Dyson Airwrap i.d. review: What’s new and who should upgrade?

The Dyson Airwrap i.d. takes a familiar multi-styler and adds one genuinely useful idea: an automated curling sequence tailored to your hair through the MyDyson app. The upgrade makes most sense for people who curl regularly and want to remove some of the timing and technique involved in using an Airwrap. If blowouts, smoothing and volume are your priorities, however, the case for choosing the connected model over a good conventional multi-styler is less clear.

Its appeal rests on convenience rather than a major increase in power. The core Airwrap formula remains recognisable, with Coanda airflow, interchangeable attachments and controlled heat doing most of the styling work.

Best for: Regular Airwrap curlers who want more consistent, automated styling
Bottom line: The personalised i.d. curl sequence is the reason to choose this model. For mainly smoothing or blow-drying, a conventional multi-styler can cover much of the same ground without app connectivity.

The Airwrap i.d. is Dyson's connected version of the Airwrap. Bluetooth links the styler to the MyDyson app, where you create a hair profile by answering questions about factors including hair type and length. The app then generates an i.d. curl sequence with personalised timings for wrapping, styling and the cold shot. Once configured, the sequence is stored on the styler, so you do not need to keep your phone beside you every time you curl.

Dyson lists the Straight+Wavy machine at 1,300W, with airflow of 13.5 litres per second, three heat settings and three airflow speeds. It weighs about 0.6kg without an attachment and has a 2.675m cable.

The Straight+Wavy set sold by Dyson UAE includes a 40mm long Airwrap barrel, Conical Airwrap barrel, smoothing brush, large round volumising brush, Dryer+Flyaway smoother and Fast dryer.

The conical barrel is the notable newer attachment. Its tapered shape reaches closer to the root than the standard parallel barrel, while the 40mm barrel handles looser curls and waves. The Dryer+Flyaway smoother, round brush and smoothing brush cover straighter finishes, volume and finishing work.

The Airwrap i.d.'s most important improvement is not the app by itself. It is what happens after the app has configured the styler.

Activate i.d. curl and the machine moves through the wrap, styling and cold-shot stages automatically. TechRadar found that this removed much of the manual timing involved in Airwrap curling and produced more consistent, longer-lasting results than the reviewer had achieved with other auto-wrap multi-stylers. The review also found the Fast dryer effective and the machine comfortable to handle. Results still vary according to hair type, and TechRadar noted that its Airwrap curls did not hold as long as curls produced with traditional hot tongs.

That distinction matters. The Airwrap i.d. is not a completely new styling system. TechRadar's comparison found that its core dimensions, wattage, airflow and heat and speed settings are essentially unchanged from the preceding Airwrap. The meaningful upgrade is automation, together with newer attachment choices such as the conical barrel. Those newer attachments are also compatible with the earlier Airwrap and can be purchased separately, so attachments alone are not a compelling reason for an existing owner to replace a working machine.

Coanda airflow remains central to curling. Directed air attracts hair to the barrel and wraps it around the surface while it dries and shapes. Dyson says its intelligent heat control keeps temperatures below 150°C.

For UAE routines, the practical advantage is repeatability. If humidity means you pay particular attention to setting a style, having the cold-shot stage built into every curl removes one manual step. The app also provides maintenance prompts, live settings and styling guidance, useful extras but secondary to the automated curl sequence itself.

• The i.d. curl sequence automates wrapping, styling and the cold shot using timings based on your hair profile.

• One Airwrap barrel can switch between clockwise and anticlockwise curling directions without swapping barrels.

• The conical barrel can style closer to the root, while the Straight+Wavy attachments cover curls, smoothing, volume and drying.

• Once the curl sequence is set up, the machine remembers it, so the phone does not have to remain connected during every styling session.

The Airwrap i.d. suits someone who curls frequently, likes the Airwrap approach and wants a more repeatable process without manually judging the timing of every section. It is also a strong fit for a first-time Airwrap buyer who expects to use several attachments rather than treating the machine purely as a dryer.

Existing recent-generation Airwrap owners should consider their habits before upgrading. If you already get consistent curls and are comfortable managing the wrap, heat and cold-shot stages yourself, the underlying performance specifications remain very similar. Likewise, anyone interested mainly in straight blowouts or volume may find that a conventional multi-styler provides the functions they use most without making app personalisation central to the experience.

The Dyson Airwrap i.d. improves the Airwrap in a focused way rather than reinventing it. Its strongest feature is the personalised i.d. curl sequence, which turns a technique that normally requires attention to timing into a largely automated routine. Independent testing from TechRadar supports the practical value of that change, particularly for consistency and ease of curling.

For a new buyer who regularly wants curls, waves, smoothing and blowout styles from one device, that extra automation makes the i.d. version easier to justify. For an owner of a recent Airwrap, the decision is narrower. The basic airflow and styling platform have not changed dramatically, and newer attachments can work with earlier models. Upgrade primarily for i.d. curl, not simply because this is the newer Airwrap.

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