During my years as a TechRadar Homes Editor, I tested an awful lot of vacuums. But the one that's been my constant companion throughout has been the Dyson V15 Detect. It's not a review sample — my partner bought it, and it's the vacuum we've been using at home for the past 21-plus months. It's been used to clean hard tile floors, carpets, lots of stairs, and a whole heap of dog hair.

The V15 is not the newest Dyson vacuum. It came out in 2021 and there are now two newer flagship models: the Gen5detect (launched 2022) and the V16 Piston Animal (2025). However, despite not being the latest-and-greatest, it's still the model that sits atop our best Dyson vacuum guide.

So after nearly two years of regular cleaning with the V15, would I still recommend it? How does it match up against the rest of the best cordless vacuums on the market — and specifically, the newest models from Dyson's great competitor, Shark? Here's my long-term review.

Smooth mover

Let's start with what I love about our Dyson dust-sucker. The suction is excellent, and the Auto mode (where the suction will increase or decrease depending on how much dirt is detected on the floor) is a very welcome addition. I use this mode almost exclusively, and it can be relied upon to do a thorough job of clearing whatever debris has gathered on the floor. I haven't noticed a drop in cleaning performance over our two years of use.

The V15 is also extremely easy to maneuver. Our home has lots of stairs, and plenty of nooks and crannies where dust and hair like to collect and lurk, and the V15 Detect does a great job of getting into all of them. I love how easily and smoothly the head pivots, and the fact it can lie completely flat to the ground for cleaning under beds.

Many of the newest Shark vacuums have a hinge on the vacuum wand, which enables it to bend forwards for cleaning under furniture. It works well, but adds bulk to the wand, and the whole thing is slightly unwieldy in its folded state. For my home, the Dyson setup works perfectly well, but if you're lacking in maneuvering room, perhaps Shark's 'MultiFlex' / 'Flexology' solution would be a better fit.

I'm also a huge fan of the Dyson V15's secret crevice tool. It's hidden in the wand, so I'm never without it. Our house is tall and thin, with four floors, and this built-in tool means that if I spot a dusty corner at the top of the house, I don't have to traipse all the way down to the utility room to fetch a detail tool to deal with it. As far as I'm aware, this feature is exclusive to Dyson at the moment.

Having tested a number of vacuums from Dyson and various other brands, I'm always struck by how consistently high quality and well-built the Dyson vacs feel. There's a strong attention to detail in the design, and they feel sturdy and reliable. That's still true of the V15 after nearly two years of use.

Lasers and data

Now on to a couple of features that have divided opinion within my household. The V15 comes with a couple of different floorheads: the Digital motorbar head, which has bristles and is designed for use on any floor type, and the Fluffy optic head, which is entirely soft and built for use on hard flooring. The latter is equipped with a green light to illuminate dust.

I'm very on board with the Fluffy floorhead. I love that it feels gentle on our tiled kitchen floor (and doesn't clatter over it as most vacuum cleaner heads will), and I appreciate the way the light draws attention to dust and hair lurking in dingy corners. I find it very satisfying to then whisk that dust away, and always feel I'm getting a far more thorough clean than I would without this feature.

However, my partner is not so enamored with the Fluffy floorhead. He feels the Digital motorbar floorhead works perfectly well on hard floors, and it's not worth the hassle of swapping the heads over.

Then there are the real-time dust reports on the screen. I find these endlessly fascinating, and I enjoy seeing the dust hotspots causing the bar graphs to spike. However, when I asked my partner for his thoughts, it became clear that not only was he not paying them any attention, but he didn't really know what they were. Is is possible the general public is just not as invested in the intricacies of vacuum cleaning as I am? Maybe.

Bulking up

Moving on to the down-sides of the V15. The most significant complaint I have with it is that V15 Detect is that it's pretty heavy. Further to that, the weight is concentrated in the main motor section, which itself is rather elongated in shape. That makes it rather unwieldy, and especially when used in handheld mode.

All of Dyson's newer vacuums (I'd say from this model onwards — so the V15, the Gen5detect and the V16 Piston Animal) suffer from this weight distribution issue.

Looking to Shark's range, the fancier models, such as the PowerDetect Cordless, are actually heavier overall. However, the motor/handle section is more squat in shape, and there's more weight through the wand and into the floorhead. That means more even weight distribution, which can make for a more comfortable vacuuming experience.

A triggering issue

Another big complaint I have with the V15 is that it's trigger-operated, with no option to lock it for continual running. I find that irritating when I'm using the vacuum for long periods, or trying to get into awkward corners while keeping the trigger compressed.

I prefer the setup on Dyson's newer models, where there's a one-press power button. However, that's still not perfect — it requires you to have a hand free to turn the machine on and off, because the power button is not reachable from your holding hand.

Most modern Shark models use button operation, and just like the Dyson designs, you can't reach the button from your holding hand. My ideal design is one where the vacuum is trigger-operated but with a lock for continual running. No Dyson vacuum has this setup, and neither do any of Shark's newest stick vacs, although that brand's range is so sprawling you might find a trigger-plus-lock design somewhere.

One comment that I hear sometimes about Dyson stick vacuums is that they don't always last as long as customers expect. Our V15 is still going strong after just under two years (which is actually at the lower end of how long cordless vacuums are meant to last, although most people would probably hope for longer).

Prior to that, my partner had a Dyson Cyclone V10, which lasted over five years. At that point the battery conked out, and replacing it only fixed the issue for a few months. I think that's a decent lifespan for a vacuum, but your mileage may vary.

Is it worth it?

After two years using my Dyson V15, I'd still recommend it. Its cleaning powers are excellent with no signs of fading, its special features genuinely useful, and I love how maneuverable it is.

I personally also prefer it to Shark's newest models. I cover my main thoughts on this in my Shark vs Dyson article, but as a short overview, it's special features feel superior — Dyson's laser lights are far more effective than Shark's headlamps, and its Auto mode feels more precise. The Dyson also pivots more smoothly and the overall design feels sleeker and more high-end.

However, it's not a clear-cut decision. The Shark PowerDetect Cordless offers the best outright cleaning performance of any vacuum I've used, including all the Dyson models. Shark's models also arguably deliver better value for money — although its higher-spec models still sit in the premium price tier.

The bottom line? After using the V15 for a couple of years, and testing multiple other vacs from different brands including Shark, I'm still something of a Dyson fan-girl. When our at-home vac finally bites the dust, we'll probably end up buying another Dyson, although I will still be checking out what Shark has to offer...

Air stylers are very much the hot hair tool of the moment. When Dyson's first Airwrap hit the shelves in 2018, it felt like we were immediately hooked. We watched, entranced, as this wand-shaped styler grabbed a limp piece of hair, span it around, and left a perfect curl in its wake. And all without any extreme heat? It felt too good to be true.

And maybe it was. When I spoke to Dr Julie Chung, co-founder of major haircare brand T3, she advised that we take a much more cautious approach to the air styler phenomenon than we're used to hearing.

"This device is not for all hair types," she tells me. "And for any company to say, 'Oh, this is for all hair kind', 'this is for every single woman', it's simply not true."

She talks about how cool air-styler tools look on social media, but how, after the initial curl-creation magic has been captured, many women will find the styles just don't last on their hair.

"The more that I would watch women use this device on social, the more I saw women being very, very upset that they spent $600 on a device that created a curl for maybe a minute. They'd be in the mirror, it looks great, then they turn away for two seconds, look back and the curls have fallen," she recalls of the early days of air stylers.

One size does not fit all

Dr Chung is clear that even T3's own air styler — the Aire 360 — isn't for everyone. "Curls in general… it depends on the woman's hair type," she explains. "Some women can use a Dyson Airwrap with no product and be able to curl their hair and it'll stay. But that's because these are women whose hair tends to hold a curl really, really well.

"A woman with fine hair, for example, will dm me and say, the Shark didn't work. The Dyson didn't work. Should I get the Aire 360? And I would tell her, no. Just like Brandy Melvilles [a fashion brand that's been criticized for only offering clothing in one, small size] one size does not fit all. I can't even get the shorts over one leg."

So you might have hair that will naturally hold an air styler curl with no further effort required. Or you might need to add product, and take time to cool and set the air-styler curl.

Alternatively, a curling iron might give you much better and longer-lasting results (Dr Chung is also of the belief that 'heat has been demonized incorrectly — but that's a different subject), or you might need to use a curling iron to create ribbon curls. Dr Chung mentions T3's CEO, whose hair won't even hold a curling iron curl, and who needs a hot-roller set.

Your needs will be shaped not just by your hair texture, Dr Chung explains, but all manner of other aspects, from your lifestyle to the kind of climate you're living in, to your hair cut, and whether it's been colored, and the products you're using on it. There's a full spectrum of needs, and a full spectrum of tools.

She adds: "I've always said this to both consumers and editors alike: I can help you find the tool that will work for you, but that one tool that you're looking at, that some companies say it's for everybody. It's not for you. "I'm not going to sell you something that you'll come back and say it didn't work because I knew it wasn't going to work. I don't think that's some mind-blowing concept."

Whether it’s a vacuum cleaner, a hand dryer, an air purifier, or a fan, Dyson products rarely look like anything else on the market — and that’s particularly apparent at the company’s campus in Malmesbury, southwest England, where images of recent launches decorate the walls like modern art. The sprawling complex, in a particularly beautiful patch of Wiltshire countryside, is home to Dyson’s global Research, Design and Development (RDD) center, and the Dyson Institute, where students from around the world study while working alongside engineers on live projects. I visited the center to meet the company’s Chief Engineer Jake Dyson — son of founder Sir James Dyson — and learn more about the company’s approach to design.

Jake Dyson didn’t join his father’s business immediately; instead he set up a workshop and made a name for himself in the world of industrial lighting. Sitting in his office, I asked whether his experience in that sector had contributed to his work at Dyson today.

“Yes, it comes down to identifying problems and solving them,” he explained. “When LEDs first entered the market, I realized people weren’t cooling them properly. The promise of LEDs is that they should last a lifetime, but in reality they were being treated like disposable lightbulbs. I visited Osram in Asia, and they explained that if you keep the diode temperature below about 50C [120F, you can maintain brightness, color quality, and lifespan. That became my goal.

“I looked at how satellites manage heat. In space, temperatures swing from extremely hot to extremely cold, so they need precise thermal control. I applied similar thinking by designing systems that passively dissipate heat. For example, the heat moves away from the chip and is cooled by airflow, maintaining a stable temperature even at high power. That process, spotting a problem and solving it, is what drives everything.”

That problem-solving approach has always been the driving force behind the Dyson brand, and explains its unusual portfolio of products; its engineers have never been afraid to venture into new areas when there’s a problem to be solved.

“Sometimes it comes from frustration," said Jake Dyson. "'This product is rubbish, how can we make it better?’ Other times it’s curiosity: ‘Why does this work the way it does?’”

Problem-first design

James Dyson’s book Invention: A Life of Learning Through Failure, describes how the problem-first process led to the creation of many of the company’s most iconic and recognizable products — starting with a humble wheelbarrow. Dyson and his wife Deidre were renovating a house in Gloucestershire, England, and wanted to create a garden, but the traditional tools proved frustrating.

“I used a navy barrow in anger and its limitations became increasingly clear,” writes Dyson. “Cement slopped out of it. Its tubular legs sunk into the ground. It was hard to steer. Its sharp edges damaged doorframes. The more I used it, the more I realized that nobody had really thought about these problems or bothered to fix them.”

After much experimentation with shapes, materials, and manufacturing processes, the result was the Ballbarrow: a molded plastic bucket on a steel frame, with the conventional wheel replaced by a pneumatic ball made from EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate). This spread the weight of the load more evenly on soft ground, and was easier to maneuver than a wheel — and in bright orange, it looked unlike anything else at the time.

The product itself was a success, but due to a series of poor business decisions, Dyson senior eventually lost control of the company he had founded around it, Kirk-Dyson, and was ultimately kicked out by the other shareholders.

“I had lost five years of work by not valuing my creation,” he wrote. “I had failed to protect the one thing that was most valuable to me.”

It was a painful experience, but one he learned from as he pressed on with identifying and solving problems — starting with the creation of the first cyclonic vacuum cleaner, which he designed after realizing that dust bags don’t just serve to collect dust — they also act as filters that block airflow, drastically reducing suction power.

“I remembered the same clogging problem on the calico cloth with the powder coating in the Ballbarrow factory and the giant cyclone we had made to solve it,” he wrote. “What if I could develop a much smaller version and replace the clogging bag in a vacuum cleaner?”

Thousands of prototypes later (5,127 to be precise), he had the world’s first bagless vacuum — and a vast collection of patents to protect it.

Dyson’s understanding of airflow and cyclonic technology has informed almost all of the company’s subsequent products; but like the vacuum, each one started with a problem. The Dyson Airblade hand dryer was created to reduce waste paper towels; the Airmultiplier fan solved the issue of ‘choppy’ air from conventional fan blades; the Pure Hot+Cool purifier was made to tackle indoor air pollution; and the Supersonic hairdryer solved the problem of heavy and uncomfortable hairdryers with weighty motors.

In every case, the form of the finished product was dictated by the problem it was designed to solve — even if the result looked totally unlike established versions of the device.

“That’s why Dyson products often look unusual; they’re built around their function,” said Jake Dyson in his Malmesbury office. “They’re also beautiful. A hair dryer has a hole through it because of how the airflow works. Fans and other products expose their engineering principles through the way they look — we’re not hiding how things work, we’re expressing it.”

Creative color

Those unusual designs are often set off by equally unusual color schemes, which tend to highlight buttons, switches, removable canisters, and other functional parts.

“We have a team here, CMF, which is colors, materials and finishes, that look into the appearance but also materials of our products," said Jake Dyson.

The CMF team doesn’t just draw on experience from successful projects, but also failed ones like the cancelled Dyson electric car, which provided finish and material ideas for many of the company’s health and beauty devices.

Most recently, CMF lent its expertise to Dyson's first hand-held fan — the Dyson HushHet Mini Cool — which launched just in time for a series of heatwaves in the UK. It sold out almost immediately, and after testing it myself, I can see why; it’s compact, much more powerful than its closest rival, the Shark ChillPill, and more affordable to boot.

“We’ve seen strong demand [for the HushHet Mini Cool], and it’s one of those products where people don’t initially realize they need it but once they try it, they understand the value,” said Jake Dyson. “It’s designed to be reusable, not disposable like cheaper alternatives. I've seen people with the cheap plastic fans that break very [easily], but we wanted ours to be well engineered, durable, quiet and efficient.

“We’re working on scaling production, but demand has been very strong, so availability can sometimes be limited. That said, it is coming back to market.”

So what does the future hold? The company is investigating ways to use AI where it will actually add value, helping machines interpret data and make better decisions, and Jake Dyson says that "vision systems and new product directions" are the most exciting areas for him.

"We’ve historically been very strong in mechanical engineering motors, airflow, performance. But now, adding cameras and vision systems allows machines to detect what they’re looking at, understand it and act accordingly.

"That opens up entirely new categories of products and capabilities, so we’re moving from purely mechanical devices to machines that can see, think, and respond, and that’s where the next wave of innovation is coming from."

It'll be fascinating to see which problems the company will be looking to solve with those new technologies, and there's no way of knowing what the next generation of Dyson products will look like as the company expands into new areas. We'll just have to wait and see — but it's definitely not going to be boring.

Following the launch of Dyson's first ever compact hair dryer, the Supersonic Travel, I spent four weeks putting it through its paces, including during a trip to San Francisco — you can read about this in depth in my Dyson Supersonic Travel review.

What I kept coming back to was how similar it seemed to Dyson's Supersonic Nural, despite there being a $150 / £150 / AU$300 gap between the two. Both use the same motor and the same intelligent heat control technology. Both use the same magnetic attachment system, meaning any nozzle or diffuser from either machine works on both. And both deliver the same smooth, frizz-free finish that Dyson has become known for.

I've tested many of the best hair dryers on the market, and Dyson consistently sits near the top. So if the technology is this similar, what exactly are you paying the extra cash for — and is the Nural worth it? I tested the two side by side. Here's what you need to know.

Dyson Supersonic Travel vs Supersonic Nural dryer: efficiency

On sheer drying power, the Nural wins. It's a full-size dryer with full airflow, and on my fine, mid-length hair it dried in around two and a half minutes on high heat. The Travel took around four minutes in the same conditions.

Four minutes is fast for a travel dryer — faster than every hotel dryer I've used and faster than some standard home dryers too. The finish was smooth and shiny every time, which is the more important result. But the gap is significant, and if you have thick or long hair that already takes 15 or 20 minutes at home, you'll feel it a lot more than I did.

Both have a 110,000 RPM motor, and both use a built-in thermistor sensor that continuously monitors air temperature to prevent heat damage and protect your hair's shine.

Interestingly, the cheaper Travel measures temperature more frequently than the pricier Nural — over 100 times per second versus 40. However, where the Travel uses it as a protective measure, the Nural uses it in more advanced ways for its Scalp Protect Mode. This mode uses a network of Nural sensors and an infrared beam to measure the distance between the dryer and your scalp in real time, automatically reducing heat and airflow as it gets closer to maintain a consistent 131 F / 55 C at the roots.

Winner: Dyson Supersonic Nural

Dyson Supersonic Travel vs Supersonic Nural dryer: design & comfort

Both the Nural and Travel look unmistakably like Dyson products. They have the same cylindrical head, narrow handle, and magnetic barrel as the entire Supersonic range. I tested the Travel in Ceramic Pink/Rose Gold and the Nural in Red Velvet/Gold, and both have a stylish soft matte finish.

The biggest and most obvious design difference is in size.

The Nural weighs 1.5lbs / 684g and measures 3.8 x 3 x 11.3 inches / 9.8 x 7.7 x 28 cm. The Travel is 32% smaller — at 2.7 x 2.8 x 8.7 inches / 6.8 x 7.1 x 22.2 cm — and almost half the weight. This makes it small and light enough to drop into a handbag without rearranging everything around it and I carried the Travel to San Francisco in a tote bag alongside my laptop and it barely registered.

Both put airflow and temperature buttons on the rear of the barrel, with LEDs above each button showing your current setting. On the Nural, these LEDs change color as you cycle through settings to make it easier to see, at a glance, what setting you're on. The Travel's stay white, making it harder.

Beyond this, the Nural offers four heat settings plus three airflow speeds. The Travel has three heat settings and two airflow speeds. On the Travel, its cool shot requires sliding the power button upward past its 'on' position. This will be familiar if you own a Dyson Airwrap i.d but if you don't, this feature won't feel obvious the first time you use the Travel.

The Nural gives you meaningfully more control over both heat and airflow, which matters if you have multiple hair types or needs in your household, or if you regularly switch between drying and styling with different attachments.

Cord length is 9.2ft / 2.8m on the Nural and 6.6ft / 2m on the Travel, and neither folds. The Travel's cord is longer than I'd like for a machine sold primarily on portability but this longer length does make it easier to use in a hotel room when the plug socket aren't always in the most useful places.

Winner: Draw – even though the Nural has some standout design benefits compared to the Travel, they fit different needs: the Nural is better designed for home, while the Travel is better for everywhere else.

Dyson Supersonic Travel vs Supersonic Nural dryer: special features

The Travel's standout feature is auto-voltage. It adapts automatically to any supply between 100V and 240V without the need for a converter or a switch. I used it in San Francisco with a standard plug adapter and there was no drop in power, change in noise or overheating.

The Nural counters with Scalp Protect Mode, which uses proprietary sensors to detect proximity to your scalp and automatically drops the air temperature. When you pull the dryer away, it returns to your selected setting. This setting works in the background, and over months of daily use I haven't once scorched my roots on a high heat setting. For anyone with a sensitive scalp, fine hair, or hair growth concerns, it's a functional benefit rather than a convenience feature.

The Nural also has Attachment Learning, which recognises which nozzle is fitted via RFID chips and remembers your preferred settings.

For example, if you swap to the diffuser, the Nural will automatically drop to your usual diffuser heat and speed. The Pause Detect feature then cuts the airflow when the dryer is put down and resumes when you pick it back up.

The Travel has neither of those features but it is compatible with the entire Supersonic and Supersonic Nural attachment range. If you already own the Nural, you can pack your existing nozzles and diffuser and use them on the Travel.

Winner: Dyson Nural – the Travel's auto-voltage is the most widely practical feature across the two dryers but the Nural is a much more advanced choice.

Dyson Supersonic Travel vs Supersonic Nural dryer: specs

Should I buy the Dyson Supersonic Travel or Supersonic Nural dryer?

Buy the Dyson Supersonic Travel if...

✅ You travel frequently and your hair matters to you: Hotel dryers are a lottery. The Travel gives you consistent Dyson-quality results wherever you are.

✅ You already own a Dyson Supersonic or Nural: The attachment compatibility means you're not buying a second set of nozzles – just a travel body for your existing routine.

✅ You have fine or mid-length hair: The reduced airflow won't be an issue for finer hair types. Four minutes is still fast, and the intelligent heat control means the finish is just as good as you'd get from a full-size dryer.

Buy the Dyson Supersonic Nural if...

✅ You want the best Dyson for home use: Full airflow, smarter controls, color-coded LEDs and five attachments make this the more complete package for everyday drying.

✅ You have a sensitive scalp or fine hair at the roots: Scalp Protect Mode works in the background and over months of daily use, the difference in root and hair health is noticeable.

✅ You dry your hair every day: The Nural's Attachment Learning and Pause Detect are small features that add up to an easier daily routine.

2026 is almost over — well, not quite, but given we're already halfway through the year, it won't be long before those year-end awards are in sight again. And with the 2026 progress bar hitting 50% this week, we decided it was a good time to look back on the last six months and pick out the early 'gadget of the year' contenders from everything we've tested since January.

And we've been testing a lot — 639 products, to be precise, have passed through our labs and the real, unvarnished lives of our experienced testers this year. Those hundreds of gadgets span everything from coffee machines and smartphones to life-boosting accessories like portable DACs, fans and smart Lego.

So if you've just woken up from a six-month nap (we don't blame you) or are looking for some gadget inspiration, the list below will make for some fascinating reading. It doesn't contain every five-star product we've tested this year (check out our separate five-star review roundup for those), but it is a temperature check of all the products our reviewers haven't been able to stop talking about over the past six months...

21. Fitbit Air

• The fitness tracker of 2026 so far

The Google Fitbit Air is the highest-profile, most exciting fitness release of 2026 so far, and it’s generated plenty of buzz online. A screenless Whoop-style band weighing just 12 grams (including strap!) and with up to a week of battery life, the Fitbit Air is the most exciting thing we’ve seen from Fitbit since Google brought the brand.

The hardware is excellent, proving to record heart rate accurately in our comparison tests, and it’s eminently comfortable to wear. I had no problems wearing it virtually 24/7 during my testing period, including to shower and sleep in. It looked great, was super-light, felt comfortable and delivered accurate, insightful metrics.

The app is another story. While its AI-powered premium functionality is good, not everyone’s going to jive with the chatbot format of the AI Coach, and existing Fitbit users are irked that their community features and historic badges were deleted, replaced by an AI Coach to help you ‘celebrate your achievements’ in a different way. The app is uniformly recognized as being messy and cluttered, too. But away from the app’s design, the tracker is still the boldest, most interesting release in the fitness tech world this year.

Matt Evans, Senior Editor, Fitness, Wellness & Wearables

• Read our in-depth Fitbit Air review

20. Maxell Wireless Cassette Player

• Our favorite blast from the gadget past

Look me in the eye and tell me you have no cassette tapes hiding anywhere in your home. Right, there’s a shoebox somewhere. But where to play them? That’s where the Maxell Wireless Cassette Player comes in.

Not only is it brand new gear to play these old tapes, but it works with your favorite Bluetooth headphones; I found it the perfect blend of nostalgia and modern audio pleasure. Even its imperfect functionality, like flaky Bluetooth support, was somehow charming.

I wish it had recording like my old portable cassette player, but it was still kind of wonderful to get to hear old mixtapes, recordings, and even classic releases from 1980s music icons (The Traveling Wilburys!) again.

Lance Ulanoff, Editor at Large

• Read our in-depth Maxell Wireless Cassette Player review

19. MacBook Neo

• Still a winner, despite its recent price hike

Up until a month ago, the MacBook Neo was my favorite laptop of 2026, and I didn’t think there’d be any other new laptop this year that could beat it. With a launch price of $599 / £599 / AU$899, it was the cheapest MacBook you could get, and despite its budget price, it offered the kind of build quality, design, screen and performance that you just didn’t expect from laptops and Chromebooks around that price point.

It certainly made a big impact. Running on the A18 Pro chip, it could run pretty much any macOS app that more expensive Macs could, offered excellent battery life and a bright and vibrant display (something a lot of budget laptop makers often neglected to keep prices down). It sold like hot cakes, and gave a kick up the bum to rivals. Since its launch, both Acer and Dell have announced laptops (the new Acer Swift Air and Dell XPS 13) that the companies are very open about how they’ve been designed to take on the MacBook Neo.

However, last month Apple announced a raft of price increases for some of its products, including a $100 / £100 increase in price for the MacBook Neo. While not a massive increase (unlike what the MacBook Air and Pro got), it’s enough to make the MacBook Neo less of an instant recommendation, and some of its compromises, such as slow USB-C ports and no backlit keyboard, are suddenly harder to forgive.

Matt Hanson, Managing Editor, Core Tech

• Read our in-depth MacBook Neo review

18. Lego Smart Brick

• The opinion-splitter that won us over

The toy brand introduced a new technology-fueled piece in its iconic build block system this year at CES 2026 — and while some reactions have been mixed online we here at TechRadar have fallen in love with the system. If you’re a kid who loves playing with your sets and not just admiring them it hits the mark (almost) perfectly.

Out the gate it featured in a handful of Star Wars themed builds adding iconic starship noises, blaster fire effects, and flashing lights as the model moves and its play features are used. It does this thanks to motion and color sensors in the brick which perform different effects based on the special NFC tiles the smart brick is placed onto — the tile effectively programs the smart brick’s lights and speakers while they touch.

Admittedly it wasn’t perfect at launch, but Lego has already started to solve some of our issues with the builds and the brick’s interactiveness in its upcoming Pokémon Smart Play sets — helping to cement the smart brick as one of the best gadgets of the year, and we’re confident it’ll only get better.

Hamish Hector, Senior Staff Writer, News

• Read our hands-on Lego Smart Brick review

17. iFi Go Link 2

• A huge audio upgrade for your phone or laptop

Some hi-res products require careful tinkering and compatibility testing. This isn't one of those. Instead it's a no-fuss, super-small headphone DAC (which stands for digital-analog-converter) to effectively take the job away from the small and likely pretty basic DAC and amp stage in your smartphone or laptop, do the conversion job a lot better, and deliver the improved audio to your wired earbuds or headphones (and thus, to your shell-likes) of choice.

Did I mention it's also super-cheap? This thing costs just $59 / £59 and it essentially turns your source device's sound into something you'd get from hi-res player — and those can cost thousands.

