Dyson Supersonic Nural: two-minute assessment
The Dyson Supersonic Nural hair dryer is probably the most hi-tech hair dryer I’ve ever used. The headline function right here is the ‘Scalp Protect mode’, which senses how distant your head is, then heats up or cools down to take care of what looks like a continuing temperature in your scalp. All meaning much less warmth harm; even in case you put it proper as much as your head, it will not burn.
The Nural also can sense once you put it down, and drop into low-power mode in response, and when not utilizing Scalp Protect mode, it additionally remembers your airspeed and temperature desire for every particular attachment. On take a look at, I discovered these techy options all labored as they had been meant to. While I assume they are not strictly important to the hair drying expertise, they are not only a gimmick both – every helps streamline and pace up the styling course of.
Alongside these new improvements, the Nural additionally has all of the issues that made the unique Supersonic – broadly thought of the most effective hair dryer in the marketplace (examine it in our Dyson Supersonic assessment) – so fashionable. Namely, very quick and environment friendly airflow, a design that is comfy and straightforward to wield, and a variety of well-designed, magnetic attachments that clip simply on and off. These attachments cater to a variety of various hair sorts (brief, lengthy, straight, coily and curly) and embody a singular Flyaway instrument, which tames stray hairs with alarming effectiveness.
While the attachments are broadly the identical as with the unique Supersonic, I want to give a particular shout-out to the redesigned diffuser, which may now be used with out the prongs in so-called Dome mode, designed to outline your curls. I’ve pure slight curls, and it is the one diffuser I’ve ever been in a position to make use of that hasn’t reworked my hair right into a frizz-ball of epic proportions.
Of course, it is from low cost. In reality, to date that ‘low cost’ is not even a dot within the distance. The Nural’s record worth of $499.99 / £399.99 / AU$750 places it firmly past the attain of many, and will maybe make you query the need of proudly owning a hair dryer that glows like a UFO and is aware of how shut it’s to your head at any time. But if you would like the most effective of the most effective and have the price range for it, I’ve principally no complaints about how properly the Nural works.
That’s the brief model; learn on for my full Dyson Supersonic Nural assessment. Alternatively, for extra on this model’s haircare vary, head to our Dyson AirWrap assessment, Dyson Airstrait assessment or Dyson Coralle assessment.
Dyson Supersonic Nural assessment: worth & availability
- List worth: $499.99 / £399.99 / AU$750
- Available: globally
- Launch date: spring 2024
The Supersonic Nural was introduced in March 2024, and turned obtainable throughout the US, UK and Australia shortly after.
Regardless of territory, it is costly. At TechRadar, we take into account any hair dryer over $200/£200 to be a premium product, and at record worth, the Nural is twice that. In the US it is $499.99, within the UK it is £399.99, and in Australia it is AU$750.
It’s the priciest hair dryer I’ve examined, however then it is also probably the most high-tech – by some margin. You’re not paying only for the Dyson identify, you are paying for the innovation and the engineering. (Okay, and just a little bit for the Dyson identify.) While I’m not particularly mad at how costly the Nural is, I do assume it could be helpful to have the ability to choose a less expensive choice with fewer attachments. With their particular person sensors and magnetic design, these are presumably driving up the worth, and most individuals will solely want two or three.
For comparability, at time of writing the unique Dyson Supersonic is $429.99 / £279.99 / AU$649. So the worth soar between the 2 fashions is greatest in case you’re within the UK.
The most costly GHD mannequin is the GHD Helios, which is considerably cheaper, with an inventory worth of $279.00 / £159 / AU$280. But it is nowhere close to as clever because the Nural; you are undoubtedly not getting like-for-like.
- Value for cash rating: 4 out of 5
Dyson Supersonic Nural specs
| Wattage: | 1,600W |
| Voltage | 120V (US), 220-240V (UK) |
| Air circulate | 13.3 l/s |
| Dimensions (H x L x W): | 10 x 4 x 3.1″ / 245 x 97 x 78mm |
| Weight: | 1.9lb / 680g |
| Airflow settings: | 3 |
| Temperature settings: | 3 plus cool shot |
| Cord size: | 8.6ft / 2.62m |
| Attachments: | Wave+Curl diffuser, gentle air attachment, styling concentrator, wide-tooth comb, flyaway attachment |
Dyson Supersonic Nural review: design
- Scalp Protect mode adjusts temperature based on distance from head
- Wide range of magnetic attachments for different hair types
- Light and easy to wield, although handle could be a bit longer
At time of launch, there are two different colorway options: Vinca Blue/Topaz (which I would call purple and orange) and Ceramic Patina/Topaz (turquoise and orange – the version I tested for this review). Otherwise it looks very similar to the original Supersonic – a streamlined version of a hair dryer, with a relatively small and lightweight barrel at the top, with most of the weight in the handle.
