Dyson Supersonic r: Dyson's most powerful dryer

What Dyson claims for the r

The listing is brief: most powerful yet lightest, precision drying for a smoother finish, more shine and no heat damage. The spec table adds 1,700 W, three speeds, four heat settings and a 790 g weight for all hair types.

Dyson's lightest claim refers to its own range; other dryers in our guides list lower weights, such as the Elchim Anemos at 290 g.

The attachment set

Included are a powerful air attachment, gentle air attachment, flyaway attachment, smoothing nozzle and professional concentrator, plus a presentation case. The powerful air head is the one for fast rough-drying of thick hair. The concentrator and smoothing nozzle cover brushed finishes, and the gentle air and flyaway heads suit finer areas and final touches.

There is no diffuser in this edition; Dyson sells a Curly+Coily r kit with one.

Thick hair use

At 1,700 W, the r has less rated power than traditional dryers such as the ghd Helios at 2,200 W or the Parlux Digitalyon at 2,400 W. Dyson relies on airflow design rather than raw wattage, but the listing does not give airflow figures to back that up. Cable length and noise are also not stated. In practice, thick hair owners may find the powerful air head speeds up rough-drying, then switch to the concentrator for the final brush pass. Because five heads are included, the presentation case keeps everything together, which is helpful when attachments otherwise go missing in a bathroom drawer.

Against the Supersonic Nural and the ghd Helios

The Dyson Supersonic Nural adds sensors, Scalp protect mode and pause detect at 1,600 W and 640 g. The ghd Helios offers higher wattage and a 3 m cable with a single contoured nozzle. The Supersonic r stands out for its attachment count and compact shape.