The Dreo Air Purifier Tower Fan is a 2-in-1 machine that does exactly what it says on the tin. Even at full blast, it's a quiet machine with a steady but powerful air flow and the app and control options are great. However, it's only really got one level of filtration and lacks a little with giving detailed information about what's being filtered exactly. It's also a ridiculously large and plasticky machine that stands out in a room, but not in a good way.
Pros
- Impressive air flow
- Quiet
- Nice app
- Decent price-point
Cons
- Ridiculously tall
- No odor removal
- Basic pollution measurements
- Pretty ugly
Dreo Air Purifier Tower Fan: Introduction
Introduced over in Vegas at CES 2024 as part of the new MultiComfort Series, the Dreo Air Purifier Tower Fan (MC710S) is designed, as you may have guessed from the name, to both purify your air and keep you cool.
Designed to take on the likes of the Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde, but with a much smaller price-tag, the MC710S is a smart air purifier, with app controls and compatibility with popular voice assistants.
I’ve had the Dreo set up in our US test lab for the past month or so, read on for my full review.
Design and key features
- Type: Air purifier and fan
- Range: up to 1,550sq ft
- Filters: HEPA H13
The first thing you’ll notice when you get the Dreo Air Purifier Tower Fan out of the box is just how tall this thing is. Measuring 11 x 11 inches around the waist, it’s 46 inches high, making it an extremely tall and narrow looking device.
It’s pretty heavy too at 18lbs but the good news is that there’s a carrying handle on the back making it easier to transport from room to room.
I’ve mentioned already that Dyson is obviously a competitor for the Dreo and it’s clear that inspiration has been taken from its British rival for the design… although not perhaps in the way you’d imagine.
The base of the MC710S, with its grey plastic finish, transparent window and purple innards makes it look a heck of a lot like a Dyson vacuum cleaner from 2015.
What I’m trying to say, in the nicest way possible, is that the MC710S looks pretty dated and, actually, a bit ugly.
It definitely won’t blend into the background of any room you choose to house it in.
Luckily those looks get better as you get to the top end; the LED display and the capacitive buttons up top all look a lot more modern and fresh.
There’s no assembly with the Dreo, it’s ready to go straight out of the box, but you will need to remove the plastic which is protecting the filter. The app and the manual remind you to do this, so you don’t create a fire hazard.
There’s smart app controls, which I’ll come to in a bit, but you can just treat the MC710S as an offline device should you wish, with controls available both on the device itself and via the accompanying remote control.
Whereas high-end Dyson purifiers boast HEPA H13, K-Carbon and SCO filters, there’s just the H13 HEPA filter on offer with the Dreo, alongside a foam pre-filter, designed to remove large particles before the HEPA gets to work on minuscule menaces.
You’ll have to clean this pre-filter and replace the HEPA filter every six months or so and replacement HEPA filters cost $40.
Smart app
- Dreo app is good
- On board controls and LED also very clear
Obviously, this being a smart home website, we were keen to go beyond the controls available on the device itself and the remote control; such as fan speed, mode, oscillation, timer and power.
There’s also a button up top that literally says ‘5s for WiFi’… which, as you may have guessed, you hold down for 5 seconds to turn on Wi-Fi; which seems a bit much, as this is it’s only purpose – surely a hidden button around the back would have done for this one-time only affair? Or just have a Wi-Fi logo at the very least?
I obviously pushed this button for 5 seconds and paired the MC710S to the app and was pleased to find out that you don’t have to create an account when prompted as a ‘guest’ option is hidden in the top right corner.
I was less pleased to discover that, in fact, you do have to create an account; once you click to add a device when in ‘guest’ mode, it just pops you back to that same login screen.
Data collection annoyances aside, the Dreo app is actually pretty nicely designed and easy to use, with all the controls you’d need on offer, alongside the ability to create schedules, alter device settings and the like.
The app also gives you a nice graph of your air quality and ambient temperature breakdown, over 7 or 30 days…
The Dreo connects over 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and works with both Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant.
Performance and in use
Dreo tells us that the MC710S boasts dual-motor technology, meaning that each motor can work independently, giving users unique wind and purifying combinations.
There are 12 fan settings in total but if you choose to use the fan-only modes then you’ll miss out on the air purifying, so it’s best to find a setting that does both.
120-degree oscillation is on offer, with a plethora of options in the app allowing you to choose between symmetric, asymmetric or cutom angles.
I had the Dreo set up in the room that I slept in over at our US test lab and found that the sleep mode, which adjusts the fan speed to balance comfort and quietness and brings noise down to only 25dB, was incredibly quiet and didn’t impact my sleep at all.
On full blast the Dreo can get up to 38dB, which is still pretty quiet; it’s not a noisy fan at all.
The LED display is great, there’s a nice blue line when everything is okay, which will change to orange and red if airborne nasties are detected and you can scrolls through various displays showing particles, filter life and so on.
Dreo states that coverage is up to 1550 sq-ft with that 120° oscillation, with the dual motors delivering rapid 27ft/s airflow up to 40ft for whole-room coverage.
The H13 True HEPA filter takes care of 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 μm, while the pre-filter traps large particles and extends the main filter lifespan.
However, if you’re looking to drill down as to what nasties are being filtered then you are out of luck. You only get a very basic ug/m3 measurement, on the device and the app – there’s no info, as you’d get with a Dyson, on what gases, particles or VOCs are being detected.
Final thoughs
The Dreo Air Purifier Tower Fan (MC710S) performs amicably in terms of what it’s designed to do; both purifying air and keeping your abode cool.
However, it does it whilst being quite an eyesore and only really offering pretty basic filtration and particle information.
It’s a decent price, but not super cheap either; if you can nab one discounted during a sale event then I’d say it’s a pretty good purchase.
How we test
When we publish our reviews, you can rest assured that they are the result of “living with” long term tests.
Air purifiers usually live within an ecosystem, or a range of products that – supposedly – all work in harmony. And they are designed to offer a range of different options. Therefore, it’s impossible to use a machine for a week and deliver a verdict.
Because we’re testing smart home kit all day, everyday, we know what matters and how a particular smart cleaning machine compares to alternatives that you might also be considering.
Our reviews are comprehensive, objective and fair and, of course, we are never paid directly to review a device.
Read our guide on how we test to learn more.