Introduction
Unveiled a year ago, the lust-worthy Dyson Supersonic r hairdryer was forbidden fruit, sold exclusively to professional stylists. 30% smaller and 20% lighter than the OG Supersonic, which we liked nearly as much as the updated Supersonic Nural hairdryer I reviewed last summer, it also packed in lots of new tech to adjust airflow and temperature on the fly.
Now, though, anyone with deep enough pockets can buy the visually striking dryer. The only difference between the $570/£450 Supersonic r and its Professional counterpart? The latter has a 2.8m cable, for easier salon use. Can the most expensive hair dryer I’ve ever used possibly justify its eye-watering price, or will its features be lost on at-home stylists?
Features: Power & Style
The Supersonic r is as minimal as hairdryers get. Personally I love the simple curved form, and how light it feels in the hand; others will say it looks like a piece of plumbing scrap. Dyson says the Ceramic Pink finish of my review unit is inspired by ‘the orient of a pearl’, but the grey filter at the base and black attachments haven’t been given the same treatment. I’m betting that’ll be the case for the Jasper Plum model, inspired by ‘the rare purple jasper gemstone’, due later this summer.
That design is functional as well as eye-catching. The curved format lets you dry with ease where it’s usually difficult to reach. Given it’s Dyson’s smallest and lightest hairdryer, you won’t be shocked to hear I have no arm ache whatsoever to report.
You don’t get the same illuminated rear casing showing off the inner circuitry as the Dyson Supersonic Nural, just a few understated LEDs that show the current heat and airflow settings, plus when filter maintenance is due. The basic-looking buttons adjust the three air flow levels and four heat modes, including Dyson’s now-familiar cold shot button.
The firm’s intelligent heat control means there’s no chance of damaging your hair with heat while you dry. The styling attachments are also suitably clever: each has a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensor that communicates with the dryer, instantly adapting to the right temperature and airflow range for your personal settings. As you’d expect at this price point, every attachment remembers the last setting used. It’s a little thing, but one that feels like a big thing when mornings are busy.
I tested the Dyson Supersonic r with the ‘Straight and Wavy’ pack, which includes a gentle air attachment, smoothing nozzle with flyaway attachment, powerful air attachment, and a Pro concentrator. There’s also a ‘Curly and Coily’ version, which swaps the gentle air and smoothing nozzle for a diffuser and a wide tooth comb with flyaway attachment.
Performance: Salon superstar
Dyson’s Hyperdymium motor powers the Supersonic r, spinning up to 110,000rpm to produce a ‘high velocity airflow’. In simple terms, it means you can expect fast and focused drying and styling. This is helped by the streamlined flow heater, where airflow is heated more evenly than a traditional dryer, being propelled through 10 foils in the curve of the hairdryer.
On my very thick hair that sits just past my shoulder and is naturally wavy (but not curly), it took me an average of 3.5 minutes to dry it all (from lightly towel dried) using the powerful air attachment – record breaking speed for me. With the Smoothing nozzle attached instead, drying time increased to 4 minutes but this is the attachment I naturally gravitate to, as it left my hair less frizzy – yay for the magical ions for a smoother finish!
The selection of attachments that come with the dryer cover all bases for straight and wavy hair. As well as being particularly taken with the Smoothing nozzle, I liked the Pro concentrator, followed by the Flyaway attachment when I had a bit more time and wanted to look a bit more polished or not have to use my GHD Chronos.
As well as being super impressed at the time in which the Dyson Supersonic r dried my hair, I also loved how healthy my hair felt during the testing period. Whenever I test hairdryers and stylers, I avoid any additional products in my hair so I know I’m not feeling the effects of a good serum, for example. With the Supersonic r my hair felt super soft and bouncy, and thanks to the design of the dryer I was able to dry all of my hair with ease and achieve a little volume at the root, too.
Aside from looking very high tech in my bedroom, I really enjoyed using the Supersonic r – it feels lovely in the hand and at just 0.68kg it’s lightweight makes it more of a joy to use.
Dyson Supersonic r verdict
The Dyson Supersonic r is a pro hair tool – if you’re looking to dry your hair quickly and comfortably with minimal frizz and flyaways, you’ll love it. I used this dryer a lot during testing – the fact it dried my hair so quickly made me wash my hair more often and my scalp didn’t become dry at all.
The only thing I’m not crazy about is the £450 price, which is £50 more than the already excellent Dyson Supersonic Nural. Is it worth it? If you can afford it then it most definitely is – salon price, salon results.
