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Finding the Best Air Purifier in India: Popular Air Purifiers Compared

Finding the Best Air Purifier in India: Popular Air Purifiers Compared

By Gopal Sathe | Updated: 31 October 2021 17:24 IST

Highlights

When buying an air purifier, make sure that it has a genuine HEPA filter
Stick to brands you trust, since there are no formal standards here
Remember, performance is more important than smart features

It seems buying an air purifier is now a necessity, and soon every household will probably need to have to get at least one, just like most of us have water purifiers in our kitchens. There are a lot of different factors to consider when buying an air purifier, from the cost, to the design, but the most important is how effective the purifier will be for you.

Gadgets 360 spoke to some of the top companies in the market to get tips for buying an air purifier already, and we'd strongly recommend that you read that article so that you have a clear picture of what you need to know. In this article, we are going to compare various offerings from brands that are popular in India, and if you've already read the previous article, you can skip the paragraph below and jump straight to the table. Otherwise, read on to get a quick explainer of the different specifications you should consider when buying an air purifier.

[UPDATE October 31, 2021: We have updated this article to show the most relevant information on how to choose an air purifier. Beyond that, you visit our up to date air purifiers guide with the latest picks to choose from if you just want to get links to shop for purifiers.]

Understanding the air purifier-related jargon
The general consensus of the people we spoke to was that you need to get an air purifier that uses a filter, instead of other methods such as ionisers, which can be harmful to some people. You should also try and make sure that you buy a purifier with a genuine HEPA filter, as that is an international standard. There are no proper standards for purifiers in India so as consumers, we need to watch out for these facts instead. Also, check if the product you're buying is on sale in the US or in China – both countries have advanced standards for air purifiers, and do testing on the products, so you will have a little more quality assurance if the same model is also available in these countries.

HEPA filter

The more filters an air purifier has the better – the HEPA filter removes suspended particulate matter, but a pre-filter (like the filter in your air conditioner) before that will remove large particles, increasing the life of the HEPA filter and cleaning the air. The pre-filter of an air purifier should typically remove particles up to PM10 size; the HEPA filter removes PM2.5 particles and much smaller particles as well, typically to around 0.3 microns, nearly seven times smaller than PM2.5. Aside from this, an activated carbon filter is also useful as it can trap gases and remove odours, something that doesn't happen with an air purifier that has just a HEPA filter. Sulphur gases and carbon fumes are common pollutants that a carbon filter will help with.

Beyond that, the most important thing to consider when buying an air purifier is its CADR, or Clean Air Delivery Rate. This is the speed at which the air comes out of the filter, measured in cubic meters per hour and it determines how effective it is at cleaning the air in the room, since the filter has to suck up all the air in the room and push it out.

Effective size tells you how big a room the purifier can collect air from, which is how it will filter the air. One piece of useful advice is to pick an air purifier that has a larger area covered than the room you're going to use it in – it will not need to run the fan as fast, and thus will be quieter and consume less energy in that case. Manufacturers typically publish these two figures and they can help you to shop. Finally, another important detail to consider when buying an air purifier is Air Change per Hour – the number of times per hour that the purifier is able to filter all the air in the room. Using the CADR and the size of the room, you should be able to calculate this for yourself. We've been advised that the purifier should completely clean the air in the room at least once every 20 minutes, and ideally at least once every 12 minutes.

Carbon filter

These are the key terms we'll be looking at therefore – the types of filters, the CADR and effective area, along with any additional features that the purifier offers, such as air quality display, mobile apps, smart modes, and extras such as built in humidifiers and so on.

The air purifier specifications shootout
Now that you know all the related jargon involved, here is a list of some of the most popular air purifier brands offerings at different price points. This is not an exhaustive list, but we've stuck to only companies that we've had a chance to experience – unfortunately, we have not carried out our exhaustive reviews on these air purifiers, but we have had at least a little experience with them. For this reason, it's possible that we haven't listed some really air purifiers – if you've used something and found it made a difference, please tell us and the other readers via the comments.

