Is Apple’s $299 HomeView smart display worth preordering, and what should I check first?

Apple’s first smart display is a 7-inch, A18-powered screen that recognizes up to six faces — but the wall mount costs extra and its smartest Siri features need a recent iPhone.

Short answer: HomeView is worth preordering if your home already runs on Apple Home and your iPhone is recent enough to power its personal Siri features — otherwise, check the hidden costs and compatibility first, because the $299 headline price is not the whole story. HomeView is Apple’s first smart display: a 7-inch screen built on the A18 chip, sold in tabletop and wall-mounted versions at $299, with preorders opened October 13 and shipping set for November 13. Its standout trick is recognition — it can tell up to six household members apart by face and show each person their own home screen, so a shared kitchen or hallway display does not have to mean a shared calendar.

That personal layer, though, depends on a compatible recent iPhone for the personal Siri AI features, and the display is not launching in the EU at first.1. Check your iPhone first. The personal Siri features need a compatible recent iPhone.

If your phone is too old, you would pay full price for a display whose smartest features stay switched off.2. Decide tabletop or wall before you order. The wall-mounted version needs a separate mount starting around $59.95, so a wall setup starts closer to $359 than $299.

Pick the spot and the version first, not after the box arrives.3. Audit your accessories for Matter and Thread. Confirm your lights, locks, and sensors speak Matter or Thread so they show up in Apple Home alongside the display instead of sitting in a separate app.4.

Price the simpler alternative. If you mainly want a speaker that acts as a home hub, the new HomePod mini 2 at $149 does that job for half the money — the extra $150 buys you the screen and the face recognition.Pro tip: preorder only if your household is already deep in Apple Home. An Android household gets little from HomeView, because its personal features are built entirely around the iPhone.

Update — Oct. 17, 2026: the Apple Home Collection fills in the bigger picture. Alongside HomeView, Apple announced the Apple Home Collection on October 13 — a curated lineup of partner-built devices from companies including LG Electronics and Schneider Electric, going on sale in the US this December, with some items following in early 2027. The starting prices: sensors from $39.95; an indoor camera and thermostats from $199.95; a video doorbell at $249.95; an outdoor camera at $299.95; a smart deadbolt at $349.95; and a floodlight camera at $399.95. Setup is deliberately simple: you add a device by bringing an iPhone near it, and everything is managed in the Home app, with no separate manufacturer app or account to create. Every device supports Thread; the deadbolt also supports Matter and Aliro, and its core access features keep working locally, even offline, while the thermostats and sensors support Matter too. The cameras record at up to 2.5K, and with an iCloud+ plan they include 10 days of encrypted event-video history, with no separate camera subscription to pay for. Apple also says Home data is end-to-end encrypted. If you are preordering HomeView, this collection is the ecosystem it will run — worth knowing before December arrives. Source: TokenPost

Update — November 2, 2026: HomeView may double as a security camera. Code strings found in HomeView Software 27.2 suggest Apple's upcoming HomeView hub may double as a HomeKit Secure Video camera, with modes for Off, Detect Activity, Stream, and Stream & Allow Recording at 1080p/30, viewable only by home members and enabled only from the device itself while people are home. Apple has NOT announced this feature, and code strings do not guarantee it ships at launch. HomeView goes on sale Friday, November 13 starting at $299, and early units ship with older 26.5 software, so update to 27.2 during setup. Source: MacDailyNews