Dyson makes some very tasty fans and air purifiers. Some of them also heat the air as well as blowing it around/purifying it. And one even humidifies as well. They all have names that are perhaps less elegant than their appearance, but which are certainly descriptive – the one that is a fan, purifier and humidifier is called Dyson Purifier Humidity+Cool for instance.
I was a bit surprised to notice, a few weeks ago, that Dyson seemed to have launched an entirely 'new' range of air moving devices: 'Auto React', actually styled as 'autoreact' so it looks appropriately cool. Having already got hands on with Dyson Zone, I sensed this could be another scoop. I contacted Dyson, demanding to know what was going on. Why had some of the best fans and best air purifiers you can buy suddenly changed name? If nothing else, this was going to be very annoying due to the need to update our best Dyson fan buying guide.
A slightly scary promotional image for a Dyson air purifier
I should point out here that Dyson has been known to suddenly change the names of its products before. All the Dyson Purifier range was previously known as Dyson Pure, but they changed that in 2020. As far as we know, nothing else about the products changed; just the name.
The autoreact range really is something new though. Just not very new. I am sure you can't wait to find out the truth so here we go. According to a Dyson spokesperson with knowledge of the situation, autoreact has been brought in to address the current worldwide shortage of microchips and other components and supply chain issues in general. As a result, this 'new' range of purifying fans does not include support for Dyson's app, because the chip that would normally provide Wi-Fi connectivity is not included in the product.
Is this a problem? Only if you are addicted to Dyson's app. All the information about your air quality, temperature and so on can be viewed on the screens of the autoreact devices and there is a remote control. The only other functions I can think of that you would lose, in the absence of Wi-Fi, are Alexa/Google voice control and the option on certain Dyson fans to precisely set the range and orientation of their oscillation, as that function only works via the app. Via the remote you can still set them to swing from side to side, but you can't adjust the start and stop point of the oscillation.
In terms of functionality and what they do to the air, the autoreact range is identical to the standard one. Pricing also seems to be much the same.
This page on the Dyson site (opens in new tab) shows you which fans are now autoreact and which retain Wi-Fi. Underlining the fact that demand for the best Dyson fans is outstripping supply, the Hot+Cool and Humidify+Cool fans are sold out whether they are autoreact models or not!
Dyson says this is not intended as a permanent measure, although anyone looking for a PS5 or certain new cars will be aware that the supply chain crisis has been in full swing for several years now, and shows no signs of drastically improving any time soon. Whether they've got app connectivity or not, they're still great fans, purifiers and (when available) heaters and humidifiers.
