealbreaker. 4. **Price-check.** Apple lists it at $299\. Our [smart home gift guide](https://www.skimwire.com/black-friday-2026-gift-guide-smart-home/) found it for $289.99 on Walmart.com on Nov. 10, so check again before you pay full price. **Related:** if you're weighing Apple Home accessories, our [Matter smart plug comparison](https://www.skimwire.com/matter-smart-plug-wifi-vs-thread-ge-cync-eve-energy/) explains why Thread gear needs a hub like HomeView. And if you're setting up the new Apple TV 4K too, here's [how to turn on the Apple TV app's new sign language feature](https://www.skimwire.com/how-to-turn-on-sign-language-apple-tv-app/). ## Our take Apple is close to a decade late to smart displays, but reviewers agree the core jobs are done well. It runs your home, follows recipes, plays music and shows photos, with no ads and no assistant subscription. That's a strong pitch at $299\. The weak spots are mostly software: slow Siri AI moments, few apps and clumsy handling of shared personal data. Apple can fix those with updates, but you shouldn't buy on a promise. **Buy, wait or skip?** - **Buy** the tabletop HomeView if your smart home already lives in Apple Home and you want a kitchen or hallway control screen. It's the easiest Apple Home controller for the non-techies in your house. - **Wait** if you want the wall-mounted model (around $400 all-in), if you share the screen with teens who care about their texts, or if you're hoping for Black Friday pricing. - **Skip** if your home runs on Alexa or Google, or on Ring or Nest cameras. An Echo Show or Nest Hub will do more with the gear you already own. *Skimwire hasn't tested HomeView. Review findings are attributed to the outlets that tested it, and specs and prices come from Apple.* *Sources:* [*Apple Newsroom*](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/10/meet-apple-homeview-a-new-way-to-enjoy-entertainment-and-manage-the-home/?ref=skimwire.com) *(Oct. 13, 2026);* [*Apple Store: HomeView*](https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-home/apple-homeview?ref=skimwire.com) *(checked Nov. 13, 2026);* [*The Verge review*](https://www.theverge.com/tech/1031726/apple-homeview-review-smart-display-homekit?ref=skimwire.com)*;* [*Tom's Guide review*](https://www.tomsguide.com/home/smart-home/apple-homeview-review?ref=skimwire.com)*;* [*9to5Mac review*](https://9to5mac.com/2026/11/12/apple-homeview-review-an-adorable-smart-display-that-earns-its-place/?ref=skimwire.com)*;* [*MacRumors*](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/11/12/apple-homeview-review/?ref=skimwire.com)*.*