TechAudioHeadphonesDyson Zone early hands-on review: these air purifier headphones are odd yet impressiveDyson Zone really does purify air and deliver great sound, but will people wear it? I did, and I’ve got the pics to prove itWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
TechAudioHeadphonesDyson Zone early hands-on review: these air purifier headphones are odd yet impressiveDyson Zone really does purify air and deliver great sound, but will people wear it? I did, and I’ve got the pics to prove itWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Dyson Zone really does purify air and deliver great sound, but will people wear it? I did, and I’ve got the pics to prove it
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Dyson)
(Image credit: Dyson)
DysonZone is a personal air purifier with a pair of noise cancelling headphones attached. Or is it the other way around? I don’t know if the likes ofBose,SonyandApplewill be quaking in their boots, but then Zone is not a direct rival to them. It‘s something genuinely, joyfully, barkingly NEW. And I got to try it out! For a bit. Now I’ve got to try it out a bit more, AND take some pics. The Zone is still not in a completed state but the look is unlikely to change much.
In a recent update, Dyson has announced aZone price, release date and full specs– or as full as they’re willing to disclose anyway. It’s £749 and March 2023.
The idea of Dyson Zone is that, even on the most polluted street, it allows you to breathe in fresh, pure air, whilst dressed as Bane. It’s worth noting at this point thatZone isnotintended to protect you from viruses and bacteria, which has stirred a certain amount of online controversy.
The reaction of most people to Zone seems to be ‘OMG that looks crazy LOL!’ and I have to say it is hard to argue with that point of view. However, having tried it, I can say that at the very least it is not as uncomfortable or claustrophobic as it looks in Dyson’s vaguely dystopian promotional photos. Look how chilled I look!
(Image credit: Duncan Bell)
(Image credit: Duncan Bell)
The only comparable product on the personal purifier side of things that I can think of isLG PuriCare. Announced last year, I don’t think that ever got areleasein the West. Puricare is an electronic, air purifying face mask but needless to say, it doesn‘t come attached to a pair of noise cancelling headphones. I bet LG‘s R&D guys are kicking themselves now!
Zone isn’t available until Autumn at the earliest, so the world has plenty of time to ready itself for the sight of cities being filled with people looking a bit like a Dyson-logoed Bane. With its mix of slabs of primary colour and metallic flourishes, Zone is clearly a Dyson product. It’s just one that you happen to wear over your head and mouth.
Sign up to the T3 newsletter for smarter living straight to your inbox
Get all the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products from the T3 experts
I was lucky enough to have a demo of the product a few months back. That demo was firstly quite brief in terms of hands-on time and secondly conducted in an office but Zone certainly appears to work as both a wearable, personal air purifier and as a solid pair of noise cancelling headphones. Today I got to flex my Zone style again at Dyson HQ, and while I didn’t learn anything new, I did get to take the photos here.
Image1of3Me modelling Dyson Zone…(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))…David Gandhi probably doesn’t have much to worry about(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))…But Bane might be looking to his laurels(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))
Image1of3Me modelling Dyson Zone…(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))…David Gandhi probably doesn’t have much to worry about(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))…But Bane might be looking to his laurels(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))
Image1of3
Me modelling Dyson Zone…(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))…David Gandhi probably doesn’t have much to worry about(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))…But Bane might be looking to his laurels(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))
Me modelling Dyson Zone…(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))…David Gandhi probably doesn’t have much to worry about(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))…But Bane might be looking to his laurels(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))
Me modelling Dyson Zone…(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))
Me modelling Dyson Zone…(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))
Me modelling Dyson Zone…(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))
Me modelling Dyson Zone…(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))
Me modelling Dyson Zone…(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))
…David Gandhi probably doesn’t have much to worry about(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))
…David Gandhi probably doesn’t have much to worry about(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))
…David Gandhi probably doesn’t have much to worry about(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))
…David Gandhi probably doesn’t have much to worry about(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))
…David Gandhi probably doesn’t have much to worry about(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))
…But Bane might be looking to his laurels(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))
…But Bane might be looking to his laurels(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))
…But Bane might be looking to his laurels(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))
…But Bane might be looking to his laurels(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))
…But Bane might be looking to his laurels(Image credit: Duncan Bell (selfie))
The only questions are, does the world need a personal air purifier (that is also a pair of headphones), and if they do, will anyone wear something quite so futuristic looking?
