Molekule Air Mini Air Purifier: Trusted Review & Specs

The Molekule Air Mini, despite of any existing arguments for the first-released Molekule Air, is still amazingly innovative, but is it worth its price? We will find out in our latest Molekule Air Mini Review right now, and see if Molekule justifies the high price for this first-generation device or not.

Molekule Air Mini ranks F in our air purifier ranking list, so we recommend you not to buy this product. We give the biggest and most thorough database of air purifier reviews in the world.

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Molekule has just joined the U.S air purifier market since 2014, being founded by Dr Dharendra Yogi Goswami. The company is proud of their exclusive PECO air filtration technology, which they once claimed “beyond HEPA level in every category”. This was the start of the new era of air filtration system, which depends on the power of HEPA filter up until now. The Molekule Air Mini is the newest air purifier of this company, and this time should we love it? Let’s find out, in the new Molekule Air Mini Review.

Other Molekule’s Air Purifier Reviews:

1, Molekule Air Pro Review.

2, Molekule Air Review.

Molekule Air Mini Price

The first Molekule Air was an air purifier that elicits mixed emotions. On the one hand, there’s the sheer wonder and excitement of using the new PECO filtration system and feeling if it actually works a lot better than a HEPA filter. That excitement continues when you look at the beauty of the air purifier, which is well made with high-quality material, and when you enjoy the attractive touch control.

The other emotion is hesitation. Even for the next Molekule Air Mini, which I will review it thoroughly later, there’s the emotional sticker shock when you realize that this compact air purifier costs nearly $399. And if you are looking for its bigger brother, the price can match any high-end, bulky air purifiers with giant HEPA filters inside.

As I used the device for this review, I vacillated between all of these emotions – and kept coming back to a single question: Who is the Molekule Air Mini made for? With such reduced price, the Molekule Air Mini is much more accessible, but it is still for people who are very well-off early adopters, and can live with a product that is still in many debates of performance and efficiency.

In fact, high-end brands have been making compact air purifiers for mid-range price tag for a long time. The IQAir Atem, Oreck DualMax and Dyson Pure Cool Me are perfect examples, but these air purifiers have been proved for at least 100 years of their companies’ foundations. Molekule, however, is just a young company, and their Molekule Air Mini needs a lot to compete with such powerful and popular air purifiers.

The Molekule Air Mini’s price puts it directly against other console air purifiers for large rooms like the Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0, Vornado PCO575DC, Dyson DP04 or TruSens Z-3000.

But it is a lot cheaper than the Airocide APS-200 or Airocide APS-200 PM 2.5. It is also the cheapest way to get an advanced PECO technology. If you want an air purifier that can kill chemicals and any biological pollutants, you shouldn’t skip the Molekule Air Mini.

Related post: Best air purifiers 2023.

Molekule Air Mini Design and Size

Even though this is my second go-around with the Molekule Air Mini, there’s still a real “wow” factor to this device. In fact, I love it more than the original Molekule Air, as with the sophisticated and compact design, it is easy to put it tabletop or on shelf.

It’s worth noting that the main body material is plastic, not aluminum like the bigger brother. But Molekule makes a white color option for the Molekule Air Mini instead of silver, and the device gives the feeling of premium and minimalism.

Molekule Air Mini marries a compact, cylindrical 12-inch height and 8.25 inches diameter. Put it aside the first Molekule Air model, it is exactly half the size, making it feel chubbier and bigger. However, the size of this Molekule Air Mini is still smaller than the Dyson Pure Cool Me.

Also coming back from the previous model is the powerful bottom-to-top air flow system concept, with a 360° air intake at the bottom, and an air outlet on top. It has a similar feeling and using just like the Air model, and I must admit, the one-touch control panel is simple and convenient than most other complex panels.

Source: Amazon.com

This air purifier fits seamlessly into the home, thanks to the white color and premium, natural felt handle. It is also convenient to lift the device anywhere in your home, because the Molekule Air Mini only weighs 7.3 lbs.