It's smaller and lighter than the iFi options that came before it too. The Go Link 2 will happily slip into your pocket or bag along with your smartphone without issue, and if you're looking to get in on the wired trend (hey, lots of people are) it's a very good way to add wired headphone support to devices that have long since dropped the 3.5mm headphone jack.

OK, its amp stage won't be enough to drive high impedance planar magnetic cans (and those would probably come toting a 4.4mm jack anyway, which this doesn't have) but provided you're just looking to level up with closed-back dynamic solutions, this is little money, well-spent.

Becky Scarrott, Audio Editor

• Read our full iFi Go Link 2 review

16. RayNeo Air 4 Pro

• A lightweight personal cinema for travelers

Android XR and Meta might be stealing the smart glasses spotlight in 2026 with their announcements, but here at TechRadar we think the best new pair to launch so far this year is something a little different: the RayNeo Air 4 Pro.

The biggest difference between the RayNeo and those other specs is they don’t bother with AI — instead they’re effectively a portable display for your compatible phone, tablet, laptop, console, essentially anything that can output video and audio via USB-C.

The Air 4 Pro don't reinvent the wheel but add important new tools like being the first specs of their kind to support HDR10 — leading to more accurate and vibrant colors from their micro-OLED displays. Couple that with solid sound, a comfy fit, and optional Batman/Joker stylings for DC mega fans (plainer designs are available) and you have something incredible.

Hamish Hector, Senior Staff Writer, News

• Read our in-depth RayNeo Air 4 Pro review

15. MacBook Air M5

• The best ultraportable we've ever used

The MacBook Air is, in some ways, the portable most other laptops aspire to; it’s thin, light, surprisingly powerful, and has simply outstanding battery life.

At the time of review, Apple had doubled that storage space (far more important than you might think), finally upgraded connectivity to the future (Wi-Fi 7 and BLE 6) and, of course, slipped in the new M5 silicon.

The price rose a bit, and some wished for more colors (heck, maybe they'll think about Citrus for the next Air), but none of this really detracted from the MacBook Air’s sizable qualities, including a fantastic keyboard, huge ForceTouch trackpad, and Thunderbolt 4 ports. MacBook Air was the laptop that lured me away from Windows, and the M5 model is what’s keeping me here.

Lance Ulanoff, Editor at Large

• Read our in-depth Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) 

14. Oppo Find X9 Ultra

• The new camera phone king

If you're in any doubt about whether the Oppo Find X9 Ultra is the best camera phone on the market right now, just look at the devices we've compared it to. In our Oppo Find X9 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra comparison, the Chinese flagship came out on top in almost every category, and in our Oppo Find X9 Ultra vs Lumix TZ300 vs Nikon Z8 comparison, we found that its telephoto capabilities "render most travel zoom compact cameras redundant." High praise indeed.

So, yes, the Find X9 Ultra — which is the first Ultra-branded Oppo phone to ship outside of China (albeit not in the US) — is the new camera phone king. But it comes with plenty of other flagship bells and whistles, too. There's the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, the 12GB of RAM, the 6.8-inch OLED display, and the enormous 7,050mAh battery. And Oppo's software has also come on leaps and bounds in recent years.

If we're talking 'the best phones of 2026 so far', the Find X9 Ultra is a must-include.

Axel Metz, Phones Editor

• Read our in-depth Oppo Find X9 Ultra review

13. Audeze Maxwell 2

• The best-sounding gaming headset I've ever tested

The Audeze Maxwell 2 isn't the gaming headset that's received the highest score from our team of reviewers so far this year on TechRadar Gaming, but it's still one of the absolute best to release this year. And it gets that mantle on sound quality alone.

The 90mm planar magnetic drivers produce the finest gaming audio I've ever experienced, and I can't imagine using anything else now (unless I have to for pesky work reasons). Audeze's patented SLAM tech means the bottom end is even better than ever, and so the whole soundscape is much more rounded and fulsome, while being exceptionally detailed and immersive.

It's a chunky headset, yes, but it has all the modern features you realistically need to get the most out of a headset for single-player immersion and gaining edges in multiplayer games: a robust mic, reliable connectivity, good design and build, all supporting that brilliant audio quality.

After nearly a decade of testing and reviewing gaming headsets of all stripes, I have not been treated to audio this good. It's proven so good that I disagree with our own review (sorry, Phil) and have written about how, after a few months of living with the Maxwell 2, I think it's a five-star gaming headset. If you want to consider any new gaming headset of 2026 thus far to upgrade your audio game, then this has to be it.

(Rob Dwiar, Managing Editor, TechRadar Gaming and Streaming)

• Read our in-depth Audeze Maxwell 2 review and my op-ed on why I would have scored the Maxwell 2 higher

12. Dyson PencilVax FluffyCones

• The most streamlined vacuum we've ever used

It's been a long time since I saw a vacuum that truly made me do a double-take, but that was the case with the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones. Instead of the chunky dust cup / battery / filter configuration usually found at the top of a stick vacuum, the PencilVac has... nothing. There's just a broom-shaped handle. In fact, this handle houses all those components, except they've been shrunk down to an almost impossibly small size, and hidden away. That makes the PencilVac incredibly light, nimble, and easy to wield.

The floorhead is equally unique, with its two pairs of cone-shaped, fluffy rollers, rotating in opposite directions to whisk away dust from hard floors and clear hair without tangling. This head pivots ultra-smoothly, can be used either way around, and enhances the incredible maneuverability on offer here. A truly innovative design from Dyson, and a useful one at that.

Ruth Hamilton, Collections Editor

• Read our full Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones review

11. Dali Sonik 1

• Small, passive stereo speakers that sound twice their size

It's not just because the Dali Sonik 1 are clearly the cat's miaow — although that never hurts!

The Dali Sonik 1 are the smallest in the Danish brand's ever-expanding new line of passive stereo speakers, but while this February 2026 proposition might be bijou, they sound easily twice their size. And for this money, that's a huge win.

We love them for their clear-mindedness, sparkling vocal reproduction, textured transients and remarkably deep, thumping robustness. They’re also low-distortion, with a sonic profile that never falls foul of overstating itself, apart from a very occasionally overzealous bass reflex (but that's largely down to placement).

You might be thinking you've seen this all before: small passive stereo speakers, they must all basically be the same, no? The Dali Sonik 1 are better than that — in fact we think they're currently the absolute best in their size and price category. It could well be the Sonik 1’s use of Dali’s trademarked Clarity Cone technology (taken from the Kore range before it), or the “SMC” (Soft Magnetic Composite)-assisted magnet systems that constitute the driver.

However it has been achieved, collectively this in-house wizardry has created a fulsome yet supremely natural-sounding set of standmount speakers. And they'll easily fit into your home (for a refreshingly palatable fee).

Becky Scarrott, Audio Editor

• Red our fully star-rated Dali Sonik 1 review

Our top 10 of 2026 (so far)

10. Apple AirPods Max 2

• The best noise-cancelling iPhone headphones on the planet

At first glance, Apple's March-issue second-generation flagship headphones probably didn't receive too many hugely excited whoops and cheers from the Cupertino giant's noted fanbase. Why? Because they arrived looking exactly the same as the first pair.

And they still come out on top in any mid-year headphones roundup. The ANC is just that good. We may sometimes be harsh at TechRadar, but we're always fair…

Put them on your head, engage the ANC and get them playing music. Suddenly it's impossible to knock them. There's a new H2 chip in each ear cup (plus a new amplification module) and that combination is a bona-fide game-changer.

OK, so you can use the Digital Crown as a remote and yes, you can now use Live Translation, nod or shake your head to control call-handling, or pipe up and the headphones now adjust playback accordingly. But none of these under-the-hood improvements is what seals the deal for me.

No, it's all about the sound, underpinned by the noise cancellation performance that is 1.5 times better — and anyone who owns the inaugural set will know how big a deal that is. Also, the overall sonic profile is punchier, more vibrant and with an extra ounce dynamic nuance across the frequencies.

The only reason I couldn't give them the full five stars? The stamina, at only 20 hours with ANC deployed. The thing is, when the cocoon of silence is this good, I'll take a hit on battery life.

Becky Scarrott, Audio Editor

• Read my full and in-depth Apple AirPods Max 2 review

9. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

• The new king of Android

It can be hard to mess with near perfection, but that was the task facing Samsung when it built the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. It’s a follow-up to the best Android flagship I'd ever used and, thankfully, the S26 Ultra did not disappoint.

The excellent, solid design (despite losing titanium) is a perfect showcase for Samsung’s vast OneUI 8 and all that AI. Plus it has a built-in S Pen that’s endlessly useful and new privacy screen feature that's so cool I wonder when Apple will copy it.

The just-short-of-perfection is mostly because it wasn't a full redesign some wished for and the frustrating lack of any kind of MagSafe charging capabilities. Those were, obviously, minor niggles in what is otherwise a powerful, big-screen handset that should be on everyone’s Android shortlist.

Lance Ulanoff, Editor at Large

• Read our in-depth Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review

8. EcoFlow Stream Ultra X

• A game-changing home battery for renters

It's no surprise that in a year of spiraling energy costs one of the big trends has been home batteries that can cut chunks out of your electricity bills — and this powerful, balcony-friendly unit is the most complete we've tested so far.

The EcoFlow Stream Ultra X isn't cheap and, at the time of writing, isn't available in the US (although its lower-capacity Stream Ultra X sibling is). But with its 3.84 kWH capacity and AI-powered energy management, it is a glimpse of a smart home genre that will soon become mainstream.

In short, this lithium iron phosphate battery charges from the sun via solar panels or from cheap grid power during the day, then powers your home at night. In our tests, we estimated that it could easily pay for itself in three years — and that's without connecting it to solar panels.

On its own, the Stream Ultra X isn't powerful enough to power your whole home during a power cut — it's more like the first rung on a ladder that can take you to solar or a bigger home energy system. But you can connect five more Stream series units to hit 23 kWh of power, and its versatility makes it one of the best examples so far of what the Germans call 'Balkonkraftwerke' (or 'balcony power plants').

Mark Wilson, Managing Editor, News (UK)

• Read our in-depth EcoFlow Stream Ultra X review

7. Sony InZone H6 Air

• Sony’s first open-back gaming headset is the best

This year Sony debuted its first open-back gaming headset with the Inzone H6 Air, and it’s the best such model that we’ve tested, blowing strong competitors like the Turtle Beach Atlas Air out of the water.

Underpinned by the same studio quality drivers found in the audio giant’s ever-reliable MDR-MV1 studio monitor headphones, now reworked for additional bass, it delivers crystal-clear, well-balanced sound that’s perfect for both gaming and music listening.

That open-back design lends itself to a wonderfully wide soundstage that adds depth to your favorite games — the detailed weapon sound effects of Battlefield 6 have never seemed so real, while we found that more narrative driven titles like The Last of Us Part 2 or Assassin’s Creed Shadows benefit from a whole new level of aural immersion.

They’re incredibly light and comfortable, coming in at 7oz / 199g, but that doesn’t mean that they feel cheap. The premium aluminum earcup shells are hardwearing and we’re certain that the durable fabric headband will last us for many years to come.

Dashiell Wood, Gaming Editor

• Read our in-depth Sony InZone H6 Air review

6. DJI Avata 360

• Our new favorite all-seeing drone

The big new trend for drones in 2026 is 360 models. A bit like flying versions of cameras like the Insta360 X5, these all-seeing aerial gadgets let you reframe your aerial videos and photos after you've landed, so you don't need to be so precise or decisive up in the sky.

The DJI Avata 360 isn't the first 360 drone we've seen — that was the Antigravity A1 — but it is our new favorite thanks to its unrivaled versatility. Yes, you can shoot 360 videos thanks to its dual 1-inch sensors, then edit that footage using DJI Fly mobile app or the DJI Studio desktop software.

But switch to the drone's single-lens mode, and you effectively have a DJI Avata 2, an FPV drone that can perform aerial acrobatics and get some very different footage. Because you get to choose between using FPV goggles and a standard RC2 two-stick controller, you also don't always need to bring along a spotter friend to fly it legally either.

Mark Wilson, Managing Editor, News (UK)

• Read our in-depth DJI Avata 360 review

5. Dyson HushJet Mini Cool

• A surprisingly powerful heat wave savior

Heatwaves have been another big theme of 2026 — and if you've been baking under a 'heat dome' in the past few months, you might well be interested in the Dyson HushJet Mini Cool, a tiny fan whose performance is as good as its name.

Dyson’s first portable fan excels for two main reasons. Firstly, the fan’s powerful motor reaches a staggering 65,000rpm, and the shape of the HushJet nozzle concentrates the airflow so it’s all directed right at you. Even on the lowest setting you can really feel it, but dial it up to maximum and you’d think you’re using a hairdryer.

You also don’t just have to use it as a hand-held fan — you can wear it around your neck, attach it to clothing or a bag strap, or stand upright on your desk, so it’s pretty versatile to boot. But we know what you’re thinking; it's a Dyson, so isn’t it going to be ridiculously expensive? Fortunately not, so that's why we awarded it a rare five stars.

Rowan Davies, Editorial Associate

• Read our in-depth Dyson HushJet Mini Cool review

4. JBL Go 5

• The best tiny Bluetooth speaker, now even better

When I fired the JBL Go 5 up for the first time, it genuinely blew me away. See, its predecessor was already a very solid-sounding speaker given its minuscule size, and it had great build quality and features to match.

But JBL really outdid itself with this sequel. The Go 5 has even more open and expressive sound than what came before, with clean and agile bass, enhanced detail and clarity in the mid-range, as well as articulate and controlled treble. Pair that with new, customizable edge lighting, improved IP68 dust and waterproofing, and options like USB-C lossless audio, and the Go 5 is easily one of the best small speakers on the market.

It’s also drop-proof, comes in a range of funky colors, and has personalizable EQ, enabling you to find the perfect sound for any occasion. At less than $55 / £40, it’s also sensational value for money, and it couldn’t be more deserving of its five-star rating.

Harry Padoan, Senior Writer, Reviews

• Read our in-depth JBL Go 5 review

3. Philips Baristina

• Bean-to-cup that's great value and a doddle to use

As far as entry-level coffee makers go, the Philips Baristina is simple, stylish, and just as easy to use as any pod coffee machine. Basically, it’s the best affordable bean-to-cup espresso machine we’ve tested.

Like a manual espresso machine, the Baristina uses a portafilter handle. All you need to do is push the empty handle into place, select your drink, and the Baristina will grind the right dose of coffee into the filter basket, so you don’t even need to weigh the coffee beans before brewing.

Using a simple set of three buttons — one for single espresso, one for a lungo, and one to boost the intensity by increasing the dose of ground coffee — it’s incredible value for money. While it doesn’t come with a steaming wand for milk and is very much espresso-first, the Baristina remains an excellent beginner-friendly espresso machine that's perfect if you're new to fresh beans.

Rowan Davies, Editorial Associate

• Read our in-depth Philips Baristina review

2. Sony A7R VI

• Sony just perfected mirrorless cameras

I've tested just about every major camera release spanning the last 15 years, and I don’t use the word 'perfect' lightly — but that's what the Sony A7R VI is. For me, it’s the winning combination of raw quality and speed — thanks to a stacked 66.8MP full-frame sensor with ludicrous dynamic range, lightning-fast burst-shooting and reliable autofocus performance. I really pushed the A7R VI, shooting everything from landscape photography to wildlife and portraits, and it didn’t skip a beat.

The A7R VI is also a seriously well-designed professional mirrorless camera, with an immersive high-resolution EVF and multi-angle touchscreen, plus it packs an all-new higher-capacity battery that bags more shots. Sure it costs a lot, but considering it’s capable of 95% of what the A1 II can do, with more resolution, for a much lower price, I think it’s decent value.

I've never owned a Sony Alpha mirrorless camera, but the A7R VI has me seriously tempted, especially since Sony has made my favorite lenses over the last 18 months. If I could keep a hold of a single new camera from 2026, the A7R VI would be it, and that’s why it’s my top pick.

Timothy Coleman, Cameras Editor

• Read our in-depth Sony A7R VI review

1. LG C6

• The OLED TV that somehow improves on its near-perfect predecessor

The LG C6 is the best TV I’ve tested this year so far. Impressively, it makes huge improvements over its predecessor, the LG C5. Thanks to its new, flagship-level processor, the C6 delivers brilliant, vibrant colors, powerful contrast and crisp detail, delivering better picture quality over the C5: which is no mean feat. When I tested the C6 next to the C5, the C6 proved to be more accurate too, eliminating a green tint that was noticeable on the C5.

The C6 is a gaming powerhouse, continuing the LG C-series’ legacy as one of the very best gaming TVs on the market. With four HDMI 2.1 ports, 4K 165Hz, full VRR including FreeSync and G-Sync, Dolby Vision and ALLM all supported, plus an ultra-low, measured 9.2ms input lag time, gaming is fantastic on the C6.

The C6 covers all the bases, offering solid built-in sound, an intuitive smart TV system that gets better each year and it’s generally the most competitively priced OLED as well. The C6 will take some beating in 2026.

James Davidson, TV Hardware Staff Writer

• Read our in-depth LG C6 review

Trying to sleep during a heatwave can be difficult, and even if you leave all your windows open (and risk letting insects inside), it's likely that you'll have a restless, sweaty night that leaves you feeling irritable and sluggish in the morning. To solve the problem, you need a fan — and not just any old model. Here I've picked out a selection of three of the best fans that are not only effective at keeping you cool overnight, but are whisper-quiet as well, so they won't disturb your slumber with humming or whirring.

All of these fans have received our seal of approval, and are particularly well suited to night-time use. Not only do they have dedicated bedtime modes that are near-silent, all come with a remote control so you can adjust their settings without having to get out of bed, and are very effective even on low power settings.

This is a particularly good time to shop for a fan, too, with great discounts available for Amazon Prime Day. You'll find the best prices for each of these fans below, along with links to our full reviews, so read on to find out which one is best for your bedroom.

Meacofan Sefte 8in Air Circulator

The eight-inch version of this super quiet fan has a rechargeable battery so you can place it anywhere in your bedroom at night, and its barely-audible hum won't disturb your slumber. Our reviewer Cesci Angell was particularly impressed by its Eco mode, which helps prolong battery life, while Sleep mode dims the display and silences the fan's beeps.

Another great feature is the remote control, which lets you operate the fan from the comfort of your bed rather than getting up to switch to Sleep mode when you're ready to settle down. The remote clips onto the fan's body magnetically when not in use, so you don't lose it in the sheets.

Despite its compact size, we found that the MeacoFan Sefte has a real impact on the temperature of a room It's reasonably priced too, considering how much you're getting for your money. A great option if you're struggling and sweating at night.

Read our full Meacofan Sefte 8in Portable Air Circulator review

Levoit CirculAir Oscillating Fan

We called this fan "ridiculously good" when we tested it last summer, and we stand by that — especially considering its bargain price. It has two heights, so you can place it on your nightstand or in the corner of your bedroom, and offers automatic horizontal and vertical oscillation to keep the whole space feeling cool and breezy.

Our tester reported that it was super quiet despite its strong airflow and found it easy to fine-tune the angle using its remote control, or the touch controls on the fan's stem.

"I measured a volume of just 29dB from around 2ft away on fan speed one, 37dB at speed five, and 51dB at speed 12," she said. "This means it can operate with whisper-quiet volume at its lowest speed, and only gets as loud as moderate rainfall."

If you're looking for a fan to keep you cool at night that's both versatile and affordable, this is the one for you.

Read our full Levoit CirculAir Oscillating Fan review

Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool

What price would you put on a good night's sleep? The Dyson Find+Follow is the money-no-object option, but it's a top quality fan that will keep you cool and comfortable for many summers to come. As the name suggests, it will also help ease seasonal allergies thanks to HEPA H13-grade and K-Carbon filters, which capture pollen, dust, and pet dander so you don't wake in the morning with a stuffy nose and red eyes.

During the day, its key selling point is its ability to track motion and follow you around the room, rotating up to 350 degrees. If you leave the room briefly, the Find+Follow Purifier Cool will wait patiently in a ‘dormant’ state for your return. The fan will continue, but movement will only resume when you re-enter the room and it picks you up again.

Night mode keeps the fan quiet, and lets you switch it off after a certain duration so you can save electricity once the temperature has dropped sufficiently. "Once on, Dyson’s clever bladeless design delivers smooth air flow that feels like a natural breeze moving through your home, rather than the harsh buffeting you get from some other propeller and tower fans," said our reviewer John McCann, who noted it was super quiet even on its highest setting. Intense heatwaves are only likely to get more frequent in future, so investing in a premium fan now could be a very wise decision.

Read our full Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool review

Shark TurboBlade Cool + Heat

This unusual-looking fan will prove its worth all year round thanks to its ability to both heat and cool your home, and doing so quietly. We found its cooling particularly effective, and its horizontal arms mean it can blow a refreshing blanket of air over your bed at night. With the provided remote control, you don't even need to get up to do that.

In 'BreezeBoost' mode, the Shark TurboBlade Cool + Heat's airflow can be felt as far as 30 feet / nine meters away, but is much more noticeable at 20 feet / six meters. I didn't really need to adjust the fan speed higher than a five most of the time. Even alevel three was sufficient to keep us cool, though we appreciated having the option to increase the airflow right up to 10, or use the BreezeBoost mode on really hot days.

"Sleep Mode provided some in-room circulation that I enjoyed at nigh," said our reviewer Alex Temblador. "Best yet, it wasn't any louder than my ceiling fan."

Read our full Shark TurboBlade Cool + Heat review

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: sign up for a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire TV, Ring & Blink from £24.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: AirPods Pro 3 for a record-low price
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja, Tefal & Sage
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from under £10
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Father's Day: up to 50% off gifts & drinks
• Headphones: up to 50% off
• Laptops: from £149.99
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £125
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Eufy & Roborock
• Wearables: Garmin & Huawei from £36.99

Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool review

The Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool PC3 is the latest tower fan from the British brand, and it offers up not only excellent cooling with owl-like oscillation, but also air purification.

That makes the Find+Follow Purifier Cool particularly helpful for those with asthma or allergies when they don't want dust, pollen and other particulars floating round their home.

But the party trick here is in the ‘Find+Follow’ name, and it’s what sets it apart from its predecessor, the Purifier Cool PC1, while also kicking the Purifier Cool Formaldehyde TP09 to the curb.

This particular cooling and air purifying fan features a small camera that can identify people in its field of view, and then follow them round a room, ensuring the breeze is always directed where it’s needed.

It’s a good looking fan, but all this comes at a steep cost — $849.99 / £549.99 to be exact. With many of the best fans coming in at a lower price point, Dyson has its work cut out to justify the premium cost of its latest offering.

Things get off to a positive start with the fan arriving in suitably protective packaging that’s almost all cardboard — the main piece of plastic is a large bag over the fan itself. It’s easy to unpack, and setup via the free My Dyson app is straightforward.

You’ll need both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled on your phone, allowing you to get the fan connected to your device, as well as your home network. I liked the ‘Getting started’ video in the How To section of the app: it’s just under two minutes long and walks you through the core functions of the fan.

Controls in the app are nicely laid out, with easy access to on/off, fan speed, and oscillation. There’s also auto and night modes, a timer setting to turn off the fan after a set duration, and the ability to switch from fan to diffuser mode, if you want to purify the air in your home without the main fan being active.

Shifting focus back to the fan itself, it stands tall with its large, oval bladeless design sitting atop a gold pedestal that hides the air purifying tech and HEPA H13-grade and K-Carbon filters. Dyson claims the filter “captures 99.95% of particles such as viruses and bacteria, as well as pollen, pet dander and mould spores”.

It not only cleans the air, but the K-carbon filter can remove smells and gases, handy if you’ve been over-enthusiastic in the kitchen and want to get rid of that burning smell. I found it did a pretty good job of getting rid of the burnt toast smell in the morning quicker than leaving it to dissipate on its own.

There’s a power button just above the circular display on the base of the fan, but Dyson doesn’t provide any further controls on the device itself. Instead you need to use the remote, which magnetically clings to the top of the fan for simple storage, or the app to adjust settings.

You can also link the PC3 to your smart home, allowing you to use Google’s Gemini or Amazon’s Alexa voice assistants to control the fan. Linking it to my smart home setup also allowed me to control the Find+Follow Purifier Cool from the Google Home app as well as the My Dyson app.

The display on the fan is subtle, and from a distance it can be difficult to read due to its small size, but you can get all the info displayed here in the My Dyson app.

You can adjust the information the display shows by clicking the ‘i’ button on the remote, allowing you to cycle through visuals for various data including; indoor air quality, indoor humidity, indoor temperature, and remaining filter life. It’s useful stuff, but it’s better viewed in the app.

I was particularly impressed with the range of oscillation on offer, with the ability to rotate 45, 90, 180, and 350 degrees. Pop the Find+Follow Purifier Cool in the middle of a room and it’ll reach almost every area.

This was particularly useful when it came to placing the fan in a bigger room, as the huge angle of coverage provides far more flexibility. In my large, open-plan living space I could position it towards the center and have it reach most areas — although there was one small shortcoming: the length of the power cord.

At 1.8m it’s similar to many other rival fans, but as there are 350 degrees of movement, this is a fan you might be more inclined to position further away from a wall outlet to get maximum benefit. I was able to plug it into my kitchen island, allowing it to stand well away from a wall, without the cord or an extension cable draped across the floor — but your home’s setup will be different, so it’s worth considering where you’ll be plugging it in.

Once on, Dyson’s clever bladeless design delivers smooth air flow that feels like a natural breeze moving through your home, rather than the harsh buffeting you get from some other propeller and tower fans.

Coupled with its quiet operation — especially at lower fan speeds — you might find yourself forgetting it’s even on. My partner questioned whether I’d left the back door open as she felt a breeze, but it was simply the Dyson’s caress of the air is so gentle that it didn't feel artificially generated.

In our open-plan living space, I needed a fan speed between eight and 10 to really feel the effect during the warm weather, when sitting around four to five meters from the fan. In my small office (16m²), a fan speed of three was enough to keep me feeling cooler, with the Find+Follow Purifier Cool positioned a couple of meters away.

At its highest speed setting of 10, the Find+Follow Purifier Cool was still relatively quiet at 40-60dB, allowing you to comfortably have a conversation without the need to shout over the noise. Halving the speed sees the sound generated dropped to 20dB (similar to a mosquito), while at its lowest speed I got a reading of around 15dB, just slightly louder than normal breathing (10dB). If you’re looking for a quiet fan, the Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool is a strong contender, but the Duux Whisper Flex 2 has it beat, just.

The quiet operation meant I was able to keep the fan on overnight in our bedroom, with the low level hum not loud enough to disturb my sleep. My partner is a lighter sleeper, and after an initial adjustment, they were able to sleep with it on as well.

And then there’s the Dyson's Find+Follow party-trick. Enable this mode by pressing the button on the remote or in the app, and the fan will scan the room looking for people. Once it’s detected a person, it’ll direct air flow towards them. Get up and move around the room, and the purifying fan will oscillate to maintain air flow in your direction. It doesn’t rotate particularly quickly, but it’ll keep moving until it picks you up again.

