Dreo Macro Max S Air Purifier Review

The Dreo Macro Max S is an excellent smart air purifier. It features a true HEPA filter with a three-stage filtration system. There’s smart home connectivity for automation and control. Capable of purifying the air in even larger rooms, the Dreo Macro Max S is a fantastic for folks serious about indoor air quality. But is this the right air purifier for your home? Find out in our hands-on Dreo Macro Max S air purifier review!

Dreo Macro Max S Air Purifier Review Verdict

The Dreo Macro Max S boasts a true HEPA filter with a three-stage filtration system consisting of a pre-filter, H13 HEPA filter, and high-efficiency activated carbon filter. It’s capable of trapping 99.985% of particles as small as 0.3 μm (0.3 microns). Thus, the Dreo Macro Max S air purifier is great for tackling pet dander, pollen, volatile organic compounds, and other allergens.

Onboard, you’ll find Wi-Fi connectivity with Amazon Alexa and Google Home support. You can use the Dreo companion app for Android and iOS to monitor air quality, check on air filter life, power the device on or off, and adjust settings like fan speed. With Alexa and Google Assistant compatibility, the Dreo Macro Max S air purifier offers voice control and detailed air quality reports.

There’s a helpful visual readout on the front of the unit which glows blue with excellent air quality, green for good, orange for moderate, and red when poor. Its LED status bar also displays information such as the microscopic particle reading, clean air percentage, and remaining filter life. Built-in buttons let you control the fan speed, change the information shown on the LED display, and turn the device on or off.

In my testing, I liked the sleek design of the Macro Max S. It’s a rectangular silver unit with a lightsaber-esque LED bar on the front right-hand side. Air filtration works incredibly well; in just a few days, my home was noticeably less dusty, and the Dreo did a superb job picking up hair and dander from my beloved dog, Sebastian.

Even on its higher fan speed settings like 3 or Turbo, I didn’t find the Macro Max S too loud. I keep the air purifier running 24/7, and its noise didn’t bother me at all while sleeping. Set up is an absolute breeze, and replacement air filters are pretty affordable (one air filter should last about eight months).

Unfortunately, you don’t get as many smart home features as other devices offer. For instance, there’s no IFTTT (If This Then That) or Apple HomeKit connectivity. Additionally, there’s no integration with other Dreo smart home products. While I could control both my Dreo Macro Max S and Pilot Max tower fan in the Dreo app, there were no automations available. What’s more, some air purifiers offer more advanced air quality indicators, like information on10 micron microscopic particles, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and indoor humidity.

Nevertheless, the Dreo Macro Max S is a good-looking, high-performing, relatively quiet, true HEPA smart air purifier. All told, the Macro Max S is one of the best value air purifiers on the market.

Dreo Macro Max S Air Purifier Specs

• True HEPA air purifier
• Three-stage filtration: Prefilter, H13 true HEPA filter, high-efficiency activated carbon filter
• Filters 99.985% of particles as small as 0.3 μm (0.3 microns)
• Cleaning times: 12.5 minutes (423 square feet), 9.8 minutes (330 square feet), 6..5 minutes (220 square feet)
• Wi-Fi onboard with Google Home and Amazon Alexa support
• Android and iOS Dreo companion app
• Operating noise: 24-50 dB (decibals)
• Timer: 1-12 hours
• CADR rating: 273 CFM
• Modes: Manual fan speed (1-3), auto
• Dimensions: 11.02 x 11.02 x 20.96 inches
• Weight: 11.62 lbs. (pounds)

Dreo Macro Max S Design and Build

The Dreo Macro Max S air purifier measures 11.02 x 11.02 x 20.96 inches and weighs 11.62 lbs. (pounds). It’s a rectangular silver device with tubular lightsaber-looking display on the front right-hand side of the unit. Its onboard display shows an informational readout as well as an air quality indicator. The air quality visualization is blue for excellent, green for good, orange for moderate, and red for poor. You can toggle between displaying the air quality percentage, filter life, or current PM2.5 microscopic particle levels.

