Coway Airmega 400 Review: Flair without the Wi-Fi hassle!

Key features

• 4-stage filtration
• 2 Washable permanent Pre-filter
• MAX2 filter (True HEPA filter + Activated Carbon filter)
• 3 speed setting (Low, Medium, High)
• Dual side air inlet
• Separate Pre-filter and HEPA filter indicator based on real-time usage
• Autonomous Smart mode - Auto, ECO and Sleep mode
• Front AQ display indicator (Good, Moderate, Unhealthy, Very Unhealthy)
• Adjustable pollution sensor's sensitivity (sensitive -1 bar, normal -2 bar, less sensitive - 3 bar)
• Built-in timer via app (1, 4, 8 hours)
• 5 years warranty

The starters

A mirror to 400S, you can barely tell Coway Airmega 400 apart from its series. From the “smart” exterior design that seamlessly blends in the air intake, the air purifier looks modern and futuristic even from a far point. 14.8 x 22.8 x 14.8 in dimension and 24.7 lb weight is not super bulky considering the 4 legs stand comes as standard. Despite the lack of IoCare app and remote support, Airmega 400 used the same build materials that are solidly fitted with no uneven gap for air bypass or ozone emission. Up front, you will find a bright, LED air quality indicator that will show real-time indoor air quality. When air quality is good, the ring will change to Blue color, Purple when air quality is moderate, Pink when air quality is unhealthy, and Red when air quality is very unhealthy. Air inlet is located on both sides of the air purifier along with the handy gripping handle.

Big, round buttons with plenty of indicator light, the control panel is nicely spread across both sides of the top panel. On the left corner, you will find a Timer button, Light button, Pre Wash button, and Max2 change button plus a round light sensor. Timer button will cycle between 1, 4, 8 hours of pre-set setting. Light button will turn on or off the front air quality indicator light. Like 400S, both Pre Wash and Max2 Change button will show the pre-filter Lifetime cleaning cycle at 5 levels: 100%, 80%, 60%, 49%, 20%, and 0%. To reset the Pre Wash and Max2 Change button light, clean (Pre Wash) or change (Max2) filter, then press and hold the respective button for 2-3 seconds. Light sensor works by detecting the warmth of surrounding light. When everything is dark for 3 minutes and the air purifier is in Smart mode, sleep mode will activate automatically. Moving to the right corner, there are only two functions. The big Power button and a swipeable Air speed/ mode. The power button will turn on the air purifier on press while pressing and holding the button again for 2-3 seconds will turn it off. The Air speed/ Sleep mode selection is slightly quirky, either tap the curve bar on desired speed/ mode accordingly, or swipe up or down for a similar result. Lastly, there is one hidden function that most people didn’t know it exists unless they read the manual. The pollution sensor’s sensitivity can be adjusted by holding on the Light button + Smart bar. Select one of the air speed from speed 1 = sensitive, speed 2 = normal, speed 3 = less sensitive.

Again, here is the recap of Airmega 400 spec sheet. Starting with the 4 stage filtration, 3 fan speed, Smart mode (Auto/ Sleep/ Eco), two separate pre-filter/ HEPA filter indicator that based on real-time usage, air quality monitor, built-in timer (1, 4, 8 hours), 30 days money back guarantee, and 5 years warranty.

Airflow, CADR and everything in between

Despite lacking the Wi-Fi functionality, Coway Airmega 400 never skim on airflow performance and coverage. Expect the exact airflow delivery rate and applicable area that are designed for large room size. At a maximum of 1560 sq. ft. with 2 air charges and 780 sq. ft. with 4 air charges, the air purifier produces plentiful of airflow for swift particles capturing. Adding an adjustable pollution sensor in the bag, you can easily rely on Smart mode for the air purifier to perform autonomous purifying according to surrounding air quality, or Sleep mode that reduce noise, power, and speed if your intention is to use at night. Coway Airmega 400 CADR is equally powerful that provides swift cleaning against Dust, pollen, and smoke. At an overall of 350 cfm, the air purifier outpaces most competitor models at purifying efficiency. Combining the versatile Max2 filtration, whatever type or size of airborne particles, the air purifier will have no problem capturing it.

What’s inside count

^ Airmega 400 filters/ technologies/ lifespan

As mentioned earlier, Coway Airmega 400 utilize a 4-stage filtration setup that consist of dual Pre-filter, Green True HEPA filter and Activated Carbon filter. How the filtration works is when airborne particles are sucked through either side of the air inlet, the Pre-filter will filter out as many particles as possible to give the Green True HEPA more freedom space. The freed Green HEPA filter would then focus on removing micron size particles e.g. pollen, mold, germs, and bacteria without being burden by dust and hair. On the other end, Activated Carbon filter would concentrate solely on smoke/gases coming from cooking, VOCs and cigarette smoke, preventing the pollutants from flowing back out. Filter size and quality are up there, do note that this would be the end of the line as there is no Ionizer or UV-light in the whole filtration process.

Keep it down

Coway Airmega 400 noise level starts at 22 dB at low speed, and end at 52 dB at max speed. No the quietest air purifier around but is perfectly usable even in a bedroom. Given the air cleaner is Energy Star rated, expect a reasonable power usage of 6 watts (lowest speed) to a maximum of 66 watts at highest speed. For better energy management, Smart mode aka Auto/ Sleep/ Eco mode will ensure the air purifier conserve energy by operating the right fan speed to combat surrounding air pollutants. Eco mode will stop the fan from spinning when there is fresh air in a room for at least 10 minutes.

At what cost

Catered for large room size, Coway Airmega 400 air purifier is the non-Wi-Fi version as oppose to the Wi-Fi ready 400S. As such, pricing will be cheaper but do not expect the margin to be huge given the specification is identical. Expect the same pricing for both white or graphite color variant. Expensive the air purifier may be, it does have a slight advantage in the filter replacement section. The bundled Max2 filter set (HEPA + carbon) is modest and only requires one change annually. So, is Airmega 400 value for your money? Yes, but there are cheaper alternatives that might provide even greater price per ratio value.

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