If you leave the room briefly, the Find+Follow Purifier Cool will wait patiently in a ‘dormant’ state for your return. The fan will continue, but movement will only resume when you re-enter the room and it picks you back up.

When there’s clear sightlines in an uncluttered room, the Find+Follow AI does a reasonably good job of tracking movement, delicately rotating as you move about. However, I found if I passed too closely and too quickly, it wouldn’t always continue tracking me, even though I was still within its range of movement. This feature works best in large, open-plan spaces where you don’t need to pass too closely to the fan itself. In smaller rooms, the AI tracking can struggle a little more.

In cases where you leave the room for more than an hour, the system will switch to Auto mode, where the fan’s sensors will adjust the settings to reach the target air quality for the room.

For those concerned about the privacy implications of this technology, Dyson says the: “AI vision system never identifies anyone and only detects presence. Images are processed instantly within the machine, deleted and never leave the device.” And you can turn off the follow mode at any point using the remote, app, or smart home voice assistant.

When it comes to maintenance, Dyson’s bladeless design makes things super simple, with the wipe of a damp, lint-free cloth all that’s required. You do need to keep an eye on the air intake holes on the base though, as I found pet hair from my two cats would build up over the course of a few days. Dyson suggests using a soft brush to remove this debris.

The Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool is a highly accomplished purifying fan with useful modes, impressive features, and a fun — if slightly creepy — follow mode that a subset of users will find beneficial. Though I wouldn’t say the addition of this tracking camera does enough to fully justify Dyson’s asking price.

I’ve no problem saying that if you have the money, and are looking for a true flagship purifying fan, the Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool absolutely delivers. It’s supremely easy to set up and use, while the performance matches other high-end multi-purpose rivals. But if you’re bulking at the list price, there are plenty of reasonably priced fans — and Dyson purifying fans without Find+Follow — that provide similar levels of performance for less.

Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool review: Price & release date

• Premium price tag of $849.99 / £549.99
• Costs considerably more than its closest rivals
• Available in the UK and US from June 2026; not on sale in Australia

The Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool has been on sale since May 2026 in the UK, and went on sale in early June 2026 in the US but it's unfortunately not currently available in Australia. You can buy it via Dyson directly and a number of major third-party retailers.

The Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool costs $849.99 / £549.99, making it one of the more expensive fan and purifier combos on the market. It’s not Dyson’s most premium purifier (that’s the Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde), but it is the firm’s most expensive fan, nudging out the $499.99 / £399.99 Hot + Cool HF1.

While the Find+Follow comes with its eponymous following camera tech, that has added $300 / £100 to the retail price of the Purifier Cool PC1 it replaces. The PC1 is still available though and is generally discounted too, if you want similar cooling and purifying results without the person-tracking tech.

If you’re not fussed about the heating or air purifying features, Dyson’s cheapest comparable fan is the Cool AM07 tower at $399.99 / £349.99, although this older model is sometimes discounted.

Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool review: Specs

Should I buy the Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool review: Also consider

How I tested the Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool

• Used the Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool for a week
• Used it in the bedroom, office and main living space
• Tested various modes, including Find+Follow and Sleep

I used the Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool at home in the UK during a week of very warm May weather (28-31C / 82-88F). I set it up in my open-plan living space, master bedroom, and small home office, to experience how effective it was in different locations.

I tested the range of modes the fan has to offer, including auto, sleep, and Find+Follow. I operated it with the remote, via the My Dyson and Google Home apps, and I even asked Gemini via the smart speakers in my home to adjust fan speed and turn the unit on and off.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: June 2026

EOFY sales in Australia aren't just about work-related deals — nothing is stopping you from picking up something for your home or yourself when there are savings to be had.

So if you've been eyeing something from Dyson, you're in luck because the British brand is hosting its own EOFY sale that's slashing up to AU$651 on some of its top-selling products.

You don't have to buy directly from Dyson if you don't want to, though. Other authorised retailers are also discounting Dyson's tech and I've hunting down some of the best prices on a variety of premium vacuums and hair stylers. I'm also keeping an eye on Dyson's purifier fan heaters for good discounts, so watch this space.

I'll be tracking all the best Dyson EOFY deals through June, so you can bookmark this page and check back to see if there have been any price drops or new items discounted — you'll get the most up to date information right here.

Top Dyson retailers

• Dyson: up to AU$651 off select items, including exclusive models
• Adore Beauty: save on Dyson hair styling tools
• Betta Home & Living: discounts on select stick vacuum cleaner
• eBay: the official eBay Dyson store with more savings for Plus members
• JB Hi-Fi: save on select vacuum cleaners
• Myer: vacuums, heaters, fans, purifiers, hair tools – the lot!
• Sephora: discounts on Dyson's hair tools
• The Good Guys: find deals on vacuums, purifiers and hair tools

• Want to save more on Dyson products? Check out the latest Dyson promo codes and coupons.

Best EOFY 2026 Dyson deals

Vacuums

Haircare tools

Fans, heaters and air purifiers

Other Dyson deals

Dyson EOFY 2026 sale: key information

Dyson Supersonic Travel: two-minute review

As the name suggests, the Dyson Supersonic Travel is a scaled-down, travel-friendly version of Dyson's now-iconic Supersonic dryer, redesigned to fit in your luggage. It's 32% smaller and 25% lighter than the original, weighing just 0.7lbs / 330g, and it automatically adapts to any voltage between 100 and 240V without any fiddly switches or converters.

It offers the same 110,000rpm motor and intelligent heat control technology as seen on the full-size Nural, measuring air temperature over 100 times a second to avoid extreme heat damage. You get three heat settings and two airflow speeds, controlled via buttons on the cylindrical head and LEDs show you which setting you're on, at a glance.

The Travel ships with a magnetic smoothing nozzle in the box but is also compatible with any and all existing Supersonic Nural attachments, which is a useful detail if you already own the Nural or if you need a range of alternative nozzles.

In testing, drying was noticeably faster than a typical hotel dryer, and faster than some cheaper, regular hair dryers. It took around four minutes on my fine, mid-length, curly hair and the results were smooth. Dyson is upfront that airflow isn't quite as powerful as its full-size range and it is noticeable, but not a dealbreaker for my hair type. I imagine it will soon frustrate anyone with thicker or longer hair, though.

The price is where things get complicated. At $299.99 / £249.99 / AU$449, the Supersonic Travel sits at the very top of the travel dryer market. The ghd Flight+ does the same basic job, albeit it with some more fiddly controls, for $129 / £79. The most like-for-like is the Dreame Pocket Pro and even that only pushes the price to $159.99 / £149.

By almost any normal dryer standards, the Supersonic Travel is a well-designed, well-built and powerful contender in the hunt for the best hair dryers. It more than holds its own and there are very few sacrifices to make. This performance goes a long way towards justifying the higher cost, but even then it's still a tough price pill to swallow unless you're a frequent traveler.

Dyson Supersonic Travel: price & availability

• List price: $299.99 / £249.99 / AU$449
• Availability: US, UK, Australia

The Supersonic Travel sits at the top end of the travel dryer market – and then some. It's almost three times the price of the GHD Flight+ and twice the price of the Dreame Pocket Pro. In fact, it's not too far off the price of the original Supersonic, which still retails for $399.99 / £279.99 (although is often on sale for less).

It is, however, notably cheaper than its siblings and Dyson's flagship models, the $449.99 / £399.99 / AU$749 Supersonic Nural and the Supersonic r that retails for $549.99 / £449.99 / AU$799.

The Supersonic Travel is available from Dyson, as well as Amazon, Boots and Cult Beauty in the UK; Amazon and Best Buy in the US; and JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman in Australia.

The most obvious budget alternative is the ghd Flight+ at £79 / $129 / AU$159 – a foldable travel dryer with dual voltage, albeit without auto-adapting voltage (you need to use a coin to switch modes) and no wider attachment compatibility.

The Dreame Pocket Pro ($159.99 / £149) is a more interesting comparison: it's lighter (at 300g), similarly auto-adapts to global voltage, and comes with a more generous attachments bundle. It's also foldable, whereas the Dyson model isn't.

Neither the GHD or Dreame models match the Dyson for brand heritage or the intelligence of the heat control system, but both are meaningfully cheaper.

• Value for money score: 3 out of 5

Dyson Travel Supersonic specs

Dyson Supersonic Travel: design

• Classic Dyson-style cylindrical head design
• 32% smaller, 25% lighter than Supersonic
• Three heat settings, two airflow speeds, controlled via buttons on head
• Universal voltage auto-adapts from 100–240V
• Reviewed in Ceramic Pink / Rose Gold with styling concentrator

The Supersonic Travel is unmistakably a Dyson device, from the pink and rose gold accents to the same circular head above a narrow handle.

The biggest difference, visually, is in size. The Travel is 32% smaller (2.7 x 2.8 x 8.7in / 6.8 x 7.1 x 22.2cm) and and 25% lighter (0.7lbs / 330g) than the original Supersonic, but doesn't lose any of the essence. I'd be as bold to say it's the best-looking travel dryer I've ever tested.

Despite the size difference, the dryer still feels well-balanced. It doesn't fold in half like the GHD Flight+ or Dreame Pocket Pro, to name two rivals, but the whole design is sleek and compact enough to drop into a handbag or carry-on regardless. The only thing that really gets in the way is the chunky 6.6ft / 2m cord.

There's no travel case in the box, which at this price feels like a miss, particularly when the ghd Flight+ includes one at a fraction of the cost. Even a bag as standard, to protect what is far from a cheap dryer, would suffice but instead you have to pay an additional $39.99 / £45 for the privilege of a travel pouch.

To account for the lack of handle space on the Travel, versus the larger Dyson models, the controls are more concentrated on the head.

On the back of this cylindrical head, the airflow button sits on the left with the temperature button on the right. Each button has a row of LEDs above it – two lights for high speed or heat, one for the gentler settings. These LEDs also flash white if the filter needs cleaning, and red if there's a fault. The power button is then a slider on the back of the handle and this slider is used to control the cool shot.

If you've ever used a Dyson, these split controls will be familiar but they do take a little getting used to compared to other, standard dryers. To enable the cold air, give the slider a nudge upwards from its 'on' position. It isn't clear or obvious that you need to do this, unless you have an Airwrap and are familiar with how Dyson maximizes the use of its switches, and ended up being one of the only features on the Dyson Travel that didn't feel natural. Also the LEDs are great on paper, because you can see which setting is selected at a glance but given that they're on the rear of the head, it's not as intuitive as it sounds either.

The removable filter cage sits at the base of the handle and pulls down onto the cord for cleaning. You can remove the entire filter and wash it with water and this is a small but welcomed touch. It also means the Travel should last longer, which at this price is a blessing.

In the box is a magnetic smoothing nozzle, and thanks to Dyson's heat shield technology, the surface of this nozzle stays cool to the touch even during use. It's not exactly a wide default attachment range, especially at this price and the fact the Dreame Pocket Pro ships with five attachments.

However, you're unlikely to want to take lots of attachments when travelling, and the Supersonic Travel is compatible with the full Supersonic and Supersonic Nural attachment range, which is super useful if you already own either machine, and semi-useful if you can afford to buy any of them separately.

One thing to note, even though the Supersonic Travel automatically adjusts its voltage based on the country you're in, Dyson recommends using an adapter rated to 1,300W across the full voltage range rather than a universal adapter. It's not a dealbreaker but will help preserve the life of the Travel for longer.

• Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Dyson Supersonic Travel: performance

• Dries faster than a hotel dryer; notably quick for a compact machine
• Intelligent heat control measures air temperature 100 times per second
• Noise level: [XdB] in testing

The Supersonic Travel was tested daily over four weeks, including a trip to San Francisco where the universal voltage got its first real workout.

It's not the fastest dryer I've tested, but it was notably, and surprisingly, powerful for such a compact device. Drying time on my fine, mid-length curly hair ran to around 4 minutes on high heat and high airflow – faster than I expected from a machine this size. If you have thick or long hair, expect to be there for longer but even then, I can promise it will be faster than a hotel dryer and with more heat protection.

Speaking of protection, Dyson's intelligent heat control is one of the reasons the results hold up so well. With temperature measured more than 100 times per second, there's no scorching or uneven heat distribution – just consistent, controlled drying. The finish was always smooth with minimal frizz and enough volume to feel close to an at-home result. Over the review period my hair also felt softer.

The styling nozzle helps further with this. It guides the airflow for precise smoothing and shaping and clicks on magnetically. You can rotate it during styling, which is a bonus if you're trying to get different angles in a cramped hotel bathroom, but it never came loose. It's a delicate balance of movement and security that Dyson is great at across the Supersonic range.

One of the more compelling arguments for the Supersonic Travel's price is the attachment compatibility. Any attachment from the Supersonic or Supersonic Nural range clicks straight onto the Travel's magnetic barrel. This means if you already own either machine at home, you can simply pack whichever attachments you need rather than adapting your routine around whatever comes in the box.

I tested the Travel with the Gentle Air attachment alongside the Nural's Styling Concentrator. The Gentle Air attachment diffuses the airflow slightly for a cooler, softer result. This is useful for fine hair that doesn't need aggressive heat, and is particularly good for a second-day refresh, but I found I didn't have much of a need for it given the Travel's already lower, more gentle airflow.

My favorite attachment to use with the Travel (and any Dyson Supersonic model for that matter) is the Flyaway Smoother. It uses Coanda airflow to attract and flatten stray hairs on a finished style, and it works incredibly well. Especially on fine, naturally curly hair; the difference between a finished blow-dry with, and without it is noticeable. My only complaint is that it's a large attachment which doesn't lend itself well for travelling.

Despite these attachments originally being designed for the larger Supersonic models, the magnetic connection felt as secure on the Travel as they do on the Nural; clicking on with the same snap as on the full-size machine, and rotating smoothly during styling without any loosening mid-use.

Plugged in at my hotel in San Francisco with a country adapter, the Supersonic Travel performed exactly as it did at home. There was no perceptible difference in power or overheating. You can often tell when a dryer isn't performing at full strength when abroad by a drop in noise but this also wasn't noticeable with the Dyson Supersonic Travel. Another pleasant surprise.

Speaking of noise, the loudest the Travel got during my tests was 87dB on high speed, and the lowest was 83dB on low speed. The machine is certainly not silent, but it's comparable to – and in many cases quieter than – the sort of dryer you'd find mounted to a hotel room wall. It also carries over the slightly softer-pitched sound found on the wider Dyson range (of vacuums and hairdryers) which is less jarring on the ears than the decibel rating may suggest.

Elsewhere, maintenance is minimal. The filter cage requires periodic cleaning when the LEDs flash white, which involves removing it, washing it under a tap, and leaving it to dry naturally before reinserting. It's a six-step process that Dyson details clearly in the manual and it's not difficult at all.

• Performance score: 4.5 out of 5

How I tested the Dyson Supersonic Travel

I tested the Dyson Supersonic Travel hair dryer over four weeks on my fine, mid-length naturally curly hair.

I used it as my only dryer at home and took it on a trip to San Francisco. Testing included daily use across all heat and speed settings, use with the styling concentrator on wet and damp hair, and real-world travel use with a country adapter in a US hotel room.

I measured noise levels using the DecibelX app and compared drying times against my usual full-size dryer.

• First reviewed May 2026

Dyson is making big strides in the world of robot vacuums, and its latest robovac — the Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai — uses a camera combined with artificial intelligence to tackle tough stains that other robot vacuums tend to miss, and get your floors as clean as possible. But why did Dyson choose to tackle that particular problem, and what does the future hold when it comes to household robots?

I visited Dyson's UK Innovation Campus in Wiltshire, where many of the company's advanced engineering teams work on new products and technologies, using rapid prototyping to develop and test ideas. The campus is also the home of the Dyson Institute, where undergraduate students from around the world come to learn, and work on real-life projects.

There, I sat down with Jake Dyson, the company's Chief Engineer, to learn more about his own experience, and Dyson's approach to AI and robotics.

Despite being the son of founder James Dyson, Jake hasn't always worked for the company. After a brief spell at Dyson at the age of 22, he left to pursue an independent career in industrial design. He built his own workshop and began to specialize in lighting, separately from the family business, before returning, bringing that experience with him. I asked him how that early work translated into his current endeavors.

"It comes down to identifying problems and solving them," he explained. "When LEDs first entered the market, I realized people weren’t cooling them properly. The promise of LEDs is that they should last a lifetime, but in reality they were being treated like disposable lightbulbs. I visited Osram in Asia, and they explained that if you keep the diode temperature below about 50C, you can maintain brightness, color quality, and lifespan. That became my goal."

"I looked at how satellites manage heat. In space, temperatures swing from extremely hot to extremely cold, so they need precise thermal control. I applied similar thinking by designing systems that passively dissipate heat. For example, the heat moves away from the chip and is cooled by airflow, maintaining a stable temperature even at high power.

"That process, spotting a problem and solving it, is what drives everything."

Stairs and arms

Dyson's latest robot vacuum has been designed to tackle the specific problem of tricky stains on hard floors, which other wet-and-dry cleaners fail to tackle. The Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai uses a high-definition camera and an LLM that includes over 190 different household objects and stains.

I asked Jake why Dyson had chosen to tackle such a (literally) ground-level problem when other companies are debuting robot vacuums that can climb stairs and lift objects with mechanical arms. He explained that Dyson has been tackling those more advanced problems for about 10 years already, but the solutions aren't yet genuinely useful and reliable.

Having seen some other companies' ambitious robots, I can see what he means. The Roborock Saros Z70, for example, has a pincer arm that can lift lightweight objects out of the way, but in our tests it failed to identify and move them independently, instead relying on you to control the pincer remotely. It also has a lower success rate on carpet due to what Roborock calls a "hardware limitation".

Stairs are also a major challenge. My colleague Ruth Hamilton saw two stair-climbing robovacs in action at last year's IFA tech show, but explained that the legs/treads used to navigate stairs aren't actually attached to the robots themselves (they are more like a cradle that holds the bot), which means they can't clean the stairs as they go. Only one robot managed to tackle the first step with confidence as well. According to Ruth, the other "approached this initial challenge at the speed of a geriatric turtle".

They're interesting concepts, but neither looked ready for the mainstream — and as Jake explains, they're attempting to solve a very difficult problem.

"Every staircase is different height, spacing, materials and then you add in pets, children, and people moving around. It becomes a very complex and potentially unsafe problem," he said. "Something going up and down stairs autonomously needs to be extremely reliable. It’s actually more complex than autonomous driving in some respects."

"So while it’s an interesting challenge, and being able to clean an entire home, including all floors, with one machine would be ideal, it has to meet a very high bar for safety and usefulness. Until it does, we focus on delivering products that work reliably in real homes today."

Safer decision-making

Dyson has never been shy about dropping products that don't work out (such as the CR01 Contrarotator washing machine and the Dyson car), but its work on cordless vacuums continues apace. We recently reviewed the super-compact Dyson Pencilvac Fluffycones, and just a few weeks ago the company debuted its first self-emptying cordless vacuum. I asked Jake whether he thinks robots will eventually handle all your cleaning tasks, or whether there will always be a place for stick vacuums.

"No, I don’t see that happening, at least not completely," he said. "Right now, robot vacuums are very good at regular maintenance, keeping floors tidy day-to-day. But people still want a to clean with a cordless vacuum when they do a deeper clean, as well as being able to clean surfaces other than the floor."

However, he added that the world of robotics is advancing incredibly quickly, especially when it comes to AI.

"Previously, robots could see and navigate, but they struggled when they encountered something unfamiliar. Now, with reasoning, they can make safer, more informed decisions.

"We’re also seeing rapid development globally, the US is leading in AI and ‘brains’, and China is producing robots at scale and more affordably.

"In the future robots will learn from each other via the cloud,; one robot’s experience will instantly improve others, and one robot will be able to repair a fault on another robot. That will massively accelerate development.

"However, regulation and safety will slow adoption. These technologies may be ready soon, but it could take around 10 years before they’re widely allowed in homes. Elon Musk said he thinks humanoid robots will be in many homes in three years, and I agree with him. Though they use up a lot of energy to walk for example, so a robot vacuum cleaner is much more energy efficient than a humanoid [robot] using a vacuum cleaner.

"So yes, robots will become more capable, but I think traditional tools will still exist alongside them."

Although you might like the idea of handing over all your household chores to a robot, it seems cordless and handheld vacuums will be around for a while yet — and you'll still need to climb the stairs and pick up socks yourself for now.

Dyson HushJet Mini Cool: review

Dyson’s engineers are experts in airflow — whether in vacuum cleaners, fans, or hair dryers — and the HushJet Mini Cool puts that power right in your hand. It’s a portable cooling fan that you can hold, wear around your neck, attach to clothing or a bag strap (if you buy one of the optional clip accessories) or stand upright on your desk — and it really works.

Shortly before testing the Dyson HushJet Mini Cool, I got my hands on the Shark ChillPill — a rival handheld fan that was released at approximately the same time. I was impressed by the ChillPill’s cooling ability, which is supplemented by a misting attachment and a metal cooling plate — but in terms of sheer power, the Dyson absolutely blows it away.

Watch the video version of this review below...

This mainly comes down to two factors: the fan’s powerful motor, which can reach up to 65,000rpm (compared to just 25,000rpm for the ChillPill), and the shape of the HushJet nozzle, which concentrates the airflow so it’s all directed right at you. Even on the lowest setting, you can really feel it; dial it up to maximum and it’s as powerful as some hairdryers I’ve used.

The sound is not unlike a miniature vacuum cleaner, but the HushJet shape works to eliminate the annoying higher frequencies that might irritate colleagues if you use it in the office, or fellow passengers on a busy commuter train. There’s even a hint of Dyson’s signature ‘bounce’ sound when you turn it off.

Accessories like a clamp (so you can attach it to gym equipment) are available to buy separately, but you get a neck strap included with the fan as standard. Slide this onto the fan (it has notches that allow it to slip past the control buttons), adjust the cord to a suitable length, rotate the fan’s head so it’s pointing towards you, and you’ll enjoy a cooling jet of air on your chest, neck and face, hands-free. Extremely handy if you’re taking stuffy public transport.

Dyson claims that the HushJet Mini Cool can run for up to six hours on its lowest power setting, but during my tests it significantly outperformed that figure, lasting almost exactly six and a half hours on a full charge.

It’s hard to fault the HushJet Mini, but a couple of things stood out during testing. Firstly, it’s easy to accidentally cover part of the air intake grille with your hand when holding the fan, which I’m sure affects its performance.

Secondly — and this is only my personal opinion — the Stone/Blush colorway makes the fan look like an exfoliating facial brush at first glance (not unlike the Braun Facespa Pro) which is a strange thing to wear around your neck and might raise a few eyebrows.

Dyson HushJet Mini Cool: specifications

Dyson HushJet Mini Cool: price and availability

• Launched May 2026
• Available globally
• List price $99 / £99.99 / AU$169

Dyson announced the HushJet Mini Cool on April 9, 2026, and it was available to buy globally a few weeks later. It has a list price of $99 / £99.99 / AU$169, which is very reasonable for a powerful personal fan. For comparison, the Shark ChillPill, which went on sale just a few weeks earlier for $149.99 in the US, or £129.99 in the UK (which converts to about AU$210, though at the time of writing the ChillPill isn’t yet available in Australia).

The Dyson HushJet Mini Cool has been in high demand since its launch, and at the time of writing (June 2026) it’s often sold out in Dyson’s official online stores. The Stone/Blush colorway is sometimes the only one available.

If you’re not planning to use your fan on the move, and want one specifically for your desk, take a look at the Dyson Cool CF1 Desk Fan, which is just as quiet but can move a larger volume of air, oscillates and has a remote control, making it a better choice if you’re sitting still (possibly working from home). It has a list price of £249.99 (about $340 / AU$470).

Dyson HushJet Mini Cool: Design

• Unique shape for a portable fan
• Nozzle focuses airflow and reduces noise
• Neck strap and charging base included

Dyson devices often look slightly unusual, taking the most practical shape for their function regardless of how vacuum cleaners, hair dryers, or, in this case, fans have traditionally looked. The HushJet Mini Cool is no exception — with its slim, tubular body and angled nozzle (which is the same shape as that of the Dyson HushJet Compact Purifier), it looks nothing like other personal cooling devices, but it’s a shape that works. The body of the fan is comfortable to hold, and the nozzle can be turned to direct the airflow exactly where it’s needed.

The HushJet Mini Cool is bladeless (like Dyson’s larger fans), ensuring the airflow is smooth rather than choppy, and its honeycomb-like mesh keeps dirt and debris out of the mechanism — though it's also supplied with a soft velvet carry case to protect it on the move.

The HushJet Mini Cool comes in three colorways: Ink/Cobalt (dark blue), Stone/Blush (soft pink, as shown here), and Carnelian/Sky (red and pale blue). Personally I prefer the latter option, which is the most striking, and it seems I’m not alone — at the time of writing all colors are selling out rapidly, but Carnelian/Sky seems to be the one disappearing from the virtual shelves quickest, followed by Ink/Cobalt.

The tubular shape, with a flat end, means that you can easily stand the HushJet Mini Cool on your desk while you work. If you’re planning to use it all day, it comes with a charging base, which provides extra stability regardless of whether the USB cable is plugged in or not.

Whichever color you choose, the fan’s case has a satin finish that feels pleasantly smooth and cool in the hand and is resistant to fingerprints, with contrasting colors for the nozzle and buttons. Dyson’s car never took off, but the company’s designers took the knowledge they gained about finishes and materials, and applied it to beauty products — which explains why they look so smart.

A row of five small white LEDs show the current power setting, and represent the battery level when the fan is charging..

Should you buy the Dyson HushJet Mini Cool?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if

Don't buy it if

Dyson HushJet Mini Cool: also consider

If you're not sure whether the Dyson HushJet Mini Cool is the right fan to keep you cool, here are two other alternatives to consider.

How we tested the Dyson HushJet Mini Cool

• Tested for a week
• Used on trains, in the office, and at the gym
• Tested battery on lowest power mode
• Measured volume with decibel meter app

I spent a week testing the Dyson HushJet Mini Cool in various locations, including trains to work, at the office, and in the gym. I compared its performance directly against that of the Shark ChillPill.

I measured its noise level with a decibel meter app on my phone, and tested its battery life by fully charging it, then allowing it to run on the lowest power setting until it switched off. For more details, see how we test, review, and rate products at TechRadar.

First reviewed June 2026.

Summer is here, and Shark and Dyson have both launched portable fans to keep you cool as the temperature rises. But which one should you choose — the three-in-one Shark ChillPill, or the sleek Dyson HushJet Mini Cool?

I was expecting these two fans to be closely matched, but having tested both fans extensively, for me the Dyson HushJet Mini Cool is the clear winner. It's much more powerful than the Shark ChillPill, and comes with a better set of accessories (including a pouch to protect the fan in your bag). It's also less expensive, which might come as a surprise, since Dyson products are often pricier than their Shark counterparts.

