Dyson Airwrap i.d. vs Dreame Pocket Neo: I put them both to the test so you don't have to

Tom's Guide

2 days ago

When I first unboxed the Dyson Airwrap i.d., I was pretty nervous. The online discourse is that the Airwraps have such a steep learning curve that it can take months to master the elusive styling tool, but I found none of that. I was doing lovely blowouts and taming my damaged hair's frizz on the first use — and having an absolute blast while doing so. No pun intended.
The Dreame Pocket Neo is one impressive hair tool that packs a heck of a blast. Not only is it an extremely affordable option when air stylers are costing upwards of $500, but it's also compact and lightweight, making it ideal for travel. I found it very easy to use and it was super easy to pick up the right curling technique. The only issue I have is that it could be too powerful, even on the lowest speed setting, and sometimes tangled my hair — but this wouldn't stop me recommending the dryer.
For the last couple of years, I've had my eyes on the Dyson Airwrap. It's been everywhere I turn, from billboards to TikTok ads. So what's the hype all about?
The Dyson Airwrap technology promises sleek styling with a far less heat damage than using traditional styling tools like straighteners and curling tongs. So when I got the chance to test out the Dyson Airwrap i.d., I was like a kid on Christmas.
But that price tag is a little hard to stomach. And like with any product that has gone viral or is a staple in the household of every celebrity, there are similar products for a fraction of the price. So when I tested the Dreame Pocket Neo a few months ago it left me wondering: is it the hype, or is Dyson really the best?
I'm going to break down the similarities and differences between the two air stylers so you can get a good idea of which one is going to be the best choice for you.
Dyson Airwrap i.d.
Dreame Pocket Neo
Price
$599/£479
$159/£119
Airflow
110,000 RPM / 13.5 l/s / ionic
110,000 RPM / 70 m/s / 300 million ions
Cord length
8.7 feet
4.9 feet
Accessories
6
2
Dimensions
10.7 x 1.9 x 1.6 inches
7.91 x 5.71 x 1.97 inches
Weight
1.3 pounds
0.66 pounds
The Dyson Airwrap has been a recognisable name on the market for many years now, but the Dyson Airwrap i.d. launched in August 2024, with the Dreame Pocket hot on its heels that same month.
The main difference between the two is the price. Dyson has a reputation as a trusted household brand and it's products come with the premium price tag to match. The Dyson Airwrap i.d. is available for purchase from Amazon U.S. for $599 and from Amazon U.K. for £479.
Dreame are more forgiving with their pricing though. The Pocket Neo is available from Amazon U.S. for $159 and from the Dreame online store for £199.
Dyson and Dreame are both best known for their range of sleek vacuum cleaners, so it will come as no surprise that both brands make a good looking air styler.
With the Dyson Airwrap you six attachments to style your hair with, and for me, this meant more control over my unruly hair. It comes with two curling barrels to achieve different curl and wave effects, a firm styling brush, a flyaway tamer tool, a round brush, and the iconic Dyson drying attachment.
The Dreame Pocket comes with only two attachments. A curling barrel attachment and a nozzle that directs airflow downwards to tame flyaways.
It can be expected that the Dreame will have fewer attachments though as it is a fraction of the size of the Dyson. The Dyson is 10.7 inches long, and the Dreame has a length of 7.91 inches. The Dreame also folds to become more compact, making it great for taking on trips away.
The Dreame is the best option for anyone who travels a lot since it weighs just 0.66 pounds. The Dyson is heavier, with the body alone weighing 1.3 pounds.
Both air stylers have three different heat settings, but the Dreame only has two different speeds, where the Dyson had three speed settings.
Both the Dreame and Dyson are ionic dryers, meaning they use negatively charged ions to break down water molecules, speeding up drying time. They both operate at 110,000 RPM, which is very powerful.
The drying head on the dyson offers a lot of control when directing the airflow. The three different speed settings also meant that I could control how fast my hair was being blasted. At the highest speed my hair became tangled, so I opted for the middle setting.
The same issue arose with the Dreame. Since there is no drying attachment with the dreame (only the anti-frizz tool) the dryer feels a lot more powerful than the dyson. but this also meant my hair become matted very quickly, and I was having to stop to brush it out. Even on the lower drying speed this was an issue.
The Dyson has an anti-frizz tool and smoothing brush, both of which were very effective. I opted to use these before curling my hair as my natural curls have a tendency to become frizzy whenever I style without heat.
As I mentioned, there is an anti-frizz nozzle with the Dreame but this wasn't able to smooth my hair down like the brushes that come with the Dyson. So to make sure my roots were super slick, I ended up low drying them with a round brush. However, this made me lose some volume at the root of my hair.
I was left with a lot more frizz after using the dreame as I just couldn't get enough control to achieve a smooth finish, but the Dyson makes this a breeze.
This is what the Airwrap became known for. The way it sucks up your hair as if by magic and leaves you with a voluminous curl that drops into an elegant blowdry.
When using the Dyson I felt like I had control over the hair curling around the barrel. It was also very easy to flip the switch and give the hair a shot of cold air before releasing to set the curl in place. There was also a lot of tension in the wrap, which worked to further smooth the hair.
The Dreame was able to form the curl on the barrel quicker than the Dyson, but there wasn't as much tension, leaving me with a lot more frizz. The temperature of the Dreame is controlled by clicking the same button repeatedly, and this made it difficult to get the cold air to set the curl every time.
Th curls from the Dyson held up for most of the day, and I went of a windy beach walk so I wasn't expecting miracles. As you can see in the first picture, after using the Dyson, I was left with some pretty intense volume. However, with the Dreame, by the time I went to take some pictures the volume had been lost, as you can see in the second image.
Dyson have certainly refined this styling tool over the years, and as someone with curly hair it gave me more control to reduce frizz. But that $599 price tag is quite the doozy. That being said the Dyson made me love my hair without using intense heat.
However, the Dreame works well to dry hair quickly and add a gentle curl. It takes a bit of trial and error to find the best way to smooth the hair and reduce frizz too. But it is also more compact for anyone like me who regularly finds themselves on the go. The Dreame is also a fraction of the price of the Dyson.
If you want the airstyler that is going to give you the most consistent results, the Dyson is the clear winner. But if you have hair that isn't prone to frizz and are willing to sacrifice the extra tools the Dyson offers, Then the Dreame is certainly the best fit.
If you want to find out more about the two products you can read our full Dreame Pocket Neo review and Dyson Airwrap i.d. review.
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