Source: Amazon.com

Related post: Best air purifiers for bedroom.

Molekule Air Mini Filters

Molekule family is distinctive from any other air purifiers thanks to its exclusive Molekule air filtration system. Beyond the mesmerizing design, Molekule Air Mini is impressive with the PECO air filtration system, which is clearly the most powerful system you can get for a personal air purifier, but only if Molekule listened to other reviewers’ feedback.

1. PECO filter – By using an UV-C light filter, the PECO air filter can utilize free radicals to break down pollutants at a molecular level, including VOCs, bacteria, mold, viruses, and allergens. It has a layer of HEPA filter to trap and reduce the fine particles. This is also the main filter of the flagship Molekule Air Pro.

Again, we have here the powerful and innovative patented PECO technology, in short of Photo Electrochemical Oxidation. This technology originates from the popular PCO (Photo Catalytic Oxidation) air filtration system from many air purifiers like Vornado PCO375DC, Vornado PCO575DC or Airpura P600.

The core nature of the PECO technology is using the reaction of titanium dioxide and UV-C light to create hydroxyl radicals (OH). The hydroxyl radicals are unstable molecules, therefore they are highly reactive, an will steal atom from the neighboring molecules (airborne pollutants), thus destroying the pollutants in the process, leaving only harmless molecules such as CO2 and H2O back to the air.

The PECO air filtration technology can kill any biological particulates, such as bacteria, germs, viruses, mold spores, dust mites and even Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that normally the HEPA filter can’t capture. Even if the HEPA filter is designed to trap the ultra-fine particles, it can’t kill them, so the surface of HEPA filter could be where the bacteria, mold spores and viruses grow. Normally, HEPA filter needs the support of Activated Carbon filter and any anti-bacterial treatment to adsorb and remove these biological things.

Molekule Air Mini’s can reduce common bacteria by more than 99.99% at 72°F and 110°F, and even at 45°F it can destroy about 99.9% of any bacteria. Molekule showed that their air purifiers can kill 99.99% of any viruses, mold spores and bacteria in just one pass of air flow.

Though the Molekule Air Mini is recommended for a lot smaller room size than the Molekule Air, its performance seems to be equal with its big brother in the same small room coverage. In the same test of 150 square feet, and duration of 1 hour, the Molekule Air Mini can capture 90% of all airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns.

However, the performance is really low for an air purifier that costs you $399. For around $100, the TruSens Z-1000 can match the performance of this Molekule Air Mini with only HEPA-type air filter, and the Blue Pure 411 was better at 99%. In the same price range, a Vornado PCO575DC can kill 99.95% of any particles down to 0.3 microns in a room of 200 square feet, thanks to its old PCO technology.

Just like its brother, the Molekule Air Mini is safe to use, and it is certified by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), to meet an ozone emission concentration limit of 0.05 parts per million. In fact, according to the University of Minnesota Particle Calibration Laboratory, Molekule Air Mini can even degrade the ozone level to 0 in just 15 minutes.

So far, I still have faith in the innovation of PECO air filtration system made by Molekule. Maybe it doesn’t reach the level that the company has claimed, but it is a progressive technology, and we can believe in the future for a much better air filtration system, that doesn’t cost much to run.

I’ve run the Molekule Air Mini, as well as its bigger brother, for 3 months. It seems both air purifiers are designed for continuous use to achieve the maximum efficiency in large spaces. Most importantly, the Molekule Air Mini is able to completely remove chemicals and any types of Volatile Organic Compounds, thus it’s better than common HEPA filter in long run.

At the moment, however, you need to change the PECO filter after every 6 months. Even for a mini air purifier, the PECO filter costs around $75, which is nearly the cost for a Molekule Air’s filter replacement.

Related post: Best air purifiers for allergies.

