If you've ever thought about hair tools in the last eight years, one brand typically comes to mind. In 2016, Dyson, which was largely known for its vacuum cleaners at the time, officially entered the hair and beauty space with the introduction of the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer.
Most will agree that the Supersonic has been the top-of-the-line hair dryer since its debut, however, that’s about to change with the arrival of its first evolution, the Dyson Supersonic Nural. Launched globally on April 11, 2024, the hair dryer has already received a swarm of positive user reviews online, with users impressed by the new features and attachments.
Dubbed "Dyson's most intelligent hair dryer", the Nural brings a number of state-of-the-art smart settings and a new specialty attachment for curly and wavy hair. Notably, two settings piqued our interest the most — the Scalp Protect mode and the Pause Detect mode — which could both effectively change the game for hair styling.
Joining the lineup of Dyson hair products — the AirWrap, Corrale and the O.G. Supersonic — the Nural also capitalises on airflow to reduce heat damage and shorten styling time. The Nural also comes with a hefty price tag, much like its predecessors, but is it worth the extra pennies? Read on to find out.
Dyson Supersonic Nural review: Price and availability
When the Dyson Supersonic first debuted, it came with a modest price tag of $329 / £250 / AU$449, before it reached its current (inflated) height of $429.99 / £279.99 / AU$649. Its next evolution, the Nural, comes in at a not-so-nice price of $499.99 / £399.99 / AU$749.
That being said, the Nural only launched a short time ago in April and comes with five "intelligent" attachments. We will define Dyson's meaning of "intelligent" later, but the box now includes the Flyaway attachment and a new, enhanced wave and curl diffuser, designed specifically for users with type 2C and 3C hair. Previously, if you owned a Supersonic, you would have to buy attachments separately, so this definitely adds some bang for your buck.
It's also worth mentioning that these smart attachments are yet to be listed on the Dyson website, meaning it could be hard to purchase a replacement if it were lost. However, Dyson says older Supersonic attachments will work on the Nural but will not be compatible with the device's attachment learning feature.
What's more, we may not see a discount on this new Supersonic for quite some time, due to its recent release. We typically see discounts on the older model and the AirWrap from other retailers, but the chances of scoring a sizable discount could be pretty slim at present. Either way, we don't expect this model to receive a discount anytime soon.
The Supersonic Nural comes in two colourways, Ceramic Patina / Topaz and Vinca Blue / Topaz. Both colorways can be found on the Dyson website and at other major retailers.
Dyson Supersonic Nural review: Specifications
Dyson Supersonic Nural review: Design
Dyson's latest tool uses a network of 'Nural' sensors to activate heat modes, recognize your head and apply preferred styling settings, in an effort to enhance shine, prevent heat damage and overall, improve styling experience.
Like the previous model, the Nural comes with three airflow settings and heat settings, each with a button you press to switch between modes. Once again, the device features a separate cool shot button located just underneath the sliding power switch, which pulses cool air onto the hair to effectively lock in the style. All controls are within easy reach of each other, but some pressure does need to be applied when changing heat or airflow controls, and I found the button didn't always switch settings seamlessly if there wasn't enough pressure.
Aside from the usual settings found in a Supersonic, the most interesting setting was the new Scalp Protect mode, which automatically reduces heat to 131°F / 55°C— the Dyson-identified optimum temperature for scalp comfort and drying speed — as the hair dryer gets close to the scalp. Using a time-of-flight sensor, the hair dryer projects an invisible infrared beam to measure the distance between the machine and your head. But for ease of reference, the dryer illuminates a yellow light from the end cap to show that this mode is on and you can turn it off with the hair root icon button at the top of the device.
The LED light does change color to show different heat settings, too. The light will switch between cool blue (cool or 82°F / 28℃), yellow (low heat or 140°F / 60℃), orange (medium heat or 176°F / 80℃), and red (high heat or 212°F / 100℃), depending on the heat settings, the distance the machine is from the head, and learned attachment preferences.
The Supersonic Nural also has a new pause detect mode, which switches off heat, and decreases airflow and noise when the dryer is placed on a flat surface. We'll cover more on this mode in the next section.
Surprisingly, the Nural didn't debut in the usual Iron / Fuschia colorways we've seen in previous products. Complementing the new embedded sensors, the model features a new clear end cap to show the tech within — similar to that seen in the latest Dyson stick vacuums — and comes in two vibrant colourways, Ceramic Patina / Topaz and Vinca Blue / Topaz. After testing the Vinca Blue / Topaz colourway, it was reminiscent of the Prussian Blue / Rich Copper colourway found in the Dyson Corrale straightener, but in a much more vibrant hue.
