As you will see in our Coway Airmega AP-1512HH review, this compact air purifier packs a punch despite the reasonable price tag. And while it might not be the quietest of operators, it will be sure to get the job done.
The Coway Airmega AP-1512HH review: Price and availability
The Coway Airmega AP-1512HH review: Design
The Coway Airmega AP-1512HH looks unlike anything else on the market. The body is essentially a small box that has a circular opening in front to let air in and a fan on the top that shoots it back out — it looks heavily like an old iPod Shuffle, just without the ability to play any music. It also has a very plastic finish and feels less fit for a modern home and more in place at a hotel or office building. Still, its design is fairly cutesy and its compact nature allows it to stay out of the limelight. It’s about 17 inches tall, making it easy to store. The cute design works in tandem with its beeps and boops. When you turn the device on, it greets you a lovely little chime to let you know it’s working. It also makes a noise when you put the device’s front latch on and when it’s switched off. It’s strange, but the device’s cheery beeps are almost comforting. What isn’t cute is its weight. The air purifier weighs 15 pounds with the filters included, making it difficult to lug around, even with its included handle. It doesn’t look very heavy on first appearance, but if you have to drag it between rooms, your arms will feel it. The Coway Airmega AP-1512HH comes with five different fan speed options, including an eco and auto mode. If you want to set your air purifier to switch off when you leave, there’s also a timer to utilize. There’s an ionizer option on top of all this, with its own dedicated button, which is designed to help improve the quality of the air it’s sucking in. It disperses negative ions, which attach to pollutants, making it easier for the machine to filter them out. What helps this air purifier stand out from the competition is its multiple filter layers. It has an outer pre-filter that captures large particles like animal hair, a carbon filter that traps smaller pollutants, and a HEPA filter that holds everything else. The carbon filter also helps with deodorizing. The air quality indicator light is a useful addition too. As the Airmega sucks in pollen, contaminants, and particles, it tells you just how polluted the air is. Your air quality is fine if the light is blue, it’s a bit worse if it’s orange and it’s poor when the light turns red. You can turn off the light by holding the ionizer button for three seconds — useful for nighttime use. In auto mode, the Airmega AP-1512HH will adjust its fan speed automatically depending on the quality of the air. This is useful for ensuring it only uses as much power as necessary.
The Coway Airmega AP-1512HH review: Ease of use
Out of the box, the Coway Airmega AP-1512HH is incredibly easy to set up. You’ll need to open up the front hatch, remove the strips holding the pre-filter in place, and then remove the two other filters (the charcoal and HEPA filter) behind it from their plastic bags. Just make sure to return everything back in the same order or they won’t fit. The manual is also helpful, containing just enough information for setup and troubleshooting. The controls are simple to use, with the beeps and boops giving you a clear indication of its response. Since it is so small and easy to set-up, you shouldn’t have any issues storing it out of sight if needed.
The Coway Airmega AP-1512HH review: Performance
The Coway Airmega AP-1512HH achieved a CADR rating of 247.5, 232.3, and 241.3 for smoke, dust and pollen respectively and consequently advertizes a suggested room size of 361 square feet. This is a strong rating considering its compact size. While it didn’t come close to the ratings for the winning Blueair Blue Pure 211+ Auto, it is three inches shorter in height and costs $140 less, so might be the preferable option depending on budget and room size. Though it might look like a musical device, it sure didn’t sound like one. At its lowest setting, the Coway Airmega AP-1512HH registered at 36.8 decibels, and at its highest setting, it was close to 58 decibels. It’s definitely got some kick, but it’s nothing too distracting or unpleasant. At least you know all that noise is working towards its impressive CADR. And as for energy usage, it needed very little — in fact, it had the lowest consumption of those we tested. Pulling in just .08 kWh on auto mode over a 24-hour period, this air purifier saves a lot of energy when compared to some of the others we’ve tested. Having an air purifier that’s fairly adept at handling energy and pollutants is another reason why it makes the list as one of the best air purifiers.
The Coway Airmega AP-1512HH review: Verdict
Overall, the Coway Airmega AP-1512HH is an adorable little air purifier that works well. It may look odd and make more noise than you’d expect, but if you can get over those hurdles, it’s definitely worth a purchase. It doesn’t have the same power as larger air purifiers, like Blueair’s HealthProtect 7470i, but it outperformed the smaller devices like the Levoit Core 300. For its value, you aren’t going to find a more practical, usable, or cute air purifier. As long as you don’t mind the Apple aesthetic.
