Weighing up the Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson Supersonic? Our beauty team thoroughly compares them in this guide

Before investing in a high value beauty purchase – be it an LED mask, pair of straighteners or a hair dryer – you want to do thorough research to ensure it's worth its salt. Shoppers after the latter often end up comparing 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.

Historically, these two brands have been most associated with quality vacuum cleaners, but their pivot to haircare has resulted in some of the best hair dryers and, as such, they're synonymous with hairstyling. 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 very familiar with both tools.

Both options deliver excellent results, but which one is best? Using our years of experience, two woman&home beauty team members plus one of our expert contributors have compared them in this thorough guide. (And when you're done here, we've also assessed these brand's multi-stylers in a head-to-head in our Shark FlexStyle vs Dyson Airwrap guide.)

Emma Stoddart

Emma Stoddart is a freelance beauty journalist who has worked for some of the UK’s top titles including NET-A-PORTER, Stylist and Grazia. Her experience covers both online and print, including producing editorial shoots with some of the industry’s biggest artists.

Fiona McKim

Fiona McKim has been part of the woman&home beauty team for more than a decade. During that time her work has included interviewing countless experts, reporting from backstage at Fashion Week and judging the woman&home Beauty Awards.

Aleesha Badkar

Aleesha is Digital Beauty Editor at woman&home, where she gets to share her expertise in all the best techniques, sharpest tools and newest products. She regularly reviews beauty gadgetry, including hair tools ranging from dryers to straighteners, for the site.

Millie Fender

Millie Fender is Head of Ecommerce at woman&home and was formerly Head of Reviews across some of Future plc's leading Homes titles, including Ideal Home and Homes&Gardens. As our head of all things shopping, Millie is committed to giving readers honest expert advice when it comes to spending their hard-earned cash.

The Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson Supersonic: a full comparison by our beauty team

At a glance: the Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson Supersonic

How we tested the Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson Supersonic

In terms of testing and comparing these two tools for this feature, between us team woman&home has years of experience using both hair dryers. Digital Beauty Editor Aleesha owns the Dyson Supersonic, while Head of Shopping Millie owns the Shark Style iQ and has been testing it year-round since it launched. Meanwhile Beauty Editor Fiona McKim has tried both and used this Dyson vs Shark Hair Dryer review as an opportunity to carry out a direct comparison of the two tools.

(For the avoidance of doubt, it's the original Supersonic, not the newer Dyson Nural Hair Dryer that launched in 2024, that we're comparing with the Shark STYLE iQ here.)

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, comparing the Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson at a glance, are their visual similarities. The Shark's smaller barrel is similar to Dyson's and both dryers' heat and airflow control settings sit on the actual barrel, while the power switch sits on the handle. They also both have three heat and airflow settings (low, medium, and high), which allowed for customising drying to our hair types and desired at-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, as with Dyson. The big difference here, however, is the Shark attachments are intelligent; the dryer recognises which is secured and adjusts the heat and speed accordingly for the best results. Clever, no? Weighing just 730g, the Shark Hair Dryer is heavier than its competitor but still far lighter than traditional models. After trying it ourselves, we'll admit that we noticed this added weight and had expected it to feel less bulky, but it's still easy to manoeuvre thanks to the small and compact design.

Dyson Supersonic design

Before the Supersonic launched to market, hair dryers often had large heads and bulky motors. Dyson changed things up by engineering a small and powerful motor, which they put in the dryer's handle – meaning it weighs just 697g. This nimble design makes the Supersonic more versatile and also, in a way, one of the best travel hair dryers.

The Supersonic has a futuristic look to match its advanced tech, too, which is 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. You’ll find three heat settings (60°C, 80°C, and 100°C) on the actual barrel, along with three airflow settings, while the power switch and cold shot (28°C) sit on the handle. After testing, we can confirm that the Supersonic has the edge in the Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson debate – but that doesn't mean the Shark doesn't deserve praise, too.

