beauty
here’s how it stacks up against Dyson
By Marissa Wu
•
Published Apr 29, 2025
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- Ease of Use: 19/20
- Versatility: 18/20
- Efficacy: 17/20
- Aesthetic: 20/20
- Value: 15/20
Total: 89/100
Let me start by saying that I’m a T3 girl through and through. As of writing this article, I have no less than four of the brand’s tools in my beauty cart—including two curling irons and a straightener. Over the past few years, they’ve performed consistently, doing what no tool had been able to achieve for me prior: Giving my straight, fine, thin hair curls that would last a day—or two or three! And my friend, who has curly hair akin to Mia Thermopolis' pre-princess transformation, panic-borrowed the Singlepass Stylemax ($160) and said she’d never had a tool work so quickly. So when I learned that T3 was launching what they deemed their best hair dryer yet, the T3 Aire IQ ($400), I was intrigued. Below are my honest thoughts and review after about eight weeks of testing.
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T3 Aire IQ
What I Like
- sleek, beautiful design
- custom heat and power settings
- automatic attachment detection
What I Don't Like
- not as many attachments as competitors
T3
Fast Facts
- Accessories: 1
- Colors: 2
- Attachments: 3
How I Tested the T3 Aire IQ
For approximately two months, I’ve been using the Aire IQ at least three times a week, noting things like drying time, features, ease of use and my overall hair health. I also compared it to my Dyson Airwrap to see which one performed better regarding speed, power and efficacy.
How It’s Different from Other T3 Hair Dryers
T3’s hair dryer lineup includes six models:
- Aire IQ: Latest smart hair dryer with an LED screen, custom heat settings and three attachments (diffuser, drying and styling concentrator).
- Aire 360: Multi-styling tool akin to the Dyson Airwrap. Includes ceramic round brush, curling attachments and styling concentrator.
- Featherweight Stylemax: Full-size hair dryer with custom heat options, T3’s IonAir technology, two concentrators, a diffuser and smoothing comb.
- Aireluxe: Full-size hair dryer with T3’s RapidAire IQ technology, custom heat settings, ion generator, volume boost switch. Includes drying and styling concentrators, plus a detangling brush and round brush.
- Afar: Travel-size with T3 IonAir technology, ion generator, custom heat settings, concentrator and folding handle.
- Fit: Compact with T3 IonAir technology, ion generator, custom heat settings and concentrator.
What makes the Aire IQ different in terms of user experience is the LED display and smart attachment recognition. After inputting your hair type, it will automatically know what attachment you’ve selected and choose the settings accordingly. The hair dryer will also remember your settings. When you put it down, it will automatically pause.
T3’s other full-size hair dryers, the Featherweight Stylemax and Aireluxe, both use the brand’s ion technology, which it says will seal the hair cuticle and yield a glossy finish, minimizing frizz. On the other hand, the Aire IQ uses T3’s SoftAire technology that “softens airflow for rapid drying that protects hair’s natural moisture.”
The Hair Dryer Is Easy to Customize Without Being Overwhelming
T3
Before I became a beauty writer, my hair dryer was a hand-me-down from my mom. It was approximately 10 years old (maybe older) and always emitted a concerningly faint burning odor when I turned it on. I avoided using it as much as possible out of fear it would combust in my hands. That being said, the idea of the Aire IQ felt dizzying with its myriad customizations and LED screen. Even though there were only three attachments, I initially blanched—I’d never used an attachment in my life.
However, the hair dryer was actually quite intuitive, even from first use. When you turn it on, you can select your hair type: Fine, Medium or Coarse (plus a “skip” option). From there, the work is done for you, and the hair dryer will select the optimum settings depending on your attachment. If desired, you can also manually override the settings and choose your own heat and airflow speed.
The Automatic Pausing Was Handy, But Not Perfect
The hair dryer will automatically start running once you pop on an attachment, and it will also automatically pause when put down.
