10 Best Air Purifiers in India for Home (2022)

Gone are the days when we could return home from work and breathe a sigh of relief. Experts are saying that indoor air quality can be just as bad if not worse than the air quality outdoors, especially if you’re not using an effective air purifier at home.

With media projecting a growing concern around the harmful effects of inhaling polluted air, it’s not surprising that you find yourself concerned too.  After all, it’s not just your own but your family’s health that you’re responsible for as well.

Fortunately, wherever there is a problem, there is a solution. In this case, the solution comes in the form of air purifiers. The problem is that a lot of people don’t believe that air purifiers can make a difference against the ever-rising levels of pollution.

This belief comes from the fact that people don’t know how to use air purifiers and when they fail on them, they end up blaming the machines. You need to know how air purifiers work to not only buy the best one but also get the most out of it after the purchase.

We’ve created this guide precisely for this reason. On this page, we’ll explain everything you need to know about air purifiers. You’ll learn everything from how to read their specs to buy the best ones to how to set up your home to use them.

For your convenience, we’ve even reviewed the best air purifiers in India for home. Read on and feel free to skip around with the navigation menu below.

• Why You Need an Air Purifier for your Home?
• What Is PM 2.5?
• Do Home Air Purifiers Really Work?
• Some Common Myths Regarding Air Purifiers in India
• How to Use Air Purifiers with HEPA Filters to their Full Capacity?
• Which Air Purifier is Best in India and How to Choose?
• 10 Best Air Purifiers for Home in India (2022) with Price: Comparison
• 4 Best Bedroom Air Purifiers Under Rs 10,000 In India: Detailed Reviews
• 4 Best Air Purifiers for Bedroom Between Rs 10,000 And Rs 20,000 In India: Detailed Reviews
• Top 2 Air Purifiers in India Above Rs 20,000 In India: Detailed Reviews

Why You Need an Air Purifier for your Home?

Depending on the levels of these pollutants the air quality is given a score on the Air Quality Index. While the index varies from one country to another, in India, it is interpreted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

As can be seen in the image, higher scores mean higher air pollution and less suitable air for breathing.

An AQI of under 100 is considered satisfactory, at the 100-200 mark it is considered moderate and may cause breathing difficulties in people who are predisposed to lung or heart diseases.

Between 200 and 300, the air is considered to be of “poor” quality and harmful to most people. At the 300 to 400 level, the air is classified as “very poor” quality, and prolonged exposure can lead to respiratory illnesses like COPD, asthma, etc.

Beyond a score of 400, air quality falls in the “severe” category and is essentially considered unsuitable for even fit and healthy people. This kind of pollution can cause severe distress to people who are already predisposed to breathing difficulties.

To put things into perspective, Delhi and its neighboring areas’ AQI scores during the year usually average around the 200-250 mark. In the later part of the year and especially post-Diwali weeks, it’s not uncommon for Delhi and its neighboring areas to record AQI’s over 500, for days.

This is also the period when the air purifier price in Delhi rockets because of sudden increased demand. If you don’t want to suffer the horrible effects of pollution, we suggest you prepare for this period well in advance.

Effects of breathing polluted air are commonly known. Mild symptoms can be headaches, dizziness, irritated eyes, and more severe manifestations can be in the form of breathlessness, asthmatic attacks, and decreased lung capacity.

What’s really concerning is the harmful effects of prolonged exposure on kids. An ICMR-funded study that was published in the Journal Indian Pediatrics in July 2016 found that both Indian and US children have similar lung sizes till age eight.

However, when the lungs complete their normal growth i.e., by the time they reach adulthood, both boys and girls in India have lungs that are about 10% smaller.

What Is PM 2.5?

Lately, PM 2.5 has been a major cause of worry and concern as it’s been highlighted as a major contributor to respiratory distress and illness. However, many people are still confused as to what it really is.

‘PM’ stands for particulate matter and ‘2.5’ refers to its size in microns. So, any particulate matter with a size of 2.5 microns or less is categorized under PM 2.5.

To put things in perspective, the thickness of the average human hair is about 50 microns and dust, pollen, and molds are around 10 microns in size.

Why these particles are dangerous is that they’re so small that they tend to bypass the body’s natural defense mechanisms like nasal mucosa or the nasal hair lining.

Further, since these particles are so small, they not only reach the lungs but can also get absorbed into the bloodstream through the alveolar lining.

Exposure to these particles can not only increase the chances of respiratory illness in perfectly healthy humans but also greatly exacerbate the symptoms of those already suffering from respiratory distress.

In fact, a study done in 2010 found that “Exposure to PM 2.5 … over a few hours to weeks can trigger cardiovascular disease-related mortality and nonfatal events; longer-term exposure (e.g., a few years) increases the risk for cardiovascular mortality to an even greater extent than exposures over a few days and reduces life expectancy … by several months to a few years.”

