Tech
Beauty

Want a fancy hair dryer without a fancy price? Here are four Dyson Supersonic dupes worth the hype

Because who has $429 to spend on a hair dryer?
By Bethany Allard  on 
All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.

Our Top 4 Picks

Laifen Swift (opens in a new tab)

Best lightweight option

For the sleekest and most functional replica of the Supersonic, the Laifen Swift is your blow dryer. It barely takes up any room on your bathroom counter or in your cabinet, and is light enough that long styling times won't be tiring. It's doubtful you'll ever need that long to style your hair though, as the powerful ionic airflow will get you smooth locks in no time at all.

The Good

  • Incredibly sleek design
  • Simple interface
  • Easy to store and use for long periods of time
  • Frequently on sale
  • Not too loud
  • Excellent option for travel

The Bad

  • A tad on the pricey side
  • Only three heat options
Pros & Cons

Shark HyperAIR (opens in a new tab)

Best versatile option

The Shark HyperAIR feels like the middle-ground between the classic blow dryer and the futuristic vibes of the Dyson Supersonic. However, just like the brand’s FlexStyle hot air tool, the HyperAIR has some tricks up its sleeve and proves to be a flexible hair styling workhorse thanks to its IQ tech, actual useful attachments, and emphasis on minimizing damage.

The Good

  • Well-rounded attachments
  • Plenty of adjustable temperatures and air settings
  • Powerful air flow dries hair in no time at all
  • 8ft long cord

The Bad

  • Heavier than other options
  • Temp and air buttons hard to reach mid-styling
Pros & Cons

Zuvi Halo (opens in a new tab)

Best high-tech alternative

The Zuvi Halo won't be the dupe that saves you much money, but it might be the one that saves the health of your hair. The unique hair dryer swaps high-powered air speeds for infrared light, offering a gentler drying experience aimed at taking care of your hair's health.

The Good

  • Infrared light cuts down on hair damage
  • Shorter drying times
  • Comes with three magnetic attachments
  • 30-day return period
  • Quieter than standard blow dryer

The Bad

  • Very expensive
  • No dedicated heat and air flow buttons
Pros & Cons

BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium (opens in a new tab)

Best pick under $100

The BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium hair dryer might not be the pinnacle of innovative beauty tech, but it's a reliable blow dryer with some versatility, smoothing ionic technology, and a promise that it won't crap out on you after just a few months of use. Plus, it won't blow a huge hole in your wallet.

The Good

  • Affordable
  • Uses ionic technology
  • Dries hair in a decent time span
  • Comes with a concentrator attachment
  • Has a four year warranty

The Bad

  • Nothing exciting on the design or function front
  • Can run hot if you're not careful
Pros & Cons

It’s a simple truth: where there’s a Dyson product, there’s a dupe. When the brand’s Supersonic hair dryer first released in 2016, it hit the market with a promise to reinvent what a blow dryer could be. 

Seven years later, it’s clear that Dyson made an impact with its first foray into beauty tech. While it’s an impressive product, you might not need to pay upwards of $400 to get the home hair dry experience you’re looking for. 

What makes the Dyson Supersonic special? 

The Supersonic first made waves because in typical Dyson fashion, of its upgraded, futuristic design. It’s the Eve to your classic blow dryer’s WALL-E

Dyson is known for this aesthetic, but the sleek look also has a function. The ring-shaped head ditches the vented and coiled model of the traditional hair dryer and houses the tiny V9 motor in the handle. The combination of the V9 motor and the Air Multiplier technology makes for a dryer that clocks in at only 1.8 pounds, yet still delivers a powerful airflow that’s notably quieter than the roar of a traditional dryer. 

To minimize damage, the Supersonic also measures the air temp up to 20 times per second and uses a built-in ionizer to minimize static and give the hair a sleek finish, which brings us to a quick ionizer science lesson. So ionizers(opens in a new tab) are pretty common in higher-end air dryers. Why? Most work by blowing negative ions at wet hair to reduce static electricity by sealing the hair cuticle and taking down the power of that positive ionic charge (aka what's causing that annoying frizz). As negative ions make contact with hair, they're also dispersing the positive ions of water, therefore cutting down on your drying time and reducing damage in the process. Basically, it's a good part of the reason the Dyson provides such quick and excellent results, and why ionizers will run you some more money — they do more than simply dry the hair.