Best air purifiers in India - price and filters compared

Air Purifier filters and specifications	Price	Filter replacement cost (approximately)	Pre-filter	HEPA	Carbon	Other filters	CADR (cubic meters)	Effective Area (sq. ft)
Philips AC 1215/20	₹11,990	₹2,995 (HEPA)/ ₹1090 (Carbon)	Yes	Yes	Yes	-	270	677
Philips AC 2882/50	₹19,995	₹2,995 (HEPA)/ ₹1090 (Carbon)	Yes	Yes	Yes	-	333	851
Philips AC 3256	₹32,990	₹2,995 (HEPA)/ ₹1090 (Carbon)	Yes	Yes(x2)	Yes	-	367	818
Atlanta Healthcare Beta 350	₹13,950	₹2,400 (full set)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Antibacterial filter	170	350
Atlanta Healthcare Universal 450	₹21,560	₹3,000 (full set)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Antibacterial filter	225	450
Atlanta Healthcare PureZone 651	₹39,058	₹4,595 (full set)	Yes	Yes	Yes	ULPA	500	650
Panasonic F-PBJ30ARD	₹10,490	₹1,975	Yes	Yes	Yes	-	168	215
Panasonic F-PXF35MKU(D)	₹17,900	₹1,975	Yes	Yes	Yes	-	210	283
Panasonic F-PXH55MWU(D)	₹27,900	₹2,645	Yes	Yes	Yes	-	330	452
Kent Aura	₹12,145	₹4,070	Yes	Yes	Yes	Ioniser	180	270
Kent Eternal	₹19,149	₹4,070	Yes	Yes	Yes	Ioniser	400	377
Eureka Forbes Aeroguard Mist	₹17,899	₹2,235	Yes	Yes	Yes	Silver coated carbon	205	250
Eureka Forbes Aeroguard Wave	₹27,999	₹2,760	Yes	Yes	Yes	Silver coated carbon	500	750
Honeywell Air Touch HAC35M1101G	₹27,990	₹3,595 (HEPA)/ ₹2,995 (HiSiv)	Yes	Yes	-	HiSiv gas filter	300	450
Honeywell Air Touch-S	₹39,990	₹3,595 (HEPA)/ ₹2,995 (HiSiv)	-	-	-	HiSiv gas filter	300	450
Sharp Plasmacluster	₹18,000	₹2,880	-	Yes	Yes	-	240	230
Xiaomi Mi Air Purifier 2	₹9,999	₹2,499	Yes	-	Yes	HEPA-type filter	310	400

Best air purifiers in India - features compared

Air purifiers features	App control	Remote	Humidifier	360-degree airflow	Self-service	Air quality monitoring
Philips AC 1215/20	-	-	-	-	-	Yes
Philips AC 2882/50	-	-	-	-	-	Yes
Philips AC 3256	-	-	-	-	-	Yes
Atlanta Healthcare Beta 350	-	-	-	-	Yes	Yes
Atlanta Healthcare Universal 450	-	-	Yes	-	Yes	Yes
Atlanta Healthcare PureZone 651	-	-	-	-	Yes	Yes
Panasonic F-PBJ30ARD	-	-	-	-	Yes	Yes
Panasonic F-PXF35MKU(D)	-	-	-	-	Yes	Yes
Panasonic F-PXH55MWU(D)	-	-	-	-	Yes	Yes
Kent Aura	-	-	-	-	-	Yes
Kent Eternal	-	-	-	-	-	Yes
Eureka Forbes Aeroguard Mist	-	Yes	Yes	-	-	Yes
Eureka Forbes Aeroguard Wave	-	Yes	Yes	-	-	Yes
Honeywell Air Touch HAC35M1101G	-		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Honeywell Air Touch-S	Yes	-	-	-	Yes	Yes
Sharp Plasmacluster	-	-	-	-	Yes	Yes
Xiaomi Mi Air Purifier 2	Yes	-	-	Yes	Yes	Yes

Once again, we repeat that this is not an exhaustive list of air purifiers available in India. And we'll add a further word of caution – while it's relatively simple to compare the specifications of phones and other similar products, with gadgets like air purifiers that lack a formal certification process in India, we've got to rely on manufacturer statements, and that is what we've done to compile the above table. Secondly, just comparing air purifier specifications won't help – if your room is 15-feet by 15-feet, getting a purifier with an effective area covered of 750 square feet doesn't really protect you any better. Read our guide on buying an air purifier to understand what works for you, and pick the product that's the most suitable, even if it doesn't sound as impressive on paper.

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Further reading: HEPA filter, Carbon filter, Air purifier, Air purifier specifications, Air purifier spec comparison, Best air purifier, Delhi Air Pollution, Air pollution, Delhi smog