Airdog X3 Air Purifier: Trusted Review & Specs

Airdog X3 is the budget option for people who want to experience the non-HEPA air filtration of Airdog, but can’t stretch the finance for the Airdog X5. Certainly it will cut things here and there but it’s far more compact and suitable for a small-sized household. Alright, let’s check our today Airdog X3 Review.

Airdog X3 ranks B+ in our air purifier ranking list. We give the biggest and most thorough database of air purifier reviews in the world.

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Sections

Airdog first targets at the more low-end consumer with the Airdog X3, though it isn’t really a “budget” air purifier. Still, it applies the core technology of its bigger brother like the Airdog X5 and Airdog X8, so let’s take a look at our Airdog X3 Review for a completely honest give.

Other Airdog’s Air Purifier Reviews:

1, Airdog X8 Review.

2, Airdog X5 Review.

3, Airdog FitAir Review.

Airdog X3 Price

The Airdog X3 marks the peak of the company’s affordable air purifier blitz. We can still expect a new budget air purifier in the future (maybe Airdog X1), but right now it’s the near-flagship level of performance and far cheaper price in this Airdog X3.

After the success of the Airdog X5, the customers should expect following predecessors like this Airdog X3 and Airdog X8 to continue. The Airdog X3 certainly cut and remove here and there to compensate its lower price point, but it tries to keep up with the X5’s fan power at far less power consumption.

So does it successfully iterate to innovate? Let’s check it out in other sections, but first, the Airdog X3 costs around $449, which is nearly 1/2 the starting price of the first X5. Still, this price firmly puts it in the mid-range bracket, and you would like to compare it with Medify MA-50 or Oransi mod Jr, the “HEPA” air purifiers. I should also remind of the Vornado PCO575DC and Blue Pure 121, as they are currently the best air purifiers to date at this price range, as of my memory.

Related post: Best air purifier 2024.

Airdog X3 Design and Size

Airdog X3 can cut parts to reduce the cost of manufacturing, but it follows strictly the design of the first Airdog X5. Its design won’t be a considerable improvement over the first model, as you can see, there will be no LED screen for any air quality indicators. But it adds a lot to the Airdog X3’s compact design.

Yes, Silicon Valley Air Experts (a very long name of a company) has smartly done away with the cut to trim the Airdog X3 to only 20.5 inches in height. It is also smaller as the width and depth are only 10.5 inches. Design-wise, the Airdog X3 is slightly smaller than other popular air purifiers at the same price like the Medify MA-50 and/or Oransi mod Jr.

It uses the same air filtration technology as its bigger brothers, so you can expect a design to follow the bottom-to-top air flow system concept. The top air outlet is, interestingly, supported with two air grills from the handles. Like I said, I think it is interesting for such design, but it brings so many technical difficulties for the fan power to distribute the air evenly. So to say, the air grills of the dual handles are nearly useless, and they can gather dust that messes up with the cleaned air.

Other than that, nothing to complain about the Airdog X3’s top. It has a single button to power on/off the device, together with a minimalism indicator for other modes. I like it, frankly. There is a detector to sense whether there are people around here. It isn’t the air sensor, which is located behind the Airdog X3, however.

The Airdog X3 weighs only 11 lbs. That’s a massive reduction from the X5, so there must be internal cut for this product. Anyway, it’s small enough so you can lift it anywhere in your home.

Related post: Best air purifiers for bedroom.

Airdog X3 Filters

The most important section of an air purifier review, the filtration system and performance of one air purifying system. The Airdog X3 inherited the same 4-stage air cleaning system from its brothers, with the main selling point of no HEPA filter (for reducing waste).

1. Pre-filter – The polluted air must pass through a pre-filter screening, where it traps large particles of pollutants like hair and dander. It is washable and permanent.
2. Ionizer – The ionic field is created on the surface of the generator wires (or emitter wires) and also the main filtration method of the Airdog X3. It can destroy even the 0.0146 microns ultra-fine particles, such as bacteria, germs and viruses. In addition, it is also effective in removing the pet dander, pollen, dust and other particles that are larger than 0.3 microns.
3. Collecting Plate – While not being a layer of protection, the collecting plate is necessary to collect the harmful particles inside. These heavy-duty but dishwasher-safe plates can easily be cleaned, saving you from expensive replacement filters.
4. Composite Catalyst – The last filter of this Airdog X3 is actually an Activated Carbon filter, which removes odors, smoke and chemicals. This is also where the Airdog X3 remove the ozone emission, to guarantee the cleanest air quality for your home.

HEPA filter has been the backbone of an air purifier for a long, long time for a vital reason: its overall performance and efficiency. Even the better HEPA filters out there require less to mass produce, and you know, it’s really difficult to make a non-HEPA air purifier to work efficiently. In my experience, most ionizers will have quality control issues much sooner than a traditional HEPA air purifier.

