Winix 9800 Air Purifier: Trusted Review & Specs

The Winix 9800 is a solid mid-range air purifier, and the challenger the Airmega 250S needed. It is not the best Winix air purifier at the moment, but it’s still a genuinely top-tier device from the company. If you want to experience Winix’s PlasmaWave in its purest mid-range form, this is the device to buy right now. So, get ready for our Winix 9800 Review.

Winix 9800 ranks A- 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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Winix has finally taken action together with Coway, as the Winix 9800 and Coway Airmega 250S are the smart air purifiers that we need in the mid-range segment. Air purifier brands are more and more concerned about the smart features, and that’s what we need at the moment. In this Winix 9800 Review, we will see if this air purifier could be a success like its previous Winix AM90.

Winix 9800 Price

The rather awkward Winix 9800 name, we don’t know where was the name taken for, doesn’t do anything for the air purifier’s appeal. Perhaps it’s the next generation of the very old Winix WAC9500, and from my memory, the Winix 9800 seems to match the design of this old air purifier.

And wondering where the 9800 from? It could be a continuation of Winix’s numbering scheme, but a quick check on multiple devices: C535, 5300, 5500 or HR900, we can’t deemed a jump to 9800 the next logical step.

But forget about the name, as it’s nowhere near the name of air purifiers from LG. Try to guess what is the meaning of the LG PuriCare AS560DWR0‘s name? I should pass.

The Winix 9800 price typically is $329, but it can go as low as $279 on our deal, making it rather a competitor to the Coway AP-1512HHS than the Airmega 250S, which costs a bit higher because of its new air filter.

While the competition is this price range is high, with the Levoit Core 600S as the most wanted one, quick spoiler that the Winix 9800 does impressively good above the rest of the competition, like the Medify MA-50, GermGuardian AC9600W and Alen BreatheSmart FLEX.

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Winix 9800 Design and Size

Both the newest Winix 9800 and Winix C909 are marking the return of the old Winix design for making big console air purifiers. However, the Winix 9800 actually looks a bit different than its predecessors, be it the Winix WAC9500, HR1000 or U450.

Perhaps the WAC9500 is the base of the Winix 9800’s design, as it largely shares the same size, with dimensions of 23.2 x 16.5 x 11.8 inches. Though it looks strikingly different to most current air purifiers, the Winix 9800 runs a similar bottom-to-top airflow system concept. The front panel has straight vertical air inlets, which resembles a little bit with the Winix 5500-2.

While Coway, another South Korean air purifier brand, is trying to emphasize its design language with the new Airmega 230 and Airmega 240, Winix doesn’t care. The air purifier feels sturdy enough to stand on its own. However, it’s lighter than its competitors, at only 18.7 lbs.

There is no other color option at the moment as far as I know. It is too unique that you don’t need to make it more.

Finally, the diagonal control panel is quite a signature design from Winix, as you can see from all of its models like the Winix C535 or Winix C545. Winix often puts its air sensor on top of the air purifier, however, its reading seems to be accurate.

Source: Amazon.com

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Winix 9800 Filters

Winix 9800 shares the same core of air filtration system as its brothers. And how many air filters and what air filter types are used should be considered when determining the performance of an air purifier. The Winix 9800 has a typical 4-stage air cleaning system.

1. Pre-filter – The polluted air must pass through a mesh pre-filter. This pre-filter will capture the large objects of contaminants, such as pet hair and even some kinds of pet dander and skin. It is washable.
2. Activated Carbon Filter – The air filter can adsorb household odors from cooking, pets, and smoke and reduce VOCs.
3. True HEPA filter – The True HEPA Filter that captures 99.97% of as small as 0.3 microns allergens, virus particles, pollen, mold and fungi particles.
4. Winix PlasmaWave – This technology is somehow an ionizer, which can further reduce the amount of pollutants. Can be switched on/off.

There is no need to repeat the process of Winix PlasmaWave technology, as we have a detailed writing about it here. However, the power of the Winix 9800 is real, as the device is verified by both the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) and California Air Resources Board (CARB).

I found it to be one of the most powerful air filtration systems on the air purifier at the moment. The technology helps improve the indoor air quality, so Winix doesn’t need to make new air filters for its new air purifiers, thus reducing the manufacturing cost.