While Dyson seems to be getting into the habit of adding tiny, largely unnecessary screens to its new releases (looking at you, Airstrait), the Nural has escaped the curse. Instead, it’s operated via buttons – a sliding on-off switch and cool shot button on the handle, and temperature, airspeed and Scalp Protect mode buttons on the barrel. All are small and unobtrusive.
At the bottom of the handle is a filter cage. To clean, Dyson recommends snapping the cage off (it’s magnetic), soaking it for 30 minutes in soapy water, rinsing and drying. The filter can be wiped with a dry cloth to get rid of anything that may have built up there.
At time of writing, the Vinca Blue colorway comes with a cushioned ‘presentation case’, but there isn’t one with the turquoise – sorry, Ceramic Patina – option that I tested. I felt both slightly short-changed, and a bit sad, that I couldn’t put my Nural to bed like a little prince, but it’s not a major issue.
Settings
You have three temperature settings (high, medium, low), plus a cool shot. There are also three airflow speeds – high (for when you’re in a rush, or if you’re a generally impatient person), medium (for regular use, if you’re not an impatient person) and low (for diffusing).
Air speed and temperature are adjusted by pressing little buttons on the main barrel of the hair dryer, with three tiny LEDs to indicate which setting you’re using. The Nural also has sensors that recognize which attachment is connected. When you snap on each one, it’ll automatically swap to your last-used temperature and speed settings, to save you having to manually adjust as you go through your routine.
As well as the manual settings, there’s the all-new Scalp Protect mode, activated via a button on the barrel with a hair follicle on it. When activated, the Nural uses a Time of Flight sensor to measure how close to your head the hair dryer is, and adjust so it maintains a consistent temperature. So when you have the Nural right up to your scalp, it’ll lower the temperature, and if it’s further away, it’ll increase it. The idea is to minimize heat damage to the hair, was well as helping you avoid burning your scalp if you want to have the dryer right next to your head for precision styling.
To hammer home how space-age this feature is, the whole inside of the main barrel will illuminate to indicate the temperature – bright red for the hottest setting, down to blue for the cool shot. Is it strictly necessary? No. Is it cool? Yes. Is it hard to photograph effectively? Absolutely.
Finally, there’s a Pause Detect function, which uses a motion sensor to identify when you’ve put the dryer down, and automatically cut the heat and minimize the airflow in response. There’s intentionally a slight delay so the Nural doesn’t cut out every time you pause slightly mid-style. This function is automatically on, unless you have a diffuser attachment connected.
Attachments
All versions of the Dyson Supersonic Nural come with the full selection of styling attachments. These are magnetic, and snap on and off the barrel of the dryer. They’re broadly the same (save for some slight design tweaks) as those included with the original Supersonic, with the exception of the Diffuser, which has been redesigned more thoroughly.
Wave+Curl diffuser
This is the large diffuser, for waves and curls. It has been redesigned for the Nural, and can now be used in two ways. The central part, with the prongs, can be removed (it’s magnetic) to leave a bowl-shaped attachment that Dyson calls ‘Dome mode’.
‘Diffuse mode’ (with prongs), is designed to add volume at the root, whereas Dome mode is designed to help define your curls. Dyson recommends you use the diffuser attachments with medium heat and medium airflow. It’s the only attachment not to be compatible with Pause Detect.
Gentle air attachment
This has crimped edges, and is designed to very slightly diffuse the airflow, for gentler drying compared to using it without. This one is a little confusing – a Dyson community page states it’s ‘engineered to be kinder to fine hair and sensitive scalps’ but creating a ‘gentle, cooler airflow’, but then suggests it’s used with high heat and high air flow. It is compatible with scalp protect mode.
Styling concentrator
Like your standard concentrator, this channels the air into a wide, thin blade, for smooth styles. It’s designed for use with high heat and medium airflow, but can also be used with Scalp Protect mode.
