Coway Airmega Icon Air Purifier: Trusted Review & Specs

The Coway Airmega Icon is the latest luxury air purifier made by Coway, with a price tag that places it next to the Airmega 400, which is currently the brand’s flagship. The Airmega Icon has some stellar creative features, but it still has a few flaws that make the air purifier hard to recommend. So, get ready for a quick and trusted Coway Airmega Icon Review.

Coway Airmega Icon S 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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Coway has had a successful year, as the company has released one air purifier after another, and the Coway Airmega Icon and its smart version, the Icon S, are the most expensive, luxury, and premium air purifiers. However, if you wonder if the new Airmega Icon is an instant replacement for the Airmega 400, you should wait for our Coway Airmega Icon Review to know the answer.

Other Coway’s Air Purifier Reviews:

AIRMEGA Icon Price

The Coway Airmega Icon seems to be in a different lineup from other common Airmega air purifiers, as it has a new name and a new design, too. It’s hard to know whether to classify this Airmega Icon review as an analysis of a consumer-grade air purifier or a professional-style device designed for artists. As the former, it’s just decent, but if you treat it as the latter, it’s hard to put down.

This is an obscenely expensive air purifier that just can’t compete with rivals like the Rabbit Air A3, Blueair HealthProtect 7770i and Winix XLC for ‘average’ air purifier fans – it has a premium design, yes, but its performance is too low, even compared with its brother, the Airmega 400S.

Yes, the Airmega Icon starts at $699. For the smart version Icon S, you need to spend up to $749. Its price is enough to put off all but the most dedicated buyers. Especially when both the Airmega 300 and Airmega 400 often go on sale. The new Airmega 250 offers better performance and a more compact size for less than half the price of the Airmega Icon.

The air purifier costs more than its predecessors, and before you say anything – no, a wireless charger doesn’t justify a $350 price increase from the Airmega 250.

But if you follow our deal, you can get the Airmega Icon for as low as $549. Well, it is more interesting.

Related post: Best air purifier 2023.

AIRMEGA Icon Design and Size

After such a long wait, Coway has launched so many air purifiers with new and different designs. Perhaps that’s the strongest point of Korean firms, as I’m also testing a stylish air purifier named LG AeroTower, which is as distinctive as the Airmega Icon.

Both your eyes and your hand will tell you the same thing about the Airmega Icon, that it’s an iconic, one-of-a-kind air purifier that can’t be mistaken with anything else. I can’t disagree with this opinion, as the Airmega Icon is the winner of six international design awards: the International Design Awards, Core 77 Awards, Fast Company Innovation by Design, the Good Design Award, the IDEA Award, and the Spark Award. Well, that’s too much for a marketing gimmick, and I will take time checking the credibility later.

However, after just a brief moment with the Airmega Icon, I agree that the air purifier feels premium and luxurious, as the fabric surface is really soft. It is also water and stain resistant, according to the manufacturer. Sadly, it doesn’t help your Airmega Icon avoid the dusting problem. The company suggested using a duster or soft cloth to wipe the front cover regularly. You should be cautious, as the staining and contamination of the cover due to the customer’s negligence are subject to service at cost.

At the moment, the Airmega Icon and Airmega Icon S only have a beige color option. If sales are good, perhaps we can have more color options just like the Airmega 230 and Airmega 240 in the low-range segment do.

The Airmega Icon has four legs, and it is compact, with dimensions of 21.4 x 22.3 x 8.8 inches. It is quite similar to the Airmega 300S in my memory, just a bit wider. The air purifier will run on a bottom-to-top airflow system concept, and this time you don’t have a 360° air inlet, which could be a design issue that limits the fan power.

The top control panel is so sweet with an easy-touch display, and the buttons will light up whenever you need to control. It feels premium, something like a device of the future. The wireless charging station sits nicely above the control panel.

Source: Amazon.com

The Airmega Icon has a detachable air outlet, so it is easy to separate it and clean the outlet grills, where dust settles most of the time.

The Airmega Icon has a sturdy build, so it weighs 19 lbs, more than any other air purifier of the same size.

Related post: Best air purifiers for bedroom.

AIRMEGA Icon Filters

Airmega Icon features the same air filtration system as the whole new Airmega lineup, with an all-in-one air filter. It helps easier filter installation, as well as decrease the chance for dust to gather up. Let’s take a look at the 2-stage air cleaning system of the Airmega Icon.

1. Pre-filter – A powerful washable pre-filter is available to capture large objects of contaminants. Remember to dry the pre-filter before re-installing it.
2. Max2 filter – Combining both an Activated Carbon filter and a True HEPA filter, this filter can capture up to 99.97% of airborne particles smaller than 0.3 microns. It also reduces more than 99 percent of volatile organic compounds and fumes, such as NH₃ and CH₃CHO.

Since the beginning of the Airmega 300 and Airmega 400, Coway has rolled up all air filters into one. The Max2 filter is a powerful True HEPA filter that includes an antimicrobial treatment to deactivate the spread of contaminants, thus prolonging the filter’s life.

