Every so often we get a chance to review products that fall outside the traditional scope of mobile accessories. Instead of Bluetooth speakers, mounts, or cables, we get to check out other items that tie in nicely with our smartphones. Today we’re reviewing the Honeywell Bluetooth Smart True HEPA Allergen Remover. Yes, an air purifier that can connect to your handset.
Now, before going much further, I’ll point out that I’ve not reviewed other air purifiers and allergen removers. To that end, you’ll find the following review will skew more toward the “every man” user and focus on the mobile-specific features.
First things first, this is a pretty sizable (about 20 inches tall) unit that sits on the floor or a medium-sized table. Big and black, it fits nicely with just about any decor and doesn’t draw much attention or distract from an environment. All of the buttons and controls are found at the top of the purifier. The purifier is constructed of plastic so it’s light and easy to move from room to room.
Upon taking it out of the box, you’ll be instructed to walk through a few steps with the Honeywell purifier. A plastic quick-start guide tells you the main settings, each with its own special use-case: germ (capture germs), general (everyday usage), and allergen (capture allergens). It’s not hard to get this one up and running at all as it is essentially plugging in and picking a setting.
The Smart Air Purifier comes with a pair of filters, one being an HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter and a carbon pre-filter. The latter is designed to capture odor such as smoke. The HEPA filter should be replaced annually whereas the pre-filter is once per quarter. In terms of warranty, this guy comes with a five-year plan for parts and labor.
As a novice to these, it was hard to see the differences in the first few days of testing. The Honeywell also offers up a turbo setting for quick odor reduction or power cleaning while the VOC (volatile organic compounds) is more of an automatic setting that moves from one mode to another. I felt safest going this route, understanding it likely knew my environmental needs better than I did.
You’ll find there are some LED lights that can be dimmed or turned off. Should you find yourself using the purifier in the bedroom you may wish to disable the lights as they can be distracting. Do note that the Bluetooth light and power indicator do stay on; you’ll have to put up with those. There are indicator lights to notify you when it’s time to replace the filter, a nice touch for those of us who simply cannot remember to do so.
In terms of sound, I found the Honeywell purifier to be quiet and provide a calm and non-distracting white noise. Turn it on and you’ll pay attention to it for a few minutes, but it’s quickly forgotten or pushed out of mind. Switching modes doesn’t seem to do much in terms of obvious, discerned sounds. if anything, the allergen setting was the only one we noticed over others.
The Honeywell Smart Air Purifier is designed to handle areas of 310 square feet so it’s perfect for most rooms. We liked setting ours in the hallway and shutting off doors to select rooms. This way it would clean the upstairs, steps, and a few small rooms at once. After that we would shut those rooms and repeat the process downstairs.
All in all, we had to rely on the purifier and app to qualify or quantify its effect. But, I can personally attest that the allergen option was very helpful this spring. There’s something about the air come March and April that really does a number on me. Sleeping was much easier this year as I kept the Honeywell in the bedroom.
Whereas the Smart Air Purifier works just fine on its own, things get extra useful and interesting when pairing to a phone. Connected via Bluetooth, the purifier can pair with most Android and iOS devices. Connecting is done by pressing a button on the phone and holding down the Bluetooth button on the purifier. Pair it once and you’re all set.
The app was easy to navigate and looked better than we expected for an air purifier. It’s pretty easy to cut corners and deliver an ugly UI with functions tucked away. Instead, we found a pretty modern and intuitive interface with fairly obvious settings. Also handy was a reminder at the bottom for when you’ll want to replace the filter.
Tapping on the app results in immediate changes on the Honeywell unit; there’s no lag in adjusting settings. Moreover, there are additional settings that don’t come with the standard purifier experience. Log your zip code and you’ll find the app can detect the allergens in your area. Doing so will tell you how grass, mold, tree, and ragweed pollens are. It’s possible to set alerts for thresholds so you can be notified when a particular pollen gets high.
The mobile app also provides cleaning schedules so you can pick a day or time that you’d like the purifier to work. Want a turbo cleanse before getting home? Sure you do. Make it happen.
As someone who suffers through spring with allergies, the Honeywell Bluetooth Smart Air Purifier HPA250B has been a pleasant addition to the home. I’ve come to appreciate the mobile app more than I anticipated, too. I like the idea of knowing the pollen levels for specific types of allergies. Additionally, I enjoy being able to adjust modes from the phone and having a constant reminder of when filters need replaced is just an icing on the cake.
If you’re in the market for a standard air purifier and don’t necessarily want or need the Bluetooth functions, you can definitely find other options for less money. But, if you’re suffering from allergies, live with a smoker, or like the notion of connecting your home, you’ll definitely come to like this Honeywell purifier. And if that’s not quite enough to convince you, don’t forget the five year warranty.
You can pick up a Honeywell Smart Air Purifier for about $250 through Best Buy. Currently, though, it’s on sale for $210. Amazon also has the unit going for about $208 as of the time of this review.