While the mechanical parts like the pre-filter and collecting plate of the Airdog X3 can be mass produced, the performance of the device relies on its ionizer. Yes, ionizer is working, but you should notice that it must pass the California Air Resources Board (CARB)’s test. Otherwise, an ionizer shouldn’t be used, according to the EPA. Luckily, unlike the flagship Airdog X8, the Airdog X3 passes the CARB’s test.

Though the company claimed pretty bold about the performance of the Airdog X3, in real-world test however, the air purifier falls behind the competition. It could capture even the viruses, yes, but its actual performance against common airborne particles down to 0.3 microns was just 99.7% (1 hour run in 200 square feet room). Other competitors like the Vornado PCO575DC, GermGuardian AC9200WCA, Oransi mod Jr and Aeris aair Lite were all better.

Though smaller, the Airdog X3 shares the same pre-filter as the bigger brothers. It increases the value of the Airdog X3 just a bit, well. Remember to change the carbon filter at least every 12-24 months.

Related post: Best air purifiers for allergies.

Airdog X3 Room Coverage

The Airdog X3, sadly, isn’t quite effective with its lack of fan power. Maybe it’s the problem of the innovation, even though I just try to be sarcasm. Airdog X3 is recommended for rooms up to 215 square feet, but I believe its most powerful room coverage should be 100 to 150 square feet. Still, it is far better than the Molekule Air Mini and Oreck DualMax I tested in the past. Both aforementioned air purifiers also try to sway away from the traditional HEPA filter.

The ACH of Airdog X3 is 2X to 4X. 2X air changes per hour in suggested room size is a bit lacking, but an air purifier is meant to run for long-term using.

The CADR of Airdog X3 is 117 cfm in general, meaning it has lower fan power than even the budget Levoit Core 300.

Related post: Best large room air purifiers.

Airdog X3 Sound

For an air purifier with such CADR rating, we could hope that it would be silent. Sadly, Airdog X3’s maximum fan power gives us a feeling it is really powerful (though it isn’t). Its noise level is around 58 to 60 decibels (db), which is pretty high for an air purifier with such fan power.

The Airdog X3 (at least my unit) is even not as quiet as the Airdog X5 on lowest fan speed, staying at 35 decibels. On paper, it should be 30 decibels, which is like the whisper.

Related post: Best air purifiers for baby.

Airdog X3 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.

Airdog X3 is a very less power-consuming air purifier, with a rated power of only 27 watts. Kudos to Silicon Valley Air Experts team for making such a economical air purifier.

For using the Airdog X3 at least 8 hours per day, it would cost you only $10 each year.

Related post: Best air purifiers for pets.

Airdog X3 Additional Features

Perhaps the most competitive edge of the Airdog X3 over other competitors is its great additional features. You will have all the smart benefits from the Airdog flagships like Airdog X5 in this new air purifier. For example, the Wi-Fi capability is the way you control this air purifier. You can also manage your indoor air quality indicator, as well as the filter life.

Airdog X3 has a Smart Sensor, to automatically calculate the amount of particles in the air, then the Auto Mode simply adjusts its speed according to the current air quality level. Its Auto Mode is also for reducing the noise level and power consumption by reducing the fan speed.

Airdog X3 has a detector to scan whether there are people nearby, maybe to turn on the light whenever a person is found? I really don’t know this function, and I may update the review soon.

Other features can be found are the Child lock, Sleep Mode and filter cleaning reminder. They work great, and you should reset the filter reminder after you clean and put the filters back on.

Related posts:

1, Best air purifiers for smoke.

2, Best air purifiers for dust.

3, Best air purifiers for mold.

Airdog X3 Customer Service

The Airdog is the new kid on the block of air purifier industry, so Silicon Valley Air Expert really cares about the customer service. They make a vow to not make profit from shipping, and they try everything to keep the Free Shipping policy within 48 states of the U.S, excluding only Alaska and Hawaii. Moreover, you can get a 30-day free trial of their product, and if you don’t satisfy, you can make a refund easily.

If you need support, you can contact their customer service from 9 to 5 at 800-958-9609 via phone, or anytime at support@siliconvalleyairexperts.com via email. They will try to contact you back as soon as possible.

However, you will only get a free 1-year warranty for the Airdog air purifiers. To get an additional year of warranty, you need to pay $49, and for two additional year, the cost will be $99.

Our verdict

Airdog X3 is an innovative air purifier, and any innovation takes time to stress test. I wonder if this line up is the best we can take from Airdog, still I hope for a version 2 soon to fix some of the problems found in its air purifiers. Well, again I hope for a day I can run air purifier without worrying of the filter replacement’s waste.

Surprisingly, it is ranked better than its bigger brother – Airdog X5. Perhaps because the Airdog X5 we tested was a very first prototype of Airdog air purifiers.