Shoppers searching for a high-powered hair tool often compare the Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson Supersonic in a bid to figure out which is best. Launched in 2021, the Shark STYLE iQ Ionic Hair Dryer came five years after the famous Dyson Supersonic, but both are known to prioritise things like speedy results and hair health.
Historically, these two brands have been most associated with quality vacuum cleaners, but their pivot to haircare has resulted in some of the best hair dryers and, as such, they're synonymous with hairstyling. The woman&home team continually tests the latest hair tech innovations and, while both dryers have been on the market for a few years, we still get asked if Dyson's is worth the extra money or if Shark's lives up to the hype. Having reviewed the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer and Shark Hair Dryer, we're very familiar with both tools.
Both options deliver excellent results, but which one is best? Using our years of experience, two woman&home beauty team members plus one of our expert contributors have compared them in this thorough guide. (And when you're done here, we've also assessed these brand's multi-stylers in a head-to-head in our Shark FlexStyle vs Dyson Airwrap guide.)
The Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson Supersonic: a complete comparison by our beauty experts
At a glance: the Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson Supersonic
Attachments: Diffuser, concentrator nozzle, style brush
Features: 3 temperature settings, 3 airflow settings, cold shot
Review: Though noticeably noisier than the Dyson, the Shark Style iQ is still an impressive offering – and a fair deal cheaper.
With a modern, functional design and a powerful motor, the Shark Style iQ is a solid investment. It dries hair quickly and efficiently, smoothing and sealing the cuticles thanks to negatively charged ions.
After using it, our hair looked shinier and felt softer. The best part? The intelligent and innovative stylers really do create a bespoke hair-drying experience while significantly reducing heat damage.
Buy it if: You're after great value for money and don't mind that it's a noisier, heavier option
Attachments: Wide-tooth comb, gentle air attachment, flyaway attachment, styling concentrator, diffuser
Features: 3 speed settings, 4 heat settings, cold shot
Review: The Dyson Supersonic looks and acts the part. Its jet-like motor efficiently dries hair, cutting our drying time in half while smoothing strands with negative ions. It can also create a variety of looks – from smooth styles using the super concentrator to defined natural curls with the diffuser.
Compared to its competitors, this sleek device is one of the quietest and lightest we’ve tried – impressive, considering its mighty power. While it's more of an investment, you do get a wider range of attachments when you opt for the Dyson.
Buy it if: You're looking for flexible styling power and don't mind investing a bit more money
How we tested the Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson Supersonic
Between us, our team has years of experience using both of these hair dryers. Our Acting Beauty Editor Aleesha owns the Dyson Supersonic, while our Head of Shopping Millie owns the Shark Style iQ and has been testing it year-round since it launched. Fiona McKim, our Beauty Editor, has tried both and used this Dyson vs Shark Hair Dryer review as an opportunity to carry out a direct comparison of the two tools.
(For the avoidance of any doubt, it's the original Supersonic, not the newer Nural, that we're comparing to the Shark STYLE iQ in this guide.)
How do the specifications of the Dyson Supersonic and Shark iQ compare?
Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson Supersonic design
Shark STYLE iQ design
The first thing we noticed, when comparing the Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson at a glance, are these two tools' visual similarities. The Shark's small barrel shape is similar to Dyson's and both dryers' heat and airflow control settings sit on the actual barrel, while the power switch sits on the handle. They also both have three heat and airflow settings (low, medium, and high), which allowed for customising drying to our hair types and desired at-home blow dry looks.
The Shark STYLE iQ now comes with three attachments (a nozzle, a diffuser and a brush attachment), which magnetically attach to the barrel – just like the Dyson Supersonic. The big difference, however , is that the Shark's attachments are intelligent, meaning the dryer recognizes which is connected and alters the heat and speed settings accordingly to give you the best results. Clever, huh? Weighing 730g, the Shark Hair Dryer is heavier than its competitor but lighter than many of the traditional models on the market. After trying it ourselves, we'll admit that we did notice its weight and had expected it to feel less bulky, but it's easy to manoeuvre thanks to its small, compact design.
Dyson Supersonic design
Before the Supersonic hit the market, hair dryers usually had large heads and carried bulky motors. The Dyson team changed this by engineering a small and powerful motor that they put in their dryer's handle, resulting in a less top-heavy device weighing just 697g. This nimble design means the Supersonic is more versatile and, in a way, makes one of the best travel hair dryers, too.
The Supersonic has a futuristic look to match its advanced tech, which is just one of the reasons Dyson hair dryer deals are as rare as hen's teeth. But it's a beauty to behold and will elevate any dressing table. On the barrel, you’ll find three heat settings (60°C, 80°C, and 100°C) and three airflow settings, while the power switch and cold shot (28°C) are found on the handle. After testing, we can confirm that the Supersonic has the edge in the Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson debate.