Well, the Airmega Icon’s filter is pretty high-quality, but what about the performance? It is decent for an air purifier, but it certainly loses to the Medify MA-125, Rabbit Air A3 and Alen BreatheSmart 75i in the same price range. That’s sad, because the Airmega 400S’ performance is something other brands should reckon with. Well, low performance at such a high price isn’t abnormal, as you can see in the reviews of the Molekule Air and the Dyson HP04.

The Max2 air filter of this Airmega Icon costs $89, and you still need to replace it after 12 months. In this price range, such an annual filter cost is reasonable. Sadly, we will update the deal on the air filter for this air purifier whenever we find one.

Related post: Best air purifiers for allergies.

AIRMEGA Icon Room Coverage

The Airmega icon isn’t for boasting about room coverage. Coway did try on its product page, but an air purifier without an AHAM verification could hint that its room coverage is not that good. If you’re looking for the official suggestion, it is 324 square feet with 4 ACH, and I believe that’s the actual room coverage for the Airmega Icon.

The ACH of Airmega Icon is 2X to 4X. The Airmega Icon will only clean 2 times per hour in the area of 650 square feet.

The CADR of Airmega Icon is 194 Dust/ 173 Smoke/ 235 Pollen (cfm). The fan power of this Airmega Icon isn’t as good as the very old Coway AP-1512HH, the signature product of this brand.

Related post: Best large room air purifiers.

AIRMEGA Icon Sound

There is something that motivates you to buy an Airmega air purifier, and it must be the very low noise level. Yes, all Coway Airmega air purifiers are designed to fit the bedroom, and the Coway AP-1512HH has been the recommended air purifier for bedrooms for many years.

The Airmega Icon is even better. Lower fan power tends to keep the noise down, and the Airmega Icon can trim the noise level to only 21 decibels (dB). So far, it’s the quietest air purifier in the whole Airmega lineup.

And the noise level at the highest speed is okay, at around 49 decibels. It is even quieter than the noise of a refrigerator, so you will hear the sound, but it’s just white noise and doesn’t affect your sleep. However, if you’re highly sensitive to noise, make sure to run this air purifier in sleep mode.

Related post: Best air purifiers for baby.

AIRMEGA Icon Power Consumption

One of our most FAQs is “Do air purifiers use a lot of energy?” The fact is, you need to use an air purifier for a long time to be efficient. Especially for a large room air purifier like the Airmega 400S, the power consumption is an important criterion to consider before deciding if you should buy it or not.

The Airmega Icon hasn’t been certified as an Energy Star air purifier yet, but I believe that it is good at saving energy. The rated power of the Airmega Icon is only 47 watts, and if you use the wireless charging station, the power consumption could be as high as 67 watts.

It is really good for an air purifier with such power. If you’re using the Airmega Icon for at least 8 hours per day, expect to spend only $17 annually.

Related post: Best air purifiers for pets.

AIRMEGA Icon Additional Features

The Airmega Icon is the standard version of this air purifier. If you get the Airmega Icon S, you will enjoy the Wi-Fi capability feature, which allows you to control the air purifier remotely. The app can also provide real-time air quality notifications and filter lifetime monitoring. The Airmega Icon S also features voice control, both from Google Home and Alexa.

Back to the standard Airmega Icon, which is my testing unit. The air purifier has a Smart Sensor, which is a necessary feature to display the air quality index (PM2.5) and adjust fan speeds based on the room’s air quality. This feature can help you set the device and forget it, as it will optimize the most suitable setting for real-world air quality.

The Eco Mode is also featured in this Airmega Icon. If the air quality is good for more than 10 minutes, the fan will stop operating for either 30 minutes or whenever it detects “bad” air quality again.

For the Airmega Icon, you can set the timer right on the control panel. Both models have an LED indicator for filter replacement, so you don’t need to remember the date to change filters.

Related posts:

1, Best air purifiers for smoke.

2, Best air purifiers for dust.

3, Best air purifiers for mold.

AIRMEGA Icon Customer Service

As one of the top electronic brands in Korea, Coway is somehow as huge as Samsung. This brand not only carries out clean innovations for the customers, but Coway also delivers its direction as Coway Trust. That’s why Coway always places a strong focus on its customers and community. With global subsidiaries and regional dealerships that serve over 60 countries, you should believe in the customer service of the company.

Moreover, you can contact Coway’s customer service via phone at 800-285-0982 or via email at support@coway-usa.com. Normally, customer service will try to contact you within 24 hours.

All air purifiers made by Coway have their motor and electronic parts warranted for 3 years, while other internals are warranted for 1 year.

Our verdict

Coway knows that, and it isn’t aiming at the kind of consumers who buy the first device in a local store. No, the Airmega Icon is a trial of a new design, something that South Korean firms often do. The Airmega Icon is truly iconic, but it is barred with low performance for the price. If you want a powerhouse air purifier, perhaps the Airmega 400S is still a better option.