PM 2.5 is produced by power plants, wildfires, industrial processes, etc. However, in reference to the quality of indoor air, it’s important to note that sources like cooking fumes, burning incenses, and even candles can emit PM 2.5.

Do Home Air Purifiers Really Work?

When looking at whether or not air purifiers actually clean the air, it is critical to consider that a few factors can really impact their efficacy.

Improper sealing of the room, installing the air purifier near an air inlet, and not getting the size of the air purifier as per the room size are some factors that decide whether or not your air purifier is effective.

Later in this guide, we will explore how to use an air purifier for maximum efficiency in much more depth.

If used properly, air purifiers are scientifically proven to clean the air. A 2015 study published in ‘lung India’ on the impact of air pollutants and the benefits of air filters in improving indoor air quality found that “efficient air filters” can help reduce “particulate matter and allergens”, which allows them to directly prevent “disease progression across all age groups”.

Some Common Myths Regarding Air Purifiers in India

There are many myths regarding the usage of air purifiers among people. Some people completely disregard the efficacy of air purifiers and others feel that if your room is air-conditioned then you do not need an air purifier.

Let’s look at some commonly held myths and examine whether or not they are true.

Myth #1: When There Is Too Much Pollution Outside, Home Air Filters Do Not Work

This myth was probably created by people who only have small air purifiers. Small air purifiers kept in large rooms with excessive outdoor pollution will obviously fail to deliver results. However, if you’ve chosen the right size air purifier with the proper features then it should be able to cope with external pollution levels regardless of how severe they are.

In fact, that is the best time to use an air purifier. While it is true that an air purifier will not affect the outdoor air quality, it can greatly reduce the pollutant concentration in the indoor air, forming a clean air bubble for you and your family to breathe in.

When you breathe this clean air rather than the outdoor polluted air, you greatly minimize your time of exposure to harmful pollutants and particulate matter

This factor is critical for pregnant women and young children. Since exposure to air pollutants is related to premature birth and low birth weight, it is critical for women to really take all possible steps to minimize exposure. An air purifier can help achieve this.

Myth #2: If You Are in An Air-Conditioned Room, You Do Not Need an Air Purifier with a HEPA Filter

This is not true; air conditioners work to cool the air not clean it. While most air conditioners have a basic mesh filter to keep out large particulate matter, there is no mechanism in the air conditioner to trap smaller particles.

Unless an air conditioner comes with a specific inbuilt technology that works to purify the air passing through it, it would not be advisable to rely on an air conditioner to deliver pollutant-free air.

Myth #3: Air Filters for Home Only Work When All the Doors and Windows Are Shut

This is absolutely true. Not only does the efficiency of the air purifier rely on how well the area is sealed, but the life of the HEPA filter is also dependent on it. If there is a constant stream of outside polluted air flowing into the room the air inside the room will never get clean and there will be no “clean air bubble” effect.

To ensure that only the indoor air is circulated through the air filters, it is essential to keep the windows shut and ensure minimum opening of doors. Read on to find other factors that may affect the efficiency of your air purifier and how to get the most out of your investment in clean indoor air.

How to Use Air Purifiers with HEPA Filters to their Full Capacity?

Here are some tips to ensure that you get the most out of your air purifier:

Which is the Best Air Purifier in India for your Intended Room size?

With every air purifier, there is listed a ‘recommended area’ or ‘area covered’ mentioned by the manufacturers. This is the area that the air purifier can effectively clean.

However, for practical purposes, it is always recommended that you buy an air purifier that is intended for an area slightly larger than what you want to use it for. This is done to factor in the fact that there will always be some air leakages in the room no matter how well it is sealed.

Keep The Doors and Windows Shut

With all air purifiers, it is recommended to keep the doors and windows shut as much as possible. If there is a constant stream of polluted outdoor air continuously circulating in the room, no matter how powerful the air purifier, you will never get the desired levels of AQI in your home.

It is advisable to seal the gaps under the doors too and ensure that any other inlets are also sealed when trying to ensure an efficiently working air purifier. Doing this will also ensure that the filters in your purifiers will last longer than if they were having to do the job of cleaning outside air as well.

Place The Air Purifier at The Right Location in Your Home

An air purifier is designed to suck in the air through an inlet, and then throw it out through the outlet. Ensuring that the machine is placed appropriately will mean that there is sufficient room around the purifier for both functions to be carried out.

Further, you should never place an air purifier very close to a door or window as the suction of the air purifier may create a stream of air through the tiny gaps leading to inefficient function.

It is also a good idea that the outlet is positioned such that the airflow can circulate throughout the room and air pockets are not created within the room.

Change The Filters Regularly

The HEPA and the carbon filters inside the air purifier have a certain life. While it is perfectly ok to just dust or vacuum them from time to time, you should know that doing so only takes care of the contaminant on the surface while the trapped pollutants, bacteria, viruses, molds, etc stay within.