This is a very disintinctively Dyson-styled pair of noise cancelling headphones. As you now know, into the headphones is integrated a superhero-like facial mask that purifies the air you breathe as you go about your daily business. It’s strikingly futuristic. I don’t think the image above captures quite how unearthly it is… but this one below does.
The wearer below is Jake Dyson, Chief Engineer and also son of James Dyson. He’s previously been best known for heading up the design and launch of Dyson’s various lighting products but he is now evidently in charge of its brand new wearables arm as well. You have to say, he doesn’t exactly look thrilled to be wearing Zone, but maybe he’s going for a smouldering, ‘blue steel’ look.
When something weird happens on a London tube, everyone pretends not to notice(Image credit: Dyson)
When something weird happens on a London tube, everyone pretends not to notice
When something weird happens on a London tube, everyone pretends not to notice
(Image credit: Dyson)
What is the thinking behind this? Well, World Health Organisation figures suggest that 90% of people globally are routinely breathing air that is too polluted to be considered safe.
To address this, Dyson has spent six years developing Zone, with no fewer than 500 prototypes being developed before the final design was achieved. The various incarnations of the Zone were tested on a manikin called Frank, ‘fitted with medical-grade mechanical lungs and sensing equipment,’ to simulate a living, breathing human.
Image1of3(Image credit: Dyson)Frank doing his thing(Image credit: Dyson)Some of the 500 Dyson Zone prototypes(Image credit: Dyson)
Image1of3(Image credit: Dyson)Frank doing his thing(Image credit: Dyson)Some of the 500 Dyson Zone prototypes(Image credit: Dyson)
Image1of3
(Image credit: Dyson)Frank doing his thing(Image credit: Dyson)Some of the 500 Dyson Zone prototypes(Image credit: Dyson)
(Image credit: Dyson)Frank doing his thing(Image credit: Dyson)Some of the 500 Dyson Zone prototypes(Image credit: Dyson)
(Image credit: Dyson)
(Image credit: Dyson)
(Image credit: Dyson)
(Image credit: Dyson)
(Image credit: Dyson)
Frank doing his thing(Image credit: Dyson)
Frank doing his thing(Image credit: Dyson)
Frank doing his thing(Image credit: Dyson)
Frank doing his thing(Image credit: Dyson)
Frank doing his thing(Image credit: Dyson)
Some of the 500 Dyson Zone prototypes(Image credit: Dyson)
Some of the 500 Dyson Zone prototypes(Image credit: Dyson)
Some of the 500 Dyson Zone prototypes(Image credit: Dyson)
Some of the 500 Dyson Zone prototypes(Image credit: Dyson)
Some of the 500 Dyson Zone prototypes(Image credit: Dyson)
After all that effort, the way Zone works is relatively straightforward, although fiendishly clever. The ‘mask’ part of it does not in fact sit on your face but slightly in front of it – Dyson refers to it as a ‘non-contact visor’. As you breathe, air is pulled in with a tiny impeller motor in each earcup of the headphones, and cleaned via filters.
It’s worth noting at this point that the Zone is designed to remove particles and gases – the full spec claims are at the bottom of the page. It’s not intended to protect you from viruses and bacteria.
Two streams of purified air are then channelled to your nose and mouth via the mask – sorry, non-contact visor. You also have the option of using a detachable, fabric fask mask as well, if you prefer.
When I had my brief go on Zone, I found that it is way more comfortable than it looks. The way the removable visor clicks into place is very intuitive and it does indeed sit in front of your face rather than on it, so it is also not as claustrophobic as it looks either. In fact, as pairs of metallic plastic headphones with a large face mask clipped to the front go, it is incredibly comfortable and non-claustrophobic. But it does look bloody odd; there’s just no way of getting past that.
Dyson told me that the amount of air placed in the space between your nose and mouth to breathe is surprisingly large, but I can confirm that it feels like breathing naturally, rather than having air blasted up your nostrils. There are several power settings available, with an Auto mode being the one most people will use for most purposes. There’s also a more high-powered mode for when you are exercising or otherwise exerting yourself. It is pretty hard to picture people cycling, jogging or playing tennis in a Dyson Zone, but I guess we’ll see.
