Powerful with Great Filter Options – Review Geek

Powerful with Great Filter Options – Review Geek




Rating:
9/10
?

  • 1 – Absolute Hot Garbage
  • 2 – Sorta Lukewarm Garbage
  • 3 – Strongly Flawed Design
  • 4 – Some Pros, Lots Of Cons
  • 5 – Acceptably Imperfect
  • 6 – Good Enough to Buy On Sale
  • 7 – Great, But Not Best-In-Class
  • 8 – Fantastic, with Some Footnotes
  • 9 – Shut Up And Take My Money
  • 10 – Absolute Design Nirvana

Price: $129.99

Kevin Bonnett

Between allergens, pollution, and wildfires, there’s just no good reason not to own an air purifier at this point. And if you’re looking for one with a powerful array of filters and a lightweight design, Wyze’s impressive new Air Purifier is pretty hard to beat!

Here’s What We Like

  • Nearly silent while running
  • Super lightweight
  • Efficient and effective
  • Great for wildfires and allergens

And What We Don’t

  • Pricey proprietary filters

While testing the Wyze Air Purifier, I found it to be quiet, effective, and easy to use across the board. It doesn’t take up much space in any room I put it in, and it runs super quietly. I also love that Wyze offers a variety of air filter types depending on the user’s specific needs. With such a robust array of features, solid smart home integration, and a very fair price point, I can’t recommend Wyze’s Air Purifier enough!

Specs as Tested

  • Dimensions: 9.5 x 9.4 x 18.5 inches
  • Weight: 8.75-9.32 pounds (depending on filter type)
  • Effective Area: 450-550 square feet
  • Compatible Filters: Allergen, Wildfire, Formaldehyde
  • Sensors: Laser particle (down to 0.3 microns)
  • CADR Rating: 350 meters cubed per hour
  • Noise Levels: 20.8-52.1dBa

Design and User Interface

No one expects their air purifier to be the sleekest and most interesting device in their home. And while there isn’t a lot of wiggle room for that to happen anyway, Wyze still did its best to create an air purifier that’s as stylish as it could be. The result? A still fairly attractive gadget with a minimalist matte black design that’ll blend in anywhere in your home.

Close-up of the Wyze Air Purifier LED display
Kevin Bonnett

Wyze’s Air Purifier measures 9.5 x 9.4 x 18.5 inches, so it can easily fit behind a chair or in a corner. The air purifier is also pretty lightweight, weighing anywhere from 8.75 to 9.32 pounds, depending on which filter you choose (more on that in a bit). I found that it was easy to pick up and move around from room to room, thanks to the built-in handle at its rear. This is handy if you don’t want to buy multiple purifiers and are cool moving it between rooms throughout the day.

To access the filter, find the slot that’s located at the bottom of the air purifier and colored bright orange. Simply twist to remove it, then maneuver the filter as needed. It’s a cinch to do this, which I love since it’s something you’ll need to mess around with at least once per year when replacing the filter.

The Wyze Air Purifier has a business card-sized color LED display on the front that makes it easy to view your air quality metrics—like the current air quality index measurement (AQI) and fan speed—at a glance. The AQI will appear green if the air quality is good (0-50), yellow when it’s moderate (51-100), and red if your air quality is unhealthy (>150).

The display is bright enough to read across a room but also sports a night mode feature that turns the screen off. That’s downright nice to have if you plan to set it up in your bedroom or a baby nursery!

Atop the purifier is the touch control panel. A single tap lets you turn the device on or off, adjust the speed of the fan (with Min, Mid, Max, and Turbo options), toggle Auto Mode (this allows the purifier to automatically adjust as needed), and toggle Sleep mode (dims the display). Once enabled, the latter option lets you tap once to view the display for a moment before it turns back off again; if you tap it again soon after, it’ll just turn the display back on like normal.

Close-up of the touch controls at the top of the Wyze Air Purifier
Kevin Bonnett

You can also press a combination of these buttons to access other features. Tapping and holding both the Power button and Auto button to reset the filter replacement timer (right after you change yours, of course). Long-pressing both the Auto Mode and Fan Speed buttons for three seconds turns on the Wi-Fi function, so it can pair with the companion app (more on that later). And lastly, long-pressing both the Fan Speed and Sleep buttons for three seconds enables the Child Lock. The entire interface was designed to be easy to use, and it succeeds!

