An air purifier has become a necessity in many of the Indian cities. When it comes to choosing an air purifier, you need to look at aspects like how quickly and efficiently does it clean the air, what area can it cover, portability and the filter replacement cost. Other aspects like ease of regular maintenance, smart features etc. improves the overall user-friendliness of the device. After thorough testing of some of the top-selling air purifiers in India, here is our top recommendation.
Our Top Recommendation
We highly recommend the Mi Smart Air Purifier 4 Lite over other options for its excellent air cleaning performance, smart features and budget-friendly pricing. With a CADR of 360 m3/hr and a coverage area of 416 Sq. Ft, it is quick at removing the suspended dust and particulate matter. The smart features like real-time PM 2.5 display, smart scenes creation and control through mobile app and Alexa offers added advantage. Moreover, it is priced at less than Rs. 11,000 ( at the time of publishing). All these make it our top-recommended option.
Which Are The Best Air Purifiers In India?
| Model | CADR | Coverage Area | PM 2.5 Level After 1 hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mi 4 Lite | 360 m3/hr | 416 Sq. ft | 18 |
| Coway Airmega 150 | 376 m3/hr | 355 Sq.ft | 32 |
| Philips AC1215/20 | 270 m3/hr | 250 Sq. ft | 75 |
| Dyson TP07 | NA | 600 Sq. ft | 16 |
Table of Contents
- Our Top Recommendation
- Which Are The Best Air Purifiers In India?
- How We Tested?
- Best Air Purifiers In India
- How To Choose An Air Purifier?
How We Tested?
First and foremost function of an air purifier is to clean the air in the room quickly and effectively. To emulate the conditions that a room in a highly polluted city may face, we lit camphor and incense stick in a closed ( not sealed) room and increased the PM 2.5 level to around 350 ppm. We then checked the PM2.5 level at every 15 minute interval for an hour or till it was reduced to an acceptable range of less than 35 ppm. We also checked at what PM 2.5 levels do the air purifier’s fan speed increase/ decrease when on auto mode. Further, we checked other modes, features, filter type, ease of filter replacement, filter life, price, user-friendliness and other aspects to come to a final recommendation.
Some manufacturers claim that budget-friendly air purifiers create what they call an air-bubble. This means, the air purifier takes in the purified air surrounding the air purifier and doesn’t really clean the whole air in the room, creating a bubble. However, in our tests, we did not find this true. Irrespective of the budget, none of the air purifiers created an air bubble. For all our tests, we check the air quality levels at all 4 corners of the room and the levels were more or less the same.
Related reading: How To Choose An Air Purifier?
Best Air Purifiers In India
Mi Smart Air Purifier 4 Lite
Check the latest price on Amazon
| Pros |
|---|
| Budget-friendly pricing |
| Smart features and real-time PM 2.5 display |
| Quick and effective air purification |
| Accurate air quality sensor |
| Cons |
|---|
| Could have had a recessed handle for easy portability. |
Mi 4 lite has a particulate CADR of 360 m3/hr and a Formaldehyde CADR of 120m3/hr and is suitable for spaces as large as 412 Sq.Ft, according to the manufacturer. We used it in a 250 Sq. ft space and it was able to reduce the PM level to 18 within an hour. In a larger space of 450 Sq. ft, it reduced the PM 2.5 to 35 within an hour, which is excellent.
Talking about the filters, what we liked is that it comes with a cylindrical composite filter which comprises a pre-filter, activated carbon filter and HEPA filter ( grade not mentioned). Being cylindrical, the air purifier takes in air from all sides and releases fresh air from the top vent. This is probably the reason why the air purifier is able to clean the air relatively faster than other options.
The air purifier’s display shows real-time PM 2.5 level- something you cannot find in any other air purifier at this price range. Most air purifiers show just the air quality level by different colour LED ring display. Often, they aren’t very accurate either. A drawback however is that the display maxes out at 600 ppm.
Coming to the user-friendliness, the smart app of the air purifier comes with several features. You can select modes like auto, night mode or manual. In manual mode, you can set the fan speed to your liking. Next, you can set up smart scenes like switch on the air purifier when the PM level has risen to a certain level. Further, you can also set up a schedule, check filter life ( in days), adjust the display brightness and enable child lock. Something we liked is that when child lock is on, you can control the air purifier only using app and not using the buttons on the air purifier.