Dyson Supersonic Nural review: Performance
Before diving into the performance of the hairdryer, it’s worth mentioning that the Supersonic Nural is being used on thick, wavy mid-length hair that has had its fair share of coloring and damage.
Throughout the testing period, I was most impressed by the new "intelligent" attachments. The Dyson-branded intelligence stems from the attachments using a Hall sensor to recognise the last-used settings with the add-on. All attachments do come with recommended presets, too. The attachments included in the review unit were the gentle air attachment, styling concentrator, wide-tooth comb attachment, Wave+Curl diffuser and flyaway attachment.
What each attachment does is relatively self-explanatory if you've previously owned a Supersonic before, but for those who haven't (myself included), let's break it down. The gentle air attachment disperses airflow evenly for a quick and gentle blow-dry, whereas the styling concentrator diffuses flow into a wide, thin blade of air for more precision when styling and is perfect for sectioning hair or adding volume when drying. The wide-tooth comb is for lengthening, detangling and shaping curly or coily hair — including beards — and the Flyaway attachment uses Coanda airflow to flatten stray hairs and keep styles sleek.
Notably, the Nural comes with the newest attachment innovation of the Wave+Curl diffuser. The attachment allows you to pop out the pronged insert and use it in 'dome' mode, which promotes elongated waves with reversible vortex airflow. In 'diffuse' mode, the pronged insert helps provide airflow into the roots for deeper, defined curls.
For the most part, my settings were the same for the attachments I gravitated towards — the gentle air attachment and the 'dome' diffuser — with my presets being medium airflow and a switch between low and medium heat for gentle and regular drying. Only a few time crunches made me switch to high heat, but more for speedier styling. Overall, I found with my two presets, I could cut down my average drying and diffusing time (based on my current hair dryer) from around 35 minutes to 14.47 minutes — which was pretty astonishing. When not using the diffuser, I could easily dry my hair using high heat and high airflow in under 10 minutes, which again, was rather impressive as I've always seen hair drying as the bane of my existence.
That being said, Scalp Protect mode presented a bit of a learning curve. While it was intuitive when I held the dryer close to my head and it automatically flicked on and off, it made styling tricky in some aspects. If I flipped my hair in front of my face, the dryer would sometimes recognize being too close to my head to dry the back of my hair in my preferred settings. The only real solution to this was using Dyson's instructions of holding the dryer at a 45-degree angle and standing upright, which felt foreign but not impossible to achieve. Again, in those moments, you can ultimately turn off the mode by using the button at the top of the device, but in reality, this isn't going to be an issue for most users.
For the sake of transparency, I was keen to try this mode as Dyson had promoted scalp health as part of its innovation for the product. While I only had a few short weeks to test the product, I can safely say I wasn't overwhelmed by any noticeable changes to my scalp. That being said, with prolonged use, I am certain this would have benefitted my scalp by having a lower temperature on it when blow drying.
When I tried the Pause Detect mode, I was pleasantly surprised. After trying it at the Dyson launch event, I knew the impact the mode would have on how I styled my hair — and how many rest breaks I could ultimately take while styling. The dryer goes near-silent, limiting heat and airflow within a millisecond of putting it down.
The only downside was the axis inside the machine. I found it was best to put the device down on a completely flat surface, with the entire device (minus the cord) on the countertop. I had a couple of issues with this as I had limited counter space in my bathroom, but once I knew the correct angle at which the device would activate the mode, I always placed it at that angle. This isn't necessarily going to impact every user, especially if you have enough space to pop the device down on your counter. If you don’t, however, you can put it on the floor or a shelf, and the mode will seamlessly turn on.
Dyson Supersonic Nural review: Verdict
The Supersonic has been top of the line for hairdryers since it debuted in 2016, but now, the Nural is simply icing on the cake. The addition of intelligent attachments, pause detect mode and scalp protect mode was worth the wait, as there are currently no other hairdryers on the market that offer the same smart tech. However, this could also be seen as a starting point for other competitors — namely Shark — to take advantage of and take things to the next level by offering a similar product that's more affordable.
That being said, new features really do make the Nural stand out. The new Wave and Curl diffuser could speak volumes — and give volume — for those with type 2C and 3C hair, by shortening diffusing time and enhancing natural curl patterns in a way that normal diffusers cannot. Plus, smart attachments could shorten styling time by syncing previous user settings, so you can take the guesswork out of how much time you'll need to dry your tresses. Of course, its price may be too big of a pill to swallow for some people.
Overall, if you're looking to upgrade your old hair dryer or looking for one that'll last you a long time, the Dyson Supersonic Nural — and its high-tech bonuses — is hard to pass up.
