We put the Dreame Airstyle Pro-Hi to the test, a device for professional use, where the Asian brand showcases its modern air technology and how it directly competes with the market leader (and object of desire).
Hair dryers have evolved by leaps and bounds thanks to engineering. They went from being simple hot air blowers to devices that emulate turbines and the operation of drones. But although drying or styling times have decreased, prices have also increased considerably.
That explains why the Chilean market has, for example, Siegen devices at $29,990 and, at the same time, a Dyson for more than $850,000.
Now, a new competitor is positioned right in the middle. Yes, it is a high ticket, luxury segment, but with the same cutting-edge technology as the -so far- market leader.
The Chinese brand Dreame was born in 2015 driven by a computational fluid mechanics student from Tsinghua University. His idea was to apply astrodynamics principles to everyday appliances. Its rise was fast. In 2017, the brand made a leap by joining one of the tech giants of the Asian country, Xiaomi, where they entered the robot vacuum market.
Almost a decade later, Dreame arrives in Chile with robots capable of climbing small steps to clean the home and hair dryers with power that reduces work times, among other devices in a portfolio that includes pool cleaning, pet care, and deep home cleaning, with mops, cordless handheld vacuums, and smart air purifiers.
It is an 8-in-1 multifunction system that promises to dry and style hair through intelligent temperature control and the Coanda effect (we will see what this is about).
The device uses a brushless motor that reaches 110,000 revolutions per minute. This power allows drying hair through a constant airflow and not by brute force of heat or cold.
The advantage of Dreame is that they deliver premium power without the premium price, an engineering philosophy they now apply to personal care.
The AirStyle Pro package includes eight magnetic heads. Standouts are the quick dryer, the straightening brush, the diffuser, and the curling cylinders. The latter are the most interesting from a functional point of view. They use the Coanda effect, an aerodynamic phenomenon that automatically attracts and wraps the hair around the cylinder. This creates natural waves without the need to manually tangle the hair in front of the mirror.
Considering that temperature is the main enemy of hair, to avoid damage, this model integrates an intelligent NTC sensor that monitors heat thousands of times per second. The system adjusts the emission in real time to ensure the air never reaches critical levels.
The specialized site TechRadar reviewed the performance of this line and concluded that “it is the closest thing to the performance of the Dyson Airwrap without the Airwrap prices.”
But it’s a different story with guitar, and the truth is that it takes some getting used to the accessories. That said, the user experience shows that the learning curve is short. The heads are swapped with a magnetic click and the ergonomics of the device facilitate handling during long sessions. Also, the weight is well balanced in the handle, which prevents wrist fatigue when rotating the device.
At Paula we tested it on different hair types. On curly hair, the diffuser works perfectly when drying curls: it leaves them defined and with good volume. On straight hair, it achieves defined curls that look very natural. But its indisputable hallmark – according to most – is volume control. And it is that on all hair types it achieves good control of that item that is always a problem. The same with frizz, that common enemy of all hair types.
In the Chilean market, the Dreame AirStyle Pro-Hi has a price of $449,990 pesos in retail.
It is a high ticket for a casual user. However, for those looking for an advanced styling tool that combines drying, straightening, and curling in a single closed ecosystem that protects the hair fiber, it is a highly competitive option against the current leaders in the luxury segment.