It is highly advisable to simply replace the HEPA and carbon filters when their life is over. After all, what’s the point of buying the best home air purifier in India only to let it go to waste because you want to save money by not replacing the air purifier filters.

Doing this will ensure the proper and efficient functioning of the air purifier. A fresh filter working in a well-sealed space can ensure clean air in minutes.

Most good air purifiers will have built-in mechanisms for letting you know when it’s time to clean or change certain filters.

Which Air Purifier is Best in India and How to Choose?

Now, that we know how to use an air purifier, let’s get down to picking a good one for your home.

You might think that there are too many to choose and pick out from. But, let us tell you that no matter the number of brands, the things to look for when buying an air purifier are few and can be classified under just two things: type of filtration technology and specifications.

Purification Technology

This is the single most important factor to take into account while buying an air purifier since it determines how effective the machine will be at cleaning the air. You’ll find that most air purifiers have a pre-filter and a carbon filter but the filter you need to pay most attention to is the third one – HEPA.

HEPA

HEPA is a rating given to filters, and it stands for “High-Efficiency Particulate Air”. A HEPA filter is a mechanical filter which means that it relies on the movement of air through it to filter it and there is no chemical or electrical process involved.

A typical HEPA filter is made of densely packed paper, the fibers of which are randomly distributed. When the air passes through the filter, the pollutant particles like dust, mold spores, and PM 2.5 get trapped while clean air passes through.

Almost all air purifiers have a HEPA filter however what matters most is whether or not it is a true HEPA filter.

HEPA filters are classified under the HEPA class based on their efficiency. If a HEPA filter can trap 99.97 % of particles equal to or larger in size than 0.3 microns, then it is classified as ‘true HEPA’.

Therefore, you can say that true HEPA is 99.97% effective. Under the same classification, an E11/H11 class HEPA is only 95% efficient and an E12/H12 class HEPA is 99.5% efficient.

Activated Carbon Filter

Activated carbon filters are very effective at removing things like gasses, odors, smoke, and fumes from the air. Activated carbon filters do not work to remove dust, dander, hair, and other particulate matter from the air, that’s the job of a HEPA filter.

Since activated carbon filters do a very good job of removing odors from the air, they’re ideal for people with allergies associated with strong smells or smoke.

However, this is not something that you have to get separately as most air purifiers in the market come with a composite 3-layer filtration comprising of a pre-filter, HEPA filter, and an activated carbon filter.

UV Light

The UV-C spectrum of light has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. UV-C light is commonly used for sterilization and disinfection purposes in hospitals.

In the case of an air purifier too, a UV-C bulb can provide an additional layer of protection by neutralizing any bacteria, viruses, or mold spores present in the indoor air.

Very few air purifiers, however, boast of this technology. Of them, only one was good enough to be included in our list of the 10 best air purifiers for home in India.

Ionizers

Ionization is another technology like UV light that hasn’t become widespread yet. Even so, there are more purifiers with this capability than those with UV light.

Ionizers work to clean the air by emitting negative ions in the air. The negative ions then, settle on the positively charged dust or particulate matter weighing it down.

Due to this, the dust particles or other particulate matter settle down in the room rather than circulating through the air. Sometimes, there is also an ionizer plate that can attract these ionized particles and provide a place for their collection.

While ionizers do work, experts say that they can produce ground-level ozone which is a pollutant itself and therefore, contributes to indoor pollution rather than countering it.

The verdict, however, is split as some experts counter it by stating that most household appliances like the refrigerator produce a little amount of ozone anyway, and the levels of ozone produced are not enough to be a cause for concern.

You’ll have to make up your own mind whether you want this technology in your air purifier or not.

Specifications

Every air purifier comes with a unique set of specifications and understanding them will help you pick the right purifier for your home. There are basically two things that the manufacturers will mention along with the product – the CADR and the ACH.

CADR

CADR of an air purifier stands for ‘Clean Air Delivery Rate’. It is the volume of air that the purifier can clean in a unit of time. It is typically measured in cubic meters per hour in Indian manufactured air purifiers.

It should be noted here that the CADR is the amount of air that the purifier can clean instead of the total volume of air. As a result, it is possible for a purifier to have a CFM value of 300 but a CADR value of 200. CFM stands for Cubic Feet per Minute and refers to the total volume of air passing through the purifier.

Therefore, the way to measure it is to take the total volume of air passing through and then multiply it with the percentage efficiency of the air purifier. Formulas aside, an air purifier with a higher CADR will clean the air in a room faster than one with a lower CADR.

Another thing worth keeping in mind is that the CADR has no bearing on the quality of air coming out of the filters. The quality of air is purely dependent on the class of HEPA and the quality of the activated carbon filters.

In fact, some air purifier brands like Dyson do not adhere to this rating at all. Dyson says that CADR is a very superficial rating because it is very easy to demonstrate a higher CADR by forcing more air through the fan.

