Review: Dyson Supersonic Nural Hair Dryer

When Dyson released its Supersonic hair dryer in 2016, it was the first of its kind, with a unique shape more akin to the brand's fans and air purifiers than a hair tool. It worked well too, drying hair quickly. Now the brand has updated it with the Supersonic Nural, and it is, I admit, wonderful, with its fast-drying ability and even more impressive features.

It's almost annoying how good Dyson hair tools continue to be, because it also means the price keeps rising. (Find discounts on Dyson beauty with our Dyson promo codes.) At $500, the Nural is $70 more than the original Supersonic's current $430 price tag (it was $400 when it was released). In comparison, our current top two favorite hair dryer picks are $40 and $55, but there's no denying this one is simply better.

Quick Dry

Photograph: Medea Giordano

My hair is very thick. A hair stylist told me that not only do I have a lot of hair, but each strand is itself thick and coarse. Styling and drying can take hours, and I usually give up with wet roots underneath that stay wet all day.

Dyson's dryers have an impressive motor that puts out a more powerful airflow. That means they dry quickly without singeing. The first time I used the Nural, paired with its brand-new diffuser, I got my hair about 75 percent dry in 17 minutes. The next time, I committed to diffusing my curls 100 percent. That took about 35 minutes when switching between diffuse mode and dome mode (more on that below).

Dyson says the dryer enhances natural shine. Coarse curls don't have a lot of natural shine, but my hair didn't look like parched straw the way it does after using some dryers.

That powerful motor also sits in the handle instead of in the barrel like it does in a typical dryer. That allows it to have its more compact shape and also distributes weight more evenly, so it doesn't feel top heavy.

Photograph: Medea Giordano

For me, a dryer lives and dies by its diffuser, and I've never seen one like this, which is actually two diffusers. In “diffuse mode,” it looks like any diffuser you've ever seen, with prongs to get right into the root to dry and help with volume. Dyson says this one is best for more textured curls and coils.

Pop that prong part off to use “dome mode.” Instead of pushing air out, it creates a vortex of air within the dome so air spins around the curls to dry them. It's meant to elongate and enhance waves and curls. For my hair, they were best used together, and I think many curl types would benefit from both. I dried the roots and coarser bottom layer with the regular diffuser, and then switched to the dome for the length, particularly focusing on the damaged curls on top that require a bit more care to bring out the shape.

You'll notice a few slight visual changes from the first Supersonic. Lights change colors based on the heat setting, turning blue for cool, yellow for low heat, orange for medium, and red for high. It makes it a little more fun-looking, but it's also a nice visual cue to quickly check which setting you're on. My favorite new addition though, is the clear back where the settings are, which gives you an inside look at some of the internals. As a huge fan of '90s clear tech, I want more of this all the time. Dyson, if you're reading this, the people want fully transparent hair tools with candy-colored wires.

Putting most of the controls on the back of the barrel is a smart move (as it was with the original). Most dryers put the buttons right where your hands grip the handle, so you can accidentally change settings when you're just trying to hold it to your head. Here, the power switch and cold shot button are on the handle, but out of the way.

Smart Features

Photograph: Medea Giordano

The Supersonic Nural has a few unique smart functions that make the hair-drying process a little easier. Scalp protect mode uses a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor and infrared beam to detect when the dryer gets close to your head, automatically turning the temperature down to 131 degrees Fahrenheit. Though it works with only some of the attachments, like the gentle air attachment, styling concentrator, and smoothing nozzle, it means you don't have to fiddle with settings as you move from roots out.

The Nural also has intelligent attachment functions. The “capsule” that hangs down in the middle of the dryer—which makes it look a little like a jet engine to me—has a Hall sensor that recognizes each attachment.

At first, it sets it to its recommended speed and heat settings, but because those won't work for everyone, the dryer remembers which settings you switch to for each attachment and automatically sets them back the next time you use them. So if you crank the heat with the diffuser but turn it down with the comb attachment, it remembers. You don't have to do anything with each attachment except click them on.

Photograph: Medea Giordano

If you section your hair while drying, you'll be happy about the new Pause Detect feature. When you put the dryer down on your counter, it automatically turns the heat off and decreases airflow to very low, switching back to the original settings when you pick it up—though it doesn't work with the diffuser.

If you have the original Supersonic, you don't need to replace it, and it's not being discontinued. I'm not using that one, but some of my WIRED colleagues have family members who haven't had a problem since it was released. For the price, we hope that longevity continues here with the Nural (I'm long-term testing to be sure). If you're spending $500 on a hair dryer, it should only be once in a very long while. If you're interested in any of the new attachments, they will work with the original. You just won't get the smart functions, like the automatic speed and heat settings.

As with all Dyson tools, the decision to splurge is a personal one. If your current hair dryer works well, there's no need to spend the cash here. But if you have hair like mine that takes ages to style, you may find the time saved and the protection from heat damage worth the price. I spend a lot of days living in a messy, frizzy bun because just thinking about the ordeal of washing, detangling, styling, and drying makes me want to sit down. When tools work like this, I can have more good hair days.