Air pollution is a serious problem in India, particularly in urban areas and in the festive and winter seasons. Whether it’s harmful pollutants, stubble burning across farmlands, or seasonal allergens, you’re usually letting harmful air into your home simply by keeping your windows open for a few hours every day, which can affect your health and wellbeing. A good air purifier can help make the air in your home cleaner, and hopefully help you breathe a bit better and healthier.While plenty of air purifiers are available in India across various price segments, the premium space is naturally the most interesting when it comes to design, features, and capabilities. Dyson has a commanding presence in this segment, and has just launched its latest range of air purifiers – the Dyson Purifier series. Priced from Rs. 39,015 onwards, the series has two models in India, the Dyson Purifier Cool and the more expensive Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool, which costs Rs. 50,310. What do these air purifiers have to offer, and how good are they in practice? Find out in this review.The Dyson Purifier Cool is the more affordable of the two products in the range, offering air purification and fan cooling Dyson Purifier Cool, Purifier Hot+Cool design and featuresDyson’s new Purifier models are quite similar in design and function to the Dyson Pure series, launched in India in 2019. The devices use the company’s bladeless fan system, with a hollow capsule-shaped upper part and a cylindrical base that holds most of the electrical components, the air filters, and the display.The Rs. 39,015 Dyson Purifier Cool looks a bit different to the Rs. 50,310 Purifier Hot+Cool; the capsule-like segment is a bit taller on the former, making the Purifier Cool a bit taller on the whole at 1,050mm, compared to 764mm for the Hot+Cool. The Cool variant is also a bit narrower and weighs less than the Hot+Cool.Both options are available across Dyson’s channels in India, including its website and offline demo stores, major multi-brand retailers, and e-commerce portals. Dyson sent me White/ Silver units for both, but you can also get them in Black/ Nickel in India.Another key difference is that while the Purifier Cool has a standard 6A plug, the Purifier Hot+Cool has a larger 16A plug and will therefore need to be connected to a 16A socket in order to work. Do keep this in mind when buying the device, since you’ll have to position it next to the right socket.Apart from these differences, the two models look quite similar. Each device has just a single button to control the power, and a hatch at the bottom to access and install the included air filters. Their 1.8m power cables are long enough to allow for some flexibility in positioning them in your room.The HEPA + carbon filters will need to be replaced periodically, and you can see the remaining life of each device’s filter through the Dyson Link app, if you have it set up. You can also use the Dyson Purifier Cool and Purifier Hot+Cool without setting up the app and Wi-Fi connection, by using the included remote.The HEPA and Carbon filters will need to be replaced occasionally, to keep the air purification effective Each device comes with a remote, which is powered by a pre-installed button cell battery. The remotes are slightly different between the two devices, with the Purifier Hot+Cool’s remote having a few extra buttons to control the heating temperature and switch between heating and cooling. The remotes are magnetised, and can be placed securely on top of the air purifiers when not in use.Right below the capsule-shaped fan component on each purifier is a small colour screen, which provides information on its operation. The fan speed is always displayed at the top, while the lower part of the screen shows various statistics and data. This includes air quality graphs; PM2.5, PM10, volatile organic compound, and Nitrogen Dioxide levels; ambient temperature and humidity levels; the remaining life of the air filter; and whether or not the air purifier is connected to your Wi-Fi.The Dyson Purifier Cool and Purifier Hot+Cool can be set to oscillate, and therefore push air across a wider area. There are preset oscillation angle ranges: 45 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees, and 350 degrees. You can of course set each one to remain static if you prefer. There is also the ability to change the air vent direction; both devices can vent air forwards or from their sides. The forward mode allows each unit to work more effectively as a fan.Dyson Purifier Cool, Purifier Hot+Cool appThe Dyson Purifier series usefully has app support, with the Dyson Link app (available for iOS and Android) letting you control the devices and also view data on your smartphone no matter where you are, if they are connected to your home Wi-Fi. You can control multiple Dyson devices from the same app.All of the data that you can see on the air purifiers’ small screens is available in the form of detailed data and graphs in the app, along with quick controls and a virtual remote that has all the same controls as the physical remote. You can also set schedules, tweak settings, check the life of the filter, and update the devices’ firmware using the app.The Dyson Link app is available for both iOS and Android Voice controls can be set up using the app, and the Dyson Purifier series works with Google Assistant, Siri, and Amazon Alexa. I had my review units set up with Alexa and Google Assistant, and was able to use voice commands through an Amazon Echo Show (3rd Gen) and Lenovo Smart Clock Essential. Usefully, each purifier