ACH

ACH stands for Air Changes per Hour and indicates the number of times the entire air in the room is changed in one hour. A purifier with an ACH of 5 will change the entire volume of air in a room 5 times in an hour whereas one with an ACH of 4 will only do it 4 times.

A higher number is considered better for people with breathing allergies and sensitivities. A minimum ACH of 4 is recommended for optimum air quality in a room.

By checking the recommended room size, CADR, and the ACH of an air purifier and making sure they are suitable for the room size you plan to use it in, it is easy to pick the right air purifier. In the next section of the top 10 air purifiers in India, we’ll help you do exactly that.

10 Best Air Purifiers for Home in India (2022) with Price: Comparison

4 Best Bedroom Air Purifiers Under Rs 10,000 In India: Detailed Reviews

#1: KENT Aura Room Air Purifier

Editor’s Rating: 8/10

This means it is effective in removing pollutants such as tobacco smoke, dust mites, mold spores, pollen, and pet dander.

It has a coverage area of up to 290 sq. ft. Therefore, it is well suited for a medium-sized living room or even a master bedroom. It’s important to mention that the HEPA filter in this air purifier is also antibacterial.

This means that it can effectively remove bacteria, PM (particulate matter) 2.5, and suspended particulate matter in the indoor air.  Its treated activated carbon filter absorbs odors and foul smells.

All these features make a very good option for people who suffer from seasonal allergies and even allergies that are triggered by strong odors.

It is important to note that this is one of few air purifiers with an inbuilt ionizer. The way ionizers clean the air is by releasing negative ions in the surrounding air which stick to the pollutants, which further stick to the walls, or an electrically charged collecting plate near the ionizer itself.

This makes the air fresh and free of particulate pollutants.

Although it is effective, experts are still divided on the benefits of the ionizer. Some say that they increase ozone content in the room while others say that the amount of ozone produced is negligible. In case you didn’t know, some people consider ozone to be a form of pollutant.

Users who are not in favor of ionizers also claim that it makes the walls and other surfaces of the house dirty as the ionized particles settle down. However, that is not so much of a concern in Indian homes where ionizer or no ionizer the walls and other surfaces will collect dust either way.

The inbuilt sensor monitors the indoor air and the LED display shows the air quality by way of colored light. In the display, blue light depicts excellent quality air, pink good, and red poor. There is a child lock and a timer setting too.

Further, there is a change filter light that glows when the filter life is up and it needs to be replaced.

One drawback of this purifier is that it does not have a sleep mode which means that it has to be used on the auto mode even at night. This can be quite noisy while you’re trying to sleep.

We should also add that it doesn’t have the most reliable sensor as there are reports of it consistently glowing blue even though the air is not clean.

Who’s it for: If you’re suffering from allergies and are looking for a standard HEPA filter that takes care of most of the indoor allergens at an affordable price, this air purifier is for you.

#2: Honeywell HAC25M1201W 53-Watt Air Purifier

Editor’s Rating: 7.5/10

The air purifier has a three-layer composite filtration. The outermost pre-filter is washable and is meant to trap large dust particles, pet hair, dander, soil, etc.

Inside, the true HEPA filter along with the activated carbon filter provides effective filtration of all particles larger than 0.3 microns, obviously also including PM 2.5.

The air purifier can be a good buy for people suffering from minor allergies as it filters out pollens, removes formaldehyde, toxic gases, VOCs, and odors, which can cause allergies in many people. Its 3D Airflow design ensures optimized circulation of air in the room.

Operating this air purifier is pretty straightforward. There is an auto mode with three fan speed settings, a night mode which is meant to be quiet, and a child lock. You can pretty much plug it and forget it.

The air quality is indicated by way of colored light. The display panel also indicates when it’s time to replace the filters.

Although the filter life completely depends on the level of pollution and the extent of air leakage in the room, the company claims that this product’s filters have a life of 3000 hours if used for 8 hours per day. The company also claims a low running cost equivalent to 1-3 CFL bulbs.

The super cheap price point and the emphasis on energy efficiency make it an attractive buy. A few other good features of this product are that it’s completely ozone-free and is available with a one-year warranty.

The air purifier also has a clean and beautiful design with air inlets on the side and hidden from the view. It is available in two colors white and champagne. The champagne variant is especially elegant-looking.

A few things that the users have found undesirable in this product is that there is no numeric AQI indicator. Since the air quality is reflected by only colored light rings, there is no real sense of how quickly the air quality is improving. A few users have found the noise of the fan to be excessive too.

Who’s it for: If you’re looking for a cheap, simple, no-fuss, plug n play purifier with the surety of it being a true HEPA filter, this air purifier is for you. It has all the makings of a good standard air purifier backed by a very reliable fortune 100 company.  