Molekule Air Mini Room Coverage

This time, the Molekule Air Mini is only suggested to run in a space of 250 square feet by the manufacturer. Again, I must inform you that the test on Molekule website was performed in a chamber of 27 m3, resulting in just 120 square feet based on 8-ft ceiling.

The ACH of Molekule Air Mini is 1X to 4X. Depending on the room size, the Molekule Air Mini can exchange the fresh air up to every 15 minutes.

The CADR of Molekule Air Mini isn’t clarified, and by not sending their unit to the AHAM for testing, it is a proof of the weak fan power. Molekule once told us that the air purifier can clean the room size in one hour (they removed the line, however). Simple test of Breathe Quality indicated that the CADR rating of Molekule Air Mini is about 80 cfm in general.

Related post: Best large room air purifiers.

Molekule Air Mini Sound

Again, the Molekule Air Mini operates with such low fan power, and that’s why it has a whisper-quiet operation. In fact, the Molekule Air Mini can easily outpace the silent operation of many other air purifiers in the same price range, with the lowest noise level of only 30 decibels (db). This is just like the whisper, and you won’t notice any sound while Molekule Air Mini is running.

On highest speed, the noise level of Molekule Air Mini is around 52 decibels, which is still quiet. You will hear the sound, but it is just like normal conversation at home.

Related post: Best air purifiers for baby.

Molekule Air Mini Power Consumption

One of our most FAQs is “Do air purifiers use a lot of energy?” In fact, air purifier must be used for a long time to be efficient. And power consumption is one important criteria to review if this air purifier is good or not.

Molekule Air Mini has a rated power of only 18 watts, to the maximum of 80 watts. Though the power consumption is quite high for the fan power, it is reasonable because of the UV bulb lighting inside the PECO system.

If you run the Molekule Air Mini for 8 hours per day, it would cost you $6 to $29, depending on the most used fan speed.

Related post: Best air purifiers for pets.

Molekule Air Mini Additional Features

Molekule Air Mini is indeed the compact version of the Molekule Air. It keeps all the high-end features from the big air purifier, like the Wi-Fi Enabled Connectivity function. You can control it with a smartphone app, to check the filter’s life status.

Sadly, it doesn’t have the Smart Sensor, to adjust the fan speed accordingly to the environment’s need. For a mid-range air purifier, that’s a pity.

Related posts:

1, Best air purifiers for smoke.

2, Best air purifiers for dust.

3, Best air purifiers for mold.

Molekule Air Mini Customer Service

Molekule is a science and technology company, expertise in air purifier only. The company has a knowledge base for any common questions of air purifiers, covering a huge amount of knowledge you should know about your air purifier.

The company does really focus on the customer service. You can reach them easily from Monday to Sunday, either via live chat, phone or email. You should contact to them via email at support@molekule.com, or via toll-free phone at 855-999-9069. If you have question of your mobile app’s account, you should reach them at help@molekule.com.

Molekule generously offers Free Shipping, and you can get your air purifier within 2 business days. Most importantly, you can track your order thanks to a tracking number. If the tracking number isn’t working, make sure to contact the support immediately.

The return policy of Molekule is quite inconsistent between pages. But I believe they give you 60 days of Satisfaction Guaranteed. Remember that the shipping charges will be excluded from the refund.

All air purifiers manufactured by Molekule are covered by a 2-year warranty. Warranty services are available only in countries where the Products are sold directly by Molekule or an authorized Molekule reseller.

One more plus for Molekule’s customer service is that by using their products, you can get the auto refill for filter replacement, free of shipping cost.

Our verdict

The Molekule Air Mini feels like an air purifier from the future, and yet from a practical perspective it falls a bit short. The fan power is weak, and the PECO system still needs more improvements.

But that doesn’t mean you should avoid the Molekule Air Mini completely. The price of this air purifier is now more realistic than its infamous brother, and we could dream of a perfect Molekule Air Mini in the near future.

P/S: after our updated ranking list, we don’t recommend this air purifier anymore. Its performance is really unacceptable for the price.