Attachments and styling
Shark STYLE iQ attachments and styling
The Shark STYLE iQ Hair Dryer now comes with three attachments – a concentrator, a diffuser and a smoothing brush – which are adaptable to suit different hair types. (When we first tested it, the Style iQ only came with the first two attachments, while the smoothing brush was available to purchase separately.) When using the concentrator, you can either select pre-style mode, which opens the nozzle for an all-over rough-dry, or precision styling mode, which narrows the nozzle for smoother results. Both are super useful for customisable and versatile styling.
Then there’s the diffuser, which has adjustable prongs that retract for use on short hairstyles or extend for medium hairstyles and longer. The temperature handily automatically adjusts when you change the attachment; if you have curly hair and go for the diffuser, the heat is automatically gentler. In our book, this makes it one of the best diffusers for curly hair. That said, we did find this diffuser is trickier to connect to the dryer and that it doesn't stay in place as well as the concentrator.
Dyson Supersonic attachments and styling
Ergonomic and compact, we'd describe the Dyson Supersonic as a joy to use. It's comfortable to hold and we love that it comes with six magnetic styling attachments that can create various styles and finishes. There’s a concentrator, smoothing nozzle, diffuser, wide-tooth comb, flyaway attachment, and gentle air attachment designed for scalp care. All of the attachments connect magnetically and are easy to remove – sometimes a little too easily when they knock off by accident, but we'll take it for less faff overall.
The diffuser is a particular draw and is widely regarded as one of the best by industry experts and hairstylists alike. Woman&home beauty contributor Lucy Abbersteen has tried many of the diffusers and hair dryers on the market, but the Supersonic is the one she chooses to use in her styling regime. "It creates such gentle airflow and I find it doesn't generate excess frizz," she says. "My curls always have great definition after drying them with this pairing and I know several hairdressers who deem it the best."
The diffuser can also be used for those who don't have curly hair but want to encourage a bit of a wave. ''For fine or straight hair types where a natural curl pattern isn’t present, I recommend bending one-to-two-inch sections back and forth into an accordion pattern and placing them into the diffuser,” explains Dyson Styling Ambassador Jen Atkin.
Shark vs Dyson hair dryer: Performance
Shark STYLE iQ technical performance
The Shark Style iQ gets to work quickly and dried our hair in a matter of minutes. We found it best to first remove excess moisture from the hair with a towel before selecting an attachment (more on those later). As well as speed, the Shark scores well for noise; though it's more noticeable than the Dyson Supersonic's output, it’s impressively quiet compared to traditional hair dryers.
As for the results, our hair was left looking visibly sleek and had a polished finish. The Shark is an ionic dryer, meaning it emits negative ions to counter the positive ions found in water. This means heat is evenly distributed, closing the hairs’ cuticle and removing moisture for a smoother look. It's therefore an excellent choice for anyone with frizzy hair or a curly hairstyle who likes to blow-dry it smooth.
Dyson Supersonic technical performance
Super by name, super by nature, the Dyson Supersonic is powered by a motor that’s six times faster than that of the average hair dryer. This high speed produces a stream of controlled air that dries strands noticeably fast without reliance on extreme heat, which is damaging to hair. We're sure anyone with a long hairstyle who usually spends ages blow-drying it will appreciate this.
When using this techy tool, we noticed that it didn't feel as powerful as some other high-tech dryers, such as the ghd Helios. Instead, we got a steady stream of air delivered at a targeted angle that smoothed the cuticle without much noise (or heat). As well as reducing the overall drying time, this is one of the quietest hair dryers we've tried and our hair always looks and feels healthy after using it.
Shark hair dryer vs Dyson Supersonic: the w&h verdict
OK, crunch time: in our opinion, compared to most traditional hair dryers, the Dyson Supersonic and Shark Style iQ are both a cut above the rest. They deliver salon-worthy blow-dries with clever ionised technology that eliminates frizz and bolsters shine – all while cutting down drying time with powerful motors.
It is a fairly close competition but, if we have to choose between the two (which is the reason we’re here, after all), the Dyson Supersonic cinches it. Why? First of all, we’re enamoured with its sleek, lightweight design and it has more attachments that are designed for a wider variety of hair types (five versus Shark’s three). Plus, we have to give credit where credit is due – this dryer launched first and was a truly groundbreaking innovation at that time.
The downsides? This Dyson model is significantly more expensive and the attachments aren't as smart. So, if you have and can afford to spend the extra money, we’d recommend opting for the Dyson Supersonic. If, however, you’re looking for a more affordable model – and one that takes the guesswork out of choosing settings for the diffuser and styling nozzles – we don't think the Shark STYLE iQ dryer would disappoint. Its easy handling and sleek design make it a great tool.
