Dyson Supersonic Nural™ Hair Dryer

The Supersonic Nural is Dyson's sensor-equipped version of the Supersonic. It lists at about $450, though it's often seen around $350 on sale. On Amazon it has a 4.4-star average from about 365 reviews. That's a small sample next to cheaper dryers, so give it less weight than you would a rating built on tens of thousands of buyers.

What the sensors actually do

Dyson puts a network of what it calls Nural sensors inside the dryer, and they drive two features.

Scalp protect mode adjusts the air temperature on its own to aim for 130°F at the scalp. The point is to let you dry close to the roots without scorching your scalp. Dyson's own footnote says real-world conditions can affect the temperature you get, and switching the mode on overrides your last-used heat setting. It works with the gentle air attachment and the styling concentrator.

Attachment learning recognizes which attachment is fitted and remembers the airflow and heat you last used with it. Swap from the concentrator to the diffuser and the settings change on their own.

Our Dyson Supersonic Nural review goes through each feature in more depth.

Settings and attachments

Three airflow settings and four heat settings, ranging from 82°F cool air to 221°F. Five attachments come in the box, including a diffuser and a styling concentrator. A diffuser being included matters if you have curls. The ghd dryers at $200-280 don't come with one.

Who it's for

People who dry their hair often and worry about heat damage. Fine, bleached and color-treated hair are the obvious cases, and our best hair dryer for color-treated hair guide covers heat protection at other price points. It also makes sense if you switch attachments a lot and are tired of resetting heat and speed each time.

Who should skip it

Anyone who mainly wants dry hair, fast. US dryers all max out around 1875W, so a $23 Remington draws the same power from the wall. What the extra money buys is automatic heat control and convenience. If you'd never use Scalp protect mode, the price is hard to justify.

Alternatives

• The ghd Helios costs about $280 and has a 1875W brushless motor with 75 mph airflow. There are no sensors and no diffuser. Our ghd Helios vs Dyson Supersonic comparison covers the trade-off.
• The Remington Damage Protection costs about $23 and includes a diffuser and concentrator.

Our best hair dryer roundup covers every price tier.