#3: Philips AC1215/20 Air purifier

Editor’s Rating: 8/10

While most air filters have a three-stage filtration, this Philips air purifier boasts of a double-layer H13 grade true HEPA filter which along with the pre-filter and the activated carbon filter makes a 4-stage filtration process.

Its Vitashield Intelligent purification technology automatically senses air quality and removes 99.97% of airborne pollutants. The air quality is indicated by way of lights of different colors like red for poor and blue for clean.

It has an auto mode, which if selected, depending on the level of pollution, will rapidly choose between the speed of fan required to quickly clean the room.

Then there is a turbo mode which boosts the speed of the air purifier for rapid filtration. You can also pick between three fan speeds manually if you prefer that the fan run at a constant speed of your choice.

A night mode is also included. This mode dims the LED lights and after one boosted session of cleaning keeps running silently throughout the night.

A few other features worth noting are a child lock to prevent unintended function changes and low energy consumption. This product has also been tested by ECARF and certified ‘allergy friendly’ and is completely ozone-free.

The reasons why this air purifier stands out are its extremely efficient double-layered HEPA and intuitive functioning modes. However, another reason for its popularity is that it comes from a very reliable company and in 12 combinations with other household appliances.

The other appliances available in the combinations include an air fryer, a 2.4 kg air purifier, three types of irons, five types of mixer grinders, a steamer, and a vacuum cleaner.

A few things users did not like about this product is that the AQI is indicated by way of lights only with no numeric indicator and the wire length is not too long. Another flaw of this device is that its night mode is a bit too sensitive. For instance, it tends to turn on low light days because it thinks its night time.

In our tests on the air purifier, we found that the night mode indeed is highly sensitive and the purifier automatically senses when the lights get dimmed. However, what might be considered a minor inconvenience is that even though it puts the purifier in the night mode automatically, it does have to be manually brought out of it to run on auto mode.

Still, this is a solid home air purifier, with a price tag that is pretty decent for all the features it offers. Further, the manufacturers are offering an extended three-year extended warranty along with the standard two years.

Who’s it for: If you’re looking for a true HEPA filter, with added features like automatic night mode, and also looking to buy from a reliable name in the electronics industry, this purifier is for you.

#4: Mi 2S Vertical Air Purifier

Editor’s Rating: 8/10

Mi 2S Vertical air purifier is the perfect example. While the integrated technology is a really cool feature of this air purifier that is bound to appeal to all the techno-savvy consumers, it’s not the only thing that sets it apart.

This air purifier has a tower design with a 360-degree air intake and a three-layer composite filtration. The outer layer or the pre-filter removes large airborne particles such as dust and hair.

The middle layer is formed by the H11-grade HEPA filtration technology from TORAY, Japan, which removes smaller micron-sized particles and catches harmful bacteria. The inner layer, made of activated carbon that absorbs odors and harmful gases.

The tower design means that the air purifier can take in air from all four sides while expelling clean air from the top. The 360-degree air intake greatly increases the surface area of the filter and leads to more efficiency and faster cleaning of the air.

This is reflected in its impressive CADR of 310 cu m/hr. The company also claims that it can clean an area up to 398 sq. ft. in ten minutes.

Another benefit of 360-degree air filters is that since the air is uniformly distributed along the filter surface, there is equal and maximally efficient utilization of the filter surface.

This is something lacking in flat filter type air purifiers where the air flows through side vents and streams of air are created which can sometimes lead to inefficient and non-uniform usage of the filter surface.

We here at Pollution Solution specifically like the tower design in air purifiers not only because it is proven to be more efficient but also because it allows flexibility of positioning within the home.

We should also add that since this air purifier has a square footprint, it can be positioned any way you like, without affecting the functionality or aesthetics.

For example, if you are using the purifier in the kids’ bedroom, at night you can position the OLED side away from the view to not cause any disturbance in sleep.

This isn’t something that you can do with flat filter type of air purifiers that have designated front and back sides, and intake vents that are sometimes positioned on the sides.

In terms of technology, this device has a laser sensor for detecting the air quality accompanied by an OLED display. The display shows real-time AQI, the currently active mode, temp, humidity, and the Wi-Fi connection.

Moreover, the display is designed to automatically adjust its brightness to the ambient light of the room. There are three different modes to choose from as well. These are auto, night, and manual.

The Mi Home app displays the same information and further allows you the convenience of changing the modes or switching between different fan speeds depending on your preference, from anywhere. The app also notifies you when it’s time for changing the filter and you can also set an automatic timer through it too.

While the functional tower design, the integrated technology, and the one-year warranty really make this an attractive buy, the only thing we found lacking in this product is that it doesn’t incorporate a true HEPA filter.

It has an H11 grade HEPA instead. The H11 grade HEPA is only 95% efficient in comparison to a true HEPA filter which is 99.97% efficient.