The top of the device features a manual control panel for powering on or off the air purifier, picking the fan speed (1-3, Turbo, and Auto), enabling Sleep Mode, setting the Timer, and changing the Display Info.

The right and left sides feature air intakes.

Around back, you’ll find a handle to pop open the filter compartment.

Dreo Macro Max S Air Purifier Performance

Dreo rates its Macro Max S air purifier as optimized for cleaning rooms as large as 432 square feet which takes just around 12.5 minutes. In a 423 sq. ft. room, the Macro Max S performs four air exchanges per hour. Even in a 2,000 square foot room, the Macro Max S cleanses the air in around an hour. Smaller rooms are purified even faster: 9.8 minutes for 330 square foot space, and 6.5 minutes for a 220 square foot room.

Its H13 true HEPA three-stage filtration system weeds out particles as small as 0.3 μm. You’ll find a robust CADR (clean air delivery rating) of 273 CFM (cubic feet per minute). In my experience, the Dreo Macro Max S performed marvelously, transforming poor- or moderate-quality air to excellent in a matter of minutes. I strategically placed the Macro Max S by my dirty clothes hamper, and my bedroom was noticeably cleaner. During a kitchen mishap when I dripped a lot of oil into the bottom of my oven, thereby creating plumes of smoke, the Macro Max S did its job and prevented the smoke detectors from going off.

Dreo Macro Max S Noise Level

Under normal operation, the Macro Max S air purifier stays between 24dB and 50dB. I typically kept the Dreo on the third fan setting, one notch below Turbo. Even at its highest settings, I wasn’t bothered by the fan noise and was even able to keep it running while sleeping.

Dreo Macro Max S Manual Control and Smart Features

You’ve got two ways to control the Macro Max S: Manual and app controls. The top of the unit lets you change the display information readout, pick different fan speeds, enable the timer, and turn the device on or off. In the companion app, you can view filter life information, set timers, turn the device on or off, pick different modes (Auto, Turbo, manual, Sleep), control the light, toggle on adaptive brightness, enable or disable panel sounds, plus turn on or off the child lock.

Additionally, you can view historical air quality information for the past 24 hours or even 30 days. You’ll also enjoy voice control such as changing fan speeds and turning the device on or off via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. I found the Dreo Android app easy to use.

Dreo Macro Max S Air vs. Other Air Purifier Rivals

There’s a lot to like about the Dreo Macro Max S: It’s a quiet, value-packed, high-performing true HEPA air purifier. But it’s not the only option on the market. Dreo also offers its Macro Pro, a great budget HEPA air purifier. It’s smaller, more compact, lacks smart features, and doesn’t offer as many air changes per minute. But in our review, we liked its compact design and great CADR.

You may also consider the Dreo Macro Pro S which, like the Macro Max S, features smart features. It’s smaller and doesn’t deliver as many air changes per minute, so the Macro Pro S is better suited to smaller rooms.

The Winix 5500-2 is a solid true HEPA air purifier. Like the Macro Max S, the 5500-2 sports a three-stage filtration system that removes over 99% of airborne pollutants. However, it doesn’t provide any smart features, and filters are pricier than the Dreo.

The Coway Airmega AP-1512HHS is a superb app-enabled smart true HEPA air purifier. Like the Macro Max S, the Airmega boasts a three-stage air purification system, true HEPA air filter, and smart functionality including Amazon Alexa support. It has a small footprint and remains incredibly energy-efficient. However, the Airmega 1512-HHS is louder than the Dreo and its filters are more expensive. If you don’t need the smart home connectivity, the Coway Airmega AP-1512HH is also great.

Dreo Macro Max S Air Purifier FAQs

Dreo Macro Max S Air Purifier Review – Final Thoughts

Ultimately, the Dreo Macro Max S is a fantastic air purifier. It does an exceptional job removing airborne allergens and pollutants, while remaining user-friendly and relatively quiet when compared with other similarly-sized air purifiers. I liked the slick design, smart features, and budget-friendly replacement filters. While additional smart home support like integration with other Dreo products and more air quality monitoring would be nice, those are minor quibbles. As it stands, the Dreo Macro Max S is the best value air purifier on the planet.

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