The Shark ChillPill isn't without its appeal. It's slightly quieter than the Dyson fan, and has three swappable attachments that include a misting fan to enhance the cooling effect of the airflow, and an actively cooled metal plate (called the Instachill Cryro Plate), which you can press against pulse points. However, for me it ultimately couldn't compete with the Dyson's sheer cooling power. Read on for the full low-down on both devices.

Price and availability

The Shark ChillPill launched in March 2026, with a list price of $149.99 in the US, or £129.99 in the UK. That converts to about AU$210, but at the time of writing it's not yet available in Australia.

Dyson revealed the HushJet Mini on April 9, 2026, and it was available to buy a few weeks later. It's significantly cheaper than the Shark ChillPill at $99 / £99.99 / AU$169.

Design

The HushJet Mini Cool follows Dyson's usual 'form follows function' approach. It's a tubular device, with an angled nozzle on top, which rotates so you can direct the airflow. It can be held in one hand, stand upright on a desk (by itself, or in its charging stand) or worn around your neck.

It's operated using two simple switches: one to turn the power on and off, and another to adjust the airflow. The current airflow setting is shown by a row of small white LEDs.

The Dyson HushJet Mini Cool comes in three colorways: Ink/Cobalt, Carnelian/Sky, and Stone/Blush (shown here). At the time of writing, Stone/Blush is the most widely available.

The Shark ChillPill is a stranger-looking device, made up of two cylinders that pivot in the middle so you can change the direction of the airflow when it's sitting on a flat surface. It resembles a small pair of binoculars, and although each cylinder is shorter than the Dyson HushJet Mini Cool, its total size is larger.

One of the ChillPill's cylinders houses the fan motor, while the other contains the rechargeable battery, an LED screen, and the controls. You press the screen to switch it on, and twist it to adjust the fan speed. You can lock the controls using a switch on the body of the cylinder.

The ChillPill also has two attachments that twist onto the fan unit. One is a misting fan, which contains a small water reservoir, and can emit a fine spray intermittently or continuously. The other is an actively cooled plate, which you can press against pulse points when you're feeling uncomfortably hot.

The Shark ChillPill is available in six colors: Carbon, Glacier, Haze (shown here), Dragon Fruit, Matcha, and Iced Latte.

Features and performance

The Dyson HushJet Mini Cool has five power modes, plus a boost option for extra cooling. During my tests its volume ranged from 46dB on its lowest setting through to 67dB on the highest. That's even quieter than Dyson's claimed 52dB to 72.5dB — though since Dyson tests its devices with professional-grade microphones in an anechoic chamber, I'm inclined to trust its figures more than mine.

The Shark ChillPill has 10 speed settings, but the airflow isn't as concentrated as that from the Dyson HushJet Mini Cool. The ChillPill is slightly quieter (our reviewer measured 43.4dB at the lowest speed setting and 70.5dB the highest), but Dyson's HushJet technology does a better job of cancelling out high frequencies, which I found easier on the ear.

The ChillPill's misting feature is a particularly nice touch, increasing the cooling effect of the fan without making your hair wet or frizzy. The Instachill Cryo Plate is also effective, becoming noticeably cold within a few seconds, though personally I found the mist more effective.

However, there's no denying the fact that Dyson's fan is much more powerful. The Shark ChillPill can reach up to 25,000rpm, while the Dyson HushJet Mini Cool can reach 65,000rpm, and that's a difference you can really feel, even on the lowest settings.

Accessories

The Dyson HushJet Mini Cool has a charging stand, which keeps the fan in a stable upright position, and is useful when you just want to use it free-standing on a desk or table. It also comes with a strap that allows you to wear it hanging around your neck. Slide the ring onto the body of the fan (it has a gap that allows it to pass over the buttons), put the cord over your head, and adjust the length. The strap has a section of faux leather that's comfortable against your skin, and you can adjust the direction of the nozzle so the breeze blows onto your face.

The HushJet Mini Cool also has a soft carry case, which is made from black velvet and tightens with a ribbon that matches the color of your fan. A universal mount and clip grip for the fan are sold separately.

The Shark ChillPill comes with three swappable fan attachments — the standard fan, misting fan, and cooling plate — plus a packet of spare misting wicks. These fit into a black velvet bag supplied with the device, but the bag isn't quite large enough to hold the ChillPill itself (it will just about fit inside, but is too large to allow you to tighten the drawstring).

A hard case for the ChillPill is available to buy separately, along with other accessories including a wrist strap, cross-body strap, clip (for attaching to clothing and bags), and clamp (for objects such as gym equipment and pushchairs). You can also buy replacement fan caps and misting wicks.

Both fans charge via USB-C and come with their own charging cables.

Conclusion

I own the Shark ChillPill, and although I don't regret my purchase — it's an effective tool, particularly for use on public transport during a heatwave — if I could choose again I would pick the Dyson HushJet Mini Cool. Although the ChillPill is marginally quieter, and its misting and cooling plate accessories are nice additions, it doesn't have anywhere near the power of the HushJet Mini Cool.

Dyson also provides a better set of accessories, including a case that fits the whole fan and a neck strap, whereas Shark sells these separately. Add in the fact that the Dyson fan is considerably less expensive, and it's an easy choice.

• The purifier has intelligent sensors to track where you are in the room
• There are no privacy worries — everything is processed on the device
• It's priced at $850 / £550 (about AU$1,190)

Dyson has launched what may be its smartest air purifier yet, the Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool. As the name suggests, it's a purifier that knows where you are and follows your movement, directing air to where you are and optionally turning itself off when you leave the room.

It doesn't just work for solo users. It can detect multiple people in the same room, automatically adjusting its oscillation to share the cooling "efficiently and evenly". By directing the air at people rather than just into the room, the Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool should be more energy efficient than less intelligent devices.

Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool: key details and pricing

It's worth noting that like similar Dysons, this is a fan rather than an air conditioner so it doesn't refrigerate the air; it just moves it around very well. If you're looking for a portable air conditioner we've rounded up the best in-stock options right here.

In addition to the people detection the Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool has a typically high specification. Its K-Carbon + HEPA filtration captures 99.97% of ultra-fine particles as small as 0.3 microns and promises to capture 50% more NO₂ than rival purifiers. It's fully sealed to HEPA H13 standard and has automatic sensing of PM2.5, PM10, VOCs, NO₂, and formaldehyde.

As ever with Dyson, the device is very impressive but the price is pretty high, especially in the US – although it's a little more affordable than first announced. The press release listed the price as $894.99, but it's currently available from Dyson.com for a slightly less frightening $849.99 / £549.99. That works out at about AU$1,190, but it's not currently listed on Dyson's Australian website.

Last month, Dyson launched a new portable fan to keep you feeling fresh anywhere this summer. The Dyson HushJet Mini Cool is a tiny but powerful fan that you can hold in your hand, use at your desk, or hang around your neck when you're on the move, and it proved enormously popular, selling out almost immediately.

I've been waiting with bated breath for it to return, and now it finally has — so if you're tired of feeling uncomfortable on the move, this is your chance to grab one. At $99.99, it's one of the most affordable personal fans around right now (it's $50 cheaper than the Shark ChillPill), but with the design and build quality you'd expect from Dyson.

The HushJet Mini Cool comes in three colorways, but only the Stone/Blush version is available right now — Ink/Blue and Carnelia/Sky are still sold out.

The HushJet Mini Cool fan has a blade-less design and five airflow modes, along with a boost button for occasions when you need relief fast (when your train's air conditioning fails, when you've just finished a workout, or if you're experiencing a hot flush, for example).

It comes with a Neck Dock so you can keep your face and neck cool hands-free, a charging stand, a travel pouch, and a USB-C charging cable. A Universal Mount for attaching the fan to objects like gym equipment, and a Clip Grip for clamping it onto clothing and bag straps will be available separately soon.

The HushJet Mini Cool has Dyson's signature function-led design, meaning it looks quite unlike any other portable fan, and its HushJet nozzle lowers frequencies so you're not troubled by annoying high-pitched noises.

I'm currently testing the Dyson HushJet Mini Cool fan, and will bring you a full review very soon, but if you can't wait that long then I suggest placing your order now before it flies off the shelves again.

If you've got hard floors, I've got good news for you — the Dyson Pencilwash is now just $249.99 (was $349.99) direct from Dyson in the Memorial Day sale. That's a spectacular saving on a top-notch wet floor cleaner, which makes scrubbing away dirt and spills effortless.

I have a lot of black laminate flooring at home, and although it looks great when freshly cleaned, it tends to show every crumb and drip. Cleaning it several times a week can be a real chore, but with the Pencilwash, it's absolutely effortless.

I put this lightweight cleaner to the test in my kitchen, hallway, and bathroom, and its self-propelling head with fluffy roller and integrated water tank made mopping so easy, it was actually fun.

Take a look at my full Dyson Pencilwash review for more details. Looking for something else? Keep scrolling for more of Dyson's best Memorial Day deals, with big holiday discounts on vacuums and haircare.

• Check out Dyson's full Memorial Day sale
• Dyson products on sale at Amazon
• Up to $300 off Dyson at Best Buy
• Special Dyson deals at WIlliams-Sonoma

More of Dyson's best Memorial Day deals

More of today's best Memorial Day sales

• Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
• Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $99
• Best Buy: 60% off appliances, TVs, laptops & more
• Casper: up to 30% off mattresses
• Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
• DreamCloud: up to 60% off mattresses, 66% off bundles
• Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
• Lowe's: $1,000 off appliances, patio & tools
• Nectar: up to 50% off mattresses, deals from $369
• Saatva: up to $550 off luxury mattresses
• Samsung: up to $1,600 off appliances
• Target: 30% off clothing, patio & furniture
• Walmart: furniture, cheap TVs & vacs from $69
• Wayfair: 50% off furniture, grills, rugs & more

It’s no secret that Dyson makes some of the best cordless vacuums out there, combining performance with a premium and futuristic design aesthetic. That does mean its offerings come with a high price tag (whether it’s actually warranted or not is a different story), and can be somewhat of an aspirational purchase for some households.

If you’ve been eyeing a Dyson stick vacuum but couldn’t justify paying top dollar, then these discounts direct from the Dyson website might just be the opportunity that you’ve been waiting for. Prices start at just AU$335 and you can grab anything from an entry-level model (which is still powerful enough to clean a dirty carpet) to wet-and-dry options if you want a mop as well.

While the V10 Absolute has the biggest discount of AU$700 and now costs just AU$599, the newer V8 Cyclone is cheaper at AU$549, making the latter the better buy as you get the latest technology from Dyson. But neither are our picks for the best Dyson deal this week as the V8 Cyclone has been a lot cheaper previously. So we’ve gone through all the discounts and picked three that we think are worth considering, and it includes a new-release model for under AU$500.

Hurry, though, as these offers end Wednesday, May 20.

Dyson changed the haircare game when it released the original Airwrap. This innovative gadget used directed air, rather than scorching hot barrels, to shape hair into curls. The Airwrap was good news for hair health, but bad news for your wallet — even that original version was a pricey proposition.

It took a while for decent Airwrap alternatives to start to appear. The air-based curling, using a phenomenon called the 'Coanda' effect, was the thing other brands seemed to be struggling to replicate. However, now — almost a decade on — there are plenty of Coanda-equipped multi-stylers on the market to choose from. I tested a whole load of top multi-stylers in my previous role as Homes Editor, and I've collected together my favorite recommendations below. The main brands to look for are Shark and Dreame, both of which have their own established styling tool line.

The Shark FlexStyle is probably the key Airwrap competitor, and does a great job of mimicking Dyson's efforts. I called it "versatile" and "well designed" in my review, and praised the range of compatible attachments. I wasn't so enamored with the newer Shark Glam, which adds in hot plates to smooth things even further, but it could be a winner if you're a fan of the ultra-glossy look.

The Dreame AirStyle Pro is one of the best-looking options around, and the new Dazzle (US only) is especially hi-tech, with attachment recognition. I'll be honest, though, the Airwrap alternative I find myself reaching for most often is my Dynamic Radiance Pro (UK only) — a cheap option that does the job with minimal fuss, and comes with an especially great brush attachment.

Awesome Airwrap-alikes

The real thing...

Considering buying the real thing? The model I'd recommend is the Airwrap i.d., which has a switch to launch an automated wrap > curl > cool shot sequence that takes all the skill and effort out of creating perfect coils. However, if you really want to push the boat out, the newest option is the Co-anda 2X, which has all the same tricks as the i.d. but in a lighter and more powerful package. At the other end of the price spectrum is the Airwrap Origin, which lacks the automation features but is much more wallet-friendly.

In my previous role as a TechRadar Homes Editor, I spent many, many hours testing vacuum cleaners. And of those, a good chunk were Dyson. I've used almost every vacuum in the brand's current lineup. As a result, I'm surprisingly invested in this brand's floorcare moves, even though now it is no longer my job to care about them.

So when I got wind that a new Dyson vacuum was being unveiled, alongside the self-empty dock the brand has been promising since September, I was very excited to see what was in store.

The new addition is the Dyson V10 Konical. It's not a flagship (we're on V16 now; keep up) but rather a cheaper, less tech-crammed option, without the useful information screen that marks out the brand's V11-and-up models. It's also, confusingly, one of a number of V10 vacuums — the Cyclone V10 launched in 2018 and remains widely available, and there's also now a Cyclone V10 Submarine, which is one of a few models to come bundled with a mopping floorhead that can be swapped for the vacuuming one.

The V10 Konical hasn't made it to the US yet, but the vacuum (without the dock — more on that in a sec) is available to buy now in the UK for £449.99 and in Australia for AU$799.

An unwelcome return

The V10 Konical lacks a number of Dyson's newest, fanciest features, but — to my dismay — the one recent innovation that has made its way into this new addition is the All Floors Cones Sense floorhead. This inventive floorhead made its debut on the Dyson V16 Animal, and features two conical rollers rather than a regular, tube-shaped one, the idea being that it's better for avoiding hair wrap (the cones should funnel long hair towards the suction inlet).

On the V16, I found the floorhead very frustrating. The fact the casing comes to a slight point, to mirror the shape of the cones, means it's very tricky to effectively clean the edges of rooms. Furthermore, the strip that connects the two rollers creates a barrier in the middle of the floorhead where no cleaning is happening.

All of that means this floorhead just isn't that good at cleaning. It was no less annoying in its fluffy iteration on the Dyson PencilVac FluffyCones, although at least they didn't spell it FluffyKones.

An unexpected surprise

I was doubly disappointed to discover Dyson's interesting new vacuum is kitted out with my least-favorite feature, because the self-empty dock the brand announced alongside the V10 Konical is something I'm interested in. During my vacuum reviewing years I became an unexpected self-empty evangelist, and I'm especially invested in Dyson's efforts.

Then I spotted a bit of small-print in the press release: "The Auto-empty Dok is backward compatible, so existing Dyson V8 Cyclone owners can upgrade without replacing their entire system." Hurrah.

The Dyson V8 Cyclone is a vacuum that I am fully on board with. It's one of the cheapest options in the range, coming in at £349.99 / AU$649 (no US availability yet). For that relatively affordable price, it delivers simple but effective cleaning — with a regular, not-annoying floorhead, and the same 150AW of suction as the pricier V10 Konical.

The fact that I could pick up an Auto-empty Dok to use with my existing V8 Cyclone is very welcome news. It's also unexpected; the other auto-empty docks I'm aware of are all tied to one, specially adapted machine, which is frustrating if you have a perfectly good vacuum but want to try the auto-empty functionality.

Currently, the Auto-empty Dok isn't yet available to actually buy anywhere. It's due to land in the UK on 8 July, where a V10 Konical-plus-Dok will cost £569.99. In Australia, we only know it'll arrive some time "later this year", and the Dok its own will be AU$299. That would be equivalent to around $210 / £160. I'll be watching with interest...

• Dyson has just launched its first self-emptying vacuum cleaner
• The Dyson V10 Konical has HEPA filtration and a floor head designed for hair
• It empties into the Auto-empty Dok, which can store up to 60 days of dirt

Dyson has launched an updated V10 vacuum cleaner, with a self-emptying dock that store up to 60 days of dirt. The Dyson V10 Konical and Auto-empty Dok work together to make cleaning your floors a much less messy process, with no need to open the vacuum's dust cup yourself and risk accidentally releasing a cloud of dirt in the process.

The updated V10 Konical should be a particularly good choice for allergy-sufferers thanks to a fully-sealed HEPA filtration system, which Dyson says can remove up to 99.99% of particulars as small as 0.1 microns — including pollen, and even bacteria and viruses.

The new V10 is equipped with an All Floor Cones cleaner head, which has a pair of conical brushes that are designed to detangle long hair, so you don't need to spend time cutting or pulling it out of a roller. It appears to be the same head used by the Dyson V16 Piston Animal, and features a bright green light to illuminate dirt that you might otherwise miss.

The Auto-empty Dok has its own sealed HEPA filtration system, and has on-board storage for your most commonly used cleaning tools.

This is the first self-emptying system from Dyson, but the idea has been around for a while. In fact, we've already seen several self-emptying systems from rival brands, including the Shark PowerDetect Cordless and the Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra.

One of the key differences between these and Dyson's Auto-empty Dok is their size. Dyson's dock is much taller, and therefore capable of holding a lot more accumulated dirt before it needs emptying.

If you already own a Dyson V8 Cyclone, you'll be pleased to learn that the Auto-empty Dok is backwards-compatible, so you can use it with your existing vacuum. Cleaning tools are also cross-compatible between the Dyson V8, V8 Cyclone, and V10 Konical.

The new Dyson V10 Konical is available from today, April 29, for £449.99. You'll need to wait a little longer for the Auto-empty Dok though. It will be on sale from July 8, and will cost £569.99 bundled with the V10 Konical.

We'll be testing the vacuum and dock together very soon, and will bring you a full review so you can see how this auto-emptying model compares to its rivals.

This week, Dyson unveiled a new addition to its impressive haircare gadget lineup. The new Dyson Supersonic Travel is a shrunk-down version of the now-iconic Dyson Supersonic hairdryer, designed for slinging in your suitcase so you'll never have to deal with wheezy hotel dryers, or bad holiday hair, ever again.

It's designed to adapt to the voltage of whatever country you're visiting, and boasts the same hair-protecting automatic temperature adjustment I was so impressed with on the Supersonic Nural. A particularly nice touch is that it's also compatible with the full gamut of magnetic accessories that work with the bigger dryers — so you're not limited to, say, just a diffuser or concentrator, but could also pick up a flyaway smoother, or a wide-tooth comb, if those are your styling tools of choice.

The Dyson Supersonic Travel looks great, but it also comes at quite a hefty price: £249.99. As the original author of TechRadar's best hair dryer guide, I've tried out dryers from a number of brands and at a range of price points, and while I've yet to be disappointed by a Dyson haircare tool, it's far from the only brand worth your attention. That's particularly true if you're looking to maximize your value for money.

Below, I've rounded up five alternatives to the Supersonic Travel. These dryers are all well-suited to taking on your summer holidays, whether because they're super-compact, foldable, offer dual voltages, or all of the above. I'm especially fond of the Laifen Mini, which I praised for its "powerful airflow, scalp-friendly modes, and a dinky design" in my review. Oh, and the most expensive of these options is still around half the price of a Supersonic Travel, so you can put the extra into your ice-cream fund.

Fantastic travel dryers

Who was it that decided our tech needed to look super serious? For most gadgets these days, your options are as wide ranging as choosing between black and white. If you're lucky, you might have the option of silver or navy. Except, this summer, I'm seeing a shift that's as unexpected as it is welcome.

Alongside those funeral-friendly shades, I'm seeing an influx of tropical hues. I'm talking zingy lemon, fresh green, and — most predominantly — vibrant orange. This totally tropical trend is popping up across all corners of the tech market, and seeping into appliances too.

Apple's hottest new product drops have a distinctly fruity through-line — Citrus is the MacBook Neo colorway everyone's hankering after, and Cosmic Orange is the head-turner in an otherwise unremarkable selection of iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max color options. Bose's latest limited-edition color drop is 'Sunset Peach', available across a selection of summer holiday-friendly, portable SoundLink speakers, and Nutribullet's Flex portable blender range now has a 'Papaya' installment.

Elsewhere, Dyson — which, to be fair, has never been afraid of a bit of color — has just rolled out a 'Ceramic Apricot and Topaz' colorway for its Airwrap and other haircare gadgets. I'm not sure who got there first, but GHD's new limited-edition GHD Chronos colorway is a similar-looking 'Sun-kissed Peach'.

Here's my pick of the best new citrus-toned gadgets to add some zing to your summer...

Tropical tech

• The Dyson Supersonic Travel is a lightweight, compact hair dryer
• It's compatible with the same attachments as full-size Supersonic dryers
• It adapts automatically to suit the voltage in the country you're visiting

Dyson has launched a new travel-size hair dryer that's small enough to pack in your hand luggage and safe to use anywhere in the world. The Dyson Supersonic Travel is 32% lighter and 25% smaller than the original Dyson Supersonic (released in 2016), but still offers intelligent heat control to prevent damage

If you already have a Dyson Supersonic or Supersonic Nural hair dryer, you'll be pleased to know that the new travel-size model is compatible with all the same attachments, so you don't need to struggle without your favorite diffuser, wide-tooth comb, or smoothing nozzle.

The attachments are held in place with magnets so you can snap them on and off, and your Supersonic dryer will recognize which one is currently in place. When we tested the original Supersonic, we were particularly impressed by the Flyaway attachment, which tames stray hairs with the same technology as the Dyson Airwrap.

Voltage can be an issue when you're travelling with electrical appliances, but the Dyson Supersonic Travel automatically adapts to the country you're visiting, so you can take it around the world without worrying about damaging the motor or experiencing poor performance.

During styling, the Dyson Supersonic Travel measures airflow temperature 100 times per second to ensure your hair isn't overheated, which can cause damage over time — a welcome change from hotel hair dryers, which tend to either wheeze warm air onto your hair, or blast it with heat.

The Dyson Supersonic Travel is available to buy now direct from Dyson for £249.99 in the UK or from Dyson Australia for AU$449 (about $340 in the US). The company has yet to announce dates for its international launch.

Temperatures are starting to rise, and although we're not quite at the ice cream-and-sun hat stage of the year, it's a good time to start thinking about your hot weather survival kit. There will come a point, not too long from now, when a good fan will become a daily essential. The thing that keeps you sane while you work, and enables you to get a decent night's sleep rather than simply dissolving in a pool of sweat.

We put the legwork in and tested a whole load of fans last summer, from a range of brands and at a range of price points. You'll find all of our top picks in our official best fan ranking, but for this article I've focused on desktop models specifically.

These are compact fans that are designed to be positioned on a surface, and are easy to move about to exactly where they're needed (in contrast to pedestal or tower fans, which sit on the floor). Below, I've pulled together six models that you can rely on to keep you cool when the warm weather really sets in.

The coolest desktop fans we've tested

There are three standout models in our review back-catalogue. If you're looking for something that's simple but effective, you'd struggle to beat the Meaco Sefte 8in. Our tester was impressed that it could "blast out impressively strong airflow at a pleasingly low volume", commenting that it was so effective she ended up choosing it over more expensive models when it came to keeping the testing office cool last summer.

Next, the Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo. This one is designed with portability in mind, and comes with a useful carry handle. You can even take it outside with you. There's a misting attachment for when you want to up the cooling ante (traditional fans don't actually lower the temperature in a room, but misting does). Our tester called it "a great companion for summer adventures".

Finally, if you fancy splashing some cash on something more premium, consider the Dyson Cool CF1. The bladeless design is sleek and stylish, and it operates whisper-quietly, making it a strong choice for keeping you cool while you're trying to get to sleep.

More options...

Not sold on any of those options? Here are some alternatives to consider. We haven't tested these specific models, but they come from brands we rate highly and would confidently recommend.

Dyson PencilWash: one-minute review

The Dyson PencilWash is a wet floor cleaner that’s a counterpart to the PencilVac launched last year. Unlike the PencilVac, the PencilWash isn't a vacuum. Instead, it’s essentially an electric mop with a soft roller that spins as water is dispensed onto it along eight points, and a squeegee that forces dirty water out of the roller into a storage tank.

It’s extremely slim and lightweight, with a long, slim handle and a full-size floorhead that’s almost identical to the one found on one of Dyson’s best wet-dry floor cleaners. It can soak up wet spills, wash away dried-on dirt, and pick up dust and dry debris in one sweep.

The PencilWash’s simple controls, lightweight and highly articulated head make it extremely easy to use, and almost effortless to maneuver around even tight corners, though its roller can’t reach right to the very edge of your baseboards.

It’s very effective when used with plain water, collecting an impressive amount of dirt from surfaces that looked reasonably clean at first glance, though you can also use it with a cleaning fluid to help break down more stubborn and sticky stains.

It can be messy to empty because the dirty water tank doesn’t have a spout for clean pouring, and any debris that has accumulated on the squeegee and roller will need to be rinsed off or removed by hand. I found that the roller takes a long time to dry - even when I left it in a room with a dehumidifier running, it wasn’t completely dry for over a day.

For me, the PencilWash’s biggest drawback is the price; the PencilWash only does wet cleaning, but costs almost as much as a good quality wet-and-dry vacuum cleaner like the Shark HydroVac Cordless WD201 / WD210 or the Bissell Crosswave HydroScrub. It does its job very well, but it’s tough to justify the expense for what is essentially a motorized mop unless you have no carpets or rugs to clean at all.

Dyson PencilWash: specs

Dyson PencilWash: price and availability

• Available globally
• List price: $349.99 / £299.99 / AU$549

The Dyson PencilWash is available globally for $349.99 / £299.99 / AU$549, which is rather expensive for a wet floor cleaner without a vacuum. For comparison, the Bissell Crosswave HydroScrub wet/dry floor cleaner is $369.99 (about £280 / AU$540), while the Shark HydroVac Cordless WD201 / WD210 is $359.99 / £329.99 / AU$399.99.

It’s the most affordable Dyson floor cleaner you can buy right now, and you’re getting a great quality appliance that’s compact but powerful, so it’s a question of whether you have enough hard flooring in your home to justify the cost, or whether you’d be better served by a two-in-one cleaner.

• Value score: 3.5/5

Dyson PencilWash: design

• Super slim and lightweight
• Full-size, fully articulated floorhead
• Easy to operate

The PencilWash is a partner to Dyson’s super-slim vacuum cleaner, the PencilVac, with a similarly lean build. It consists of a slender copper-colored pole (which contains the rechargeable battery, controls, and a small LED display) and a full-size floorhead. This appears to be the same as the Submarine Wet Roller Head, which you'll also find on the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine.

The floorhead contains a large, fluffy microfiber roller, a refillable water tank, a ‘squeegee’ that forces dirty water out of the roller, and a tray that collects it. It’s easy to disassemble and slot back together, with all removable components colored red to make things as simple as possible. Unlike the PencilVac, however, the PencilWash has no LEDs to illuminate dirt on your floors.

