• Indoor Air Quality Management

Zigma’s Smart Aerio 300 comes with talk of an AI algorithm and an air quality forecast, but let’s get down to brass tacks: This is a relatively basic, lower-cost air purifier with simple smart features and a straightforward design, built with smaller rooms in mind. The unit is small, 13 pounds in weight and measuring just 20 x 12 x 8 inches (HxWxD). Air is pulled in through the entire front face of the device, which is covered by a plastic, patterned grille, passed through a HEPA H13 filter, and emitted through the top of the device. Basic controls are available here, including a power button that cycles through four-speed settings (the last is an unlabeled auto mode), a sleep and child lock button, and a button that turns on both negative ion and UV-C filtration (together).

This lattermost feature activates both an ionizer and an internal ultraviolet bulb; they cannot be activated individually. A light ring surrounding the power button illuminates in accordance with air quality, with four levels of PM2.5 concentration indicated. Zigma states a single CADR rate of 194 cubic feet per minute, which is low but probably fine for a smaller room. Maximum coverage capability is specified at 430 square feet, but Zigma also suggests it can clean 1,580 square feet in an hour—which is probably true only if you’re counting multiple scrubbings of the same space. The unit isn’t particularly loud even at its highest settings, emitting 48 dBA per Zigma. At its quietest modes, the unit is virtually silent—at least as long as you aren’t pressing any buttons.