I tried the Huupe mini, a pricey smart basketball hoop. Is it worth it?

Do you have a would-be baller in your home? Maybe your child is on the basketball team — or maybe you still have hoop dreams of your own?

If so, you're likely to be interested in this high-tech basketball hoop, from the aptly named company Huupe.

Huupe is a startup, but that doesn't mean it's not serious about smart basketball hoops. The company raised $11 million in 2023 from NBA owner- and player-backed venture capital firms. 

Huupe's first product, Huupe Pro, is billed as the "world's first smart basketball hoop." It's a regulation-sized basketball hoop, complete with in-ground pole, and the smart part — a large HD display with cameras embedded into the backboard. The cameras are used to track shots and other statistics, shown on the backboard display.

There were several catches with the Pro version. Firstly, a regulation hoop is way too big if you don't have a backyard, driveway, or gymnasium to match. Secondly, the Huupe Pro caused a bit of controversy this past summer after one was installed in an NYC park. Some users had privacy concerns about the hoop's cameras.

And thirdly, the Huupe Pro was priced at $9,995. That's a lot of scratch compared to the average basketball hoop, which can be purchased for a few hundred dollars.

Then, in summer 2025, Huupe unveiled the Huupe Mini. It's basically the Huupe Pro, shrunken down. It's an over-the-door basketball hoop with all the smart features, and with those price and privacy issues mostly addressed. Here's what we thought of it.

Huppe Mini: Cheaper but still pricey

The Huupe Mini is a lot cheaper than its predecessor. But that doesn't make it cheap: the Huupe Mini retails for $799, though it's typically discounted to $599 at the Huupe website and Amazon.

That makes it the highest-priced over-the-door basketball hoop I could find. Most non-smart mini indoor basketball hoops retail for less than $100.

But the Huupe Mini isn't for any passive shot taker. To care about the kind of data the Huupe Mini tracks, you'd have to be a fan ready to throw down $800. As a soccer coach for my elementary school-aged son's soccer team, I know many parents of kids who are serious about sports. Parents are willing to spend a pretty penny to help their kids excel at their game of choice.

Compared to the gear some other sports require, the Huupe Mini may not appear that expensive to a basketball player serious about their game.

Setting up the Huupe Mini

This device seems big for something that's called a "mini." The backboard measures 22 in. by 17 in. At just over 20 lbs, the device is much heavier than I expected, too. The backboard is basically a giant LED display, so the weight shouldn't be too surprising, yet I was taken aback by the heft of it. 

The Huupe Mini also comes with a mini ball, a remote to control the display, and a charger. The charging port is located on the bottom underside of the backboard, and the device can be charged while you play.

After quickly screwing the hoop and door hooks on the backboard, I found it easily slipped over the top of my kids' room door. I was concerned that weight would be an issue here, but the door and the Huupe Mini have been just fine so far.

Once it was set up, I had to create an account using the display. Then we were good to go.

Huupe Mini: Shockingly accurate shot tracking

The moment of truth: Can the Huupe Mini perform its main function? Can it accurately track your shots?

Well, I can confirm that the Huupe Mini is really good at what it does. Its cameras allow it to track every kind of shot. It can log swish shots, rimshots, shots that hit the backboard, airballs ... and shots so bad that calling them an "airball" would be generous.

I was actually surprised that the Huupe Mini was able to track the ball even when it didn't make contact with the net, rim, or backboard. The Huupe Mini is just that good at tracking.

The display shows your stats in real-time, tracking your shots and your percentages. It can even track the distance at which you're taking the shot, so it knows when you're dunking or shooting a layup. The Huupe Mini knows when you're scoring a two-pointer or three-pointer.

It's quite impressive to see the device accurately track these things as you're playing.

The Huupe Mini doesn't simply track these stats for your own education. The device comes with mini-games that can be played online, letting you compete with other Huupe Mini owners. One game, Huupe City Royale, teams you up with three other players against other four-player teams in a leaderboard competition, to see which team can score the most combined points.

The Huupe Mini can even act as a mini Smart TV. Apps including YouTube and Netflix are built in, so you can watch movies or listen to music on the display while playing ball. There's also an in-game currency that can in theory be used to purchase additional mini-games, but that doesn't appear to have launched yet.

Everything that comes with the Huupe Mini now will remain included without any additional charge, the company says.

The privacy issue

So Huupe addressed the size and price issues of the Huupe Pro with the Huupe Mini. But what about the cameras?

When that Huupe Pro was installed in a New York City public park, Huupe addressed privacy concerns by assuring users that the cameras were just used to track the ball; the company insisted it was not recording or streaming video via the device.

Those assurances were not likely to quell concern when it came to an in-home device, and it appears the Huupe team realized this. The Huupe Mini does not use cameras at all for tracking: it uses sensors instead.

"With the Huupe Mini, we quickly recognized that privacy needed to be a top priority—especially for a product designed for personal spaces like bedrooms or someone’s office space," Huupe CEO Paul Anton tells Mashable. "That’s why we chose to move away from traditional cameras, and instead invested in advanced radar and lidar technology." 

The move away from a camera-based tracking system, towards a sensor-based one, added a full year in additional research and development and cost millions, according to Anton.

"This cutting-edge system allows the Huupe Mini to precisely track player movement and ball trajectory, accurately measuring distances, makes, and attempts—all while ensuring complete user privacy," Anton said. 

Final verdict

We do have a few concerns about the future of the Huupe Mini. For one thing, the introduction of a store with in-game currency means that microtransactions are on the way. Huupe may soon be nudging you to spend more than your initial $799. (We should note this product is now consistently priced at $599, which makes it a more attractive purchase.)

The battery drains pretty quickly, which may not be the biggest problem for a device that doesn't leave your home and can be charged while you play. However, the charging cable snaking up the door while plugged into the display can get in the way.

Also, the speakers on the display are not so great. They are fine for the in-game sound effects, but I wouldn't listen to the pre-installed Spotify app on there. But none of those critiques take away from the Huupe Mini's purpose, which it excels at.

Whether you should buy one Huupe Mini will basically come down to how big of a basketball fan you are. If you're just looking to throw a ball around the house or office every now and then, the Huupe Mini is likely way more than you need.

However, if you're shooting hoops on a daily basis, or your child is taking their basketball career seriously, then there's nothing else on the market like the Huupe Mini. You may even consider $599 to $799 a small price to pay for a burgeoning career as a baller.