Though lightweight, it is not very easy to carry around as it doesn’t have a recess handle like Philips AC1215/20.
Talking about the filter life, on the app, the new filter showed a life of 291 days. According to the manufacturer and several user reviews, the filter may last for anywhere between 6 months to a year depending on the usage levels and pollution in your area. The replacement filter costs about Rs. 2300.
Overall, we recommend it as the best air purifier in India for its top-notch performance, smart features and budget-friendly pricing.
Coway Air Mega 150 Air Purifier
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| Pros |
|---|
| Easy-to-clean pre-filter. |
| Fairly good air cleaning performance |
| Auto function works optimally. |
| Cons |
|---|
| Activated carbon filter mesh is thin. |
| Not very portable. |
Coway Air Mega 150 is one of the best selling air purifiers in India. It is comparatively a bit expensive, costing about Rs. 14,500 ( at the time of publishing). The air purfier has a CADR of 376 m3/hr and can be cover up to 355 Sq.ft space, according to the manufacturer.
Something we liked about the air purifier is that its prefilter can be ejected from the air purifier like a cartridge, without opening the front cover. This makes it comparatively easier to remove and clean. Next, you have a layer of activated carbon filter and a grade 13 HEPA filter. Something we found a bit odd is that the activated carbon filter is more like a thin mesh which looks cheap. Philips on the other hand offers a much better activated carbon filter in a frame with granular activated carbon inside.
Talking about the air cleaning performance, the air purifier was able to bring down the PM 2.5 from 350 to 32 in an hour in auto mode. The fan speed increased within just 10-15 seconds of detecting an increase in PM2.5 levels. However, it reduces the speed when the PM level reduces to around 200. Then, it alternatively increases and decreases the speed for a while. But finally runs at the lowest speed when the PM levels falls less than 150.
This isn’t ideal as the PM levels should ideally be less than 35 when the speed reduces to its minimum. This could have been avoided if the air purifier had a more precise air quality sensor.
If you opt for this air purifier, we highly recommend you to run it at speed 2 for at least 20-30 minutes and then change to auto mode.
Coming to the other features and functions, the air purifier has an indicator which changes colour from red to blue depending on the air quality. You can set the modes in auto, silent or manually change the speed to 1 or 2. The air purifier alerts when the prefilter needs to be cleaned and when the HEPA/Carbon filter needs replacement.
The manufacturers claim that the air purifier filters can be used for 8500 hours. According to user reviews, it may last 1-1.5 years depending on the usage level. The replacement filters together cost about Rs.4400/- and the pre-filter needs to be cleaned at a regular interval.
Philips AC1215/20 Air Purifier
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| Pros |
|---|
| Budget-friendly pricing |
| Effective air cleaning in turbo mode |
| Easy to use interphase |
| Doesn’t create air bubble. |
| Cons |
|---|
| The air quality sensor isn’t very accurate. |
| Auto function doesn’t work optimally. |
Philips AC1215/20 is yet another budget-friendly and top-selling air purifiers in India. It has a CADR of 270 m3/hr and can cover up to 250 Sq.ft space.
The air purifier comes with a pre-filter a well-built activated carbon filter and a true HEPA filter ( precise grade not mentioned). The activated carbon filter absorbs VOCs, formaldehyde and any odours, while the HEPA filter captures dust, dander and any particulate matter less than 0.3 microns in size.
Talking about the performance, we were a bit let down with its auto function and air quality sensor. The fan speed increases in auto mode only when the PM 2.5 level rises to more than 250 ppm. In the next stage, it increases only when the PM 2.5 is more than 500.
When we increased the PM2.5 to 250, the air purifier was able to bring it down to 25 in an hour in auto mode. It was down to 11 only after 1.5 hours. But, when we increased the PM 2.5 to 350, the air quality after an hour was 75, which isn’t ideal. Next, we put the air purifier on turbo mode and within just 30 minutes, the PM 2.5 was down to 16.
This shows that the auto mode of the air purifier doesn’t work optimally. In fact, the color of the air quality LED ring changes to blue when the PM 2.5 is as high as 250 ppm. We infer this is because the air quality sensor isn’t very accurate.