Magnetic attachments designed to easily snap onto the blow dryer round out the futuristic feel of the Supersonic, with five included — a styling concentrator, a flyaway attachment, a diffuser, a gentle air attachment, and a wide tooth comb. It's a nice array of included nozzles even for high-end dryers, which might typically include three to four attachments at the most.

Why is the Dyson Supersonic so expensive?

At $429, the overall package of the Supersonic is definitely an investment. However, you're paying for a high-end motor that's built to last, multiple heat settings to protect hair, an innovative design, and of course, the ionic tech. Other dryers from popular hot tool brands like T3, ghd, and Harry Josh boasting some similar features will run you anywhere from $150 to $350, but none quite capture the complete offerings of the Supersonic.

Still, it means there are plenty of decent dupes out there.

How to choose the best Dyson Supersonic dupe

There are a lot of options for luxury blow dryers out there and a lot of Amazon dupes that attempt to look like the Dyson but skimp out on quality. 

While it’s not entirely feasible to find an exact one-to-one Supersonic experience for a fraction of the price, it is possible to find a dupe you’re more than satisfied with. The trick is to identify what exactly draws you to the Supersonic in the first place.

  • If you’re into ring design, and the appeal of something lightweight, the Laifen Swift is a near replica, even in how the airflow sounds. 

  • If you like the idea of having a lot of attachments to customize your styling session, and still get a similar compact look, the Shark HyperAIR gets the job done. 

  • If money isn't your biggest concern and you’re into a dryer that puts the tech in beauty tech, the Zuvi Halo is a strong choice.

  • If what’s most appealing about getting a dupe is the whole saving a ton of money aspect, there are respectable hair dryers to be had under $100. We’re particular fans of the BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium dryer.

For a deeper dive on how each of these blow dryers performed and info on where to buy them, read on.

Best lightweight option
Credit: Laifen
Specs
  • Heat settings: 3
  • Air speeds: 2
  • Cord length: 5.9 ft
  • Weight: 0.89 lbs

Though it's not an exact replica of the ring-barreled Supersonic, the Laifen Swift(opens in a new tab) bears the closest resemblance to Dyson's design, barring all the random iron and fuschia knock-offs on Amazon that are inexplicably (or perhaps, very explicably) $40 or less. 

At $199, the Laifen’s price inspires some more confidence in its overall performance and longevity. Beyond the design, it also has magnetic attachments (though you’ll have to pay a bit extra to get more than the one included smooth nozzle) and that signature Dyson air sound I’ve come to know through my time using the Airwrap. What kept me reaching for it over and over again over the past few weeks, though, was its simplicity. 

I’ve recently become a daily blow dryer user not just for testing purposes, but because I got bangs. I’ve had the cut before, and even though I knew I liked them, held off on recutting them solely because of the necessary effort to styling them. Something about dragging out the blow dryer every single day really didn’t gel with my minimal-effort lifestyle. Maybe it’s because I look adorable so the effort-to-reward ratio feels more justified, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the Laifen felt so compact and so lightweight, that pulling it out for just a minute or two every day feels more worth it. I can’t say the dry time felt astonishingly fast, but it did feel efficient. The two air speeds are strong, and I almost never found myself needing to go beyond the first one, even when doing an all-over rough dry to my wet hair before bed. The negative ions at work provided me with a super smooth dry, too.

For the days I felt like diffusing my wavy hair, switching the attachments was beyond easy. Though this is when I found myself most wishing for a temperature setting or two more, the hottest setting never felt scorching. A long press of the temperature button auto-cycles through each temp, which both felt a little extraneous and like it achieved the mid-temperature I was looking for.

Some particular design choices I like that add to the all-over simple vibe are the single switch and turning on the dryer and switching the airspeed, and the one button for adjusting the temperatures. The ring light at the back of the dryer changes color from blue to orange and red as you switch through the dryer’s three temps, or oscillates on this purple tone for the long press. Though at $199 this dryer feels ever so slightly on the steep side, it's still over $200 less than the Dyson. Plus, it's frequently on sale (at the time of writing, it's only $159).