Setup

In the box, you’ll find the purifier (of course), a Quick Start guide, and a Quick Guide for your first use. The single filter you selected is also there, but it’s inside the purifier and still in its plastic packaging. You will need to remove the filter, take off that packaging, and re-insert the filter before you turn on the purifier for the first time.

Bottom of the Wyze Air Purifier, where you'll need to open it up\ and remove the packaging off the filter before you first use it.
Kevin Bonnett

Once you’ve done that, Wyze recommends positioning the purifier at least 19.7 inches away from any walls, furniture, or other obstructions. During part of my testing, I kept the purifier just under a foot away from a wall, and it still seemed to work just fine. I do recommend following Wyze’s suggestion here, though, as that’ll provide optimal performance.

From there, you’ll want to download the companion app (Android/iOS) and either create or log into your Wyze account. Then, you’ll open the app, tap the “+” sign, tap “Add Device,” and follow the prompts to complete the setup. You will need to have Bluetooth turned on and have a few moments to configure your network information. All that’s left to do from there is to select which filter you have and set up any preferences you may have! The process is straightforward, easy, and only takes a few moments, which is great—no one likes a lengthy setup.

Companion App

Like most smart home gadgets these days, the Wyze Air Purifier has a mobile companion app that allows you to control it and adjust some settings. The app’s home page shows two bits of air quality information: that of your location (like the city you live in) and of the room where you’ve placed the purifier. If your local outdoor air quality is poor, it may suggest setting the purifier to Auto Mode so it can refresh the air as it deems necessary.

The app sources local allergen alerts from BreezoMeter and lets you know when certain allergens or pollutants are high. It can even track both indoor and outdoor pollutants and air quality history. This allows you to see a detailed view of what the air’s like around you, whether you’re chilling in your bedroom or in a nearby park; the feature can help you better understand what allergies you might be suffering from on a particular day.

Wyze’s app also offers a slew of fantastic settings you can control, making it easy to crank the air purifier after a party ends or to turn down the fan speed while your baby sleeps. The app gives you a ton of customizable manual controls, like letting you toggle the child lock and Auto mode, setting a schedule, controlling the fan speed, getting notifications to replace the filter, and even setting up a regular schedule for it to run on.

You can see real-time cleaning updates from the app, too. And heck, it even has seamless integration with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, allowing you to turn it on and off with your voice. If you do want to use voice controls instead of interacting with the purifier or its app, you’ll be pleased with how snappy and responsive it is. It’s super convenient! Additionally, the companion app is well designed, intuitive, and easy to use overall.

Download on the Apple App StoreGet it on Google Play

Filter Options

As Wyze mentions in its quirky product video for this (watch it below), “If you don’t have an air purifier, you ARE the air purifier. That’s pretty terrifying if you think about all the disgusting particulates that can be in the air, be it allergens, pollutants, or any other gunk. Fortunately, Wyze takes this seriously and gives you three different filter types to choose from: Allergen, Wildfire, and  Formaldehyde.

The air purifier comes with one of these three filters pre-installed. When you purchase yours, Wyze lets you choose which filter you want to start off with, though you can switch them out as needed. The filters are one-use only.

My only complaints about them are that they’re proprietary and quite pricey, ranging from about $35 up to $60. Wyze recommends you replace them anywhere from one to three times a year, and that cost can really add up. Heck, if you opt for the Formaldehyde Filter, you’ll outspend the cost of the whole thing by the time you purchase four replacement filters. That said, this is a fantastic air purifier, and well worth the cost if it’s in your budget.

All three are true HEPA filters with granulated carbon capable of eliminating 99.97% of air pollutants. The company also has a forthcoming subscription service for filter replacements, which will allow you to automatically receive a replacement air filter as needed; however, Wyze has yet to release more specific details on the service, like pricing, discounts, availability, or the ability to switch filter types as needed. Here is more information on each of the three filters:

The Wyze Air Purifier next to its Allergen filter and filter compartment seal in a bright living room..
Kevin Bonnett

The Allergen Filter

The Allergen Filter is the company’s Standard all-purpose HEPA 13 filter, with granulated carbon. It helps clear out things like pollen, dander, dust, germs, mold, odors, bacteria, and viruses. This filter weighs 1.5 pounds and is the one you should choose if you don’t need the extra features the other two pricier filters offer. Wyze recommends you change this filter every 6-12 months depending on your needs.

