The Airmega 150 deviates quite a bit from the last couple of Coway air purifiers we’ve reviewed. Compact and low-key, it eschews smart tech for easy operation and a sub-$200 price tag and removes pollutants from your indoor air with minimal noise and fuss.
The Airmega 150 has a slim, unfussy design. Measuring 13.4 x 6.5 x 18.5 inches (WxDxH) and weighing a hair over 12 pounds, it comes in white and sage green finishes with little adornment. Its space-saving size makes it easy to slot into any room without having to rearrange the furnishings.
[ Further reading: The best indoor air-quality monitors ]Despite its compactness, it provides 214 square feet of coverage making it perfect for medium-sized rooms and small apartments. It has a Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) of 138 for smoke, 161 for dust, and 219 for pollen. These rates reflect the purifier’s effectiveness in removing indoor the relative air pollutants based on room size and the volume of clean air produced per minute, with higher CADR numbers indicating increased effectiveness.
Coway The compact, minimal design fits well in any room.
The purifier uses a three-stage filtration system: a pre-filter that captures large dust particles, mold, and pet and human hair; a deodorizing filter; and a Green True HEPA filter that removes pollutants and allergens such as pollen. The “true” indicates the HEPA filter’s efficiency; in this case, the ability to capture up to 99.97 percent of 0.3 micron particles.
Real-time readings are conveyed through a color-coded air quality indicator on the purifier’s control panel. A blue reading means the air quality is “good,” and degrading air quality is indicated by green, yellow, and then red. The system works well enough for providing at-a-glance reports, but you must walk over to the unit whenever you want to check in, and you obviously can’t check the air status from another room. That’s not a big deal for most use cases, but if you want to use the purifier in a baby’s nursery or another situation where you don’t want to disturb the room’s occupant, the lack of a companion app for remote monitoring and control could be a significant drawback.
The flip side is that without the need to pair the purifier to an app, the setup is extremely easy. You just need to remove the front cover, take out the filters and remove them from their packaging, then arrange them in sequence and close the cover.
Coway The Airmega 150 displays the current air quality reading via a color-coded LED on its control panel.
The Airmega 150 has three fan speeds plus an Auto mode that optimizes the speed setting based on current air quality. These are controlled by a single button that cycles through the Auto/1/2/3 settings in order until the appropriate indicator lights up. While the lowest manual setting is virtually inaudible, Coway says the fan speed noise level ranges from 19.98 to 48.3 dB.
I used the Airmega 150 in the downstairs level of my condominium. Leaving it in the auto setting allowed me to see how the purifier responded to changing conditions. The air quality indicator glowed blue as soon as I turned the purifier on and stayed that way unless someone stirred up dust or was cooking. Then the fan automatically kicked into higher speeds as the air quality light dropped down through green, yellow, and red levels and ran until the level was back in the “good” zone.
The air-quality sensor, which determines the pollution level and adjusts the fan accordingly, is set to standard sensitivity by default. I found that adequate in my testing. If the air quality stays at the poorest level for more than two hours or reads “good” for more than one hour but just doesn’t seem clean, you can adjust the monitoring sensitivity. You do this by simultaneously pressing the power and fan-speed buttons for two seconds, then pressing the speed button until the speed indicator light glows for the desired sensitivity: 1 for “high,” 2 for “standard,” 3 for “low.”
Coway The pre-filter can be easily removed for bi-monthly cleaning through an open slot.
As with any air purifier, keeping the Airmega 150 in top condition is critical for accurate monitoring. That means regularly cleaning the air quality sensor and maintaining the filters, in particular. The sensor is easily accessed behind a removable cover on the right side of the purifier and requires cleaning every two months with a soft brush or vacuum cleaner. The pre-filter, which can be removed through its slot without removing the purifier’s front cover, should be cleaned every two weeks with a vacuum or water depending on how much debris has built up. The deodorizing and HEPA filters need to be replaced every six months and annually respectively. There are separate LED indicators for each of these two filters that light up when they reach the end of their lifecycle to ensure you don’t forget.
Overall, I found the Airmega Airmega 150 a pretty ideal air purifier for modest-sized spaces. Its minimalist design blends with any decor, and it is intuitive to operate right out of the box. While it doesn’t offer app control or integrate with other smart appliances, it also doesn’t have any of the attendant connectivity and interoperability hassles. And it accurately monitors and responds to changing air conditions, so you’re always breathing your best. That’s plenty to recommend it.
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