The device recognizes up to six household members by face, personalizes each home screen, handles FaceTime calls with Center Stage, runs the new Siri AI and can show up to nine live security camera feeds at once.

Apple also unveiled a $149 HomePod mini 2, a fourth-generation Apple TV 4K and a Home Collection of locks, doorbells, cameras and thermostats built with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric. Preorders opened October 13, with availability starting November 13, 2026.

The surprise is not the feature set but the price gap. BGR reports that HomeView costs $299 for either the tabletop or wall-mounted model, and wall mounting requires an accessory sold separately starting at $59.95.

That is well above what Apple's chief rivals charge: Amazon's Echo Hub sells for $179.99 and Google's second-generation Nest Hub for just $99.99, roughly $200 less than Apple.

BGR notes that several competing hubs cost hundreds of dollars less while still supporting Matter, which has become one of the primary smart home standards.

For a company pitching the home as its next growth area beyond the iPhone, launching at a steep premium to Amazon and Google is a bold bet that brand loyalty outweighs price.

According to BGR's comparison, Amazon's Echo Hub has a slightly larger 8-inch display, costs $179.99, includes a wall mount in the box and adds Matter, Thread and a built-in Zigbee hub, with 4.5 stars from over 100 Best Buy reviews.

Google's Nest Hub (2nd gen) at $99.99 also supports Matter and Thread, plays YouTube and Netflix and averages 4.2 stars from more than 1,000 Amazon reviews.

BGR also lists the $39 SwitchBot Hub Mini, the $140 Aqara Hub M3 with local automations and a Matter bridge, and the $194.95 Hubitat Elevation C-8 Pro, the only pick supporting Z-Wave.

BGR says price was the biggest selection factor, requiring every hub to cost less than HomeView without a sale and to be available in the U.S.

GearBrain's buying guide stresses that HomeView only makes sense if your existing devices can join Apple Home. Both models cost $299 and arrive November 13, but setup requires an iPhone on iOS 27.2 or later or an iPad on iPadOS 27.2.

GearBrain warns against checking a brand instead of an exact model number, since a Matter label does not guarantee every feature appears on every platform, and Thread networking is not itself a promise of Apple Home compatibility.

It also recommends budgeting beyond the display: the desktop model ships with a USB-C cable and 30W adapter, while the wall-mounted version sells power and mounting hardware separately, and professional installation costs extra.

Apple says HomeView protects personal data with facial recognition that requires the recognized user's paired iPhone or iPad to be nearby and recently unlocked, and that data is not stored on the device once you leave.

WTOP, meanwhile, reports expert advice relevant to any household adopting connected locks and cameras: University of Maryland computer science professor Michelle Mazurek warns that directly sharing passwords is the biggest mistake people make, because reused passwords can expose other accounts.

She recommends creating separate accounts, using temporary access codes, and periodically reviewing access logs, especially for cameras and microphones, which she calls the biggest privacy concern.

HomeView goes on sale November 13, and Apple's Home Collection accessories follow in December, with certain products arriving in early 2027, according to Fox News.

Buyers weighing the wait can also consider what Fox News reports elsewhere in the lineup: the HomePod mini 2 ships October 30 but Siri AI arrives only via a future update, and the new Apple TV 4K lands November 13 at $299.

Fox News adds that Apple plans daily usage limits on some server-based AI features, with expanded access offered for a fee later.