Those in the market for a high-powered hair tool often compare the Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson Supersonic in a bid to figure out which is best. Launched in 2021, the Shark STYLE iQ Ionic Hair Dryer came five years after the famous Dyson Supersonic, but both are known to prioritise things like speedy results and hair health.
Interestingly, these two brands are most often associated with quality vacuum cleaners, but while this tech is all about suction, the pivot to haircare has resulted in some of the best hair dryers to create glamorous blow dries. The woman&home team continually tests the latest hair tech innovations and, while both dryers have been on the market for a few years, we still get asked if Dyson's is worth the extra money or if Shark's lives up to the hype. Having reviewed the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer and Shark Hair Dryer, we're experienced in both tools.
Both options deliver excellent results, but which one is best? Using our years of experience, together one of our beauty contributors and two woman&home team members put them against each other to find out, sharing our findings in this guide. (And when you're done here, we've also put these brand's styling tools through a head-to-head in our Shark FlexStyle vs Dyson Airwrap guide.)
Head-to-head: Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson Supersonic
Attachments: Diffuser, concentrator nozzle, style brush
Features: 3 temperature settings, 3 airflow settings, cold shot
Review: While it's noticeably noisier than the Dyson, the Shark Style iQ is still an impressive offering, not to mention a fair deal cheaper.
With a modern, functional design and powerful motor, the Shark Style iQ is a great investment. It dries hair quickly and efficiently, smoothing and sealing the cuticles with negatively charged ions.
After we used it, our hair looked shinier and felt softer. The best part? The intelligent, innovative stylers really create a bespoke hair-drying experience, all while cutting down heat damage.
Buy it if: You're after great value for money and don't mind that it's a noisier, heavier option
Attachments: Wide-tooth comb, gentle air attachment, flyaway attachment, styling concentrator, diffuser
Features: 3 speed settings, 4 heat settings, cold shot
Review: The Dyson Supersonic looks and acts the part. Its jet-like motor efficiently dries hair, cutting our drying time in half while smoothing strands with negative ions. It can also create a variety of looks – from smooth styles using the super concentrator to defined natural curls with the diffuser.
Compared to its competitors, this sleek device is one of the quietest and lightest we’ve tried – impressive, considering its mighty power. While it's more of an investment, you do get a wider range of attachments when you opt for the Dyson.
Buy it if: You're looking for flexible styling power and don't mind spending a bit more.
How we tested the Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson Supersonic
Between us, our team has years of experience using both of these hair dryers. Our Acting Beauty Editor Aleesha owns the Dyson Supersonic, while our Head of Shopping Millie owns the Shark Style iQ and has been testing it year-round since its launch. Fiona McKim, our Beauty Editor, has tried both and used this Dyson vs Shark Hair Dryer review as a chance to carry out a direct comparison of the two tools.
How do the specifications of the Dyson Supersonic and Shark iQ compare?
Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson Supersonic design
Shark STYLE iQ design
The first thing we noticed about the Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson are their visual similarities. The Shark's small barrel shape is similar to Dyson's and both dryers' heat and airflow control settings are on the barrel, while the power switch sits on the handle. Both tools feature three heat and airflow settings (low, medium, and high), which allow us to customise the speed and heat to our hair types and desired home blow dry looks.
The Shark style iQ now comes with three attachments (a nozzle, a diffuser and a brush attachment), which magnetically attach to the barrel – just like the Dyson. The big difference is that the Shark's attachments are intelligent, meaning the dryer recognizes which is connected and alters the heat and speed settings accordingly to give you the best results. Clever, huh? Weighing 730g, the Shark Hair Dryer is heavier than its competitor but lighter than more traditional models on the market. After giving it a whirl, we admit that we did notice the weight and expected it to feel less bulky, but it's easy to manoeuvre thanks to the small, compact design.
Dyson Supersonic design
Pre-Supersonic, hair dryers usually had large heads carrying bulky motors. Dyson changed this by engineering a small, powerful motor that they positioned in the handle, resulting in a less top-heavy device weighing just 697g. This nimble design gives the Dyson more versatility; it could easily make one of the best travel hair dryers, too.
The Supersonic has a futuristic look to match its advanced tech, just one of the reasons Dyson hair dryer deals are as rare as hen's teeth, but it's a beauty to behold and will elevate any dressing table. On the barrel, you’ll find three heat settings (60°C, 80°C, and 100°C) and three airflow settings, while the power switch and cold shot are on the handle. After testing, we can confirm that the Supersonic has the edge in the Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson debate.
