Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson: our beauty team compares the Supersonic and Style iQ

We put the Shark Style iQ hair dryer vs Dyson Supersonic in a head-to-head test to find out which is best

Collage of the Shark hair dryer vs Dyson Supersonic on a pink and blue background
(Image credit: Future)

Those in the market for a high-powered hair dryer 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. However, both brands prioritise factors like speedy results and hair health.

Most interestingly, both Shark and Dyson are most commonly associated with creating great 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 reviews the latest hair tech innovations and, while both the Shark and Dyson hair 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 both the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer and Shark Hair Dryer and their various attachments, we're experienced in both tools. 

Both 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 up against each other to find out, sharing our findings in this very guide. 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.

Emma Stoddart
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 spans online and print as well as producing editorial shoots with some of the industry’s biggest artists.

Fiona McKim
Fiona McKim

Fiona McKim has been part of the woman&home beauty team for more than a decade. During that time she has interviewed countless experts, reported backstage at Fashion Week and judged the woman&home Beauty Awards. 

Millie Fender Author Image
Millie Fender

Millie Fender is Head of Ecommerce at woman&home, and was formerly Head of Reviews across a number of Future plc's leading Homes titles such as 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.

Head-to-head: Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson Supersonic

How we tested the Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson Supersonic

The Dyson Supersonic and Shark Style IQ hair dryer we tested for this piece

The Dyson Supersonic and Shark Style iQ Hair Dryer we tested for this piece 

(Image credit: Fiona McKim)

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 both products. 

How do the specifications of the Dyson Supersonic and Shark iQ compare?

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Header Cell - Column 0 Shark STYLE iQ Ionic Hair DryerDyson Supersonic
RRP£199.99£329.99
Weight730g659g
Power1600W1600W
Speed settings33
Heat settings34
Cord length2.5m2.5m
Warranty2 years2 years
Available colorsBlack and rose goldIron and fuschia, black and nickel
Extras2 intelligent attachments5 styling attachments included

Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson Supersonic design

The Shark STYLE iQ design dryer and Dyson Supersonic


(Image credit: Dyson/Shark)

Shark STYLE iQ design

The first thing we noticed about the Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson are their visual similarities. The small barrel shape of the Shark resembles the Dyson and, for both dryers, the 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 customize the speed and heat to suit 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 (60c, 80c, and 100c) and three airflow settings, while on the handle are its power switch and cold shot setting. After testing, we can confirm that the Supersonic has the edge in the Shark Hair Dryer vs Dyson debate.

Aaron Carlo

Aaron Carlo is a celebrity hairstylist whose clients include top models, presenters and music icons, as well as an ambassador for Shark. His work covers everything from editorial to prime time TV and he has worked with some of the biggest brands in the haircare industry. 

Jen Atkin
Jen Atkin

Jen Atkin is a celebrity hairdresser and the founder of hair brands OUAI and Mane, as well as a Dyson ambassador. She's worked with everybody from the Kardashians to JLo, Chrissy Teigen and Jessica Alba. 

Attachments and styling

The shark hair dryer's attachments

The two intelligent attachments included with the Shark hair dryer

(Image credit: Fiona McKim)

Shark STYLE iQ attachments and styling

The Shark Hair Dryer now comes with three attachments, a concentrator, a diffuser and a smoothing brush, which can be customized to suit your hair type. However, 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. For 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 a sleek result. Both are super useful for customising your look.

Then there’s the diffuse,r which features adjustable prongs that can be retracted for short hairstyles or extended for medium hairstyles or longer. Handily, the temperature automatically adjusts when you change the attachment. So if you have curly hair and go for the diffuser ,the heat is automatically gentler, making for one of the best diffusers for curly hair. However, we found that the diffuser is trickier to connect magnetically and doesn't stay in place as well as the concentrator does. To create perfect curls, follow celebrity hairstylist and Shark ambassador Aaron Carlo's tips, "For extra volume, flip your head upside down and diffuse the hair, massaging the scalp with the prongs so the heat is well distributed."

Trio of original images showing the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer

(Image credit: Lucy Abbersteen)

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 haircare regime when drying her hair curly. "It creates such gentle airflow and doesn't generate excess frizz," she says. "My curls always have great definition after drying with it and I know many top hairdressers who think its the best." The diffuser can also be used for those who don't have curly 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,” explains Dyson Styling Ambassador Jen Atkin. All connect magnetically and are easy to remove – often a little too easy 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 we found dried our hair in a matter of minutes. We found it best to remove excess moisture from the hair with a towel before selecting an attachment (more on those later). As well as speed, the Shark scores well for noise – although this is more noticeable than in the Dyson, it’s impressively quiet, especially when you compare it to traditional hair dryers. 

In terms of results, our hair was left looking visibly sleek with a polished finish. The Shark is an ionic dryer, so it gives off negative ions to counteract water’s positive ions. As a result, heat is evenly distributed, closing the hairs’ cuticle and removing moisture for a smoother look. This would make it an excellent choice for anyone with frizzy hair or a curly hairstyle who likes to blow-dry it smooth. 

Dyson Supersonic technical performance

Super in name, super in 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 that ultimately damages hair. Anyone with a long hairstyle who usually spends ages drying will appreciate this.

When using the techy tool, we noticed that it didn't feel that powerful compared with other high-tech dryers like the ghd Helios. Rather, we got a steady stream of air at a targeted angle that smooths 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

Crunch time: 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 using clever ionized technology to eliminate frizz and bolster shine – all while cutting down on drying time with powerful motors. 

There's really not much in it, but if we had to choose between the two (which of course, is the reason we’re here), the Dyson Supersonic takes the lead. Why? Well, first of all, we’re completely obsessed with the sleek, light design and it offers significantly more attachments that cater to a wider variety of hair types, with five stylers versus Shark’s three. Plus, we have to give credit where it's due: this dryer got here first and really was a groundbreaking innovation.

The downside? The Dyson is significantly more expensive and the attachments are not as smart. If you can spare the extra money, we’d recommend opting for the Dyson. If, however, you’re looking for a more affordable option – and one that takes the guesswork out of using diffusers and styling nozzles – the Shark dryer will not disappoint. Its easy handling and sleek design make it a very good choice. 

Emma Stoddart

Emma Stoddart is a freelance beauty journalist and self-confessed skincare aficionado with over five years’ industry experience. Emma has worked for some of the UK’s top women’s titles including Net-A-Porter, Stylist and Grazia. Her experience spans online and print as well as producing editorial shoots with some of the industry’s biggest artists, including Val Garland. Asides from working with them behind the scenes, she’s also had the chance to interview the likes of Patrick Ta, Pat McGrath, and Sam McKnight for all their insider tips and tricks.

With contributions from