Coming to other features, you can put the air purifier on night mode, adjust the air speed in auto, allergen, speed levels 1, 2, 3 and turbo. It also has a child lock. But, it can be easily manipulated by children. Something we liked about the air purifier is that it has a recessed handle which makes it easy to move around.
The manufacturers claim the activated carbon and HEPA filters last for 17,000 hours. However, many user reviews say that it lasts for about 1-1.5 years depending on usage levels. The replacement filters together cost about Rs. 3500.
Dyson Cool Air Purifier TP 07
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| Pros |
|---|
| Highly effective at controlling indoor air pollution. |
| Easy to use mobile app and remote controller |
| Only air purifier that can act as a fan that provides a gentle breeze. |
| Cons |
|---|
| Air quality sensor tends to get clogged. |
| Very expensive |
Dyson is the most expensive air purifier on this list costing more than Rs. 40,000. The manufacturers do not provide the CADR value of the air purifier citing they do not believe in this method of air purifier testing. Instead, they use a Polar test using which they say the air purifier is suitable for spaces of up to 600 sq.ft.
Just like Mi, you get a composite filter with Dyson TP 07 that comprises an activated carbon filter and a Grade 13 HEPA filter. They are cylindrical in shape. As a result, it takes in air from all sides and releases through the air vents. Dyson has what they call Air Multiplier technology which results in higher air flow compared to other air purifiers. It provides a gentle breeze. And on oscillating mode, it can replace a pedestal fan. But a drawback to it is that air pollution in the North India is higher during the winters. This may not be a time when you want the breeze no matter how gentle it is.
Talking about the performance, the air purifier almost immediately detects an increase in PM2.5 levels and increases the fan speed to bring the pollution under. We increased the PM 2.5 to around 350 and within an hour, the air purifier was able to reduce it to 16. The air quality sensor is precise and sensitive enough not to reduce the speed till the PM 2.5 reduced to less than 35.
Coming to the other features, the air purifier has an LED display and a remote controller. In addition, you can operate it using Dyson mobile app too. The display shows real-time PM 2.5 and 10 levels, VOC, NO2, temperature, humidity and AQI. Using the remote, you can adjust the fan speed to 10 levels, set it on auto, adjust the oscillation up to 350 degrees, put it on night mode and also diffuse the air flow during peak winters so that you don’t feel the breeze too much.
All remote control operations can be done through the mobile app as well. In addition, you can find the filter life, check air quality levels record for up to a week. Yet another advantage is that the remote is magnetic and can be kept on the top of the Dyson air purifier.
The air filter lasts for approx. 4500 hours, which is usually 1-1.5 years, depending on usage. Replacement costs around Rs.5000.
How To Choose An Air Purifier?
CADR
CADR ( Clean Air Delivery Rate) is the most important aspect to consider when buying an air purifier. It helps you understand whether the air purifier is apt for the area you want to cover. Roughly, the numerical value of CADR in m3/hr should be around the square footage area you want to cover. This means an air purifier with a CADR of 250 m3/hr is apt for a room of 250 Sq.ft area. Too high CADR and you are paying excess for an air purifier with high CADR for covering a small area. Too low CADR means the air purifier will not work effectively in the given space. Hence, CADR is an important parameter to consider.
Air Purification Efficiency
The specifications provided by the manufacturers sometimes may differ when used in real-life scenarios. Hence, looking at actual reviews of products to understand how they fare is important. That is why we have tested all air purifiers for their efficiency and effectiveness in a given space.
Modes
Air purifiers have different modes of operations like manual, turbo, night mode, silent mode, auto etc. It is not only important that your air purifier have these modes, but also that they work optimally. For example, ideally in auto mode, the air purifier should run at the maximum fan speed till the PM 2.5 levels drop to less than 35-50 ppm. However, this is not the case always. Also, in night mode, the air purifier should run at higher speed when a rise in PM 2.5 levels are detected.
Portability
Many people use the same air purifiers in living rooms and take it to the bedroom at night. Hence, it is important that the air purifier is lightweight, comes with handles for ease of moving around and has a fairly long power cord for flexibility.
Ease of Operation
Most budget-friendly air purifiers come with a control panel on the body. They should be responsive and easy to operate. Bonus points for the ones that come with mobile apps which make it much more easier to operate. Expensive options like Dyson come with remote controller too which makes it far more easier to operate.