Shark has launched its first-ever hair dryer, but how does it compare to Dyson’s supersonic?

Buy now £229, Johnlewis.com

• Attachments: Diffuser, concentrator
• Number of heat settings: 3
• Number of air flow settings: 3
• Cool shot: Yes
• Cord length: 2.5m
• Weight: 730g
• Wattage: 1,600W
• Rating: 8/10

Branching out to the haircare industry with a bang, Shark has launched its all-new hair dryer. And we were one of the first to get our hands on it. As an ionic tool, it promises to dry hair with minimal damage by distributing the heat in a more even way.

On first impressions, the packaging of the Shark style iQ was similar to what you’d expect from a more budget-friendly tool, and considering the price tag, we were a little disappointed. Within the box, you’ll find the dryer and two attachments (diffuser and concentrator), but unlike the Dyson, you won’t receive a storage box.

The hair tool is compact and ergonomic. It fits comfortably into the hand, and at just 730g it is one of the lightest hair dryers we’ve used, rivalled only by Dyson’s supersonic.

Much like the Dyson, the heat and airflow buttons are situated on the barrel, while the power switch is on the handle – this means you’re unlikely to accidentally switch buttons mid-way through a blow-dry. A definite bonus.

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The easy-to-use tool has three different heat and airflow settings – low, medium and high – which can easily be changed, with an LED light illuminating the setting you’re using.

The feature that gives the Shark style iQ the edge over the Dyson is the way the attachments work with the dryer. It recognises which attachment you’re using and automatically adjusts the temperature and airflow settings accordingly for the best results.

When using the concentrator, for example, you’ll notice the dryer changes to high airflow and high temperature, while the diffuser alters these settings to low. This takes the guesswork out of blowdrying your hair, which we found to be really useful. But if you do want to experiment with the different options, you can manually adjust the settings too. A nice touch.

Both attachments are magnetic – the concentrator attached without any problems, but we did find the diffuser a little more temperamental. For best results when testing both hair tools, we towel-dried our hair and loosely blowdried before starting.

Another standout feature is that you can adjust the airflow of the concentrator attachment. You can choose between two modes: pre-styling, which opens up the nozzle for a wider airpath and a more gentle all-over dry; and a precision styling mode that makes for a narrower, more targeted airpath for a sleeker, straightened look.

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The concentrator did a great job of giving us a bouncy blow-dry, particularly when we used the pre-style mode to begin before following with the precision styling option. We also used the Boots tufted bristle radial brush (£8, Boots.com) to help give it extra volume.

When compared to when we leave our hair to air dry or use a more budget-friendly dryer, the style iQ did make our hair visibly more smooth and shiny. This is down to the fact it is an ionic tool, which means it gives off a negative ionic charge that counters the positive ionic charges in your damaged cuticles. Essentially, this means the heat is distributed more evenly and seals the strands of hair to help retain moisture.

Similarly to the concentrator attachment, you can customise the diffuser for your hair type – the prongs can be retracted for shorter hair and extended for longer, thicker hair. This design means you have greater control over how you style your locks and is a feature that not many other diffusers have.

But unfortunately, during testing, we found that the diffuser didn’t attach very easily. This meant we had to hold the accessory in place. However, it did still do a good job of drying our thick, curly hair from root to tip, and really helped keep our curls looking more defined.

We were most impressed with was how quickly it managed to dry our hair, and how quiet it was.

Buy now £299.99, Very.co.uk

• Attachments: Diffuser, styling concentrator, gentle air attachment, wide-tooth comb, flyaway attachment
• Number of heat settings: 3
• Number of air flow settings: 3
• Cool shot: Yes
• Cord length: 2.8m
• Weight: 697g
• Wattage: 1,600W
• Rating: 10/10

The Dyson supersonic needs little introduction: it’s featured in our review of the best hair dryers and has been praised countless times thanks to its design and innovative technology. Four years in the making, it’s a lightweight tool that dries hair in next to no time.

The brand is known for its sleek look and this is clear from the moment you open the box – you’re greeted with a chic storage case for your hair dryer, along with the attachments (of which there are five) and a hairbrush and comb, both of which are stored in separate cardboard boxes.

Admittedly this was a lot for our recycling box, but we did appreciate the extra attention to detail and the additional attachments and tools, especially when compared to Shark’s more simple approach.

There’s no denying that the Dyson supersonic is well-designed and easy on the eye. Unlike regular hair dryers, Dyson chose to place most of its technology (including the impeller and motor) in the handle to make it less top-heavy and easier to manoeuvre – something you can instantly notice when you pick it up.

Read more: 8 best cordless hair straighteners for sleek locks wherever you go

What’s more, the tool is just 697g. It’s both lighter and smaller than the Shark style iQ, making it that bit easier to use – a particular plus for those with thicker hair or who tend to have longer styling sessions.

As for the settings, they’re just as innovative. Where temperature is concerned, there are three heat options – 60C, 80C and 100C – and one cool shot to create a more long-lasting hold, post-blow-dry. There’s also a nifty internal thermometer that measures the air temperature more than 40 times per second to regulate the heat and prevent damage to the hair. In terms of airflow, there are three settings – high, medium and low – and there’s no denying it is powerful. When on high, it drys the hair extremely quickly.

There are five attachments to play with depending on the hairdo you’re after – from straight, sleek locks to beachy waves – all of which are easy to attach to the dryer. The different options add to the tool’s versatility and work to justify the high price tag.

Much like with the Shark style iQ, we found that it was better to lightly blow-dry or towel dry our hair before getting started with one of the styling attachments.

Unlike the style iQ, the supersonic doesn’t recognise the attachment you’re using. This is a slight bugbear as you have to play around with the heat and airflow settings to assess which one works best for your hair. This aside, each attachment did perform excellently.

The gentle air attachment worked great when we tested it on someone with thinner, finer hair, while the larger diffuser worked its magic on our tester with thicker, longer hair. It effectively dried the hair from root to tip and created a natural curly look in no time at all.

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In order to make a fair comparison, when testing the styling concentrator we used the Dyson supersonic to dry and style on one side of the head and Shark’s on the other. While both performed well, the Dyson attachment ever so slightly pipped Shark’s in that it created a sleeker and softer look.

As for the all-new flyaway attachment, we were very impressed with how quickly it transformed our day two bed-head hair, taming our frizzy locks and bringing back that newly blow-dried look. It gets a big thumbs up from us.

Other standout features include the noise, or lack thereof – the Dyson supersonic has the edge over Shark in that it’s even quieter. And, when compared to an average dryer, it almost halved our blowdrying time, making it ideal for those who don’t like to spend too long in front of the mirror in the morning.