The Formaldehyde Filter

The Premium Formaldehyde HEPA 12 Filter has granulated carbon with activated manganese. It’s designed to clear out everything the standard Allergen filter can; however, it can also tackle heavy odors and dangerous chemicals like formaldehyde (a carcinogen found in tobacco smoke, new furniture, and many construction materials) with a 97.3% efficiency rate. The Formaldehyde Filter weighs 1.7 pounds and should be serviced every 5-12 months.

The Wildfire Filter

The Wildfire Filter is a Special Use HEPA 12 filter with chemically-modified granulated carbon. It can clear out everything the Allergen filter can in addition to offering you maximum protection against smoke, gasses, debris, fine particles, combustion-generated chemicals, and odors caused by fires (with a 98.9% efficiency rate). I love that Wyze offers this filter as an option, as wildfires are becoming increasingly common; it’s nice to know there’s a way to literally breathe more easily in the midst of wildfire season.

Performance

One of the things I like best about the purifier is that it’s near-silent at its lowest speed. Wyze clocks this at about 20dB, equivalent to leaves rustling, which I’d agree with. It’s summer now, and between running my air conditioning and fans, I don’t need any more noise from gadgets in my house. Fortunately, if I keep it on low, this air purifier is anything but noticeable.

I will say, however, that it gets much louder at its highest speed—Turbo—hitting about 52dB. On that setting, it’s about as loud as a dishwasher or shower. I had to boost my voice a bit just to communicate with someone standing about 10 feet from me, but the breeze was quite refreshing. Still, though, it’s just white noise and relatively pleasant at that; most people could easily sleep through that if needed. And it won’t be a setting you’ll use too often, anyway.

The Wyze Air Purifier cleaning the air in a bright living room.
Kevin Bonnett

The purifier is designed to clean a 450-550-square-foot room three times per hour. That should be more than sufficient for most (if not all) of the rooms in the average house.

I was sent the standard Allergen filter to test, which is perfect for my needs as I’m allergic to a lot of things, especially stuff that pops up in late Spring and Summer. I moved it around between my office, bedroom, and living room each day (well, most days), and noticed that I sneezed and blew my nose much less with it in the room with me. I also noticed that there was much less dust in the air after running it for like 45 minutes or so, which I greatly appreciate (no, seriously).

I kept the air purifier on Auto, and it made quick work of whatever gunk I threw at it—literally. I shook out rugs near it, sprayed several pumps of some perfume I no longer like near it, and (by happenstance) even had it in the kitchen with me as I totally accidentally burnt dinner one night (I’m a good cook, I swear!). The purifier kicked into high gear immediately after each incident, and within 20-30 minutes of each, I noticed a huge reduction of air particles and odors. It was efficient and genuinely impressive.

Everything is clearly labeled and logically organized both on the Air Purifier and in its companion mobile app. I never ran into any hiccups or issues while tinkering around with either.


Final Thoughts

When I first got the Wyze Air Purifier, I was afraid I wouldn’t have much to say about it—good or otherwise. Now, after spending a few weeks with it, I can’t sing its praise enough. It just ticks all the boxes I’d want for an air purifier, and it consistently works hard. While it might struggle a bit in rooms much larger than 500 square feet, this thing really is a powerhouse and it will work hard to keep the air in your home clean.

For the cost, you won’t beat this air purifier. And even though its proprietary air filters are kinda spendy, they’re worth it—they work hard and do a good job! It’s well designed, easy to use, stylish, and powerful. I heartily recommend the Wyze Air Purifier to everyone!

Rating: 9/10

Price: $129.99

Here’s What We Like

  • Nearly silent while running
  • Super lightweight
  • Efficient and effective
  • Great for wildfires and allergens

And What We Don’t

  • Pricey proprietary filters





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