It is finally cold and polluted enough in Noida to test the Dyson Purifier Hot + Cool. While it is not yet that cold for one to need a heater in the room, it is so polluted that multiple air purifiers in my home have been running non-stop for days to ensure the air inside is good enough for my 10-year-old.

So when I switched on the new Dyson Purifier Hot + Cool one late November morning, even as the balmy air from the fan woke me up, it was the alarming purple numbers that caught my attention. Noida was recording over 300 on AQI. Sighing at our collective helplessness, I let the hot air warm up my spirit for some early morning editing work.

The new Dyson Purifier Hot + Cool has a different design from the larger Dyson Purifier Cool which I reviewed a few weeks back. This one has more than just cool air and like other Dysons with a heating element, has a smaller loop on top and needs power sockets to work.

A few minutes in, the Dyson Purifier Hot + Cool had taken the room temperature to a very comfortable 22 degrees though it was a nippy 15 degrees outside. But even better, it has brought the PM 2.5 levels down to under 100 and the numbers were dipping further.

I could use the remote that sits on its perch on top of the loop to check out the levels of the other pollutants the purifier was working on from PM10 to VOC and NO2. The display up front also shows the temperature in the room as well as humidity levels.

Like other Dysons, this one too uses advanced HEPA filters combined with sensors to trap the pollutants and allergens. Just to test the sensor, I ran the purifier in Auto when there was a barbecue at home and it just amped up to suck in the smoke.

While the remote lets you do everything on the purifier, the fact that it stays in place on top of the purifier means you are usually not near it. And that is why I preferred controlling the Dyson Purifier Hot + Cool with the phone app. The purifier can tilt and swivel at multiple angles. A good feature if you want to warm just your legs, for instance.

One aspect that needs to be kept in mind is that when the Dyson Purifier Hot + Cool is running at full blast, trying to bring down the AQI levels in the room as quickly as possible, it can be a bit noisy. In fact, almost as noisy as the chimney in our kitchen. So I ended up running it mostly at low fan levels, especially while working. A good way to use the purifier is to switch it on via the app and run it at full blast before you are going to return home from the office or an outing.

At a box price of Rs 55,900, but available at offer prices much below, the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool is a good investment for the winters in north India, which have over the years also morphed into pollution season. Yes, this is an expensive gadget for the home, but one that can literally be used year-round so that it makes up for the cost soon enough.