Jen Atkin

Jen Atkin is a celebrity hairdresser and the founder of haircare brands OUAI and Mane, as well as an ambassador for Dyson. You probably recognise some of her clients as she's worked with everybody from the Kardashians to JLo, Chrissy Teigen and Jessica Alba.

Attachments and styling

Shark STYLE iQ attachments and styling

The Shark STYLE iQ Hair Dryer now comes with three attachments – a concentrator, a diffuser and a smoothing brush – that can be adjusted to suit different hair types. (When we first tested it, the Style iQ only came with the first two, with the smoothing brush available to purchase separately.) With the concentrator, you can either select pre-style mode, which opens the nozzle for an all-over rough-dry, or precision styling mode, which narrows it for smoother results. Both are very useful for customisable, versatile styling.

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; if you have curly hair and go for the diffuser, the heat is automatically gentler. In our book, this makes it one of the best diffusers for curly hair. That said, we did find this diffuser is trickier to connect to the dryer and that it doesn't stay in place as well as the concentrator.

Dyson Supersonic attachments and styling

Ergonomic and compact, we find the Dyson Supersonic a joy to use. It's comfortable to hold and the six magnetic styling attachments can create an array of hairstyles and finishes. There’s a concentrator, a smoothing nozzle, a diffuser, a wide-tooth comb, a flyaway attachment and a gentle air attachment, for increased scalp care. Each one attaches 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 overall.

The diffuser, in particular, is real draw and is widely-regarded as one of the best tools by industry experts and hairstylists alike. Our contributing beauty editor Lucy Abbersteen has tried most of the diffusers on the UK market – but the Supersonic is the one she chooses to use over everything else. "It has such gentle airflow and doesn't generate excess frizz in my hair," she says. "My curls are always well-defined and I know several hairdressers who deem this pairing the best for curly hair."

The diffuser can also be used to encourage a bit of a wave into straighter hair. ''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,” Dyson Styling Ambassador Jen Atkin recommends.

Shark vs Dyson hair dryer: Performance

Shark STYLE iQ technical performance

The Shark Style iQ works quickly and dried our hair in a matter of minutes. We found it best to remove excess moisture from the hair with a towel first, before choosing an attachment (more on those later). As well as speed, the Shark scores well for noise; though it's more noticeable than the Dyson Supersonic's output, it’s impressively quiet compared to traditional hair dryers.

As for results, our hair was left looking visibly sleek with a polished finish. The Shark is an ionic dryer, meaning it emits negative ions to counter the positive ones in water. Heat is evenly distributed as a result, 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 motor in the Dyson Supersonic is six times faster than the average hair dryer's. This high speed produces a stream of controlled air that dries strands noticeably fast without reliance on extreme heat, which is damaging to hair. We're sure anyone with a long hairstyle who usually spends ages blow-drying it will appreciate this.

Using this techy tool, to us it didn't feel as powerful as some other high-tech dryers, like the ghd Helios, for example. Instead, we got a steady stream of air delivered at a targeted angle that smoothed the cuticle without much noise (or heat). As well as reducing the overall 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 tools, the Dyson Supersonic and Shark Style iQ hair dryers are both a cut above the rest. We're talking salon-worthy blow-dries with clever ionised technology that eliminates frizz and bolsters shine – all while cutting down drying time thanks to powerful motors.

It's fairly close but, if we have to choose, the Dyson Supersonic cinches it. Why? Firstly, we’re enamoured with its sleek, lightweight design and it has more attachments that are designed for a wider variety of hair types (five, versus Shark’s three). Plus, we have to give credit where credit is due; this dryer launched first and was truly groundbreaking innovation at the time.

The downsides? The Supersonic is significantly more expensive and the attachments aren't as smart. So, if you have and can afford to spend the extra money, we’d recommend opting for Dyson, but if you’re looking for a more affordable model – and one that takes the guesswork out of settings vs attachments – we don't think the Shark STYLE iQ dryer will disappoint. Its easy handling and sleek design make it a great tool, too.