The head is fully articulated and moves freely. It can be flattened to almost 180 degrees for cleaning under low pieces of furniture, and swivels smoothly to reach into awkward areas like behind furniture legs.

The PencilWash weighs 4.85lbs / 2.2kg without water, and feels nicely balanced with just 13.4oz / 380g in the hand. The water tank is in the floorhead, keeping the center of mass close to the ground.

The controls are simple and intuitive, too, with a power button and two boost options that dispense extra water for a certain period of time (five seconds or 30 seconds) if you need to tackle a particularly grimy area. The screen shows the current cleaning mode and power status.

The PencilWash comes with a charging stand, which holds the pole, and a tray to hold the floorhead when it’s not in use. Both are discrete and take up the bare minimum of space in small homes.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Dyson PencilWash: performance

• Cleans wet and dry dirt with ease
• Can reach under low furniture and into tight spaces
• Dirty water tank must be emptied with care

I tested the Dyson PencilWash in my apartment, which has black laminate flooring throughout the kitchen, hallway, and bathroom, which shows every water mark, crumb, and speck of dust.

Preparing the Pencilwash for use is simple; just remove the water tank and roller from the floorhead, fill the tank to the maximum line and twist it back into place, then dampen the roller with clean water and slide it onto its mount.

When switched on, the PencilWash’s roller propels it forward, and the highly articulated head and lightweight handle make it effortless to push across your floors. Because the water tank is in the floorhead, most of the weight is kept close to the ground, keeping it stable and leaving the handle light and comfortable.

During my tests, I found that the PencilWash made light work of spills and dried-on dirt, such as spilled juice in the kitchen, and footprints in the hallway. Although you can use the PencilWash with a floor cleaner (such as Dyson’s own 02 Probiotic hard floor cleaning solution), I was impressed by how well it cleaned using nothing but plain water and agitation from the spinning roller, which is ideal if you have allergies that are exacerbated by cleaning products.

Although the clean water tank appears small (it has a capacity of just 10.6oz / 300ml), the PencilWash is frugal with its use of water. A little goes a long way, and I was able to clean all my hard floors with the tank still mostly full at the end. If you’re cleaning a large home with hard flooring throughout, you’ll need to refill it partway through, but I was surprised by just how little water was required for thorough cleaning.

The floorhead’s articulation made it possible to clean even around the legs of my bathroom cabinet, which are particularly awkward. The head isn’t small, so I was surprised it was able to reach into such tight nooks and crannies. It’s a shame that the roller doesn’t get right up to the edge of baseboards, though. There’s a gap of around half an inch that goes unmopped, which is unfortunate since this area can be quite dusty.

I was also surprised by how well the microfiber roller picks up hair, dust, crumbs, and other dry debris, so you don’t need to vacuum before mopping. The downside is that dirt can accumulate on the roller and squeegee, and will have to be cleaned off by hand when you disassemble the head to empty the dirty water tray.

You need to be very careful when emptying out the dirty water, which involves disassembling the floor head and gently pouring the waste away. The tray isn't enclosed, so it's quite easy to accidentally spill.

All the wet components can be cleaned with a mild antibacterial cleaner, after which you must leave them to dry out. I found that the roller took a particularly long time to dry, and even in a room with a dehumidifier running, it took over a day to dry out completely.

Overall, the PencilWash is very easy, and even fun to use — which is a surprising thing to say about a mop. It’s great for quickly refreshing hard floors mid-week, and for more thorough cleaning when necessary, thanks to its boost mode. If it could reach all the way up to my baseboards and was a little less messy to empty, it would have earned an extra half star.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Dyson PencilWash: should you buy it?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Dyson PencilWash: also consider

If you're not sure whether the Dyson PencilWash is the right floor cleaner for you, here are two other options to consider:

How I tested the Dyson PencilWash

I tested the Dyson PencilWash for a week on laminate flooring, using the regular and boost modes. I tested it on ordinary everyday dust and dirt, as well as muddy footprints, dried-on juice, and milk. I cleaned it after each use, following Dyson's instructions, and allowed it to dry fully. For more details, see how we test, review, and rate products at TechRadar.

First reviewed April 2026.

Vacuuming isn't especially fun, and having to shell out your hard-earned cash for a vacuum cleaner might be even more painful. I was in charge of TechRadar's vacuum cleaner coverage for two full years, during which time I tested out all kinds of vacuums at all kinds of prices. I've put together this article to help out anyone who's in need of a new vacuum for their spring cleaning kick, but doesn't want to pay over the over the odds for it.

Most of these picks come in just under £250 (although deals crop up on all of these models fairly regularly), which is generally enough to get you a very capable cleaner. My top recommendation is probably the Dreame R20, which is perhaps the best cordless vacuum cleaner I've tested all-round, serving up good vacuuming, a lightweight build and some advanced special features for that affordable price.

I'm also a big fan of the Dyson V8 Cyclone; a refreshed version of the iconic V8. It's relatively basic in features, but really shines when it comes to outright cleaning clout — this is the option I'd recommend to owners of shedding pets.

A wild card is the Shark Freestyle Max. It's unusual in that it's an upright model, but it's cordless. On test it delivered nimble maneuvering and superb suction — albeit over very short runtimes. It's the cheapest of the bunch, at around £100. Happy spring cleaning!

My favorite cheap vacuums — UK

• Dyson has launched a new personal fan to use at home or on the move
• The Dyson HushJet Mini Cool Fan has a bladeless design with five speeds
• It will be available direct from Dyson later this month for $99 / £99.99 (AU pricing TBC)

Dyson has just launched a new personal fan that you can place on your desk while you work, carry on public transport, or even wear around your neck. The Dyson HushJet Mini Cool Fan has a compact bladeless design and five airflow modes — plus a boost button when you need relief from the heat fast.

It can run for up to six hours on a single charge, and weighs 7oz/212g. It comes supplied with a Neck Dock for moments when you want to stay cool hands-free, as well as a charging stand, travel pouch, and USB-C charging cable. Other accessories available to buy separately include a Universal Mount for securing the fan to objects like pushchairs or gym equipment, and a Clip Grip for fastening it on bag straps or jackets (particularly helpful for commuting).

The HushJet Mini Cool Fan comes in three colorways: Ink/Cobalt, Carnelian/Sky, and Stone/Blush, so you can pick one that will suit your wardrobe.

The new fan looks striking, but it should sound discreet thanks to the HushJet nozzle, which lowers frequencies so you're not distracted by annoying high-pitched whirring and whining.

This looks set to be a particularly cool summer, because the Dyson HushJet Mini Cool Fan has arrived just a few weeks after the Shark ChillPill — another compact fan with a rechargable battery that's designed to be used indoors or on the move, but which also features a misting attachment that sprays you with quick-drying water vapor, plus a cooling plate that you can apply to pulse points for fast relief on hot days.

The HushJet Mini Cool Fan lacks these two extra features, but it's both lighter and more affordable. The Shark ChillPill is $149.99 / £129.99, whereas the Dyson HushJet Mini Cool Fan is $99 / £99.99.

The HushJet Mini Cool Fan will be available to buy later this month, direct from Dyson's website and from Dyson demo stores in the UK and US. Aussies will have to wait a little to find out local pricing and availability, although it's confirmed to be coming Down Under — you can head to the Dyson Australia website to be notified as soon as it drops.

I'll be putting it to the test soon to see how it compares to the ChillPill in terms of cooling power, noise, and convenience, and I'll bring you a full review once I've put it through its paces.

Dyson just announced the PencilWash, a motorized wet floor cleaner that's roughly the same size as a regular, manual mop. This isn't the first time Dyson has shrunk down a traditionally bulky appliance: the PencilWash is a sister product to the Dyson PencilVac FluffyCones, an almost impossibly compact cordless vacuum.

The downsizing trend began life in a less immediately eye-catching way, in Dyson's haircare department. The brand had already shaken up the haircare market with its original Supersonic hair dryer, but for its professional-only Supersonic r it redesigned its inner workings to be far more streamlined and 'power-dense'.

That meant all the mechanics could be fitted into a tubular design that looks odd, but turned out to be excellent for extended, meticulous hair styling. Dyson recognized that it was onto a good thing, and in March last year it made the Supersonic r available to consumers, too.

Dyson then decided that if it could make a hair dryer that was 1.5 inches / 3.8cm in diameter, it could surely make a vacuum that was 1.5 inches / 3.8cm in diameter, too. Unbelievably, it was successful: all the inner workings of the PencilVac have been squeezed into a handle that's the same width as the Supersonic r. To make it happen, the brand had to engineer a Hyperdymium 140k motor that's a minuscule 1.1 inches / 2.8cm wide.

The same tech powers the PencilWash. And who knows where it'll come in next — Dyson is clearly on a shrinking spree, and it would be silly to stop there.

“We’re keen on making machines smaller and lighter while dramatically improving performance," says Dyson CTO John Churchill. "The PencilWash… brings the simplicity of a broom together with the precision and power from Dyson engineering.”

Small size; big win

The benefits of downsizing a floorcare appliance are obvious. It makes it more maneuverable, more comfortable to use for longer periods, and able to get into tighter spaces. However, some may quibble with the "improved performance" claim, because there are knock-on effects that can't entirely be glossed over.

One is battery life. The PencilVac can only manage 30 minutes of cleaning per charge, whereas the best Dyson vacuums of the flagship line can run for over an hour before needing to juice up.

Another is outright power. Here, there's an even bigger gulf between the PencilVac and the rest of the lineup: even the decade-old V8 has twice the suction power of the PencilVac (115AW versus 55AW).

Finally, there's the unavoidable lack of space. The PencilVac has to have a tiny dust cup that needs emptying regularly, and the PencilWash has to have small clean and dirty water tanks.

For me, though, to focus on these things is to miss the point. The PencilVac and PencilWash aren't meant to be the perfect choice for everyone, but they will be the perfect choice for some people. Plus, they offer something that you currently can't really find anywhere else.

For example, the cordless vacuum market is awash with vacuums that offer massive amounts of power and ever-longer runtimes, but which are heavy and bulky as a result. If you have mostly hard flooring, a small home, and awkward corners to get into, super-suction and a never-ending battery isn't going to be of any benefit to you. What you need is a small, nimble, compact vacuum with just enough power to whip the dust off your floor. The PencilVac provides just that.

Similarly, the PencilWash won't guzzle up massive spillages like a suction-based wet-and-dry vacuum, but there are many homeowners that rarely have to deal with that kind of mess, and just want something that will get their hard floors mopped in an efficient and hygienic way.

What Dyson is doing is broadening out the market to cater to a wider range of customers — and I'm excited to see what will get the shrinking treatment next.

Dyson is still the king of vacuums, but recently it has been busy growing its range of wet-floor cleaners. For a long time, we had just the WashG1, but now there's also the Clean+Wash Hygiene, and Dyson has just announced a third addition to the lineup: the Dyson PencilWash. That's not to mention the recently expanded fleet of 2-in-1 Submarine vacuums.

If you're wondering which of Dyson's wet cleaners to invest in, I'm here to help. I've tested both the WashG1 and Clean+Wash Hygiene, and crunched the specs for the new model, too, to figure out the key differences between them. Below, you can learn which Dyson mop I'd recommend for a range of priorities.

However, note that right now the WashG1 is attracting some major discounts in both the US and the UK, taking it down to around half price. That alone makes it a very compelling proposition – I think it's a little overpriced at list price, but with that kind of discount you're getting a lot of bang for your buck.

If your priority is maneuverability...

The PencilWash looks like the clear winner in this category. It's specifically built to be ultra-maneuverable, with the motor and battery reduced in size to fit in the handle, and compact water tanks tucked into the floorhead.

It's a sister model to the Dyson PencilVac, which is very similar but swaps the mopping floorhead for a vacuuming one. I've used the PencilVac, and it pivots and maneuvers like a dream, which bodes well for the PencilWash.

Where the Clean+Wash Hygiene might have the edge is in the fact it can lie completely flat to the ground – there's even a mini wheel on the rear of the handle that lets you guide it smoothly along the floor. In this mode it's 4.44 inches / 11.3cm tall, and perfect for cleaning under low furniture. The PencilWash can also get pretty close to the ground, dropping to 170 degrees and a height of 5.9in / 15cm, but it won't go as low as the Clean+Wash.

Don't write off the WashG1, though, because as wet cleaners go, I found this one super nimble and easy to maneuver. Due to the positioning of the water tanks, the handle here is more bulky, while the floorhead is more streamlined. In use, I found it pivoted more smoothly than the Clean+Wash Hygiene.

If your priority is minimal maintenance...

Both the WashG1 and Clean+Wash Hygiene have a self-clean cycle that can be activated when the machine is docked. It runs clean water through the system to flush out any lingering dirt and freshen up the roller.

Where the Clean+Wash has the edge is that it also has a self-dry mode, where the dock will blast the roller with hot air to ensure it's dry. In contrast, it's probably best to remove the WashG1's rollers and pop them out to dry somewhere, or they'll start to smell musty pretty quickly.

The PencilWash doesn't have any kind of self-clean cycle, so you'll need to rinse and dry the roller after every mopping session.

What about longer-term maintenance? Well, Dyson asserts that one of the biggest problems with wet-dry vacuums is that they suck solid and liquid waste through small tubes to reach a waste water tank mounted on the handle. As a result, the tubes are prone to becoming clogged, which leads to bad smells.

All three of Dyson's hard-floor cleaners seek to offer a solution to this issue, but in different ways. With the WashG1, solid waste is filtered and stored in a tray in the floorhead, so it's only the dirty liquid that travels through the pipes.

In the Clean+Wash Hygiene, too, any solids are filtered out, but all the waste is contained within the floorhead, so nothing has to travel anywhere. In the PencilWash, everything again remains in the floorhead, but solids and liquids aren't separated.

You'll need to decide for yourself how concerned you are about potentially gunky pipes. The one thing that stood out to me during testing was that the WashG1's waste tank proved really easy to clean. It's wide enough to get your hand inside, and there are no crevices in which grime can collect. In contrast, the tanks on the Clean+Wash are impossible to get into, and the PencilWash looks the same.

If your priority is price...

At list price, the WashG1 costs $769.99 / £599.99 / AU$999, the Clean+Wash Hygiene comes in at £429.99 (not yet available in the US or Australia), and the PencilWash will have a list price of $349 / £299.99 (no AU pricing yet).

However, where things get interesting is that the WashG1 is very heavily discounted in both the US and UK. In fact, it's easy to pick up for around half price in both territories – you'll find the best current deals below. While the following is just speculation, I'd associate those kinds of discounts with a product that's about to be discontinued.

In the case of the PencilWash, you're paying a premium for the compact form factor. If you live in a smaller home and need something super-nimble, it might be reason enough to make it worth the spend. However, if you want maximum bang for your buck, at current prices I think the WashG1 is your best option, in the US and UK at least.

If your priority is more versatility...

In the pantheon of hard-floor cleaners, none of Dyson's models are especially feature-rich. Both the WashG1 and Clean+Wash Hygiene have three hydration modes and a Boost mode for extra water, whereas the PencilWash is simpler, with just two hydration options and no Boost. If you're seeking advanced modes such as steam-cleaning or automatic adjustment, as well as suction, my guide to the best wet-and-dry vacuums has plenty more complex options to explore.

Of course, if you want the most versatility in a single Dyson machine, an argument could be made for choosing the Submarine model over all of them. These take one of Dyson's flagship vacuums and bundle in a mopping floorhead (this bit looks a lot like the bottom of the PencilWash to me). You can then swap them over to turn the appliance into a mop or vacuum as required.

Another thing to consider is the size of the water tank. The PencilWash's tanks are super-small, which rules that model out for homes with lots of floors in need of mopping. For bigger areas, a WashG1 or Clean+Wash Hygiene are better. Dyson suggests that due to better water control, the latter will actually deliver more cleaning per tank, despite said tanks being smaller than those of the WashG1.

Specs compared

The Dyson PencilWash is a wet cleaner designed specifically for use on hard flooring, and it differs from most of today's best wet-and-dry vacuums in a couple of significant ways. First, it's ridiculously compact and lightweight — the motor and battery have been shrunk down and fitted into the handle, and the water tanks tuck inside the floorhead. Second, it doesn't use suction, but instead harnesses a combination of hydration and agitation to buff away dirt, soak up spills, and generally get your hard floors sparkling.

It has only just been announced, and is a sister product to the Dyson PencilVac, which is also relatively new to the party. The PencilWash joins the WashG1 and Clean+Wash Hygiene in Dyson's lineup of wet cleaners. So what do we know so far about the Dyson PencilWash? Let's take a look...

Dyson PencilWash: price & availability

The Dyson PencilWash was announced on 19 February 2026. It will go on sale in the UK on 23 February and in the US on 17 March in the US. At list price, it will cost $349 / £299.99. If you're in Australia, it will be available from 5 March for AU$549.

Dyson PencilWash: design

Let's break the design down into three parts: the handle, the floorhead, and the dock. The handle is 1.5in / 38mm in diameter and contains a shrunk-down motor. The top section of the broom handle is the battery, and it's removable and swappable. On the front of the handle you'll find the control buttons, plus a screen to show you which of the two modes you're in and how much battery you have left.

Moving on to the floorhead. This contains two small water tanks — one for clean water, one for dirty — and a microfiber roller that's densely packed with 64,000 filaments per square centimeter. You can use the PencilWash with just water, or mix in some Dyson's-own, non-foaming 02 Probiotic hard floor cleaning solution.

The roller spins at speed, and is fed evenly with fresh water from eight inlets. The waste water is directed straight into the dirty tank — there's apparently no filter here. (Although Dyson did say that about the Clean+Wash Hygiene and it turned out there was one — just the kind built for chunky rather than fine debris.)

Finally, the dock. This is just for charging the machine, and looks like a little cone. To dock, you remove the mopping floorhead and slot it into the top. There's a drip tray provided to pop the damp floorhead on.

Dyson PencilWash specs

Dyson PencilWash: usability

I haven't had any hands-on time with PencilWash yet, so you'll need to sit tight for my full performance review. What I do know is that this cleaner is designed to be very easy to maneuver, and able to glide smoothly into tight spots and around awkward corners. It can lie near-flat to 170 degrees, and in this mode it's just 15cm high.

It's really very lightweight in general, coming in at 4.9lbs / 2.2kg. Even more notable is that most of the weight is in the floorhead. Dyson says the weight 'in hand', with the PencilVac resting on the floor, will be around 0.8lbs / 0.38kg.

Dyson says the machine will pivot by just twisting the handle. That's certainly true of the Dyson PencilVac, which is the nimblest vacuum I've ever tested, by some margin. I expect this model to be slightly more cumbersome because the floorhead is (necessarily) chunkier and heavier, but I still have high hopes on the maneuverability front.

The water tanks are really rather small, so it likely won't be well suited to big homes. A 30-minute runtime is on the shorter side for an appliance like this, but should still allow for a decent amount of cleaning per charge.

It's very simple in terms of modes and features: there are two moisture modes, and that's about it. Other wet cleaners offer a wider range of modes, and even things like automatic setting adjustment and steam or foam modes — as well as suction, for pulling up solid messes with more oomph. Another common feature that's missing here is a self-clean mode, which would take care of some of the maintenance for you.

The real USP here, and the reason to choose the PencilWash over competitors' models, is the ultra-compact size. There are some streamlined wet-dry vacuums on the market — the Tineco FLOOR ONE i7 Fold is a recent example — but as far as I'm aware, there's nothing quite as shrunk-down as the PencilWash available from any other brand.

• Dyson has unveiled the PencilWash wet floor cleaner
• Uses the same ultra-slim, light build as the PencilVac vacuum
• It has two hydration modes, with water tanks hidden in the floorhead

Dyson has announced a new wet floor cleaner that's incredibly compact and lightweight. In fact, the new PencilWash is about the size and shape of an old-school, manual mop. All the mechanics have been shrunk down and squeezed into the handle, while the water tanks are tucked into the floorhead.

Announcing the PencilWash, John Churchill, Dyson's Chief Technology Officer, said: "We’re keen on making machines smaller and lighter while dramatically improving performance. PencilWash applies that thinking to wet cleaning: our slimmest, ultra‑light format that glides effortlessly and reaches where others can’t. It brings the simplicity of a broom together with the precision and power from Dyson engineering."

The handle itself is 1.5 inches / 38mm in diameter — just a little wider than a regular broom handle. It's designed so you can steer the whole thing effortlessly, simply by twisting the handle.

The PencilWash weighs 4.9lbs / 2.2kg, but most of that (minimal) weight is concentrated in the floorhead, so Dyson says the weight in your hand will be more like 0.8lbs / 0.38kg. It's designed to be able to sneak under furniture — it lies flat to 170 degrees, and in this mode it's just 15cm tall. It's built for use on hard floors, and can handle wet and dry spills.

The 300ml clean-water tank is apparently capable of cleaning up to 100m² of flooring. The cordless design has a maximum 30-minute runtime, and you can pick up a backup battery to swap in if you want to extend that.

As is the case with the whole Dyson wet-cleaner range, there's no suction — instead, the PencilWash uses hydration and agitation to get your floors clean. The roller is covered with densely-packed microfiber, to absorb liquid spills and buff off dirt. It's continuously fed with clean water as it rolls around, while the dirty stuff is extracted, so you're not just smearing the dirt around your floors. You can choose from two hydration modes.

Unusually, there's no filter. The press release suggests filters simply "trap dirt, breed bacteria, emit odors, and [are] difficult and unpleasant to clean" whereas this filter-free design "removes the risk of sludge, blockages, or drop in performance". I won't quibble with the idea that filters are nasty to clean, and if this design can avoid blockages and grime buildup without one, that's excellent news.

Where does it sit in the wider range?

I haven't had any hands-on time with this new cleaner yet, but I have been testing the PencilVac, which is the sister model, unveiled in June 2025. It has a similar, broom-shaped build, but swaps the mopping floorhead for a vacuuming one. That cleaner is supremely maneuverable and incredibly nimble — I'm hopeful Dyson has recreated that same magic with the PencilWash.

The PencilWash is the third dedicated wet cleaner in Dyson's range, sitting alongside the WashG1 (which went on sale August 2024) and the Clean+Wash Hygiene (just launched at time of writing). However, in some ways the design is more similar to the Submarine floorhead on the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine, with the tanks all contained within the floorhead.

The Dyson PencilWash goes on sale on 17 March in the US, and 23 February in the UK and 5 March in Australia, at a list price of $349 / £299.99 / AU$549.

A good vacuum cleaner can help make your home look so much better. A clean floor truly accentuates the rest of your home — and such an opportunity is more affordable than usual with a great deal at Walmart. Right now, you can buy the Dyson V9 at Walmart for $299.99 (was $599.99), which is a hefty saving of $300 off the regular price.

The Dyson V9 hasn’t had the same level of promotion as other Dyson models, but as we found when testing it, it’s a more affordable option that has fewer features. It’s lighter than the V8 but has lower maximum suction power.

On the other hand, its battery charges faster than other models, and it’s ideal for anyone with mobility issues who still wants to keep their house clean. And, of course, it’s far cheaper than many other models.

Today’s best Dyson vacuum cleaner deal

The Dyson V9 isn’t one of the best Dyson vacuums around, but at this price, it’s far more tempting than most other entries. Its Motorbar cleaner head does a good job of cleaning up dirt and debris, while it also comes with four accessories to enhance the process. This includes a hair screw tool for long hair and pet hair, an anti-tangle conical brush bar, and more.

Like many of the best cordless vacuums, you can also use it as a handheld vacuum, which is useful when you’re cleaning your car or upholstery. The Dyson V9 isn’t class-leading, but it does a lot of things well enough to make the sale price worth it. If you have particularly hairy pets, one of the best vacuums for pet hair will be better, but for everyday use, the Dyson V9 is mighty tempting.

While you’re considering and researching, we’ve spotted other Dyson vacuum deals. If you want to save time and effort, you should also try one of the robot vacuum deals available.

GHD recently brought out a new hair dryer, which comes with some impressive specs, an intriguing special feature, and a lofty price tag – you can read about it in depth in my GHD Speed review. However, I was also interested to see how it compared to another premium pick: the Dyson Supersonic Nural.

The GHD Speed is the cheaper of the two, but at £299 it's still an investment. The Supersonic Nural will set you back £399.99. I've tested many of the best hair dryers on the market, and these two brands consistently impress.

So which dryer offers the best value for money? If you're thinking of splashing out on a fancy new hair gadget, are you better off with the Dyson Supersonic Nural, or should you take a chance on the new GHD Speed? I tested the two side by side, and here's what you need to know.

GHD Speed vs Dyson Supersonic Nural dryer: efficiency

The GHD Speed is an absolute powerhouse when it comes to windspeed. It boasts four speed options, and the maximum delivers a hurricane of power. The Supersonic Nural (with its three speed settings) still packs a punch, but in my side-by-side tests, it was clearly the less powerful of the two dryers. If you need to dry your hair in the fastest possible time, the GHD Speed is the tool you need.

It's a similar story for temperature. On their maximum temperature settings, the GHD Speed is clearly hotter than the Dyson Supersonic Nural. In fact, I tended to stick to one of the GHD's two medium settings for general use. There are four heat options, so you have plenty of precise control. In contrast, the Dyson Supersonic Nural has three temperature settings, plus an innovative "scalp protect" mode, which I'll get into in the Special Features section.

To boost the offering further, GHD Speed has a continuously cool setting option, alongside a pulse button. The Supersonic Nural just has the pulse.

Winner: GHD Speed – the GHD Speed is hotter and more powerful on its maximum settings, and offers more precise control with its modes, too.

GHD Speed vs Dyson Supersonic Nural dryer: design & comfort

In terms of settings, GHD wins out. Not only does it have more heat and speed options (four each, compared to Dyson's three), it also offers the option to select "cold" as a continuous setting, as well as a pulse option and a setting lock slider. That last one might not sound very flash but it's actually super helpful – I've experienced far too many annoying accidental setting changes in my hair dryer reviewing career.

The current settings are displayed clearly using illuminated lights around the barrel.

It isn't that Dyson's setup is poor – and there is an argument that its small, tucked-away switches look more hi-tech than GHD's more functional ones – but it's slightly less user-friendly.

In terms of the overall look, I prefer Dyson's colorful, blocky, straight-edged dryer to GHD's curvy, segmented one; but that's just personal preference. The GHD hair dryer is heavier than the Dyson (around 620g for just the dryer, compared to around 455g for the Nural) and the Dyson option is also significantly more compact, making it easier to wield and more packable for when you're on-the-go.

Note, too, that it's possible to hold the GHD dryer by its barrel for drying rather than its handle, since it remains cool to touch. While this doesn't feel particularly natural to start, it does enable you to direct airflow more precisely. There's no such option on the Nural (if it's precision styling you want, Dyson would probably point you towards its weird, pipe-shaped Supersonic r instead).

Winner: Draw – the GHD's controls are better designed, but the Dyson has the benefit of being smaller and lighter.

GHD Speed vs Dyson Supersonic Nural dryer: special features

Neither of the two models here are just your average hair dryer, but I think the Dyson offers a more compelling package of special features over the GHD.

