Apple's HomePod mini was reportedly the best-selling smart speaker globally in Q1, 2022, ahead of similar offerings from Amazon and Google. Apple released the HomePod mini in late 2020 as a more affordable version of its HomePod smart speaker that has since been discontinued. The device comes with Siri integration and an intercom feature that's also available on all modern iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches. Apple initially launched the HomePod mini in Space Gray and White colorways before adding Yellow, Orange and Blue options late last year, bringing the total number of available colors to five.

Smart speakers are getting increasingly popular with each passing year, thanks to devices like Amazon's Echo and Google's Nest Home that compete with Apple's HomePod mini and other smart speakers from several companies. While the HomePod mini offers support for Siri, Amazon's Echo devices come with built-in Alexa and Google's Nest speakers have Google Assistant integration, allowing users to get things done with voice commands. Most of the third-party offerings also come with at least one voice assistant, although some, like the Sonos One, offer both Alexa and Google Assistant.

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According to a new report from Strategy Analytics, Apple sold just under 4.5 million HomePod mini smart speakers during the first quarter of this year. That made it the best-selling smart speaker in the world, ahead of Amazon's fourth-generation Echo Dot and Google's Nest Mini, which were in second and third place, respectively. The report, however, did not quote the exact sales figures for either of the two models. However, the overall smart speaker market declined by four percent during the quarter amidst inflation, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and continuing global chip shortage.

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As per Strategy Analytics, the overall smart speaker and smart display market also contracted around five percent year-over-year. Much of the sales decline can be attributed to inflation, the war and the chip shortage, but the Chinese vendors, in particular, were also heavily affected by the ongoing Covid lockdowns in China. Amidst mounting uncertainties, Amazon led the global market, shipping 9.9 million smart speakers and smart displays during the quarter. Google with 6.1 million units and Apple with 4.5 million units rounded out the top three.

In terms of individual models, the second-gen Amazon Echo Show 5 was the best-selling smart display in Q1 2022 with 1.6 million units shipped, followed by Google's Nest Hub and the second-gen Amazon Echo Show 8. While Amazon and Google retained their top-two positions in the market, Apple leapfrogged a slew of Chinese vendors, such as Alibaba, Baidu, and Xiaomi, thanks to the constant lockdowns that are bringing China's economy to a standstill. The report also claims that Apple's HomePod mini sales will lose momentum in the coming months as the company will soon exhaust its installed iPhone customer base to sell these devices.

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Source: Strategy Analytics