Best versatile option
Credit: Shark
Specs
  • Heat settings: 4
  • Air speeds: 3
  • Cord length: 8 ft
  • Weight: 1.65 lbs

Shark already successfully (out)duped the Dyson Airwrap, so I had high expectations for them to do it again with the HyperAIR(opens in a new tab). Though the overall experience didn’t feel as one-to-one Dyson-like as the FlexStyle, the HyperAIR is still an excellent hair dryer that just like the FlexStyle, has some tricks up its sleeve. 

I tested out the version of the HyperAIR that comes with the concentrator and styling brush, though there's also a version that swaps that brush for a diffuser for the same price. For $20 more, you can grab the premium bundle(opens in a new tab), which comes with all three attachments, plus the intriguing AirWave(opens in a new tab) attachment.

As a more expensive blow dryer, the HyperAIR has the bells and whistles you might want. It has three different airflow settings and three different heat settings, plus a cold shot button. It has a negative ionizer that helps you achieve a sleeker dry, and the IQ attachments snap on magnetically and automatically adjust to the optimal heat and airflow setting for that attachment. That was a particularly nice feature, as the heat and airflow settings are located in the back of the barrel, and are awkward to reach mid-styling (though this does mimic the design of the Supersonic). The cool shot button was easily accessible along with the power switch on the dryer's handle.

Shark’s blow dryer really impressed with how it worked with the attachments. I was skeptical of the rotating styling brush at first, but within about three seconds of bravely using it on my tangly, wet hair (famously the most knot-prone state for my waves) my skepticism all but vanished. The smoothing and detangling bristles effortlessly undid any knots, made my hair look sleek, and dried sections entirely within a few passes. For the back of my head, I rotated the brush 180 degrees as Shark recommended, and found it actually made styling my hair so much easier, and made me waver slightly on my firm if-I-can’t-see-it-I-don’t-care styling stance. While I had one experience where the brush wouldn’t lock into place after pressing down the button once, it fixed itself after a few rotations and didn’t happen again. 

The concentrator attachment also delivered a solid performance, directing airflow with ease. I especially like the slider on it that lets you toggle between a more dispersed pre-style air flow or an extra-targeted precision styling airflow. It felt like a smart combination of tools, and a recognition that it might actually be less convenient to have several attachments to store, especially if you're not using all of them regularly.

This dryer was a little on the hefty side, but it dried my long hair fast enough that I never my arms get tired while using it. It was also louder than the Laifen, but not so much that I felt uncomfortable using it later at night or earlier in the morning — and it was way less grating to the ear than any cheap hair dryer I've used.

Best high-tech alternative
Specs
  • Heat settings: N/A
  • Air speeds: N/A
  • Cord length: 8.85 ft
  • Weight: 1.2 lbs

The Zuvi Halo(opens in a new tab) basically said take the Dyson Supersonic look, but make it infrared.

Infrared hair dryers are not exactly new tech. The Zuvi Halo, however, uses infrared light along with a less powerful airflow to provide an overall gentler drying experience that retains the hair's health, which they call LightCare technology. Though this was the one dryer I didn't hands-on test for this article, plenty of stellar reviews praised the efficacy of Zuvi's approach.

Zuvi claims the LightCare tech dries the surface of the hair without baking it from the outside in, allowing it to retain some moisture. For those with damaged or colored hair in particular, this can be an especially appealing option. However, the tech has its limits. When you use the Zuvi Halo, you have your choice of five different modes: care, fast, soft, style, and cool. If you noticed that none of those are specific air flow speeds or heats, that's because you can't adjust those directly. Instead, the settings adjust as follows: care adjusts with the temperature of your room, fast uses higher heat for quicker drying, soft uses a lighter airspeed and heat for more sensitive scalps, style uses more heat but less wind, and cool uses a burst of — you guessed it — cold air to lock in your styles.

For people who are very much set-and-forget types, those presets may actually be a huge plus, but control freaks (I say this endearingly, as one myself) may be a little more hesitant to full send on this model. It is worth noting that the hair dryer never gets that hot, topping out at 111 degrees Fahrenheit. Plus, review after review mentioned how shiny and frizz-free their hair turned out, which doesn't happen when you're frying the shit out of your hair. Reviewers also noted how quiet they found the dryer to be, which makes sense, considering it's not singularly reliant on airflow during the drying process. For more styling customization, you'll also receive a magnetic diffuser, style concentrator, and gentle air attachment along with the dryer.