Interestingly, the USP of both models is a feature designed to protect your scalp. On the GHD Speed it's the brand's "halo dual-airflow technology", which delivers a "halo" of always-cool air around the heated airflow. GHD states this will enable you to get closer to your scalp without burning it – but based on my tests that's just not really true. Holding the dryer close to my head was immediately uncomfortably hot, even if I angled it from the side.

Dyson's effort is more coherent. Activate its scalp protect mode and sensors in the barrel will adjust the temperature of the airflow depending on how close it is to your head, to maintain what feels like a consistent temperature on your scalp. This means it's possible to get right up close without burning your head.

The Dyson Supersonic Nural also offers attachment memory, which means it knows which of the many attachments is affixed, and will revert to your last-used settings with each one. Further to that, it knows when it has been put down, so it will drop to a low-airflow mode so you're not just blasting your dressing table with hot air.

Of course, such features aren't essentials, but they do remove some minor pain-points when styling. And it also feels like you're getting a really premium experience for your premium investment.

Winner: Dyson Supersonic Nural

GHD Speed vs Dyson Supersonic Nural dryer: specs

Should I buy the GHD Speed or the Dyson Supersonic Nural?

Buy the GHD Speed if...

✅ You want ultimate power: On its maximum settings the GHD Speed is more powerful, and hotter, than Dyson's dryer. It will get your hair dry in double-quick time.

✅ You're not doing lots of meticulous styling: There's only one attachment included here – a concentrator – plus the option of buying a diffuser.

✅ You dislike fiddly controls: The GHD's control setup is more straightforward, the buttons are less fiddly, and the mode lock means no more accidental presses.

Buy the Dyson Supersonic Nural if...

✅ You're doing lots of complex styling: The Supersonic Nural comes with a plethora of styling attachments, and it will remember your last-used settings with each one.

✅ You want something compact and lightweight: The Supersonic Nural is the smaller and lighter of the two dryers.

✅ You're worried about hair health: The auto-adjusting Scalp protect mode works well and allows you to get up close to your head without scorching it.

Dyson has just brought out a new wet floor cleaner, but (as you can read in my Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene review) I'm not 100% sold on the design. In fact, testing that new model made me appreciate the old version even more. The WashG1 is ultra-nimble, with an effective, full-coverage floorhead design and easy-to-clean water tanks.

The main issue I had with the WashG1 was that I felt it didn't quite offer enough for the price — at $769.99 / £599.99, it's officially one of the most expensive wet floor cleaners on the market. Except it has just plummeted in price: right now, the Dyson WashG1 is $399.99 at Amazon (or direct from Dyson if you prefer) in the US, and just £299 at Very in the UK.

At that price it's a no-brainer. It's a far cry from the bulky, heavy, noisy machine you might be imagining when you picture a wet-and-dry vacuum — it feels light and nimble to move, and because there's no suction involved, it's relatively quiet in operation too. It clears dirt and liquid-solid spills with ease, and comes with a self-wash cycle that keeps the roller fresh.

I suspect the reason for this mega-discount is that Dyson is phasing out the WashG1 to make room for the new model — but as I think I've made clear, I actually prefer the WashG1 to the Clean+Wash Hygiene anyway. Read on for more info on the deal, plus some alternatives from other brands, if you'd like to compare your options.

Alternatives to consider

Not sure the WashG1 is right for you, even with that massive discount? There are plenty more hard floor cleaners around that are worth considering. The options below come from brands that pop up time and time again in TechRadar's best wet-dry vacuum ranking, and all have steep discounts in the Presidents' Day sales.

More of today's best Presidents' Day sales

• Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
• Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $99
• Best Buy: $1,000 off TVs, laptops & headphones
• Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
• Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
• Lenovo: 45% off laptops & tablets
• Lowe's: up to 40% off appliances, furniture & tools
• Samsung: up to $2,000 off appliances, TVs & phones
• Target: 40% off clothing, tech & furniture
• Walmart: furniture, cheap TVs & vacs from $69
• Wayfair: 54% off furniture, rugs & decor

In recent years, Dyson has become one of the biggest names in hair styling. With good reason, too – it has created some genuinely innovative products in areas that had otherwise started to become stale (hair dryers; curling tongs) and pushed a bunch of other brands to up their game, too.

There's currently a solid range of styling options in Dyson's lineup, with tools for different hair types and styling needs. I've tried most of them out myself, so I know how they work, where they shine, and any limitations to be aware of.

None of these stylers comes cheap, so it's worth figuring out which one is the best fit for you before investing. The good news is that right now quite a few of them are discounted in the Presidents' Day sales, making them significantly more affordable than usual – so if you're thinking of investing in your hair care, now's a really good time to buy.

Read on for the low-down on the full Dyson styling range, and where to find today's lowest price on each one.

Dyson Airwrap i.d.

This is the last-but-one version of Dyson's ultra-popular multi-styler, sitting between the Airwrap Origin (which can be tricky to find these days) and the Airwrap Co-anda 2x. It improves on its predecessor by adding an automated curl sequence that's timed for your specific hair type, and kicks off at the flick of a switch. A wide range of attachments is available, and you can create clockwise and anticlockwise curls on the same barrel.

I rate this as the best multi-styler on the market right now. It feels top-quality, works exactly as it should, and makes creating curls incredibly easy.

Best for...

Although it can be used for a range of blowout styles (or just for drying on its own), the USP here is its curling capabilities. There are versions with attachments for straight/wavy hair and curly/coily hair.

Read more: Dyson Airwrap i.d. review

Alternatives

If you aren't going to use the curl barrels, I'd opt for one of Dyson's hair dryers instead – either the Supersonic r or the Supersonic Nural. Both have similar attachment options (bar those curl barrels) and offer more drying power. If you want to splurge, there's also the Airwrap Co-anda 2x, which is lighter and more powerful.

Dyson Supersonic Nural

What is it?

A supercharged version of Dyson's original Supersonic hair dryer. The USP is a 'Scalp Protect' mode, which automatically adjusts the temperature depending on how close the dryer is to the user's head. It also features attachment memory, so the dryer will revert to the last-used settings for each attachment, and auto-pause for when the dryer senses it has been put down on a surface.

I loved this dryer when I tested it – it just removes all those little pain-points you have with regular hair dryers. The special features aren't strictly necessary, but if you're a styling enthusiast and want to splurge, it's well worth it.

Best for...

Drying hair and creating a range of blowout styles. It's suitable for any hair type.

Read more: Dyson Supersonic Nural review

Alternatives

If drying is your priority, there's also the Supersonic r, which is lighter and offers more precision, but lacks the Scalp Protect mode. If you only want to create straight styles, you could consider the wet-to-straight Airstrait, while the Airwrap i.d. and Co-anda 2x both offer automatic curling alongside drying.

Dyson Airstrait

What is it?

Dyson's pioneering wet-to-straight straightener, which uses blades of air to smooth hair as it dries it. I didn't test this one out myself, but my teammate was impressed with the innovation on show here, and the potential to save time and avoid heat damage. Just don't expect pin-straight results – it delivers a more natural look. It's also rather bulkier than regular straighteners.

Best for...

Theoretically, it's suitable for any hair type, but I probably wouldn't recommend it for people with very curly or coily hair. Its shape means you can't get right up close to the root, and I suspect that air alone will not have the flattening power required to create lasting, straight styles on very curly hair.

Read more: Dyson Airstrait review

Alternatives

The Corrale is Dyson's dedicated straightener with hot plates, and unlike the Airstrait, it's cordless. The Dyson Co-anda 2x has a compatible 'AirSmooth2x' attachment – included with the Straight+Wavy bundle – that looks to be based on a similar idea. It also uses air to smooth out hair, although in this case it's designed for use on dry hair.

Dyson Airwrap Co-anda 2x

What is it?

The latest-and-greatest version of Dyson's multi-styler. It's lighter and more powerful than its predecessor, but otherwise very similar. You'll get the all-important auto-wrap curl barrels, and an automated curl sequence that times everything for you. There's a wide range of other attachments, with options for different hair types – the unique addition here is a straightening attachment that uses just air to smooth out dry hair.

I haven't had a chance to test this one out properly, but I did have some brief hands-on time at a product showcase. It felt light and certainly wrapped hair efficiently, but I'm not sure if it'd be worth the extra spend compared to the i.d. version for me.

Best for...

The unique feature here is the auto-wrap curl barrels, but you can use this gadget for drying hair and for creating a wide range of blowout styles.

Read more: What is the Dyson Co-anda 2x?

Alternatives

The Airwrap i.d. is very similar, except it's heavier and less powerful. If you don't want to create curls, you also have the option of the Supersonic r and Supersonic Nural hair dryers, which come with a similar selection of drying attachment options.

Dyson Supersonic r

What is it?

The consumer version of Dyson's ultra-slim professional hair dryer. A wide range of compatible attachments are available for different looks and hair types, and the dryer will automatically revert to your preferred settings for each one. When I tested it, I found the weird shape was great for precise styling. It's also lightweight, and packs a ton of power in that compact form.

Best for...

Drying hair and creating various different blowout looks – including complex and precise styles. Suitable for any hair type.

Read more: Dyson Supersonic r review

Alternatives

The other hair dryer in the lineup is the Dyson Supersonic Nural, which has a bulkier build but adds a 'Scalp protect' feature. If you want a dryer that can also create curls, there's the Airwrap Co-anda 2x or Airwrap i.d., or for smooth styles only, there's the wet-to-straight Dyson Airstrait.

Dyson Corrale

Dyson's cordless straightener with flexible hot plates, which flex around the hair to smooth it effectively with less heat damage. In my tests, I was a big fan of the fact it could be used cordless (still very rare on the straightener market), but I did find it a little bulky and heavy. I liked the potential of the flexible plates to avoid excess heat, but found they could snag very slightly.

Best for...

Straightening hair or – with a bit of skill – creating curls. Suitable for all hair types.

Alternatives

Within the Dyson range, your other option is the corded Airstrait, which uses directed air rather than hot plates, and will create a more natural look. That one is also corded. Otherwise, you've got your pick of the best straighteners from any other brand, although cordless options are rare, and the flexible plate design is unique to Dyson.

More of today's best Presidents' Day sales

• Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
• Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $99
• Best Buy: $1,000 off TVs, laptops & headphones
• Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
• Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
• Lenovo: 45% off laptops & tablets
• Lowe's: up to 40% off appliances, furniture & tools
• Samsung: up to $2,000 off appliances, TVs & phones
• Target: 40% off clothing, tech & furniture
• Walmart: furniture, cheap TVs & vacs from $69
• Wayfair: 54% off furniture, rugs & decor

• Dyson has launched the PencilVac Fluffy, following the Fluffycones version
• It features a parallel roller rather than cone-shaped, otherwise the same ultra-compact vacuum design
• Currently available in the US only, it's significantly cheaper than the original

Recently, Dyson launched an almost impossibly compact new vacuum: the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones. It looks nothing like a regular cordless vacuum, because all of the main components have been shrunk right down and hidden within the handle, which itself is about the size of a broom handle.

I tested one out and declared it a true feat of engineering and innovation. In fact, I was completely sold on this new design... save for one niggling issue. Dyson has used cone-shaped rollers on the floorhead, rather than standard parallel ones. The plastic casing then follows the shape of the cones, which means the floorhead comes to a slight point at the front.

The knock-on effect is that the PencilVac Fluffycones can't sit flush to a wall, unless you approach side-on, which isn't always possible. It makes vacuuming the edges of rooms unnecessarily tricky, and tasks like cleaning the stairs – which this lightweight, nimble vacuum would otherwise be perfect for – become a major hassle. It's a problem I also had with the Dyson V16 Piston Animal, which has a similar cone-based floorhead.

Imagine my joy when I spotted an alternative on the dyson.com website, launched without any fuss or fanfare: the Dyson Fluffy. It looks to be exactly the same as the PencilVac Fluffycones, except for the floorhead. The cone-based head has been swapped for one with a parallel roller.

The new floorhead looks similar to the Fluffy / Fluffy Optic floorhead that is bundled in with the Dyson V15 Detect and Gen5detect vacuums, but is possibly slightly more streamlined, as implied by the name: the Micro Fluffy cleaner head. Just like the Fluffycones head, the roller is entirely covered in soft, dense fibers that are designed to get right up close to your hard floors, sweeping away dust and buffing the surface clean, without risking any scratches.

Potential down-sides

For me, the Micro Fluffy cleaner head looks like a clear winner of the two floorhead options. It solves the room edges problem, and based on the specs it's lighter too.

The only thing I'm slightly sad about is that there doesn't appear to be any laser headlamps on this new version – in contrast, the FluffyCones has two, one mounted to the front and another to the back. These help illuminate lingering dust on hard surfaces, to ensure you don't miss any. They also make cleaning that much more satisfying.

The original idea behind using cones is that any long hair the vacuum encounters will make its way down to the small ends of the cones, to be easily sucked up. This works well, but then again I've never had issues with hair-wrap on the standard Fluffy floorhead on my V15 or Gen5detect, either. If you have Rapunzel-like locks, it might still be worth considering the FluffyCones version, but otherwise I'd say you'll be fine with the Micro Fluffy option.

The Dyson PencilVac Fluffy is currently available to buy in the US direct from Dyson, but it's not yet an option on the UK or Australian sites. It costs $449.99 – significantly cheaper than the Fluffycones version, which is listed at $599.99.

It’s no secret that Dyson makes some of the best cordless vacuum cleaners and, while my colleague who’s been testing the British brand’s products for years is not entirely sold on some of its latest releases, I think it’s still one of the most innovative brands in the home appliances space. That, however, means it’s firmly in the premium tier with prices to match.

Take the latest flagship, for example. The company has tried something new, but our Dyson V16 Piston Animal review found it wasn’t the best vacuum we’ve seen from the popular brand. It's also one of the most expensive. However, that minor gripe has now been fixed thanks to a massive discount – it can be now snapped up for just AU$1,399 (down from AU$2,348) – and it’s the most powerful Dyson yet with up to 310AW of suction.

Set the V16 aside, though, and I have it on good authority that there are plenty of other Dysons that are worth the money – as long as you can pick them up at a discount. Dyson’s currently hosting a sale with up to AU$949 off select products, including vacuums, haircare tools and purifiers, but I’ve picked our favourite Dyson vacuums here at TechRadar.

The biggest savings are reserved for models that are a few years old, but still feature at the top of our best Dyson vacuums buying guide, with the powerful and feature-packed Dyson V15 Detect Absolute getting a whopping AU$573 discount.

One notable inclusion that I need to call out is the recently released headline-grabbing Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones, which is getting a AU$151 price cut. This is the vacuum that embodies Dyson’s innovation.

The best part of this sale is that the other vacuums discounted by Dyson are some of its more affordable offerings, making them even more attractive for the discerning buyer. So take a look at my picks from this current sale and suck up the savings (pun intended).

If you’re interested in other Dyson products, some of its hair care products and fans are also discounted, with savings of up to AU$150 for the Dyson Pure Hot + Cool purifying fan and AU$203 off the Dyson Airstrait straightener and dryer.

Whichever product you’re shopping for, be sure to check for any Dyson Australia coupon codes and see if you can save even more on a vacuum, fan or hair care product.

Dyson recently launched three new home appliances: a wet floor cleaner, the Clean+Wash Hygiene, a robot vacuum, the Spot+Scrub Ai, and a regular vacuum, the PencilVac Fluffycones. Of the three, the manual vacuum stands head-and-shoulders above the others.

It makes sense: Dyson has long been considered the vacuum king. There are decades of expertise to draw on there. The other products? Not so much.

It's further convinced me of something I've been thinking about for some time: that brands should lean into what they're good at, rather than trying to be everything to everyone. I don't mean just making one type of product, but I do mean focusing on the expertise you have in your business and looking to maximize it.

Getting experimental

On the surface of it, branching from vacuum to robot vacuum seems pretty logical. Except it's not. Suction – which Dyson does know about – is only a tiny piece of it. Arguably, the software side is much more important. A great cleaning algorithm and reliable navigation are crucial, and none of Dyson's handful of robot vacuum attempts have shone in these areas.

Dyson has also ported in manual vacuum features. I'm not sure whether this is an attempt to connect it to the rest of its products or because it thinks these features make sense in a robot vacuum, but to me, they're not a good fit. Dirt-illuminating laser LEDs are unnecessary here, and the transparent dock dust cup is unwanted.

The Clean+Wash Hygiene is similarly slightly underwhelming. There's no suction (which is fine, although again, it feels like it's not playing to Dyson's strengths), but instead uses a well-designed roller and even water flow to remove solid and/or liquid dirt from your hard floors.

It works fine, but in terms of features, it's notably behind the folks that have been doing wet cleaners for a while – Tineco and Bissell, to name a few. Unfortunately, Dyson's pricing doesn't reflect the short featurelist.

Pencil me in

Then we come to the PencilVac Fluffycones. This is Dyson's area of expertise, and boy does it show. We don't just have a passably good product; we have one that outshines all the competition and introduces something genuinely new to the market.

For the PencilVac, Dyson shrunk all the component parts of a vacuum cleaner down and stuck them in a broom-shaped handle. The result is a machine that's ultra-streamlined, lightweight, and a dream to use. I think it might truly change the vacuum market.

Another area where Dyson has successfully transferred its expertise is haircare. Although on the surface, it seemed like quite the pivot when the brand first announced its Supersonic dryer, it actually makes a lot of sense.

Dyson is skilled at moving air – it's what makes it so prevalent in the vacuum cleaner and fan/purifier spaces – so it follows that it could make a great hair dryer.

Staying in your lane

Dyson isn't the only brand interested in expanding its horizons. At the start of the year, Dreame announced it its entry into... well, just about every home category I can think of. I expressed my concerns that it'd be able to maintain the high standards I've seen so far in its robot vacuums and hair stylers.

I'm all for pushing boundaries, but I also think it's worth playing to your strengths. Not all home brands can offer everything under one roof, and that's fine.

Having established itself as a producer of premium hair-styling gadgets, Dyson has been quietly building a range of premium haircare formulas to sit alongside those devices, and now there's a new addition to the lineup: Dyson Amino. It's a leave-in scalp treatment that's designed to do all manner of great things for your hair, and it's all thanks to a surprising ingredient: barley.

"Beauty and farming are not often thought of in the same breath… but we’ve brought them together to develop a product that unlocks healthy hair with quality ingredients," brand founder Sir James Dyson says.

• View the styling product range at Dyson US / Dyson UK

This foaming treatment is designed to help "protect, hydrate and strengthen all scalp and hair types". Dyson claims it can reduce excess oils by 62%, visible flakes by 88%, and even minimize hair loss by 63%, based on the results of clinical studies in the US and Japan, with participants using the product daily for 12 weeks.

The secret ingredient is barley, which is grown on Dyson's own farms and contains vitamins, minerals such as iron and zinc, as well as antioxidants, all of which have hair-health benefits.

"By growing barley on our farms, we’ve harnessed its amino acid profile to support scalp barrier function and hydration," Sir James says. "It’s a powerful ingredient, naturally rich in nutrients, that provides the foundation for healthier hair."

It's not working alone though: it's blended with 11 amino acids. "Dyson Farming has been exploring how the quality of ingredients – grown, tested and refined – can elevate performance in beauty. This formulation is different because it’s not just engineered, it’s cultivated," Sir James adds.

The Amino is Dyson's first scalp formulation. It sits alongside the brand's Omega nourishing formulas (which use Dyson Farming's sunflower seeds) and Chitosan styling products. It's on sale from today at Dyson US and UK, with a list price of $54.99 / £46.

Dyson is known for its vacuum cleaners, but recently it has been getting more into wet hard-floor cleaners. Its first attempt launched in August 2024, and you can read all about it in my Dyson WashG1 review. Now there's a new model on the block: the Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene.

Unlike the best wet-and-dry vacuums on the market, neither use suction, but instead harness a combination of hydration, agitation and separation to clean your hard floors. To put it another way, they add water, dislodge dirt using cleverly designed rollers, and then separate solid and liquid waste for easy disposal.

Beyond that, though, there are a couple of key differences between the Dyson WashG1 and Clean+Wash Hygiene. The first is that the dock will dry the roller with hot air once it's finished its self-washing cycle. This is a solid improvement; no notes.

The second is that the Clean+Wash stores all the waste water in its floorhead, rather than on a tank mounted to the handle. The idea behind this is that because the liquid's not traveling anywhere, there are no tubes to get gunked up. This design shift makes sense in theory, but has several knock-on effects I'm not such a fan of. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that in making this one change, Dyson has sacrificed most of the WashG1's best features.

Here's why I actually prefer the older Dyson WashG1 over the new and shiny Clean+Wash Hygiene...

1. It's fiddly and messy to empty

The WashG1 has its dirty-water tank mounted to its handle, and this is easy to remove and empty. The solid waste tray slots into the floorhead, and is slightly more complex to fit, but still fairly straightforward.

In contrast, the Clean+Wash Hygiene has its dirty-water tank mounted into the top of the floorhead, with a two-part solid waste tray integrated in. Separating the three components is fiddly, and putting it back together again even more so – and I say this as someone who's pretty good at jigsaws.

The knock-on effect of having a more complicated floorhead, with lots of connecting components, is that it's a lot leakier than the nice, simple WashG1. Now, all the wet floor cleaners I've used are a little bit drippy – it feels like an unavoidable problem – but the Clean+Wash Hygiene seems especially bad. It felt like every time I went to empty the dirty-water tank something would dribble out onto me or the floor.

2. There's only one roller

The WashG1's floorhead has two large microfiber rollers and a bristled roller for solid messes, and delivers efficient cleaning. In contrast, the Clean+Wash Hygiene only has space for one roller on its more complicated floorhead.

I will say I do prefer the microfiber roller design on the Clean+Wash. The scrubbing action is slightly improved, thanks to the addition of wiry, longer fibers that extend a bit from the roller. My ideal scenario? The upgraded microfiber roller design, mounted in the old floorhead.

3. The water tanks are too small

The WashG1 has a 1L clean-water tank, and a 0.8L dirty tank, whereas the Clean+Wash Hygiene equivalents are 0.75L and 0.52L respectively, and the difference was noticeable on test; not so much during the actual mopping – Dyson has tweaked the water delivery so there's only a fine sheen of liquid applied to floors, eking out the clean water as much as possible – but during the self-clean cycle.

Each self-clean cycle uses more than half a tank of clean water, which means for the first few times I ran one of these I had to stop twice per cycle: once to refill the clean water tank and again to empty the dirty tank. Eventually I learned to do this before each self-clean cycle to avoid annoying interruptions.

The benefit of smaller tanks is a more streamlined and lighter machine, so I can see why Dyson was keen to keep things compact here – you'll need to decide your priorities when making your choice.

4. Cleaning the dirty-water tank is tricky

One of the things I liked about the design of the dirty-water tank on the WashG1 – and something Dyson highlighted as a big benefit when I was first shown that machine – was that the waste water tank was designed to be easy to clean.

It's wide enough that you can get your hand in and wipe everything out, and there are no awkward corners where grime can collect. I've tested a number of wet-dry vacuums now, and I've never seen anything like it – dirty water tanks are always too small to get your hand in, and always have sharp edges that get grubby almost instantly.

The setup on the Clean+Wash is especially bad, though. It opens with a screw cap, and there's no access to the inside at all. It's not the worst thing for a dirty water tank to be dirty, but this feels like an oversight in terms of long-term maintenance.

Dyson WashG1 vs Clean+Wash Hygiene: specs compared

Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai: two-minute review

The Spot+Scrub Ai is a shot at robot vacuum redemption for Dyson, since it follows in the wake of two uninspiring attempts to take the fight to rivals like Eufy, Roborock and Dreame. During two months of testing, I found the Spot+Scrub Ai works well when tasked with a little-and-often approach to cleaning. It vacuums well, mostly avoids all manner of obstacles, mops to an acceptable level, and does a great job of cleaning itself – so much so, that after two months' use the mop still looked brand new.

This is all good news, and while the app is a little unintuitive at first – especially with regard to map creation and editing – it eventually makes sense, and its lack of adjustability is a welcome change compared to many rivals obsessed with pages of settings menus.

Up to 18,000 Pa of suction power is very acceptable if not market-leading, and the Dyson performed very well in my hard floor tests, smartly slowing its side brushes to avoid flicking food debris all over the kitchen.

But it wasn't perfect. It seemed to get lost during the setup process, frequently struggled to drive up the ramp into its dock, and once failed to properly empty its bin, causing an overflow and spillage. I also encountered an issue where the target cleaning function was repeatedly ignored, and I'd rather the dust bin of the docking station wasn't transparent, since it gives a constant view of dust, hair and crumbs to everyone in sight.

I anticipate that some of these issues can be fixed with software updates – and, if you create a daily or even twice-weekly schedule, I have no doubt the Dyson will diligently keep your house clean. But it falls short when tasked with deeper, targeted cleans, and while decent for a robot, the mop will always be beaten by a wet wipe and a bit of elbow grease.

That's the short version; read on for my full Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai review.

Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai review: price & availability

• List price: £1,049.99 / AU$1,999 / US TBC
• Available: UK / AU – US to follow
• Launched: February 2026

Dyson's latest attempt to crack the robotic vacuum market was announced in 2025 and went on sale at the end of January 2026. The UK price at launch is £1,049.99, but the US price hadn't been revealed at the time of writing. Given the way our currencies work these days, it'd be safe to assume a very similar figure, around the $1,100 mark. It launched in Australia in early February, with a list price of AU$1,999.

For that you get the robot itself, plus a docking station that houses a bagless dust bin, tanks for clean and dirty water, and a charger. A bottle of detergent is not included, which feels a bit mean given the instructions mention it during the setup process. You'll need to spend £19.99 / AU$38 on 500ml of Dyson's own, or source an alternative.

Four-figure price tags have quickly become the norm among high-end robotic vacuums and mops. So, while it might seem expensive if you're new to these products, the Spot+Scrub Ai doesn't punch your credit card with as much Dyson tax as the company's stick vacuums do.

Rival robots like the Narwal Flow and Eufy Omni S1 Pro cost more, at least at launch. Given the Dyson name, bagless design – meaning no spending on replacement bags – mopping features and AI smarts, it seems fairly priced. No word yet on how much replacement parts will cost.

• Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai specs

Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai review: design

• Bagless docking station, but bin is transparent
• Rotating roller mop with hot water mopping
• Both robot and dock on the larger side

Dyson products are as much about design as they are performance. The iconic clear plastic dustbins, bright colors, red highlights and a hint of the extraterrestrial give Dyson products a design language all of their own. Take the logo off, and its products are still instantly recognizable.

This is still broadly true of the Spot+Scrub Ai, but I can't help thinking Dyson's design team has phoned it in. The handy bagless design is here, which is genuinely useful since it means you'll never have to buy replacement bags for the docking station. There's also a nice bit of sci-fi going on with the bin lid, plus splashes of blue and red on the mopping unit and side brushes.

