If you've been thinking of buying Apple's HomePod (2nd generation), now's the time to act -- it's on sale right now at Verizon for 175. That's a significant 125 discount (42 percent off) and represents one of the best deals we've seen on the smart speaker to date. In addition, Verizon is currently offering a deal on the HomePod Mini, letting you get a pair for 150, or 25 percent off. The latest Apple HomePod speaker is on sale at one of the best prices we've seen to date. With sound that's clearer and richer than offerings from Amazon and Google, the second-gen HomePod garnered a solid 84 score in our review last year.

When Apple debuted the HomePod in 2018, it was already late to the smart speaker game. Sure, the company has never been worried about tardiness, choosing instead to focus on being the best. The HomePod sounded good, but lacked a lot of the basic functionality and voice assistant smarts the likes of Amazon and Google offered. Apple has spent the last five years improving both HomePod and HomePod mini, adding features like multi-room audio, multi-user support and an intercom tool. In 2021, Apple discontinued the original model in favor of the $99 HomePod mini.