An unnamed relative of Frank’s was used to test the Zone’s audio capabilities(Image credit: Dyson)
An unnamed relative of Frank’s was used to test the Zone’s audio capabilities
An unnamed relative of Frank’s was used to test the Zone’s audio capabilities
(Image credit: Dyson)
As you can clearly see, Dyson Zone is also a pair of headphones. With a small motor whirring away in each ear, you can imagine that the active noise cancelling (ANC) needs to be highly impressive, and it I found that it is indeed pretty good. Minimal whine was audible from the air purifier’s impellers when it was on max mode but in general it was impossible to hear – and I was trying it in a quiet room, with the music not on particularly loud.
As well as removing the motor sounds, Dyson says it also filters out the noises of the city, from speech to transport rumble. Again, from my brief hands-on, I can confirm that it was good at blocking out speech. I was in an office, so I can’t tell you much more than that, but the ANC on premium headphones is usually very good these days and I am sure this will be no exception.
There is also, as is standard on headphones these days, a hear-through mode so you can converse without needing to remove your cans and, erm, air purifier mask thing. There is, however, the option to remove the visor entirely and use the Zone as headphones alone.
Dyson says it tested the audio in a similar way to the air purifier, using technology to ensure low distortion and a neutral frequency response, ‘to faithfully replicate music as the creator intended.’
This was a render that we used for a speculative news story about Zone last year(Image credit: Yanko Designs)
This was a render that we used for a speculative news story about Zone last year
This was a render that we used for a speculative news story about Zone last year
(Image credit: Yanko Designs)
This reveal was quite funny for me because the patent for this audio-cum-air-purfiying device had been kicking around for a while. And it just so happened that the mot recent thing I’d written about Dyson was“No way will they be releasing a pair of headphones with an airfilter and mask built in.”So that shows what I know.
The amount of work and research that has gone into Zone is really rather mind-boggling. There’s no doubt that it’s highly impressive. Dyson may have expanded its brief in recent years to include hair care products, and it made an abortive attempt to enter the electric car market a few years back. However, I don’t think anyone was expecting it to launch a pair of headphones that sucks air in from the vicinity of your ears, filters out all the pollution and dust, and sprays it in front of your mouth and nose to breathe.
(Image credit: Dyson)
(Image credit: Dyson)
It’s unlikely we’ll see a more innovative product than Dyson Zone in 2022. Whether the brand is able to convince people to buy high-end headphones with a visor attached remains to be seen, but the concept is futuristic and fabulous.
Dyson Zone: release date and price
I don’t have any confirmed pricing info, but they won’t be cheap, put it that way. Think high-end headphones but with a miniature air purifier attached.
Vollebak pushes the limits of outerwear with Double Graphene Puffer and Shielding SuitThe company continues to weave innovation into every thread
The company continues to weave innovation into every thread
Bowers & Wilkins Pi6 review: sensational sound, ordinary ANCBowers & Wilkins' step-down true wireless earbuds sound amazing and are well-priced – so what’s the catch, if anything?
Bowers & Wilkins' step-down true wireless earbuds sound amazing and are well-priced – so what’s the catch, if anything?
Apple Watch Series 10: everything you need to know about Apple’s sleekest, brightest, and most feature-packed wearable yetThe new wearable has a larger display than the Ultra
The new wearable has a larger display than the Ultra
GoPro launches affordable Hero action camera with 4K resolution, 100-minute runtime and HyperSmooth stabilisationThe Hero is the perfect companion to help you live out loud
The Hero is the perfect companion to help you live out loud
Aerial hotshots: HoverAir’s X1 PRO and PROMAX drones can lift your filmmaking to new altitudesIntroducing the world’s first 8k@30fps drone
Introducing the world’s first 8k@30fps drone
Creepin' in style: Beats and Minecraft team up for a pixeled partnershipHear the blocks rock with the new Minecraft-themed Solo 4 headphones from Beats
Hear the blocks rock with the new Minecraft-themed Solo 4 headphones from Beats
The brand also launches PowerPlugs Store and opens up raw data streams for developers to create better apps
Strava’s new Family Plan helps you stay fit and frugal with your workout buddiesSweat together, save together, argue over routes together
Sweat together, save together, argue over routes together
Galaxy Watch Ultra is Samsung’s toughest wearable yet, packed with sports featuresThe South Korean tech giant’s latest wearable is a real beast
The South Korean tech giant’s latest wearable is a real beast
Samsung Galaxy Ring launches with unmatched features, long battery life and no subscription feesSamsung’s new smart ring makes smartwatches jealous
Samsung’s new smart ring makes smartwatches jealous