But that's it. The rest of the product is all rather generic, with little of the wow-factor Dyson loads into its other products with unbridled confidence. Aesthetics shouldn't matter too much, but Dyson products are supposed to be visually exciting and this just isn't.

There are practical issues here too. Clear plastic works well with a handheld stick vacuum, making it easy to see when the bin is full. The same logic applies here, but whereas stick vacuums tend to live in closets, under stairs and generally out of the way, the Spot+Scrub Ai will likely be on full display in your kitchen. I don't want to see the inside of a bin while eating breakfast, and would much rather other parts of the docking station were transparent instead.

It also isn't obvious at a glance which tank is the clean water and which is dirty. Does a filled-in purple circle on top mean clean, or is it the empty circle?

My last concern is its size. Many modern robotic vacuums are rather cumbersome, especially when paired with a dock with water tanks, but the Dyson is especially bulky. The dock measures 45.5cm high, 44cm wide and 50.8cm deep, while the robot is 11cm tall, 37cm long and 37.3cm wide. It's a little taller than some rivals, so you'll want to check the height against any furniture you want it to clean under before buying.

Thankfully, the rest of the Dyson's design is good. It feels well-made and is easy to set up and use. The robot itself has the usual pair of spinning side brushes for reaching into corners, and a roller brush underneath, plus a large mop that rotates and slides outwards by 1.57 in / 4cm to the side, helping it clean right up against the wall.

The roller mop uses water warmed to 140F / 60C and self-cleans as it goes, then gets cleaned again (and dried) when back at the base station. It's a comprehensive approach to mopping that promises to perform well.

The robot's own bin has a generous 3-liter capacity, and although Dyson doesn't say, the onboard water tank looks to be around 1.5 liters, and gets replenished from the base station during longer mopping tasks.

• Design score: 4 out of 5

Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai review: performance

• Clever automatic vacuuming adjustment but self-emptying can fail
• Thorough (if noisy) mop self-cleaning
• Good obstacle avoidance but some navigation problems

I used the Spot+Scrub Ai for a couple of months before writing this review, including over a busy holiday period with frequent cleans of the kitchen and lounge after hosting family, and vacuuming up Christmas tree needles. I wrote more about my initial impressions here, and while the Dyson failed to impress on day one, I grew to like it over the weeks to come.

It only once got stuck, having become caught on the power cable of some Christmas lights. This was an oversight on my behalf, and although the Dyson spent all day – literally hours while I was out, until its battery died – trying to break free, no damage was done to the lighting or the robot. Every other cleaning mission was completed successfully, and it also created a second map and cleaned the upstairs without any problem.

As ever with these robots, there's a concern that it'll get confused and start mopping the carpet, but thankfully it's smart enough not to do this. You can manually put restrictions in with the app, telling it not to mop or vacuum certain areas – although, unlike many premium bots with flat mop pads, the Spot+Scrub Ai can't lift its roller when traversing carpet after mopping, nor can it drop it off in the dock when it's not required.

Moving to TechRadar's specific robovac tests, and the Dyson didn't start well. Tasked with vacuuming a flour and crumb mix from a section of carpet, it drove to the target area and cleaned, but somehow entirely missed the debris. The path it drove covered barely half of the target area, for no apparent reason.

I tried twice more, and again it completely failed to clean up the crumb mix. Bafflingly, it appeared to actively avoid the dirt, driving around it as if it were an obstacle.

Exasperated, I tasked the Dyson with vacuuming the entire room instead. This worked fine, suggesting a fault with the target cleaning mode. The Quick and Quiet modes (recorded by a microphone at 61 dB and 63 dB, respectively) both did an okay job, but you're best either using Boost (71 dB) or Auto, where the robot works it all out for itself. This Dyson is among the loudest robovacs I've tested, with its drive motors noisier than others and even the Quiet mode being audible from a room or two away. Self-emptying into the dock is especially loud, at 81 dB.

The Spot+Scrub Ai's obstacle avoidance skills are decent, with it successfully avoiding items like sockets, slippers and USB cables placed in its way. It nudged my slipper a couple of times, and once got very close to the cable, but managed to avoid everything, clean around them, and return safely to base.

Performance was similar when I swapped the crumb mix for a scattering of dry oats, and on carpet the Dyson performed best when asked to clean the whole room in Auto mode. It mostly did a good job of picking up the oats from where I'd scattered them, but spilled some when turning around and driving over a door threshold. I don't mind a few dropped oats, but the Dyson performed poorly here, spreading the debris around far more than I'd hoped it would.

I later realized its internal bin was overflowing, and had failed to empty into the bagless bin of the dock, despite it being programmed to do so every 15 minutes. That 81 dB of suction sound after each clean didn't seem to have done much at all. I emptied the bin myself and found no cause for the blockage – just dust, oats and Christmas tree needles.

The robot also had a sizable amount of hair wrapped around its central roller brush, which needed removing with scissors. Other robovacs have anti-tangle designs to better prevent this, and it's worth mentioning this is a two-person household with no pets. Once cleaned up and properly emptied, it was back to top performance, using Auto mode to vacuum up almost all of the oats from my carpet.

I next switched to a hard kitchen floor. Here, the Spot+Scrub Ai seemed to spot where debris was and ramp up the suction over that area, clearing a section of the crumb mix with ease (with one pass of Auto mode). A few crumbs were flicked across the room, but the quality of clean was otherwise very impressive, and it adhered to the target cleaning zone this time. If only it had performed so well during the carpet cleaning earlier.

The oat test on hard floor was similarly successful, with the Dyson slowing down, diving carefully over the debris, upping its suction power and even slowing its rotating brushes right down to prevent oats being flicked all over the room – something many rivals are frequently guilty of.

It wasn't quite a perfect clean, since a few oats were still pushed outside of the target zone. But it did relatively well on what is often a tough test. As ever, setting the robot to vacuum a whole room delivers the best results.

Mopping

Finally, mopping. For this I smeared some ketchup on a wooden floor and let it dry for a couple of hours. The Dyson spends a few minutes preparing to mop – filling its water tank, washing the roller mop, warming up the water – and it's a pretty loud process, at about 71 dB.

The actual mopping process is quieter, between about 62 dB and 67 dB. The Dyson's mop reaches outwards to scrub right up against the walls, and it drives methodically over the target area. As per the 'Spot+Scrub' part of the name, one of this bot's USPs is that it's meant to detect spills on hard flooring and go back-and-forth over them until they're clear. I didn't notice it doing anything like this in my tests.

After my zone clean, some ketchup remained, so I cranked the settings up to maximum: water level three and two passes of the target zone. This removed more, but not all, of the ketchup. Ultimately, for a stain like this you're best off tackling it yourself with a damp cloth or wet wipe.

Afterwards, the robot drains its water tank and cleans the mop, which is also rather loud at 70 dB and lasts around five minutes before the mop is dried (44 dB). It's worth shouting out the effectiveness of this setup – even after two months of regular use, the mop still looked brand new.

As with all robotic vacuums and mops, the Dyson is best used for a little-and-often cleaning strategy. For weeks, it did a good job of keeping my house visibly clean. But when tasked with specific chores, it didn't perform as well as I'd hoped from the Dyson brand.

Lastly for performance, the Spot+Scrub Ai frequently struggled to drive back into its dock. I've no idea why, but it would sometimes try for a while, fail, then turn around a few times, try again, and eventually succeed. It's as if it can't quite manage the slope up to the dock, despite being on a perfectly flat floor.

• Performance score: 3.5 out of 5

Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai review: app

• Refreshing lack of adjustability
• Dyson product ads
• Could be more intuitive for map creation and edition

The app was one of my primary concerns during my initial test of the Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai, but once I'd spent a few days with it I found it works well. It's still not the most intuitive menu system I've seen, especially with regard to map creation and editing, but I like that there aren't pages and pages of adjustable settings, as with some other robovacs.

There's a sense that Dyson trusts its robot to just get on with the job, and therefore doesn't ask if you'd like to adjust every parameter of how it functions. That said, I'd like more detail about spotted obstacles; these only appear as an orange cone on the map, but I'd prefer a better description of what the object is, or even a photograph. Dyson says the robot can identify 200 objects, so this could surely be possible.

Multiple maps can be created (one for each floor of your home), and you can tell the robot to avoid certain areas, or tell it to never mop or vacuum certain areas. Mostly, you'll want to leave it in Auto and have it clean entire rooms, or even floors, at a time.

I got into the habit of using the robot to clean our kitchen every evening, and vacuum the lounge and hallway at the weekend. This is where robovacs work at their best. Or, better yet, create a schedule and have the Dyson clean every day while you're out.

The app is also full of helpful videos to explain how everything works and how to clean, service and replace consumable parts. I like how the app shows the approximate life remaining of each part as a percentage, and how Dyson is transparent with the costs of every component. It'll let you buy replacements for just about everything, even including the docking station. Slightly annoying is how the app serves as an ad to show off unrelated Dyson products, like headphones and hair dryers.

• App score: 4 out of 5

Should you buy the Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai

I set up the Dyson and used it as my only vacuum and mop for a couple of months. The test began by setting up the robot and having it create maps of both floors of my house, then using it to keep all carpets and hard floors clean.

I used the robot every couple of days across the Christmas period, then set about conducting TechRadar's standardized robovac tests to assess the performance of its vacuuming, mopping, navigation and self-cleaning abilities.

Read more about how we test robot vacuum cleaners

• First reviewed December 2025

Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene: two-minute review

The Clean+Wash Hygiene is the second in Dyson's hard floor cleaner line. Like its range-mate, the Dyson WashG1, it stands out for not using suction at all, but instead harnessing a mixture of 'agitation, hydration and separation' to get your hard floors squeaky clean.

The absence of suction means this cleaner is significantly lighter than most true wet-dry vacuums, and it also means it can operate relatively quietly. On test, I couldn't see a compromise in performance, either: I was very impressed with how effectively the Clean+Wash Hygiene picked up all kinds of messes, including chunky particles like oats, using just its cleverly designed roller.

Liquid waste is separated from solid, and one USP here is that all the waste is stored in the floorhead itself. Dyson says this is good news for longevity, because there are no pipes to get grimy or blocked up. I did find the emptying process a little fiddly, and the floorhead was drippier than other hard floor cleaners I've used.

There's a self-clean cycle that runs fresh water through the system. It will likely require you to empty the dirty water tank and refill the clean one mid-cycle, but otherwise it's effective at removing dirt from the roller. Dyson has also added hot air drying here – it's noisy but again, effective. Even after the muckiest of cleaning task, my roller looked good-as-new afterwards.

Bar some minor quibbles, I was impressed with this cleaner. Whether it's worth the asking price is another thing – I've tested some of the best wet-and-dry vacuums on the market, and there's little that stands out as truly exceptional here, unfortunately.

That's the short version; read on for my full Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene review.

Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene review: price & availability

• List price: £429.99 / AU$799
• Available: Now in the UK and AU, US to follow
• Launched: December 2025 (UK), March 2026 (AU)

The Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene went on sale in the UK in December 2025, at a list price of £429.99. An Australian launched followed after in March 2026, when it went on sale for AU$799. It's due to become available in the US at a later date in 2026, but I don't have any specifics or pricing yet – based on UK pricing, it might be around $600.

That's in the premium band for a hard floor cleaner, and although the build quality is excellent and plenty of thought has clearly gone into the design, I don't think it does quite enough to justify the price tag. For that kind of money I'd expect to see the option of suction, and special features like dirt detection, automatic adjustment, and even foam / steam functions.

• Value for money score: 3 out of 5

Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene specs

Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene review: design

• Streamlined and relatively lightweight, and can lie flat
• Waste is stored in the floorhead, and separated into solids and liquids
• Self-clean function and hot air drying on the dock

The Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene is a lightweight hard floor cleaner with a handful of interesting design features. Rather surprisingly given this brand's heritage, there's no suction here – instead, it uses hydration and agitation to remove dirt from hard flooring.

The roller spins at speed, and is continually fed with fresh water, as the dirty stuff is scraped off. It can handle mixed solid-and-liquid spills, and to a certain extent also dust and other dry debris (although it won't be as effective as a regular stick vacuum here).

The roller is densely packed with fibers to make it as absorbent as possible, and Dyson has added wiry bristles that stick out a bit, for extra scrubbing power. There's also an anti-tangle comb behind the roller to prevent hair wrap. On one side the roller goes right up close to the edge of the floorhead, but on the other there's a decent chunk of casing. The roller can be removed for rinsing as required.

One of the areas where Dyson tends to shine in its floorcare range is maneuverability, but I didn't find the Clean+Wash Hygiene quite as nimble as I expected. Don't get me wrong, it's far from cumbersome – it's streamlined in design and pivots smoothly, but it felt a little less agile than something like the Dyson WashG1. I was impressed that it could lie completely flat to the ground, until the whole thing is just 4.44 inches / 11.3cm tall. A small wheel on the back of the handle helps it maneuver smoothly in this mode.

The dirty water compartment is integrated into the floorhead itself – similar to the mopping floorhead on the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine. The thinking is that because the dirt has nowhere to really travel, there's no tubing to get clogged up. Liquid ends up in a dirty water tank, and solid waste is filtered out into a separate tray. The two compartments are removed as one, but getting them apart and then back together again is a little fiddly compared to other wet-dry vacuums I've tested... not to mention messier.

There are three hydration modes to choose from, and a Boost mode to add extra water for tackling dried-on dirt. Dyson proudly claims the 750ml clean water tank will cover an area of 350 sqm, leaving such a fine sheen of moisture that your floors will be dry within 60 seconds. There are no other special modes, such as automated setting adjustment.

One major upgrade on the Clean+Wash Hygiene compared to the WashG1 is that Dyson has introduced hot air drying on the dock. So after mopping, you run a self-clean cycle which runs fresh water over the roller. Then it's dried using wafts of warm (185F / 85C) air, saving you from having to remove it and put it out somewhere to dry.

• Design score: 4 out of 5

Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene review: performance

• Efficient, relatively quiet cleaning of liquid and solid spills
• Floorhead a little drippy, and self-clean cycle uses a lot of water
• Mop drying rather noisy but effective

I started by filling up the clean water and embarking on a whole-floor clean. The roller saturated fairly quickly without any pre-wetting, and left a very light, even sheen of water on my vinyl flooring. It's easy to toggle modes, and the screen spells out remaining cleaning time so you'll never unexpectedly run out of battery.

Because there's no suction, it's relatively quiet in operation, and the runtimes are long too. The Clean+Wash Hygiene can last up to 45 minutes per charge.

Cleaning

To assess its capabilities more closely, I tested how the Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene handled a range of tricky cleaning challenges. I started with soy sauce mixed with oats. It gobbled up all the oats in one forward and backward pass in Med mode – impressive, given there's no suction here.

Then I decided it was time to bring out the big guns. I smeared maple syrup, crunchy peanut butter and Marmite (a super-sticky, viscous spread) on a vinyl floor. This time it struggled a bit. I unleashed Boost mode, and it took about 20 seconds of back-and-forth to clear the mess. That's a decent result – this test is purposefully very tricky. Plus, there was no sticky residue left behind.

Like every wet-and-dry cleaner I'm aware of, this machine is only suitable for perfectly flat floors. It can't deal with uneven surfaces such as flagstones, and it won't get into the cracks between tiles either – although it does do a better job of this than some, thanks to those bristles in the roller.

Maintenance

After my mopping session, it was time to clean out the waste. Although I see the logic in separating liquid from solid waste, and I acknowledge the potential long-term maintenance benefits, the emptying process does feel fiddlier than usual.

Unlike on the WashG1, you can't get your hand inside the dirty water tank to clean it out. The design of the tank also makes it very difficult to see when it's filling up, although it will inform you on screen.

I also found the floorhead had a tendency to drip or leak dirty water when handled. No wet-dry vacuum is perfect in this respect, but this Dyson machine seems especially bad for it, perhaps because the waste compartments are relatively complicated in design, with lots of separate elements.

Next, I embarked on a self-clean cycle. This starts by flushing the system with fresh water to get rid of lingering dirt. Almost immediately, the machine paused and asked me to refill the clean water tank. After relaunching, it paused again and asked me to empty the dirty water.

I'd recommend doing both these things before launching a self-clean cycle, and again afterwards, to avoid annoying disruptions. The process uses more than half a tank of fresh water, so it'll almost certainly be required.

Flushing complete, the dock then begins to dry the roller with hot air. This part is surprisingly noisy too, although it only lasts around half an hour. (On other machines I've used, the drying lasts longer but is much quieter, and on some advanced models you have the option of short-and-noisy or long-and-quiet.) Afterwards, I inspected the roller and it was almost completely dry, with no dirt to speak of.

• Performance score: 4 out of 5

Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene: Scorecard

How I tested the Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene

I used the Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene for a couple of weeks on my hard floors. Aside from day-to-day use, I ran a series of dedicated cleaning tests to see how it coped with different kinds of messes, including liquid-solid spills, sticky and viscous substances. I compared my findings with other hard floor cleaners, and assessed if this model offered strong value for money.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed January 2026

Dyson PencilVac: two-minute review

The Dyson PencilVac looks nothing like any vacuum I've seen before. All the mechanisms – the motor, filters, battery, and even the dust cup – are hidden within the handle, which measures just 1.5 inches / 3.8cm in diameter. That isn't the only unique thing about the PencilVac: the floorhead is also very quirky, with its four, fluffy, conical rollers rotating in opposite directions to lift dirt and buff your floors clean.

In use, it's the most nimble vacuum I've tested. The head appears to hover across the floor; it can be used forwards or backwards, and lie completely flat to the ground. With a bit of practice, you can make the floorhead do figure eights.

Those fluffy rollers are specifically meant for use on hard flooring – there's nothing to agitate carpet fibers to release trapped dirt. The suction power is in line with what I'd expect for a hard floor-specific vacuum, too: a relatively low 55AW of power, when most of the best Dyson vacuums have at least double that.

That power proved plenty to whisk away dog hair and dust from my hard floors, however. I could see it was doing a good job, because lasers installed in the front and back of the floorhead do a stellar job of illuminating any lingering dirt.

There are a couple more compromises for that ultra-streamlined, super-light build. The battery life is rather limited, topping out at 30 minutes per charge. The dust bin is small, too, although air compression helps maximize the amount you can fit into the physical space.

The only issue I think is a genuine mistake on Dyson's part is that the floorhead comes to a slight point, which means it can't sit flush to a wall. This makes it really tricky to get a thorough edge clean. It's extra-annoying here given the emphasis on maneuverability and thoroughness of coverage. This shape is dictated by the tapering rollers, which are designed to prevent hair wrap, but I've found Dyson's Motorbar and Fluffy floorheads do this perfectly well without the need for a tapering roller.

It's a relatively minor complaint in what is a genuinely impressive feat of engineering – and a useful one at that. If you have mostly hard floors and want a nimble, lightweight vacuum that will and highlight hidden dust as you clean, you'll struggle to find something better than this. Read on for my full Dyson PencilVac review.

Dyson PencilVac review: price & availability

• List price: US TBC / £429.99 / AU$949
• Available: US TBC / UK 10 Dec / Australia August 2025
• Launched: Summer 2025

The PencilVac was announced in June 2025 and went on sale in Australia in August. A UK launch followed in December 2025. At time of writing, it isn't yet available in the US. At the list price it costs £429.99 / AU$949 (discounted to AU$798 at time of writing). That's equivalent to around $590 in the US, although actual pricing is unknown.

That puts the PencilVac in the premium price bracket for vacuums. You're paying extra for the unique design here (and a little bit for the Dyson name). In terms of specs such as suction power, runtime, and even special features and accessories, it doesn't compare favorably to other models on the market. However, if you want something ultra-light and maneuverable, there's nothing else like it (for now, at least...). The build quality is excellent, as I'd expect from Dyson.

• Value for money score: 3.5 out of 5

Dyson PencilVac specs

Dyson PencilVac review: design

• Lightweight, compact build, with all mechanisms hidden in handle
• Extremely maneuverable, can be used either way around
• Small dust cup, but uses air compression to maximize space

The design here is unique. There's no visible battery, motor, filter, or dust cup section. Instead, all that is packed within the wand, which measures 1.5 inches / 3.8cm in diameter. To achieve that, Dyson has had to re-engineer its motor to one that's incredibly compact – the Hyperdymium 140k motor is just 1.1 inches / 2.8cm wide, and hidden entirely within the handle.

The PencilVac in general is very lightweight, at 4lbs / 1.8kg (by comparison, the V8 is 5.5 lbs / 2.5kg with wand and floorhead attached), and extremely nimble.

The battery forms the top section of the wand, and can be removed and swapped. Moving down you'll find the controls – there are just two buttons: an On/Off, and a second button to switch modes (Eco, Med and Boost; there's no auto-adjustment here). A small screen displays the mode you're using and how much time you have left on the clock.

Move down further and you'll find the dust cup behind a transparent casing; this allows you a view as it fills up. Rather unusually, the dust collects at the top of the bin section. Not surprisingly, the capacity is rather limited, at 0.08L (most of Dyson's stick vacuums have a 0.8L bin). However, the PencilVac apparently uses air to squish down the particles, so that they take up as little room as possible. As such, Dyson says that this cup will hold up to five times its physical volume.

To empty the bin, you remove the floorhead and slide the whole casing down. The dust and dirt then shoots out of the bottom. This process is straightforward and works well, although I did find particles got stuck in and around the bin casing.

At the end of the wand you'll find the new Fluffycones floorhead – another unique part of the PencilVac. This a kind of hybrid between the All Floors Cones Sense floorhead introduced with the Dyson V16 Piston Animal, and the Fluffy cleaner head that made its debut with the Dyson V15 Detect.

Instead of having one or two tube-shaped rollers, the Fluffycones head has four conical ones. The tapering shape is designed specifically as a way to deal with long hair: rather than becoming tangled around the brush roll, the strands should make their way down to the small end of the cone where they drop off in a clump, and can be vacuumed up in a single pass. It's an idea that Dyson first used in its Hair screw tool.

However, unlike the All Floors Cones Sense head, the rollers here are entirely covered with soft, fluffy fabric. This is perfect for use on hard floors, where it can get right up close to the flat surface without risking scratches. It isn't well-suited to carpet, though, because there's nothing to agitate the fibers and release embedded dirt.

Dyson has also added a green laser to both the front and back of the Fluffycones floorhead. This is designed to highlight specks of dirt that might otherwise be missed.

The cones extend a little way past the hard plastic casing, and rotate in opposite directions, which means the PencilVac can pick up debris when pushed forwards and when pulled backwards. In fact, because it's basically symmetrical, you can use it either way around.

Since the "wand" contains all the inner mechanisms, the PencilVac isn't quite as versatile as a traditional stick vacuum. You can't remove the wand part and use it like a hand vacuum. However, you can swap out the floorhead for a detail tool. There was one included with my review model: a "Rotating combi-crevice tool" that can be used like a traditional Crevice tool, or with the brush section engaged to sweep up dirt (NB: it doesn't actually rotate).

• Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Dyson PencilVac review: performance

• Excellent and very efficient pickup on hard floor, even in Eco mode
• Not designed for use on carpet, and not sucky enough for ingrained dirt
• Laser light is effective and useful

So how does the Dyson PencilVac perform in practice? The first thing to emphasize is how comfortable it is to use. Although it takes a moment to get used to the different grip – you hold this cleaner like a broom, rather than like a traditional stick vacuum – it's very light in the hand and maneuvers incredibly well. You can use it forwards or backwards, and the floorhead pivots with ease. With the detail tool attached, it's also super easy to clean up high or in tight spaces.

Unfortunately, the design of the floorhead isn't quite as impressive. Since it comes to a slight point at the front, it can't sit flush to a wall. This was one of my main complaints with the similarly shaped All Floors Cones Sense floorhead, and it's no less annoying here. If you can't approach an edge side-on, it's tricky to achieve a thorough clean. This kind of vacuum should be perfect for the stairs, say... except the reality is that using the PencilVac to clean along all those straight edges is a nightmare.

This isn't the most powerful Dyson vacuum – you're getting a maximum 55AW of suction, where most Dyson stick vacs have double that. Also, the design of the floorhead doesn't lend itself to being ultra-sucky, either. Usually, the casing around the edges would descend to the floor around all four edges, creating a "vacuum" (in the original sense of the word) underneath. That isn't the case here. And because the rollers are soft all over, there's nothing to agitate embedded dust.

None of that is an issue if you're just using the PencilVac on hard flooring, which is its intended use. You don't need a ton of suction to clean hard floors, because all the dust and dirt is sat right there on the surface. But if you're seeking something for carpet, or even a vacuum that will pull the dirt from the cracks and crevices in your floorboards, this isn't it.

To get a more objective view of how well the PencilVac cleans, I ran a series of tests using dry, loose tea (to represent fine particles) and a dry couscous/oat mix (to represent chunky debris) on the large tiles of my kitchen floor. The results were very impressive: the vacuum picked up everything in a single pass, even on the lowest Eco mode. There was minimal pinging of large particles, and the fact that the head cleans from both sides meant I could clear the spillage in half the time.

In general use, the PencilVac was a dream to use in my kitchen. The Fluffycones head seemed to hover across floors, moving smoothly and with minimal effort on my part, whisking away dirt and pet hair as it went. The lasers did a great job of illuminating dust in dingy areas, and I could easily direct the vacuum into tight corners – down the side of a sofa, for example. The only annoyance was that awkwardly angled floorhead.

Although this vacuum isn't really built for carpets, I still ran my standard carpet tests to see how it would cope. It pulled up a decent amount of chunky debris in a single forward pass in Medium mode, although it did flick other bits about.

Medium mode wasn't enough to pull many of the flecks of fine dry tea from my mid-pile carpet, and even after several passes I could still see a shadow where the tea had been sprinkled.

I also decided to try the PencilVac on the canvas-style mat in my kitchen. It pulled up a good amount of debris, and there was less pinging than there had been on the carpet. It's certainly capable of pulling surface dirt from this kind of flooring, and perfectly fine for everyday cleaning.

• Performance score: 4 out of 5

Dyson PencilVac review: battery life

• Promises 30 mins in Eco, 20 in Medium, and 5 in Boost
• 2 hours recharge time
• Battery removable and swappable

The main compromise you're making for the lightweight, compact build is a smaller battery. Larger, heavier Dyson vacuums last over an hour in their lowest-powered mode, but the runtimes on the PencilVac are much shorter. Dyson promises 30 minutes in Eco mode, 20 in Medium and 5 in the most powerful Boost mode. The battery recharges in a relatively speedy 2 hours.

Medium mode is the one I'd typically default to, and it lasted for 18 minutes at the power (less than Dyson's listed specs). That's really quite short for a middle mode, although it did give me enough time to clean three bathrooms, a large kitchen and utility room, so maybe it isn't too much of an issue. I'd also say that for hard flooring, Eco mode will actually usually be sucky enough for most situations.

I've been testing vacuums for a while now, and with the PencilVac I missed having a dirt-detecting Auto mode, although I can see why it wasn't included here. I'm pleased to see that despite the battery taking a different format, it's still removable and replaceable, which should help with the longevity of the PencilVac overall.