However, this might not be such an issue if your house is well sealed with minimal air leakages. A few users also had to face minor inconvenience and delay in procuring the replacement filters, however, that may have been a temporary lag in supply.

Who’s it for: If you use virtual assistant technology at home, prefer app control to manually pushing buttons, and are looking for an air purifier with a clean, functional yet aesthetic design on a budget, this one is for you.

4 Best Air Purifiers for Bedroom Between Rs 10,000 And Rs 20,000 In India: Detailed Reviews

#1: Mi Air Purifier 3

Editor’s Rating: 9.5/10

With its true HEPA filter, this air purifier makes up for the only flaw we found in its predecessor the Mi 2S vertical air purifier. It has a three-layered, 360-degrees cylindrical filter, with an outside pre-filter for large particles, the middle true HEPA layer that captures 99.97% of particulate pollution, and the inside activated carbon layer for odors and harmful gases.

The manufacturers have made significant changes in the fan technology which has given this variant of Mi purifier a 22% boosted CADR of 380 cu m/hr. Effectively, it can cover a larger area of up to 484 sq. ft.

It has a tower design that is highly efficient and functional. Like we covered in the review of the Mi 2S vertical air purifier, the tower design ensures a larger and more uniform airflow that cleans the room faster and makes maximal usage of the filter surface.

The square footprint also ensures flexibility in options of positioning as the device’s orientation can be changed without disturbing the airflow in any way.

Further, it has a highly accurate Particulate Matter (PM) sensor that detects particles as small as 0.3μm and instantly displays them on the OLED screen. The OLED itself is a touchscreen in this variant as the buttons on the top have been done away with.

The display includes real-time PM 2.5 concentration, temperature, humidity, Wi-fi connection, and the mode. Also, there is an automatic brightness adjustment feature that dims or brightens the OLED as per the ambient light in the room.

The feature that stands out the most is that you can control this purifier from anywhere using the Mi Home App. Information like air quality, temperature, and humidity are available on the app home as well and you can adjust the fan strength and set a timer to power on the purifier too. The app also automatically notifies you when it’s time to replace your filter.

This purifier also integrates seamlessly with virtual assistant technologies like Alexa and google home which makes operating it effortless.

So, here’s the bottom line, if you are looking for the best filter, this purifier has it, if you want app control with real-time AQI, you got it with this one, and the cherry on the cake is that it is available at a throwaway price. In fact, as of writing, this air purifier is easily the best air purifier in India with a price point that is affordable for most people.

It comes with a one-year warranty and is available in three combinations the first is with a smaller air purifier, the second with the echo dot, and the third with an extra HEPA filter.

Who’s it for: If you want a true HEPA filter mounted in a tower design of air purifier that works in a large area, can be controlled with an app that shows you more than just real-time AQI, and wait, that also has a touchscreen, this purifier is for you. Did we mention that all these features come under a very affordable price tag?

#2: Coway Professional Air Purifier

Editor’s Rating: 8.5/10

Like most standard air purifiers this one too comes with a three-layer composite filtration. There is a washable prefilter that can be pulled out for cleaning like a cartridge. Then comes a patented urethane carbon filter that is very effective in deodorizing the air and remove VOCs.

But the best feature is the third layer, which is formed by a multilayered green true HEPA filter to effectively trap PM 2.5 pollutants, viruses, and allergens.

This filter is green because it is embedded with Japanese sumac and ginkgo leaves that help purify the air of microbes and viruses by destroying the protein on their surface. The company also claims that their true HEPA filter is the thickest in the market, but we have not been able to substantiate these claims.

Functionality-wise, this air purifier runs best on auto mode. This mode selects the required fan speed on its own based on the level of pollution in the room.

Of course, you can manually pick the fan speed of the purifier as well. One thing peculiar is that there are just two fan speeds. Most consumers are accustomed to at least three options.

Perhaps the company did it to minimize the noise, and if they did, they succeeded. This is indeed a very quiet air purifier even if you select the high-speed fan setting.  Additionally, there is a night mode that further minimizes the fan noise and also dims the lights.

The company claims that the filters have a life of 8500 hours and the purifier has an indicator to show when it’s time to change the filters.

The real-time AQI is displayed with intuitive colors which gel in with the minimalistic approach to the design. However, most consumers really expect a numeric AQI indicator at this price point. That being said, the AQI sensor is actually quite accurate and sensitive, picking up the minutest of air quality changes at lightning speed.

We think that the real draw of this air purifier is its design. It’s an award-winning slim and minimalistic design that just blends in anywhere. As opposed to the tower design that performs best when placed in the center of the chosen space, this one is designed for functionality without grabbing attention.

Don’t let the unassuming style throw you though, the cartridge style pre-filter and the batch separation type model of cleaning filters really is convenient and also safer for people who have allergies. Talking of allergies, this is one of few products in the market that are ECARF certified to be allergy-friendly.

