Dyson Supersonic Nural Hair Dryer Review: Intelligent Speed, Quiet Luxury

From the first switch-on, the Supersonic Nural feels different from a drugstore dryer. The airflow isnt a chaotic gust; its a dense, controlled column of air that seems to push water out of the hair rather than just blast it around. On thick, waist-length hair, we watched damp lengths go from dripping to dry with an almost startling efficiency, yet the strands never felt scorched.

The sound profile is another quiet luxury. Instead of the high-pitched shriek so many dryers emit, this one hums with a lower, more contained whoosh. You can absolutely hold a conversation over it, and several of us noted that early-morning drying felt less intrusive to partners and children in the next room.

Tactilely, the experience is nuanced:

• The Scalp protect mode wraps the roots in warm, comfortable air rather than searing heat, especially when paired with the Gentle air attachment.
• The capsule illumination subtly shifts from cool blue to a vivid, ember-like red as you move through heat settings, giving a visual cue that feels both futuristic and reassuring.
• The matte body has a soft, velvety grip that stays secure in damp hands, while the magnetic attachments click into place with a satisfying pull.

The trade-off: the cord. Its long (useful) but thick and weighty, with an inline brick that adds heft. We found ourselves wishing for a simple, elegant cord wrap or a fitted case to complete the otherwise polished ritual.

The Nural brain is what sets this dryer apart from both its predecessor and its imitators. In practice, that intelligence shows up in a few key ways that we felt immediately.

First, Scalp protect mode. A network of sensors measures the distance between the dryer and your head, automatically dialing down the temperature as you move closer to the scalp. On sensitive scalps and children, this was transformative: we could work close to the roots without that familiar sting or redness afterward. On the flip side, a few testers with very resistant or textured hair felt the dryer erred on the side of caution, cooling too eagerly and slowing down their routine.

Then theres attachment learning. Each magnetic nozzle  Gentle air, Styling concentrator, Wide-tooth comb, Flyaway attachment, and the two-part Wave+Curl diffuser  is recognized the moment it locks in. The dryer recalls the last heat and airflow you used with that specific attachment and snaps back to those settings. In a real-world routine (rough-dry, then round-brush, then flyaway finish), this meant no constant fiddling with buttons mid-style.

Finally, the motion-sensing pause: set the dryer down and it instinctively softens its airflow and kills the heat. It doesnt go completely silent, but it shifts into a low, cool murmur that feels safe and practical between sections.

Our take: the intelligence genuinely streamlines styling when it behaves, but it does introduce a learning curve. If youre used to a simple on/off, high/low tool, expect a few sessions before the Nural feels like second nature.

We deliberately tested the Supersonic Nural across a spectrum of hair types and lengths, because no single head tells the full story.

On fine, short to mid-length hair, the dryer was almost overqualified. Even on medium heat and airflow, drying was brisk, and the risk of over-drying was minimal thanks to the sensor-led temperature control. Our fine-haired testers loved the volume they could coax at the roots without frizz, especially using the Gentle air attachment upside down.

On long, thick, or middle-aged hair that tends to be drier, the benefits became more pronounced. Drying sessions that once stretched to 20 minutes were comfortably cut down, and hair felt less brittle afterward. The Flyaway attachment, used as a finishing step, smoothed surface frizz into the lengths, giving a polished, salon-adjacent finish without a flat iron.

For curly, wavy, and coily textures, the Wave+Curl diffuser is the star. With the pronged piece attached (Diffuse mode), longer prongs reach deep into curls and coils, encouraging definition and lift. Remove the pronged top for Dome mode and the airflow reverses into the bowl, enveloping the hair in a gentle, swirling cloud of air. We saw springy, bouncy ringlets and soft waves that looked more editorial than just diffused.

That said, there are trade-offs of luxury:

• Some with very textured or chemically treated hair felt it never got quite hot enough to mimic the ultra-sleek results of a traditional pro dryer and brush combo.
• Others, especially on the highest settings or without Scalp protect engaged, felt the air veered into too hot, leaving hair parched and ends rough.

In short, it excels for those seeking healthy-looking definition and shine; if your priority is pin-straight, glassy hair at any cost, you may still lean on a classic pro dryer or straightener.

The real magic of this dryer lies in its attachments and the ritual they create. Over weeks of testing, a few patterns emerged in how we kept reaching for each piece.

• Gentle Air Attachment: Our go-to for rough-drying roots in Scalp protect mode. It diffuses the airflow just enough to avoid blasting the cuticle open, making it ideal before any brush work.
• Styling Concentrator: The workhorse for blowouts. Its slim, focused nozzle pairs beautifully with a round brush for smooth, bouncy ends. It wont fully replace a salon-grade concentrator for ultra-glass finishes, but it comes impressively close for at-home styling.
• Flyaway Attachment: The finishing secret weapon. Used on dry hair, a quick pass along the surface tucks shorter hairs into the longer lengths, leaving a photo-ready, glossy shell without hairspray crunch.
• Wave+Curl Diffuser: Two tools in one. Diffuse mode for classic curls and coils; Dome mode for lustrous, shortened ringlets and enhanced wave patterns. Curly testers were genuinely surprised by how different the curl profile looked between the two.
• Wide-Tooth Comb: Best for stretching curls or working through thick, textured hair. The prongs are firm, so we recommend a gentle hand and detangling beforehand.

The attachments snap on magnetically and the dryer remembers your chosen settings per piece, so the whole process feels choreographed rather than chaotic. Our only real gripe is storage: with no universal case or cable wrap included in some configurations, keeping this entire wardrobe tidy requires either a stand or a third-party solution.

For all its intelligence and beauty, the Supersonic Nural isnt without its compromises  and at this investment level, they matter.

The most immediate is weight and cord management. While the head itself is relatively light and comfortable, the thick, salon-grade cord and inline brick add a surprising amount of heft. For short styles or quick rough-dries, its a non-issue; for long hair or back-to-back styling sessions, forearms will feel it.

Then theres durability and reliability. In our extended testing window, we encountered a worrying pattern: some units developed issues such as:

• Random shut-offs mid-blowout requiring unplugging and re-plugging.
• Blinking error lights and reduced airflow despite a clean filter.
• Complete failure within months in a subset of devices.

When it works, it feels like a future-proof tool. When it doesnt, the sting of the price tag becomes impossible to ignore.

Finally, value. This is not a rational purchase in the way a basic dryer is. Its closer to choosing a luxury car over a reliable compact: both will get you there, but one changes how the journey feels. If you blow-dry several times a week, have invested in your cut and color, and view your hair as an asset worth protecting, the time savings, comfort, and finish can absolutely justify the spend. If you dry once a week on a Sunday night and would happily use a $40 dryer, this will feel extravagant beyond reason.

Our stance: the Supersonic Nural is a beautiful indulgence with real performance benefits, best suited to those who will use it often enough to amortize both the cost and the joy.