Interestingly, “pause” mode doesn’t cut the airflow completely like some other hair dryers I’ve experienced; it simply reduces the power. The air is still blowing, and I found that mildly inconvenient because it blew all my papers in the neighboring vicinity. Also, because it uses a sensor to detect when the hair dryer has been laid horizontally, I found that sometimes it would go into pause mode even when I was in the middle of drying my hair. This was due to the fact that I dry my hair upside down, and sometimes hold the hair dryer in a horizontal position for an extended period of time. A little shake put it back into full-on drying mode, but it was a little bit annoying.
Original photo by Marissa Wu
The Attachments Are Versatile But Not as Comprehensive as Some Competitors
The Aire IQ includes three attachments: a drying concentrator, styling concentrator and diffuser. I mostly stuck to the drying concentrator, since I prefer other tools for the actual styling of my hair. Sometimes, I’d forgo them all together.
There’s a handy feature in which the hair dryer will automatically rev up once it detects an attachment and chooses heat and power settings according to the hair type you’ve selected. That does mean, though, that if you pop an attachment on before turning the dryer on, it’ll just start running. If you plan to fiddle with the settings before blow drying, add the attachment as your last step. As you’ll read below, the attachments cover the bases, but other dryers offer more options.
Original photos by Marissa Wu/Left: Aire IQ; Right: Dyson
How My Hair Felt: Aire IQ vs. Dyson Airwrap
As a quick refresh, the Airwrap’s claim to fame is its Coanda airflow technology, which promises less frizz, fewer flyaways and more control when styling. Because of this technology, Dyson also claims that no extreme heat is required to dry your hair.
Meanwhile, the Aire IQ uses T3’s SoftAire and Heat ID technology to soften the airflow, protect hair’s natural moisture and automatically adjust heat settings to your hair type, all while drying your hair quickly.
After using both tools on and off, I didn’t notice much of a difference. A lot of these claims happen at the molecular level, which is obviously difficult to observe with the eye. I did note that since the Aire IQ is a full-on hair dryer, it did dry my hair faster—but the difference was maybe two to three minutes. I do think it’s worth noting that PureWow Beauty Editor Chelsea Candelario reviewed the Featherweight Stylemax and said it was the fastest she’s ever dried her thick, curly hair. Thus, the denser your locks, the more time you’re going to see shaved off in the drying process.
In my comparison photos, I thought that the amount of flyaways after using both dryers was pretty much the same. The Airwrap does have a smoothing attachment, but I honestly have had more success taming my baby hairs with a pomade stick (I love the R+Co Dart pomade stick, $25) than with any tech.
T3 Aire IQ vs. Dyson Supersonic
Similar to the Aire IQ, the Supersonic also has intelligent heat control. But where the former has three attachments, the latter has five: diffuser, wide-tooth comb, styling concentrator, gentle air attachment and flyaway attachment. The Supersonic has four heat settings and three speed settings. Meanwhile, the Aire IQ has three speed settings and five heat settings.
From an aesthetics standpoint, I prefer the Aire IQ. Both hair dryers are sleek, but the Supersonic leans industrial, while the T3’s feels more like something to decorate my vanity, while also being functional. Both are well designed, so it comes down to a matter of preference.
Where pricing is concerned, there isn’t much difference. The Supersonic retails for $430, and the Aire IQ is $400.
The Bottom Line
After reading other reviews, I’m agree that the Aire IQ is a beautiful piece of machinery with a stellar user experience. However, if you already have a top-of-the-line hair dryer, you can probably skip. Any differences in results won’t necessarily be felt or seen—I think you might probably only appreciate it if you were planning to study your hair under a microscope. But, if you’re like me and trying to replace a decrepit old hair dryer, the Aire IQ is a solid investment that will stay on your vanity for at least a decade.
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Marissa Wu
SEO Editor
- Writes across all verticals, including beauty, fashion, wellness, travel and entertainment, with a focus on SEO and evergreen content
- Has previously worked at Popular Photography and Southern Living, with words in Martha Stewart and Forbes Vetted
- Has a B.S. in journalism from Boston University
read full bio
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