The manufacturers are offering a 5-year warranty on the motor and a 1-year warranty on the product. Also, this company’s post-sale support is very impressive and customer-centric.

Who’s it for: If you’re not too sold on the tower design and prefer an air purifier that efficiently cleans your air without the noise and a constantly distracting display screen, this one is for you. 

#3: Philips High-Efficiency Air Purifier AC2887

Editor’s Rating: 9/10

The company even claims that it can purify a room of 12×18 feet with an 8-feet ceiling in ten minutes.

It has a three-layer filtration system with a NanoProtect HEPA filter. This is simply a higher-quality HEPA filter that is accompanied by a pre-filter and an activated carbon filter.

The filtration technology in this purifier can trap 99.99% of pollens, allergens, and dust particles and 99.97% of PM 2.5 pollutants. Further, it has also been tested to remove the H1N1 virus.

The air purifier’s Vitashield Intelligent purification automatically senses air quality and shows real-time numeric PM 2.5 levels on the purifier display. This feature is really helpful and quite a helpful upgrade from the previous AC1215/20 model that only displayed the air quality with colored lights.

Further, it has three pre-set modes, there is a bacteria and virus mode, an aerasense technology for PM 2.5 mode, and an allergen mode. The bacteria mode aims to capture bacteria and viruses in the air by boosting the airflow. The aerasense mode automatically detects the PM 2.5 levels and adjusts the fan settings to bring it down.

What we found the most helpful was the allergen mode, whereby, if there is a high allergen event near the air purifier like the opening of a door, dusting or a blowing vacuum cleaner, the sensor in the air purifier temporarily boosts the air exchange to counter the event and bring the pollutant levels down.

In our tests, we found this mode to be extremely helpful and the sensor highly sensitive. After all, in homes, events like opening and shutting of doors and dusting are common and if an air purifier can account for those then it adds to its efficiency.

There is an auto mode, or if you prefer you can also run it on any one of the fan speeds of your choice. Although the company has not called it the night mode, there is a setting to dim the lights of the display to almost dark.

This model has a timer function as well which you can choose to schedule its start times. The timer is another feature that is not present in the AC1215/20 model.  

The dim light/silent mode is actually silent and conducive to a good night’s sleep. This product comes with a warranty of 2 years and even though is not the cheapest, it is certainly affordable.

The bottom line is that it is a powerful and effective air purifier, with thoughtfully added features. The sensor is sensitive, the fan is quiet, and it’s a joy watching those PM 2.5 levels drop fast. The only flaw we could find with this machine is that there is no child lock on it.

Who’s it for: If you are looking for a powerful air purifier that can give you real-time PM 2.5 levels on the purifier, 3 powerful pre-set modes, a very quiet fan, timer function, and a night mode, just get this one. It’s the best in its class and it can handle areas with lots of frequent air leakages too.

#4: TruSens Z-2000 Air Purifier

Editor’s Rating: 9.5/10

The filter itself is not generic, it is a Dupont branded filter which is a known name in the water filtration industry.

Now, coming to the first unique feature – UV sterilization. This purifier has a UV-C bulb built into the filter itself. This effectively sterilizes the filter of any trapped bacteria and viruses and provides a fourth layer of cleansing along with the composite three-layer filtration.

This also means that there is less of a chance that the built-up microbes will find their way back into the indoor air.

The second feature is the unique sensor pod that comes with the purifier and is a separate device. It is battery-powered and can be placed anywhere in the room away from the purifier.

The sensor pod monitors the air quality and feeds it back to the purifier. This allows the purifier to adjust its fan speed to quickly accommodate for any changes in the air quality even in far corners of the room.

The air quality is displayed on the purifier as colored lights as well as numerically. There is an auto mode, a whisper mode for the night, a turbo mode, and multi-speed fan settings. There is also an auto timer and the display indicates when it’s time for a filter change. 

Further, the design of the purifier ensures that the purified air is projected out in two streams that cover the intended area more uniformly. The company even claims that their filter is proven to be 24% more efficient for purification. All in all, this makes for a very intuitive and efficient air purifier.

There is a 2-year carry-in local manufacturer warranty and the product is affordable for all the added features it has.

Who’s it for: If you’re looking to cover a medium to large area and want to be ensured of clean air reaching every nook and cranny of your home, go for this one, you’ll really appreciate the sensor pod in this product. 

Top 2 Air Purifiers in India Above Rs 20,000 In India: Detailed Reviews

#1: Coway Professional Air Purifier (Coway Air Mega 200 (AP-1018F))

Editor’s Rating: 8/10

For instance, while the Air Mega 150 had a minimalistic design, the Air Mega 200 is very futuristic in its looks. In fact, unlike the Air Mega 150, the Air Mega 200 is bound to attract eyeballs especially with its large round AQI eye that glows in four different intuitive colors depending on the AQI.