• Battery life score: 3.5 out of 5

Should you buy the Dyson PencilVac?

How I tested the Dyson PencilVac

I used the Dyson PencilVac regularly for a couple of months, to get a general feel for its performance and usefulness. I also ran specific cleaning tests including chunky particles (dry couscous/oat mix) and fine particles (dry, loose tea) on my hard floor, thin mats and carpet. I compared my findings with other vacuums I've tested, and assessed if it offered strong value for money.

Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners

• First reviewed November 2025

I've been writing about vacuums for a long time now, and every new cordless vacuum that comes out seems to offer more suction and longer runtimes. Dyson has bucked that trend with its new launch. The Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones has suction and runtime specs that, if I was being polite, I'd describe as 'underwhelming'. Despite that, it's one of the best cordless vacuums I've tested in a long time, and I truly think it's going to shake up the vacuum market.

In its PencilVac, Dyson has embraced a completely new form factor. It looks more like a broom than a cordless vacuum, with all the main mechanical components (motor, filter, dust cup, battery) shrunk down and hidden within the handle. It's incredibly streamlined and impressively lightweight.

It's designed for use on hard floors, and for that it's absolutely perfect. I've been testing it out for several weeks (read my full Dyson PencilVac review) and it has no trouble clearing every last speck of dust from my tiled kitchen floor. I can see how much of a good job it's doing, because there are lasers mounted to the front and back of the floorhead that light up the tiniest specks of dirt like a beacon.

The reason the lasers are on the front and the back is because this cleaner works from both directions, which cuts cleaning times in half. It's ultra-nimble and incredibly low-effort to use – I loved flinging it around my kitchen and watching the laser-illuminated dust disappearing before my very eyes.

A forgotten market

This kind of vacuum will be perfect for anyone who struggles with lifting or maneuvering a traditional stick vacuum. It's a chunk of the market that has been somewhat forgotten about lately. Generally, in their quest for ever-more suction and ever-longer battery life, brands have been compromising on weight. Dyson is particularly guilty of this. Its newest models, the V16 Piston Animal and Gen5detect vacuum, both weigh a hefty 7.5 lbs / 3.4kg. The PencilVac, in contrast, weighs 4 lbs / 1.8kg.

This kind of compact, easily maneuverable vacuum will also suit anyone with awkward corners to clean. What's more, the lightweight build is perfect for cleaning up high, with the detail tool attached.

Sure, it won't suit everyone. The design is specifically for hard floors and perhaps the occasional canvas-style rug – the floorhead design and suction level won't work for carpet. That's fine; those with carpets to clean have plenty of alternatives to choose from.

The relatively short runtimes (you'll get around 30 minutes' cleaning in Eco mode and 20 in Med, whereas most modern vacuums offer an hour or more in the lowest mode) aren't going to be a problem for everyone either. I found that a. Eco mode was sucky enough to clean my hard floors efficiently, and b. 30 minutes was plenty of time to clean my large kitchen and three bathrooms, partly thanks to the efficient design and smooth maneuvering.

The Dyson PencilVac is proof that there's space for different kinds of vacuum cleaners on the market. By (to some extent) ignoring suction power and battery life, Dyson has freed the PencilVac up to shine in different areas. I've already seen my first dupe, and I'm confident it won't be the last.

No one wants to spend a fortune on something as mundane as a vacuum cleaner, but choosing a cheap vacuum is a risky process – pick the wrong one and you'll be wasting your money on a model that won't clean properly and needs replacing before its time.

I've tested dozens of vacuums at different price points, and I have good news: there are affordable vacuums about that do a sterling cleaning job, without breaking the bank. Below, I've rounded up the best cheap vacuums to buy, and found the best deal on each to save you from having to shop around.

I've tested two of the three personally, and all come from reliable, respected brands that have considerable expertise in this area. In fact, the #1 pick also sits right at the top of my best cordless vacuum ranking. Read on for my favorite cheap vacuums...

1. Dreame R20

The Dreame R20 is just a really solid all-rounder for a very affordable price. It's relatively easy to find around the £200 mark, and you're getting features and extras that usually command a much higher price. There's automatic suction adjustment based on dirt detected, generous runtimes, and a separate soft floorhead designed for hard flooring (it'll get right up close to the surface and buff it clean without risking scratches). There's also a mini motorized upholstery tool that's amongst the best I've used at removing pet hair from furniture.

In my review the Dreame R20 achieved solid scores across the board when it came to cleaning, performing especially well in my deep carpet and pet hair tests. It's not the suckiest cleaner I've used (the V8 below is a better choice if outright power is your priority) but it'll be more than adequate for most people's needs.

2. Dyson V8 Advanced

If your priority is suction power, this is the affordable vacuum I'd go for. It's simpler than the Dreame – there's no automatic suction adjustment, and just two power modes to toggle between – and it comes with fewer attachments. However, what it lacks in bells and whistles, it makes up for in outright power. If you have lots of carpet or shedding pets to clean up after, this is the vacuum to go for.

The V8 is the oldest model in the current Dyson cordless lineup, and there is a very slightly updated version with 130AW of power rather than the original 115AW. Slightly confusingly, there's also an even more updated option, called the Dyson V8 Cyclone – it's better all round, but deals are rare so expect to pay more if you opt for that version.

3. Shark Corded Stick vacuum HZ500UKT

Opting for a corded vacuum rather than a cordless one is a great way to maximize your bang for buck, and this one from Shark is excellent value for money. As a general rule of thumb, corded vacuums tend to deliver better suction than cordless, and last longer overall too.

While I haven't tested this exact model, we have reviewed other, similar corded stick vacuums from Shark and they've impressed us (here's an example review). In fact, Shark is one of my favorite vacuum brands, and consistently earns high scores. The features look good too – there's no automatic suction adjustment, as you'll find on the Dreame (#1), but this vacuum has a handy forward-bending wand for cleaning under furniture, an anti hair-wrap floorhead and comes with three detail tools including a mini motorized head for upholstery.

Dyson is one of the most respected appliance brands around, and has a reputation for invention. In my role as a TechRadar Homes Editor, I've had a chance to try out almost all of this brand's gadgets and appliances (as well as plenty of competitor products, for added context). I'm consistently impressed with Dyson's creativity and innovation... but not all of its inventions are quite as good as others.

Below, I've listed Dyson's big innovations, ranked from best to worst. To narrow things down a bit, I've focused on the brand's vacuum cleaners and haircare gadgets, though, of course, it also has significant stakes in the air purifier and fan markets. Read on for the Dyson features that truly blew me away, and those that turned out to be downgrades in disguise.

#1. A teeny tiny motor

Any handheld gadget typically benefits from being as compact and light as possible. For its Supersonic r hair dryer, Dyson shrunk the motor right down and put it in an incredibly compact shell. It looks weird, but it's a dream to use, with the pipe-like shape directing air with precision – plus, it blasts out air with serious force for such a small gadget.

Perhaps even more impressive is the new Dyson PencilVac. This is a cordless stick vacuum, except all the internal mechanics have been shrunk down and tucked into the handle, which is 1.5 inches / under 4cm in diameter.

It looks like a broom handle, except inside there's a tiny little motor, alongside filters, a battery, and even a dust cup. It almost defies belief. I've been busy testing this gadget at home, and it's ultra-nimble and light.

#2. Lasers on vacuums

Want to be disgusted by exactly how dusty your floors are? Now you can! Dyson was the brand that first put dirt-illuminating laser headlamps on its vacuum floorheads. They're ultra-bright and positioned at precisely the right angle to cast big shadows on the tiniest particles and finest hairs on your hard flooring.

They're genuinely useful in making sure you get every last speck of dust cleared away. They're also just generally really satisfying to use and helpful in highlighting (literally) the dirt-hotspots that are getting neglected.

These were first introduced on the Dyson V15 Detect, but appear on most of Dyson's newest vacuums, including the Dyson Gen5detect and V16 Piston Animal. Lots of brands have copycat versions these days. I've tested plenty of headlamp-equipped vacuums from different brands, but very few come close to Dyson's version in terms of effectiveness.

#3. Curl automation

Dyson deserves credit for pioneering a new way of curling hair with its OG Airwrap. Now my bathroom is full of Airwrap dupes, and the auto-wrapping, air-powered curling feels like old news, but Dyson has managed to capture my attention once again with a major upgrade to its iconic multi-styler.

The newest models – the Airwrap i.d. and Airwrap Co-anda 2x – have a little spring-loaded switch on the front that automates the curl sequence for you. Flick it upwards, and it kicks off a wrap – curl – cool shot process, so all you need to do is hold the styler in place while it works its magic.

The timings of each part are specific to your hair and determined by a quiz you complete in the companion app. Normally, I'm pretty opposed to apps for things that shouldn't really need one, but here, Dyson gets a pass.

Now, this upgrade isn't essential. I could achieve the same results on my own with some focus and clock-watching. It's just that it makes styling so effortless. And because I invariably get bored or distracted when trying to curl without the automated sequence, the results on me always look more polished and last longer when the machine times it all out for me.

#4. Ultra-precise dust detection

Dyson's newer flagship vacuums (from the V15 onwards) have the ability to detect exactly the size and number of particles they're sucking up at any time, and report back on a screen mounted above the handle. They do this in real-time, via a colorful, moving bar graph, and a summary is provided at the end of the cleaning session. The vacuums also use the information to adjust suction to clean away the particles efficiently.

Let's be clear: I do really like this feature. The reason it's further down my list is that I'm not convinced all of it is strictly necessary. The particle detection and automatic suction adjustment is super-useful. I also enjoy watching the bars shift as I clean, and to some extent, it helps me do a more thorough job, as I can see where the floor is especially dirty.

However, the real-time reports are limited in their practical usefulness, and there's certainly no need for them to be broken up by particle size. I have a sneaking suspicion the bar graph is mainly there for the gratification of the engineers who really, really wanted us to know what was going on under the hood and how much work it took to make it.

#5. Submarine floorheads

Another innovation I'm on the fence about is Submarine floorheads – mopping heads that can be swapped onto certain vacuums to enable them to wet-clean as well as vacuum. In fact, it might be more accurate to say I'm not sure Dyson has really found its way when it comes to wet cleaners in general.

I haven't been blown away by any of the mopping gadgets I've tested from Dyson so far. The V15s Detect Submarine suffered from a poorly designed Submarine head that had an unfortunate tendency to leak dirty water when disconnected from the machine for emptying. And while the Dyson WashG1 is a very good cleaner, it doesn't do enough to justify its sky-high price tag. There are similarly priced (and cheaper) models in my best wet-and-dry vacuum roundup that do more, and better.

I have a new Clean+Wash Hygiene on its way for testing, so Dyson may still redeem itself on the mopping front.

#6. Conical floorheads

My final entry in this list is one that I genuinely think is a downgrade. On its latest flagship – the V16 Piston Animal – Dyson decided to shake things up on the floorhead front. Instead of having one parallel brushroll, the new-look head has two cone-shaped rollers connected in the center. The idea is that any long strands of hair will make their way to the narrow end of the cone and away into the bin, rather than staying tangled around the roller.

The knock-on effect is that the front of the floorhead becomes slightly pointed. This is a major pain when it comes to cleaning the edges of rooms, because the head won't sit flush to the wall. Getting the perimeter of a room clean now requires a load of awkward maneuvering, whereas before it was straightforward as anything.

What's more, there's a barrier in the center of the floorhead where the two rollers connect, and below which nothing gets sucked up.

While the new design does work on an anti-hair tangle front, here's the thing: I never had any real issues with hair wrap on Dyson's previous (parallel) floorhead, either. It might make a noticeable difference if you have Rapunzel-like locks, but for most households, the issues it creates will far outweigh any benefits.

A mere eight months ago, Dyson announced an ultra-innovative new vacuum cleaner. It was called the PencilVac, and the USP was that all of its major components, from its motor to its battery to its dust cup, had been shrunk down to fit into its broom-shaped handle.

The design was – I was informed – the result of much meticulous work from the Dyson, and required the engineers to create a teeny-tiny new motor just 1.1 inches / 2.8cm in diameter. It would be worth it though: there was nothing else remotely like it.

Except now, there is. The PencilVac went on sale in the UK in December 2025 (it launched a little earlier in Australia and is yet to become available in the US), and in January 2026 I saw my first PencilVac dupe at CES. It's just at prototype stage at the moment, but there are a number of features that could be causing Dyson some concern.

As you'll learn in my Dyson PencilVac review, I'm a big fan of the Dyson version. Now, Narwal's version is clearly not finalized yet – it doesn't yet have a name, there's very minimal information available, and I was only able to look at the prototype, but not touch it.

Let's take a look at what we know so far about Narwal's upcoming PencilVac dupe, and whether it poses a real threat to Dyson...

Double take

In terms of the design, the two look unmistakably similar – it's clear what Narwal based its design on. There's the same streamlined build, with mechanics squeezed into the handle; Narwal's handle is oblong rather than round, but otherwise it looks pretty much the same, with a Power switch, small info screen, battery at the top and dust cup at the bottom.

I wasn't able to pick it up, so I couldn't comment on the maneuverability or weight, but I will say the PencilVac excels in these areas, based on my tests so far. The Narwal version is described as having '360-degree swivel', and a brand rep told me its version would be lighter than the PencilVac, although no specs were supplied, so I'm hesitant to take that as given.

Dyson's PencilVac has an unusual floorhead, with soft, cone-shaped rollers designed to prevent hair wrap. Narwal's prototype version is more standard – the roller is still soft (which suggests this model, like Dyson's, is meant for hard floors rather than carpet) but it has just one parallel roller. Dyson has mounted dirt-illuminating lasers on both sides of its floorhead, and Narwal also mentions "a dirt-detection headlight" on its feature list.

Dyson deviations

One big area where Narwal has deviated from Dyson's design is in the inclusion of an auto-empty dock. This is essentially a base that houses a larger dust cup/bag, into which the vacuum's smaller onboard bin automatically empties when the vacuum is docked. These are becoming increasingly common on regular stick vacuums, and are even scheduled to be added to Dyson's lineup. However, there isn't one on the PencilVac.

An auto-empty dock is a logical addition, because the whole concept of this type of vacuum means there's not much room for a large dust cup. Dyson has included air-powered compression on its PencilVac dust cup to maximize the space, but there's still only 0.8L available – I have a shedding pet, and I find the dust cup fills up with hair rather quickly. An auto-empty dock, which takes the mess and effort out of emptying the bin, makes a lot of sense.

Other things that might well be causing Dyson some headaches are the listed specs for battery life and suction power. Narwal promises 140AW of suction on its dupe, compared to 55AW for the PencilVac. And while the PencilVac can manage up to 30 minutes of cleaning per charge, Narwal says its version will last either 50 minutes (as per the press release) or 45 (as per the specs displayed at CES). That's a significant difference in both cases.

Of course, the big caveat here is that the Narwal vacuum is still at prototype stage, so I won't be taking any of those specs as a given just yet – the inconsistency in runtime information is telling. While Narwal has brought out some very good robot vacuums, its report card is a little patchier than Dyson's, and for me it's not up there in terms of quality or reliability either.

That said, I'll still be watching with interest to see what happens when this interloper makes its way to market.

I'm a big fan of Dyson vacuum cleaners. They're nimble, powerful, and they consistently push boundaries when it comes to innovation. However, the one area where they consistently seem to fall down is comfort.

The most recent flagship vacuums are some of the heaviest cordless stick models on the market. And while the older and less tech-packed Dyson options might be lighter, there's nothing in the way of shaping or padding around the handle, which might boost user comfort.

I had a chance to sit down with Dyson engineer Steph Parker to pick her brains about how the company designs its vacuums – and I started by asking about the weight issue of its flagship models.

Steph explains that when designing the new flagship, the V16 Piston Animal, keeping the weight down was "a key focus" – and, specifically, it was "a target not to go any more weighty than a [previous flagship] Gen5".

"One way we did it was by switching the motor around, which allowed us to compress the overall size of the product. And that's allowed us to reduce its weight," she says. "We've also done some fine-tuning [adjustments] of materials, running it through kind of simulations. For example, 'If we drop wall thicknesses, we can save weight there.'"

At the end of this process, Dyson appears to have been successful – the V16 is 7.5lbs / 3.4kg with its wand and main floorhead attached, and the Gen5detect is almost exactly the same weight. Plus, if you take the wands and floorheads off, the newer option is lighter (and more streamlined in shape) than the older model.

Unfortunately, though, Dyson's models remain significantly heavier in the context of the wider market. This is one reason that it's the model down from the Gen5 – the V15 Detect, at 6.8lbs / 3kg – that holds top spot in my ranking of the best Dyson vacuums.

To Dyson's credit, on both the Gen5detect and the V16 Piston Animal, the company has added a pad above the handle, to bring some cushioning to that area. "It's designed so that it's comforting the top of your hand, because that's where the most of the weight is going," explains Steph. Ideally, I'd like to see similar padding on the cheaper models, too, because while they might be lighter, I still tend to find they rub awkwardly on my thumb joint when used for long periods.

Getting in shape

The other comfort issue I've found with Dyson vacuums is that all their handles are straight-edged, whereas other brands mould theirs to make them more ergonomic. A shaped handle would be especially welcome on Dyson's heavier, flagship vacuums – the elongated configuration of the top section means they can be especially unwieldy when used in handheld mode, with users benefitting from being able to achieve a more secure grip. Steph says this isn't on the cards, however.

"We fine-tune the sizes of that handle depending on our 95 percentile [so 95 per cent of hand sizes can hold the handle comfortably]. We'd go through multiple testing with user trials, just to make sure it is as comfortable as possible," she assures me. "But in terms of molding it, that's basically as far as we'd go to try to make it as comfortable as we can.

I ask if it's a style choice – after all, Dyson has a distinctive and established design aesthetic, one that leans heavily towards clean lines. However, Steph clarifies that it's more to do with ensuring the handle is nice and sturdy.

"I think it's probably mostly focused on structural [aspects] and just making sure the products are as robust as they can be while being comfortable to most of our users," she continues. "It will go through vigorous testing, so it needs to be structurally sound. And we don't want a visual kind of design [decision] compromising that at all."

It looks like, for now at least, if you want the flashiest Dyson in town, comfort might have to be a sacrifice you'll have to make.

Dyson's latest flagship vacuum was a big disappointment for me. You can read all about why in my Dyson V16 Piston Animal review, but essentially it boils down to a new floorhead that's not fit for purpose, and generally rather weak cleaning. It won't be troubling my best Dyson vacuum ranking any time soon.

However, alongside the changes that didn't work were a couple that really, really did. The first is the dust compression lever on the bin, and the second is the easy-swap attachment connectors. Both made their debut in the V16, but neither could make up for the failings elsewhere.

Squish it down

I'll start with the dust compression, because that's my favorite of the two features. A lever has been added to the bin section, and you press it down to squish together dust and dirt inside the cup to clear the way for more to make its way in. That allows for longer cleaning spells without having to traipse to the trash.

It also means the dust cup can be physically smaller while still being able to hold the same amount of debris. Keeping weight and size down is a priority for comfort and flexibility, but the best cordless vacuums must find ways to do this without compromising in other areas, and offering a decent dust capacity is part of that.

When I was first shown the V16, Dyson had a display that showed the dust capacity compressed and uncompressed, and the difference is massive. It was also noticeable in use – cleaning with the V16, I was able to cover more ground than I could with other vacuums, and I found dog hair seemed to compress especially satisfyingly.

The same lever has a couple of other knock-on benefits. It's designed to wipe fine dust off the inside of the bin casing when pushed down, making it less likely these micro-particles will find their way into the mechanisms, where they can cause issues in the longer term. And it can also be used to shoot dust out of the bin when it does come to emptying, so you don't have to go in with your fingers.

All in all, an uncharacteristically lo-tech and straightforward innovation for Dyson, but extremely helpful in a number of different ways. Full marks.

Change it up

To create its easy-swap attachments, Dyson has made two adjustments. First, at the top of the wand is a new red cuff. You press down on this and it releases the connected floorhead or Hair screw tool on the end. The docking sections on these attachments then automatically stay in an angle that's just off upright, enabling you to slot a different one on, all without ever having to bend down. It's another clever bit of engineering and one that works really well in practice.

It's a shame that this particular upgrade was introduced on a vacuum that only has one floorhead – the previous flagships, the Gen5detect and V15 Detect, had an any-floor head and a soft head for hard flooring, and in swapping between the two, this mechanism would have really come into its own. As it is, it's only really the small Hair screw tool that you could swap on, and I'm not sure how many people are regularly using that on the end of the wand.

Another unfortunate consequence of changing up the connection mechanism is that it means none of Dyson's old tools are compatible with the V16, and vice versa. So you couldn't, for instance, take the older and better Digital Motorbar floorhead and use that in place of the new All Floors Cones Sense floorhead.

While I can't recommend the Dyson V16 Piston Animal outright, I am impressed with both of these new additions. Here's hoping they both get their chance to shine in the next flagship to join the lineup.

Shark has been trying to make auto-empty docks happen since at least 2023, but I think 2026 might be the year they finally take off. If you're in the dark about what exactly I mean by an 'auto-empty dock', it's just what it sounds like: a base that houses a large dust bag or bin, into which the contents of the vacuum's small onboard bin will automatically eject when it's docked.

Auto-empty docks are already commonplace in the robot vacuum market, where they feel like a natural fit – onboard bins are necessarily tiny, the bot needs to dock itself to charge anyway, and the main selling point of the whole thing is that it's a hands-off solution.

They're less common with manual vacuums, where an auto-empty dock feels more luxury than essential. But still, there are plenty of benefits of auto-empty docks for stick vacuums – less effort required from users, the potential for smaller and lighter onboard bins, and minimal chance you'll end up in a cloud of your own just-vacuumed dust as a result of a misjudged dirt ejection.

I'm seeing more and more examples of manual vacuums with auto-empty docks hitting the market. As the author of TechRadar's best cordless vacuum guide, I keep an eye on all the major new releases, and it feels like now more of these have auto-empty docks than don't.

Who started it?

As far as I can tell, the brand that released the hand-break on the auto-empty bandwagon was Samsung. The Samsung Bespoke Jet launched in 2022, and was the first of many self-empty Bespoke Jet vacuums with ever-longer names and ever-loftier price-tags (the most recent being the Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra).

However, Samsung is still quite a peripheral brand in the vacuum market, so I think it's Shark's efforts that have been more instrumental in pushing the trend forward, with popular models like the Detect Pro and PowerDetect Cordless available in 'Clean & Empty System' (US) / 'Auto-empty system' (UK) versions. Most recently, Shark has come out with several cheaper, more basic auto-empty options that seem to be aimed at cementing this as an option for everyone, rather than a premium choice.

This year also saw Roborock attempting to establish itself in the manual vacuum space with a range that includes several auto-empty docks (I tested the Roborock H60 Hub Ultra). But the thing that really convinced me they were here to stay was Dyson's announcement that it would be launching compatible docking stations for its newest vacuums.

I say 'announcement' – it was a single line, tucked away in a much larger press release detailing the brand's many September 2025 launches. No images, no prices, no fanfare. For that reason, I'm maintaining a healthy level of wariness about when (and possibly if) these docks will actually arrive on the market. If they do, though, then it could be major.

Shark and Dyson are arguably the two biggest names in the manual vacuum market right now, and if both of those brands are going hard on auto-empty docks, you can assume they're going to be kind of a big deal.

Of all the reviews I've tackled in 2025, Dyson's new robotic vacuum cleaner arrived with the greatest air of excitement. No, really. I love my Dyson stick vacuum, was disappointed to discover how poorly Dyson's last robovac reviewed, and I'm a sucker for a good old-fashioned redemption story.

It's called, rather clumsily, the Spot+Scrub Ai. This is Dyson's attempt to redeem itself in the robovac world, by sprinkling a bit of the bagless, semi-transparent, cyclone tech magic that's made the British-Singaporean firm so successful in the posh vacuum space.

You'll have to hold tight for my full review, but my first impressions of the new bot are good. The disappointing 360 Vis Nav of 2023 failed to trouble TechRadar's best robot vacuum ranking. Despite possessing a sky-high price tag, it was purely a vacuum, with no mopping function and no self-emptying capabilities.

The Spot+Scrub Ai comes out firing on all cylinders with both of those functions present and correct. It's got a clever, roller-style mop that's fed by an onboard water tank, and a base station that charges the battery, cleans and dries the mop, and uses Dyson's cyclone technology to empty the robot's dust bin.

Pleasingly, the base station is bagless – something that's surprisingly rare in the robovac space. Instead of buying new bags every few months, and trying to work out what sort and size of bag the robot needs, you simply lift the dust collector out and empty it into a bin, as you would any other Dyson stick vac.

I'd rather the contents of the bin weren't visible through a clear plastic window, as if to display to visitors just how dirty my carpets were before they arrived, but I accept it's a design trait that echoes the rest of the Dyson aesthetic. I'd also like Dyson to include some mopping detergent in the box. Adding some to the water tank is one of the first instructions, yet it's sold separately for £19.99. For a £1,050 vacuum (US and AU price TBC) that feels a bit mean.

A bit of a dis-app-ointment

The setup process is simple enough, and especially so if you've used any other robotic vacuum cleaner. However, so far I've found the app a little disappointing – for a premium, tech-first firm like Dyson I'd expected better. It isn't unstable, nor is it full of the poorly translated English seen in rival vacuum apps, but it isn't particularly logical either, and I had issues editing my map after the bot failed to identify some doorways on its initial mapping run.

For a robovac that apparently possesses artificial intelligence smart enough to identify over 190 objects and substances – best not to dwell on the latter – failing to spot a doorway, even when there's a threshold and a change from wood flooring to carpet, is disappointing. Perhaps I'm being picky, but anyone spending four figures on a robovac has every right to be. And in any case, rival vacuums I've tested do a much better job of mapping doorways and even labeling rooms based on their contents.

A couple of other app issues, I'm afraid. The robot adds orange traffic cone icons to the map after a clean, but they're not labeled and tapping them does nothing. Has it spotted a sock, a stray USB cable or a mouse? I'll never know. Rivals at least try to guess, and some even attach a photo, though they often resemble evidence from a Netflix crime documentary.

Also, despite spending time labeling the map – lounge, kitchen, hallway, toilet, etc – these tags are frustratingly missing on the screen for telling the robot where to clean, and are instead assigned a number. My kitchen and living room have the same icon, for some reason, and since I live in a predictably symmetrical newbuild house, it isn't immediately obvious which is which. Always best to double-check, or I'll worry that the Dyson will try to mop the lounge carpet instead of the kitchen.

My first impressions of the app aren't great, but I'll overlook these if the rest of the robot lives up to expectations – and, after a couple of cleans, the Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai seems pretty smart. It navigates well – something its predecessor struggled with – and I think it looks good, as far as these things go. I also like the bagless design and I'm particularly keen to see how well it mops. Given its roller design, ability to reach into corners, and use of warm water to clean itself, I have high hopes – plus it claims to use AI to spot dirt and scrub at those bits more aggressively, which will be interesting to test over the holiday period.