appeared in the Google Home and Amazon Alexa apps as devices linked to my home.Night Mode on the Dyson Purifier series dims their displays, reduces fan speed for quiet functioning, and lets you set a timer for how long they should run before going into standby, ranging from one to eight hours.Dyson Purifier Cool, Purifier Hot+Cool performanceThe effect of a working air purifier is barely noticeable in its ordinary surroundings. Cleaner air should be helping to keep you healthy, and at best, you might notice being able to breathe easier or not having allergic reactions to particulate matter such as dust or pollen. An air purifier pulls in air with all its suspended particulate matter, uses its filters to capture harmful elements, and then expels clean, filtered air.I primarily used the Dyson Purifier Cool in my home for my review, and had the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool set up at a different location for more occasional use. As the name suggests, the Hot+Cool variant can also heat air before pushing it out, making it well suited to cold climates where it can be used to heat your room to a comfortable temperature.The heating mechanism naturally needs more power, and the Hot+Cool therefore has a larger 16A plug and needs to be connected to a high-load-bearing socket. You can heat your room to a higher temperature than the ambient level, but setting it to a lower temperature doesn’t cool the room as an air conditioner would. You can turn off the heating function and use just the fan, which will purify and push out air at room temperature.The Dyson Purifier Cool only has ‘cooling’ but this shouldn’t be confused with air conditioning either; the machine simply pushes out purified air at room temperature. Since it functions only as a fan pulling air in and passing it through an air filter, the Dyson Purifier Cool therefore doesn’t need as much power as the Hot+Cool and works with a smaller 6A socket.The remote of the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool is slightly different from that of the Dyson Purifier Cool, in that there are buttons to control the heating functionality and set the temperature Air purification was quick – as per the Dyson Purifier Cool’s own measurements and statistics – with the device able to bring a closed room with previously ‘poor’ air quality (PM2.5 and PM10 levels of around 70 micrograms per square metre) up to ‘good’ levels (less than 30 micrograms per square metre) in just about 25-30 minutes.It was able to function effectively even with a window slightly open on a less smoggy day, but high levels of outdoor air pollution will naturally slow down the purifier when windows are open, and it might not make sense to use it at all in such a situation. I did feel that the air I was breathing was cleaner when the purifier had been working for a few hours, and the fan did make it a bit more pleasant in the room.Volatile organic compounds – released during activities such as cooking, or through cosmetics, paint, and adhesives – did occasionally register on the Dyson Purifier’s readings, but the device was able to bring those levels down to zero quickly. Nitrogen Dioxide levels didn’t register at all during my time with the devices, but the Purifier series is designed to tackle and filter that out as well.With the fan speed at four or less (out of 10), the Dyson Purifier Cool and Hot+Cool are very quiet. With the speed at five or six, the gentle hum of the fan can be heard from a few feet away. At levels of seven and above, the fan gets quite loud, just as a table fan would, but these levels also make the device more effective at cooling or heating.Having the front vents active is more effective for cooling, while the side vents help spread purified air more quickly around the room, and are also more effective if you want to heat a room when using the Purifier Hot+Cool. Oscillation also helps to spread air quickly, but you might prefer to have your unit pointed directly at you if you’re using either of these models as a fan.VerdictThe Dyson Purifier range is by no means affordable; at Rs. 39,000 onwards, these are premium air purifiers that cost considerably more than mainstream options from brands such as Xiaomi, Philips, and Realme. However, indoor air purifiers are in demand now due to deteriorating air quality in urban areas, and the Dyson range delivers on that front.These two devices are quick, effective, and relatively quiet in their functioning. They are very easy to operate through the included remote and the Dyson Link app, and even simply by pressing the power button. At these prices, there isn’t a lot of competition, and definitely nothing that looks as good and works as well as the Dyson Purifier Cool and Purifier Hot+Cool. The more expensive Hot+Cool model also has the advantage of working as an air heater, which will be useful in cold weather in many parts of India. If you’re looking for a premium air purifier, the Dyson Purifier range is well worth considering.Ratings (out of 10):Design: 9Performance: 9VFM: 6Overall: 8Pros:Looks great Good remote, very easy to use Excellent app, voice controls Hot+Cool model works as a heater Quiet, quick, and effective air purificationCons:Expensive Hot+Cool model needs a 16A socketRealme India CEO Madhav Sheth joins Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast for an exclusive wide-ranging interview, as he talks about the 5G push, Make in India, Realme GT series and Book Slim, and how stores can improve their standing. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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