Dyson’s first foray into haircare came with the launch of the Dyson Supersonic, which quickly established itself as one of the best hair dryers on the market. After four years of development and an investment of £50 million (around $68 / AU$92 million) in research, the results were impressive.
Engineering Excellence
Thanks to Dyson’s engineering prowess, the Supersonic delivers powerful airflow in a lightweight form. Its sleek, streamlined design stands out against traditional chunky hair dryers. With most of the weight in the handle, it’s comfortable to hold and easy to use. The Supersonic dries hair quickly and is highly effective for styling due to its well-designed attachments.
Innovative Attachments
The attachments, which snap easily on and off the barrel due to their magnetic design, are a highlight. The Flyaway attachment deserves special mention for taming flyaways using the same hair-bending effect found in the Dyson AirWrap. It works remarkably well, and no other product offers a similar feature.
Upgraded Version in 2024
In 2024, Dyson launched an upgraded version of the Supersonic. While the design remains similar to the original, it includes several new features. For a detailed review of the latest model, check out our Dyson Supersonic Nural review.
Worth the Investment?
The Dyson Supersonic is undeniably expensive, which may limit its appeal. However, we were impressed by how quickly it created a shiny, sleek style from wet hair and by the effectiveness of the flyaway attachment. The minor faults we found do not outweigh the benefits, making it worth the investment if you can afford the price tag.
Dyson Supersonic Review: Price & Availability
The Dyson Supersonic is priced at $399 / £299 / AU$549. It launched in 2026 and is available globally. You can purchase it directly from Dyson or through online retailers, including Amazon.
Comparison with Competitors
This is the most expensive hair dryer we’ve tested. It costs almost twice as much as the GHD Air, the top-of-the-range hair dryer from the Salon brand. The GHD Air, which is second in our best hair dryers round-up, is priced at $199 / £109 / AU$235.
Other Dyson Haircare Products
Dyson also offers other haircare products. The Dyson Coral hair straightener is priced at $499 / £399 / AU$699. Additionally, the Dyson AirWrap hair styler costs $549 / £449 / AU$799.
In all cases, it’s a smart move to see what Dyson promo codes are available so you can save more.
Dyson Supersonic Review: Design
The Dyson Supersonic stands out with its compact and lightweight design. It measures 9.6 x 3.1 x 3.8 inches (24.5 x 7.8 x 9.7 cm), making it easy to handle.
Innovative Design
Traditional hair dryers haven’t changed much since the 1960s when the motor was moved into the main casing. This resulted in a bulky device with most of its weight at the top rear, which is not ideal for holding above your head. Dyson, known for innovative designs like bagless vacuums and bladeless fans, has redesigned the hair dryer concept with the Supersonic.
Efficient Motor Placement
The Supersonic uses a smaller, more efficient V9 digital motor, which is Dyson’s smallest motor. By placing this motor in the handle instead of the head, the weight is redistributed, making the dryer more compact and easier to handle. The V9 motor, slightly smaller than a quarter, is mounted at the bottom of the handle with a rubber mount to reduce vibration.
User-Friendly Controls
The handle extends to a circular ring with two buttons on the shaft for power and cold shot, and two buttons on the rear for controlling three air speeds and three temperature settings. The filter’s placement in the handle sometimes leads to it being blocked by the hand, but it also makes the dryer lighter and easier to hold.
Advanced Technology
The Supersonic can propel 2.85 gallons (13 liters) of air per second and spins around eight times faster than standard hair dryer motors. This efficiency makes it less likely to overheat and burn out. A glass bead thermometer monitors the temperature 20 times per second, transmitting data to a microprocessor to ensure consistent heat, preventing the metallic burning smell common with other hair dryers.
Safe Heat Levels
The microprocessor keeps the airflow temperature stable and under 302°F (150°C), which helps avoid irreversible hair damage. By maintaining this optimal temperature and increasing airflow pressure, the Dyson Supersonic prevents hair damage.
Attachments Included
The Supersonic comes with several attachments, including a flyaway attachment, a wide-tooth comb for oily hair, a diffuser for curly hair, and a styling concentrator. However, unlike professional-style hair dryers, it does not have a hanging loop.
Dyson Supersonic Review: Performance
We were impressed with how quickly the Dyson Supersonic dried our hair. On the lowest temperature setting and fastest speed, it took just four minutes and 31 seconds to dry below-shoulder-length fine hair from damp to completely dry. Using the hottest of the three settings shaved over a minute off this time, making it the quickest hair dryer we’ve tested. On all settings, hair was left shiny and smooth.
Flyaway Attachment
The flyaway attachment creates a sleek, smooth finish. Initially, using it to dry our hair from damp increased the drying time to nine minutes. However, we found a better balance by sectioning off the crown of the hair. Using the Supersonic with a barrel brush on the rest of the hair and the flyaway attachment for the crown only resulted in a drying time of three minutes and 58 seconds. This compromise provided a quick and flyaway-free finish.
Balanced and Comfortable Use
The Dyson Supersonic’s attachments connect magnetically to the barrel, making fitting and removing them smooth and easy. The attachments also have solid lips on their edges that remain cool, ensuring a comfortable experience when changing them.
Despite weighing 1.5 lb (659g), the Supersonic feels lighter due to the even weight distribution. This design significantly reduces arm fatigue during use. Additionally, we could hold the dryer closer to our hair, making it easier to blow-dry the roots compared to bulkier hair dryers.
Quieter Operation
One of the most attractive features of the Dyson Supersonic is its quieter operation. The efficient motor registered 74dB on our decibel meter, which is about 8dB quieter than the Remington Hydraluxe Pro EC9001, one of the noisiest hair dryers we’ve tested. While the noise level was tolerable for a few minutes, using it in the morning next to a sleeping partner was still not ideal.