Winix 9800’s performance was very good throughout the Breathe Quality’s tests in 1 month, as it can reduce 99.95% of all airborne particles down to 0.3 microns, in just 1 hour. The tests were conducting in a room of 200 square feet. The result was the same as the Oransi Max and GermGuardian AC9600W, but just a little bit behind the TruSens Z-3000. The Winix 9800’s power was better than the Blueair DustMagnet 5210i.

We still use the same Filter A from the Winix AM90 in this Winix 9800. This is the most basic air filter of Winix, and it does fairly good that the company doesn’t need to change new air filter. However, I really like the concept of an all-in-one air filter, and I expect Winix to keep up with the trend.

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Winix 9800 Room Coverage

Winix air purifiers tend to have lower fan power than other competitors at the same price range. Not anymore, the Winix 9800 deal serious power to tackle even the large rooms. It is verified by the AHAM to cover any room up to 500 square feet. A verification from the AHAM is a plus in our performance ranking.

The ACH of Winix 9800 is 4X. It is the common ACH rating for a Winix 9800 in 500-sq-ft room. If you need it for larger spaces, it will clean less frequently.

The CADR of Winix 9800 is 336 Dust/ 323 Smoke/ 384 Pollen (cfm). Such CADR rating can help the Winix 9800 stays on top of the competition. At a much more affordable price, the Winix 9800 is as good as a Coway Airmega 300S, marking a new era of the Winix air purifiers.

Related post: Best large room air purifiers.

Winix 9800 Sound

Winix 9800 does its best to improve the fan power from its predecessors, to the point that Winix can happily let all of its below mid-range air purifiers to rest. However, the higher the fan power, the noisier.

But the thinking isn’t correct here, as the fan motor of the Winix 9800 can help it run quieter on its lowest speed, at only 26 decibels (dB). You can compare the noise level if you have two Winix air purifiers side-by-side, but nonetheless it’s quiet enough to sleep with the Winix 9800.

However, on highest fan power, the noise level can be as high as 59 decibels. The Winix 9800 really relies on its Smart Sensor to keep its noise down.

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Winix 9800 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.

Winix 9800 is another Energy Star air purifier from the company, but it isn’t good at the rated power of 95 watts, though it is still better than the old Honeywell HPA300. It’s a bit disappointing, as the Winix 9800 does wonderfully in most other sections.

If you use the Winix 9800 at least 8 hours per day, the annual cost would be $34.

Related post: Best air purifiers for pets.

Winix 9800 Additional Features

The Winix 9800 is a Wi-Fi enabled air purifier, which is great after the company discontinued a lot of its smart air purifiers, most notably the Winix NK105 and Winix HR1000. Perhaps the success of the Winix AM90 (which has been our best air purifier for 5 years) encourages Winix to continue on the latest models: the Winix 9800 and its bigger brother, the Winix XLC.

It’s a touch gimmicky, but it’s the sort of upgrade that enables you to remotely control your Winix 9800 both with your smartphone app and voice commands. Winix 9800 is compatible with only the Alexa at the moment.

Winix 9800 features dual air sensors for more accurate reading of the indoor air quality. Its Auto Mode can be enabled, to measure and adjust the fan power according to the real-time air quality. Winix 9800 also has a light sensor, and if it doesn’t detect ambient light, it will automatically run and fix on the Sleep Mode, which is its lowest speed. It also disables PlasmaWave to stop the crackling noise made by the ionizer.

There is a LED indicator for filter replacement, which is the common between Winix air purifying units.

Related posts:

1, Best air purifiers for smoke.

2, Best air purifiers for dust.

3, Best air purifiers for mold.

Winix 9800 Customer Service

Established over 40 years ago, in 1973, the Winix company is truly an expert in the air purifier industry. It has many headquarters, not only in South Korea but also in both the U.S and Europe. You can reach its customer service from 9 a.m to 5 p.m, Monday through Friday, via phone or email. If you have trouble calling its service, you can email Winix America at info@winixinc.com.

On its official website, the company is selling both new and certified refurbished air purifiers, of course with free shipping in the U.S only. The Winix limited warranty is two years for most of its products. During the warranty period, Winix will repair or replace the product if it fails because of a defect in material or workmanship, as determined by Winix. Remember that this warranty will be null and void if the product is used for purposes other than home, consumer purposes.

Our verdict

While the Winix 9800 isn’t the best air purifier from its brand, it sets its base on the low mid-range segment, competing directly against the Levoit Core 600S. Winix has stepped up its air purifier game lately, and this new Winix 9800 is certainly its crowning achievement.