Wide-tooth comb
A broader concentrator, with a comb extension, this attachment detangles your hair as it dries it. Dyson says it’s for shaping and lengthening curly or coily hair, and it’s designed to be used with high heat and high airflow.
Flyaway attachment
This is for use on dry, straight hair. It uses ‘Coanda airflow’ – the same hair-bending phenomenon that powers the Airwrap – to flatten down flyaways. It’s designed to be used with low heat and high airflow.
- Design score: 4.5 out of 5
Dyson Supersonic Nural review: performance
- Fast and effective drying; well-designed attachments
- Scalp Protect mode works well and doesn’t impact drying time too much
- Auto-pause is useful
If Dyson really knows how to do one thing well, it’s move air about. That’s a more impressive specialism than it sounds – it’s what earned Dyson reputation as the brand behind the best vacuum cleaners and the best fans around. And I wasn’t surprised to find that the hair drying part of the Supersonic Nural is extremely effective. For rough drying, it gets the job done, and fast.
Because of the more compact shape and the fact that most of the weight is in the handle, it’s more comfortable to hold, and easier to wield, than a traditional dryer. My only real complaint with the design is that the handle is a touch short for me – I’m either in danger of accidentally activating the cool shot button or getting my own ‘cool shot’ to the hand courtesy of the fan grille at the base of the handle.
As someone who has a habit of defaulting to the maximum settings on any haircare gadgets, I wasn’t sure if Scalp Protect mode would be one of those features I’d end up neglecting, having prioritized extra sleep time over my long-term hair health. However, that hasn’t been the case so far.
I found that there was no appreciable difference in how long it took to rough-dry my hair in this mode compared to my usual blast-it-with-heat approach. This might be partly to do with the fact that the airspeed is so effective that it means you’re not relying so much on cranking up the heat to get your hair dry. Scalp Protect mode has become my go-to for whenever I just want to quickly dry my hair.
When comes to styling, the magnetic attachments snap on and off with just the right amount of effort – not so much it’s a struggle, or requires the gripping of anywhere other than the dedicated stay-cool sections of the attachment, and not so little that there’s a danger the tool will fall off mid-style.
The Attachment Learning tech worked as intended – in use, the Nural reliably remembered my last-used temperature and airspeed preferences. This feature will be useful for anyone who regularly uses a few different attachments for styling. Like many of Dyson’s tech innovations here, it’s not essential, but it does remove one of the annoying, fiddly parts of hair styling and streamline the process that little bit more. It’s not just a gimmick. Exactly the same goes for the Pause Detect when the dryer is put down.
I also appreciate Dyson branching out past your standard diffuser-and-concentrator package to offer attachments for different hair types, although it has taken a bit of experimenting to figure out exactly how some of them work and what they’re for (this Dyson community page has come in handy). The Flyaway attachment is a standout, using the same hair-bending Coanda airflow effect that the Airwrap is based on to flatten out flyaways and leave a smooth finish with absolutely minimal effort.
As someone with naturally slightly curly hair, I was also impressed with the redesigned Diffuser. Regular diffusers leave my hair super-frizzy, but the ‘Dome mode’, created by removing the central prongs, gave me smoother, more defined curls. (You can see how it works in the video above.)
Overall, minor niggle about the length of the handle aside, I really have no complaints about the Supersonic Nural’s performance. It’s by far the best hair dryer I’ve used.
- Performance score: 5 out of 5
Should you purchase the Dyson Supersonic Nural?
| Attribute | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | It’s wildly expensive, but the tech, build quality and engineering help justify that price. | 4/5 |
| Design | Compact and easy to wield, with a wide range of useful attachments and some clever tech innovations. | 4.5/5 |
| Performance | Dries quickly and effectively; tech innovations work reliably and help streamline the styling process. | 5/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
How I tested the Dyson Nural Supersonic
- I used it as my primary hair dryer for a month
- I tested all the attachments and features
For this Dyson Supersonic Nural review, I used it as my primary hair dryer for a full month. I tried out all the various attachments and settings, using it to create a range of different styles and finishes. I compared it to other dryers I’ve used, including the original Supersonic, in terms of how long it takes to dry and style, and how easy it is to use.
Read more about how we test
First reviewed July 2024
