When Dyson announced plans to expand into haircare back in 2012, I – like the rest of the world – was confused by how a vacuum cleaner brand could possibly start developing hair tools. But then the AirWrap came out and it all started to make sense.
Shark, another vacuum cleaner brand, brought out its own hair styling line-up in 2021, and more recently in 2024, Gtech joined the party with its own haircare line, by launching its own hair dryer and hair straighteners. But how does Gtech measure up to the competition?
I spent a few weeks using the Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer, and while I’m still fully converted to hair stylers rather than dryers to dry my hair, this hair dryer from Gtech may have changed my mind – here’s why.
Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer review: price and availability
The Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer is priced at £179.99 and is available to buy at Gtech and select retailers and stores, including Homebase and Tesco. It’s available in teal or oyster colours, and comes with nozzle and diffuser attachments.
Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer review: design and features
The Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer is powered by a 110,000 RPM brushless motor that offers four heat levels and four speed settings. To customise the dryer, users can choose between 40, 60, 80 and 100 degrees, which is displayed on the circular LED screen at the back of the dryer that’s surrounded by an attractive gold ring.
The Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer uses Ionic fast drying technology that dries hair quickly and quietly, while neutralising frizz. It’s compact, lightweight and has a magnetic end where you can quickly snap the diffuser or concentrator on or off.
Crafted from aluminium, the Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer has two gold push buttons on the outside of the handle. The top button is for controlling the temperature and the bottom is for switching the dryer on and off and customising its speed. To turn the dryer on or off, you simply hold down the button, but to change speed, you can click it quickly and it’ll speed up or down accordingly.
A third cold shot button sits on the inside of the handle and a quick press of it will cause the dryer to gradually drop in temperature. This is shown on the LED screen by the degree number lowering and a small snowflake icon sits on the top left of the circle to indicate that it’s in cold mode.
Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer review: performance
I tried the Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer in the teal colourway and absolutely loved the look of it and the colourful contrast with the gold buttons and accents. I found the Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer to be relatively lightweight and nice to hold, plus its compact design made it easier to angle the dryer to reach different parts of my head.
I have quite thin hair so it tends to dry quite fast, and the Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer definitely sped up this process as it dried my hair insanely quickly. I loved that Gtech kept the buttons and controls simple, although with the LED display – which was my favourite part of the hair dryer – it looks anything but simple.
Speaking of the LED display, it’s quick to respond and clearly shows the different temperature and speed that the dryer is working at. I appreciated that the Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer didn’t reset itself after you turned it off, so your last saved settings are there and waiting for you when you pick it up again – it was almost like the dryer learnt my styling patterns and preferences.
I loved the magnetic attachments of the Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer as they quickly clicked on and were easy to take off. I didn’t find them to get too hot to the touch either. But the real star of the show for me was the cold shot button.
With other hair dryers, you have to consistently hold down the cold shot to get it to stay at the lower temperature. But you don’t have to do that with the Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer, as all it requires is a quick click of the button, and the dryer starts to gradually drop in temperature. It stays at that temperature before it drops even further to offer that cold consistency and feel.
I found the Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer to be extremely powerful regardless of the speed setting, although I did find at some of the quicker speeds and higher temperatures that the dryer made a fair bit of noise. That’s somewhat to be expected when it’s at full blast, but what I didn’t expect was for it to make a high pitched squeaking sound after I’d used it for a few minutes.
While I would say that the different heat settings makes the Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer great at protecting hair, I did find that my hair was quite tangled and rough after drying. It’s true that the Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer reduces frizz but I didn’t find it to give the best volume.
Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer review: verdict
As the first product of its kind from Gtech, the DryOnic Hair Dryer is a pretty admirable dryer that certainly looks the part. By keeping the controls simple yet expansive, the Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer is incredibly versatile, easy to use, and can better protect your hair, thanks to its many heat and speed settings.
The LED display, magnetic accessories and cold shot definitely make the Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer stand out. I do think it could work on the noise and tangling issue, but the Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer is almost perfect, which is saying a lot for a first-time product.
Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer review: alternatives to consider
The Shark Style IQ has a similar design to the Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer, although it comes with an extra attachment and is slightly pricier. Rather than switching between settings, the Shark Style IQ automatically reduces heat and airflow settings for you, so as to protect your hair from heat damage.
The Mdlondon Blow also has a similar compact and lightweight design to the Gtech DryOnic Hair Dryer and it’s around the same price, too. The buttons could be better positioned, but it’s powerful, pretty quiet and is good at building volume.