Attachments and styling
Shark STYLE iQ attachments and styling
The Shark Hair Dryer now comes with three attachments – a concentrator, a diffuser and a smoothing brush – which are adaptable to suit different hair types. (When we first tested it, the Style iQ previously only came with the first two attachments, while the smoothing brush was available to purchase separately.) When using the concentrator, you can either pick pre-style mode, which opens the nozzle for an all-over rough-dry, or precision styling mode, which narrows the nozzle for smoother results result. Both are super useful for customising your look.
Then there’s the diffuser, which has adjustable prongs that retract for use on short hairstyles or extend for medium hairstyles and longer. The temperature handily automatically adjusts when you change the attachment – so if you have curly hair and go for the diffuser, the heat is automatically gentler. This makes it one of the best diffusers for curly hair, in our book. However, we did find the diffuser is trickier to connect to the dryer and doesn't stay in place as well as the concentrator. To create well-defined curls, follow celebrity hairstylist and former Shark ambassador Aaron Carlo's advice: "For extra volume, flip your head upside down and diffuse the hair, massaging the scalp with the prongs so the heat is well distributed."
Dyson Supersonic attachments and styling
Ergonomic and compact, the Dyson Supersonic is a joy to use. As well as being comfortable to hold, we love that the Supersonic comes with six magnetic styling attachments to create various finishes. There’s a concentrator, smoothing nozzle, diffuser, wide-tooth comb, a flyaway attachment, and gentle air attachment for scalp care.
The diffuser is a particular selling point and is widely regarded as one of the best around. Woman&home beauty contributor Lucy Abbersteen has tried many of the diffusers on the market, but the Supersonic is the one she chooses to use in her styling regime. "It has such gentle airflow and I find doesn't generate excess frizz," she says. "My curls always have great definition after drying with it and I know of many top hairdressers who think it's the best." The diffuser can also be used for those who don't have curly hair but want to encourage a bit of a wave. ''For fine or straight hair types where a natural curl pattern isn’t present, I recommend bending one-to-two-inch sections back and forth into an accordion pattern and placing them into the diffuser,” explains Dyson Styling Ambassador Jen Atkin. All of the attachments connect magnetically and are easy to remove – sometimes a little too easily when they knock off by accident, but we'll take it for less faff.
Shark vs Dyson hair dryer: Performance
Shark STYLE iQ technical performance
The Shark Style iQ gets to work quickly and dries our hair in a matter of minutes. We found it best to remove excess moisture from the hair with a towel first before selecting an attachment (more on those later). As well as speed, the Shark scores well for noise; though it's more noticeable than the Dyson's output, it’s impressively quiet, especially compared to traditional hair dryers.
As for the results, our hair was left looking visibly sleek with a polished finish. The Shark is an ionic dryer, so it emits negative ions to counter water's positive ions. This means heat is evenly distributed, closing the hairs’ cuticle and removing moisture for a smoother look. It's therefore an excellent choice for anyone with frizzy hair or a curly hairstyle who likes to blow-dry it smooth.
Dyson Supersonic technical performance
Super by name, super by nature; the Dyson Supersonic is powered by a motor that’s six times faster than that of the average hair dryer. This high speed produces a stream of controlled air that dries strands noticeably fast, without having to rely on extreme heat, which is damaging to hair. Anyone with a long hairstyle who usually spends ages blow drying will appreciate this.
When using this techy tool, we noticed that it didn't feel as powerful as other high-tech dryers, such as the ghd Helios. Rather, we got a steady stream of air at a targeted angle that smoothed the cuticle without much noise (or heat). As well as cutting down drying time, this is one of the quietest hair dryers we've tried and our hair always looks and feels healthy after using it.
Shark hair dryer vs Dyson Supersonic: the w&h verdict
OK, crunch time: in our opinion, compared to most traditional hair dryers, the Dyson Supersonic and the Shark Style iQ are a cut above the rest. Both deliver salon-worthy blow-dries with clever ionised technology that eliminates frizz and bolsters shine – all while cutting down drying time with powerful motors.
It was a fairly close competition but, if we have to choose between the two (which is the reason we’re here, after all), the Dyson Supersonic takes the lead. Why? First of all, we’re enamoured with the sleek, lightweight design and it has more attachments that are designed for a wider variety of hair types (five stylers versus Shark’s three). Plus, we have to give credit where credit is due; this dryer got here first and was a truly groundbreaking innovation when it launched.
The downsides? This Dyson model is significantly more expensive and the attachments aren't as smart. So, if you have and can spare the extra money, we’d recommend opting for the Dyson Supersonic. If, however, you’re looking for a more affordable option – and one that takes the guesswork out of which settings work best with diffusers and styling nozzles – the Shark dryer will not disappoint. Its easy handling and sleek design make it a worthy choice.
