Proscenic A9 Review
A smart air purifier at a low price
Verdict
Comparatively cheap for a smart purifier, the Proscenic A9 can clean a room’s air quickly. What it lacks are sensors and options, with a rather basic app. Only a PM2.5 sensor is included, so you don’t get a complete picture of the overall quality of your room’s air, and the purifier’s Auto mode can only react to this information.
Pros
- Good price
- Smart app
- Cleans a room fast
Cons
- Few sensors
- Basic app control
Availability
- UKRRP: £169
- USARRP: $179
Key Features
- Purifier modesThis purifier includes a PM2.5 sensor, so it can react to small dust particles automatically
- Smart featuresYou can control the purifier through the app, plus turn it on and off using your voice via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
Introduction
Air purifiers can make a huge difference in a home, removing harmful particles and gasses to leave you with clean air to breathe. Comparatively cheap, the Proscenic A9 is a relatively powerful air purifier with smart features, including app control.
It works well, but it has a limited range of smart features and a basic display that only measures small dust particles.
Design and features
- Tall and box-like
- Simple controls on the main unit
- App control over Wi-Fi
All air purifiers work in a similar way: they use a fan to suck in air, pass it through a filter and push out clean air. As far as purifiers go, then, there aren’t that many ways to design them.
The Proscenic A9 comes in the form of a tall tower, sucking in the air underneath and pushing out clean air through the top. It’s quite a good design – if you’re using the purifier in winter, it means you won’t get a blast of cold air. However, the design isn’t as fancy as that sported by the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool, which looks great in any room.
From the top of the purifier, you can turn it on or off, change between the four fan speeds, set a timer (one, two, four or eight hours), or turn on the Auto mode. With the latter, the Proscenic A9 monitors the quality of air and adjusts fan speed accordingly.
This model only includes a PM2.5 sensor (very small dust particles), so the purifier can’t adjust to other pollutants, such as VOCs. The Mila Air Purifier or Dyson air purifiers include many more sensors, which allows them to be more reactive.
You can see the current PM2.5 count on the Proscenic A9’s large screen, with a coloured light (green, amber, red) indicating how good or bad the air quality actually is. This screen also prompts when it’s time to change the filter. Replacing the standard filter with which the unit ships costs a reasonable £32.99. Filters will last around four to six months, depending on how often you use the purifier.
Proscenic lists alternative filters on its website, including a green pet model, a purple antibacterial and a black anti-gas. These don’t seem as readily available in the UK as the standard filter, which is listed on Amazon.
To access more features, you need to hook up the purifier to the Proscenic app (forgiving the spelling mistake that lists the UK as the United Kiongdom). Once in the app, you get the same readouts and controls as you see on the front panel of the unit, plus a couple of extras: Lights off (dims the display and turns out the lights); a Sleep mode; and Reservation (which is actually just a schedule).
There’s support for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, although this extends only to turning the purifier on or off. You don’t get the same granular control available with a Dyson purifier, for example.
I noticed from the interface of the app that Proscenic uses the Smart Life system. Switching to the Smart Life app let me add the air purifier, but the controls didn’t render properly, so I couldn’t use this app and had to stick with the Proscenic version.
Performance
- Cleans quickly
- Relatively quiet
To test out the air purifier, I locked it in my office on Auto mode and then lit a smoke capsule, which burned for 60 seconds and filled the room with particulate matter. I used a Nest Protect smoke detector to measure when the room was safe again.
The Proscenic A9 performed well. It took the purifier 11mins 13sec to revert the air quality in the room back to safe levels, although the fan continued to run for a few more minutes while it continued to remove dust.
In terms of noise, I measured the A9 at a peak of 57.8dB, which is loud enough to hear. Fortunately, this is only when the air is at its dirtiest; the fan speed drops down to a far quieter and less obtrusive level in general use.
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Should you buy it?
If you want a simple, cheap and powerful air purifier that you can control via an app, then this is a good choice.
If you want a more reactive purifier that can measure more than just PM2.5, then you’ll be better off looking elsewhere.
Final thoughts
For a smart purifier, the Proscenic A9 is comparatively cheap and it cleans efficiently, too. What it lacks are more sophisticated sensors. The Mila purifier comes with more sensors and a wider choice of modes, making it easier to fit in your life. Pay out for a Dyson purifier and you get more sensors, a better app, and a device that can also double as a fan. Check out my guide to the best air purifiers to see what else I recommend.
How we test
Unlike other sites, we test every air purifier we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as our main air purifier for the review period
We test smart purifiers with their apps and we test Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant compatibility.
We time how long it takes each purifier to remove smoke from a closed room.
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FAQs
It should last between four and six months, depending on how often you use the purifier.
It can be controlled via an app and includes support for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
It has a PM2.5 sensor for detecting small dust particles.
Full specs
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