This purifier has a CADR of 264 cu m/hr and is designed for usage in an area of 364 sq. ft. / 33.9 sq. meters. If you’re wondering why this model has a lower CADR than the 150 variant, it’s because they differ in terms of their filtration system.

In comparison to the Air Mega 150’s three-layer composite filtration, this model has a four-Layer filtration model. The three primary layers are the pre-filter, the patented urethane carbon filter, and the green HEPA filter. The extra layer comes in the form of a fine dust filter that traps more particulate matter to increase the efficiency and life of the HEPA filter. While the added filter reduces the CADR slightly, it’s still fairly powerful and energy-efficient.

The two variants also differ in terms of modes and fan speeds. The Air Mega 200 has three modes (auto, eco, and turbo) while the 150-model only had one auto mode. In terms of fan settings, the 200-model has three while the 150-model only has two. Both devices have indicator lights for filter replacement.

Along with the added modes and fan settings, this advanced model is even more powerful, intuitive, and energy-efficient. But wait, there’s more. This model boasts of a light sensor that automatically shifts the operations to silent mode when it senses darkness.

Unfortunately, all these added features come with a substantial increase in the price tag. However, the real flaw is the absence of a real-time AQI numeric indicator that should be present in this premium segment.

The company is giving a 5-year warranty on Motor and a 1-year warranty on the product. Take your pick, you’ll not be disappointed either way.

Who’s it for: If you want a very efficient, powerful, and intuitive air purifier with intelligent features, this one is for you. 

#2: Dyson Pure Cool Link Tower

Editor’s Rating: 9/10

But we’ll get to that in a bit, let’s get to the basics first.

The Dyson air purifier has a high-efficiency vacuum sealed, 360° glass HEPA filter along with a tris-coated activated carbon filter that traps particles as small as 0.1 microns with 99.95% efficiency. This includes dust, pollen, mold spores, bacteria, pet dander, VOCs, and other harmful gases and odors commonly attributed to indoor pollution.

Their HEPA filter is different as it is pleated over 200 times and is also densely packed with borosilicate microfibers. This is why they call it a “glass HEPA filter”. It is also vacuum-sealed into the machine with a rubber seal to ensure that the trapped pollutant particles are not released back into the indoor air.

The design and the quality of the HEPA filter give this air purifier an efficiency of 99.95%. However, if you are wondering about its CADR and recommended room size, the company has not mentioned these metrics. Let us explain why.

Dyson claims that CADR is not a good metric of the effectiveness of an air purifier. They say that CADR can be manipulated by simply forcing more air through the device at higher face velocities. Apart from not being an accurate metric for evaluating effectiveness, forcing more air through also makes the device noisier.

Dyson air purifiers have a lower face velocity meaning the air is not forced through the filters resulting in a lower CADR. However, they claim a higher efficiency and are particularly quieter than other devices in the market.

As for the room size, the company claims that this air purifier is engineered to project and circulate purified air across large spaces. This brings us to two very cool features of the Dyson Cool Link Tower air purifier.

These are its dual functionality as a fan and its air multiplier technology with oscillation. This is what really sets this purifier apart even within air purifiers that are based on the tower design.

The air purifier takes in air from the base of the machine in a uniform manner like all tower design purifiers. This air then passes through the filters to get cleaned. The cleaned air is now projected into the loop rather than just thrown out into the room. In this loop, the air is magnified to 15 times the volume of the air taken in originally.

This loop, which is built on the same design as an airplane’s wings, then powerfully projects the air into the room. The air that comes out is felt like a smooth breeze rather than the choppy slapping of a blade fan. The projected air also ensures good circulation in the room and faster purification.

This air purifier now doubles up as a fan which is easy to clean and has no spinning blades. But of course, a fan function is not what you buy an air purifier for, after all, all Indian homes have fans.

So, let’s get back to how it measures up as a purifier. The Dyson cool tower automatically senses the air quality and adjusts its speed to quickly clean the air of particulate matter and pollutants.

Talking of modes, this air purifier has an auto mode, a night-time mode, 10 air-speed settings, and a sleep timer that can be accessed from the Dyson link app.

The app also displays real-time air quality metrics and informs you when it’s time to change the filters.

Hold on, there’s a remote control too for the times you don’t want to reach for your phone. The remote is magnetized and docks snugly on top of the purifier, for easy access and maintains the smooth and clean design of the purifier.

Further, this purifier occupies 70% less area than most air purifiers in the market, is certified asthma and allergy friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, and is completely ozone-free.  The manufacturer is offering a two-year warranty on its products too.

Unfortunately, this is one of the most expensive air purifiers in the market. And, yet we have to say, it has pretty reasonably priced air filters when it’s time for filter replacement. The bottom line is that this air purifier is a good investment in your family’s health.

Who’s it for: If you want the best air purifier, with the most unique design, technologically advanced features, and you don’t mind shelling out a little extra money for it, then go for this one, it will not disappoint.