The Zuvi Halo is for sure an investment, but the brand does offer a 30-day return period if you're not completely satisfied with your purchase.

Best pick under $100
Credit: BaBylissPro
Specs
  • Heat settings: 4
  • Air speeds: 2
  • Cord length: 9 ft
  • Weight: 0.93 lbs

Unlike every other dryer on this list, the BabylissPRO Nano Titanium(opens in a new tab) doesn't do anything exciting. It looks nothing at all like the Dyson Supersonic. But also unlike every blow dryer on this list, it won't put a $200-plus price tag on drying your hair.

If you're interested in the Dyson Supersonic because you're getting your first hair dryer and it's simply the one you've seen most on your For You page, you might want to take a moment and ask yourself how often you will really be using a hair dryer. Once, twice, maybe a few times a week? And do you have 20 to 30 minutes to spare for that?

If so, save yourself the cash and get yourself a dryer that'll perform the basic function of drying your hair without incurring a ton of damage. How does do it do that if its so run of the mill? Well, it has the trusty ion generator, plus three different heat settings (though the highest one does run quite hot). The included concentrator attachment can direct the airflow so you get a pinpointed dry and cut down on styling time, and the barrel is easily compatible with plenty of diffusers.

Prior to testing for this article, this was the hair dryer I used whenever I couldn't be bothered to hair dry. While it never sparked an overwhelming joy and sometimes felt too clunky to extricate from the depths of my bathroom cabinet, it got the job done without taking a ton of time. It's lasted a couple years without issue already, and though it's a little loud, it's perfectly lightweight. My BaByliss, my BaBy if you will, has always been there for me when my hair needed it. And if it ever breaks on me, I know I have a four-year warranty to fall back on.

More in Beauty

How we tested

I started the Supersonic dupe search by wading through the sea of Amazon dupes with fake-sounding brand names and looked at hair dryers from established brands to select a pool of front runners that consumers seem to be interested in as Dyson dupes.

To determine the finalists, here’s what I considered:

  • Design: Did the dupe look like the Supersonic, and if so, did that serve a function in being a lighter, more streamlined product? If the look seemed to be emulation for the sake of emulation, or seemed to outright sacrifice functionality, I passed.

  • Reviews: I looked at how popular the product seemed to be, and how many legit reviews it seemed to have. If a product had 3.5 stars among 18 ratings, I skipped it for this round of testing. I was looking for what dryers people seemed to be flocking to as Supersonic alternatives, and what products were getting a lot of hype, so I could determine if the hype was worth it.

  • Damage minimizing: One of the Supersonic's biggest claims is getting you a better dry while providing less damage to your hair. It's no secret that if you blast your hair with super high temperatures, it's going to dry faster, but it's terrible for your hair's health. That's why I kept my eye out for claims of damage-minimizing techniques — like automatic temperature regulating, customizable temperature controls, and ionic technology — to make my selections on what dryers to test.

  • Other stand-out features: Though I didn't hands-on test it for this round, the infrared light of the Zuvi Halo is what earned it a place on this list, as it was such a unique feature that I couldn't ignore it. It captured the same innovative spirit of the Dyson.

  • Potential product life: There's not really a point in spending less on a dupe if you're going to have to replace it way more often. I chose the product pool based on the idea that you would spend less on an alternative to the Supersonic and actually save money in the long run, rather than delaying the inevitable of dropping the cash on the quality product.

After picking my finalists, I got to testing. As mentioned in the article, I owned the BaBylissPRO prior to the testing period, so I used it a few more times to refresh my memory and affirm what my overall impressions of the dryer already were. As for the Laifen and Shark hair dryers, I used both regularly over the course of a month, allowing me to get a strong sense of what daily use felt like. I paid extra attention to how comfortable they were to use, which I personally wanted to reach for day to day, if they seemed to make good on their claims, and how my hair health felt after the course of the month.

For a quick sense of what my hair is like: I have long, wavy hair that sits somewhere between a 2A and 2B pattern. I typically prefer to air dry as my hair is prone to dryness at the ends that can be exacerbated with regular heat styling. Though it's wavy, it typically straightens easily and can hold a straight style for one to two days.


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