Quiet, economical, effective: the Renew from Airthings keeps the air clean
30.5.2025
Translation: machine translated
Other air purifiers work faster. But none is as quiet and looks as good as the Renew from Airthings. It's the right device for you if you want clean air without any app bells and whistles.
The Renew simply looks good, thanks to its Scandinavian genes. The designers at Airthings, based in Oslo, Norway, have done a great job. The dark grey cuboid is 41 centimetres wide and high, 17 centimetres deep and weighs 5 kilograms. This makes it easy to find a place for it. When I tested it, for example, I placed it next to a bookshelf or behind an armchair in the living room.
You can even tilt it and lay it flat on the floor, for example under the sofa. Or hang it on the wall, mounting material is included. Very few competitors offer this flexibility. The only important thing is that you choose the installation location so that there is enough space between the air outlet and air inlet on both sides and the walls and furniture. The manufacturer's recommendation is at least 20 centimetres. An integrated carrying handle helps you find the right spot.
A small limitation for the installation location is the power cable, which is a little short at 1.70 metres. You may have to make do with a power strip or extension cable. The flat Euro plug only blocks one space in three-way sockets. The power cable is dark grey to match the device itself. However, I would prefer a cable with a fabric sheath.
Clean air without an app
I really like the fact that I can operate the Renew without an app and without a Wi-Fi connection. This makes it the perfect device for technology-shy parents-in-law or app-avoiders. As soon as the cable is plugged into the socket, I can switch on the air purifier. Thanks to pictograms on the control panel, it's pretty logical.
The Renew contains a sensor that measures the proportion of PM2.5. PM2.5 is what you know as particulate matter. The suspended particles have a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or smaller. A fireplace, candles, the oven - all of these are sources of particulate matter. Because the particles are so small, they can penetrate deep into the lungs and damage your health.
The sensor built into the Renew measures the proportion of particulate matter with a laser beam that shines permanently through an air sample, analyses the scattering intensity of the light and uses an algorithm to calculate the PM2.5 concentration.
On the control panel, the Renew displays the air quality with different LEDs: Green means good, yellow means moderate and red means poor air quality. The World Health Organisation recommends a maximum annual average value of 5 μg/m³. The Airthings device gives the green light at a PM2.5 value of less than 10, so it is slightly less strict.
More knowledge with the app
And this is where the app comes into play. Because «under 10» can also mean a very good PM2.5 value of 2 or 3. I find out the exact value as soon as I have connected the Renew to my home Wi-Fi using the Airthings app. This works without any problems and is a surprisingly nice process in the app.
In the app, I can see the exact PM2.5 value, even over time. The values transmitted once a minute are displayed in a differently coloured curve.
The app also serves as a remote control for the Renew. On my iPhone, I can start up the fan in five stages if necessary or switch the device to silent mode. However, I hardly ever change anything because the automatic mode is perfectly tuned. As soon as the PM2.5 value rises, the Renew switches on to filter the fine dust out of the air as quickly as possible. It then quickly shuts down again and is virtually inaudible.
In the app, I can check the status of the filter and get a replacement in good time. It is also possible to activate notifications in the event of poor air quality. Unfortunately, I cannot adjust the predefined threshold value of 25 micrograms PM2.5 and be notified earlier, for example.
Cleaning with four «filters»
Airthings uses a total of four filter stages to clean the air. The HEPA 13 filter delivers the best performance. It removes 99.97 per cent of tiny particles from the air. A washable pre-filter for larger particles and an activated carbon filter that deals with chemicals, odours and gases, known as VOCs, are also included in the Renew.
In case you have now counted and missed the fourth filter stage - with Airthings, this is the outer fabric grille. You can briefly vacuum this front panel if necessary. The mesh pre-filter is cleaned with a hand shower and a little washing-up liquid.
You need to replace the HEPA filter and the one with activated carbon regularly. They are available in our shop in a double pack. They have a service life of 4000 hours. That's a good five and a half months in 24/7 operation. One day then costs you the equivalent of 33 cents in consumables.
In addition to the filter, you also have to reckon with electricity costs. The Renew is very economical here. During the test phase, which lasted several weeks, I measured the consumption with a smart plug from Eve Energy. At the lowest setting, the Renew runs at 2 watts; only in boost mode does consumption rise to 26 watts. Extrapolated over a year, I would have a consumption of 23 kWh, which costs well under ten francs even with high local electricity prices.
Effective against the pizza peak
In our household, there are two acid tests for Renew. Firstly, pizza Friday. We like to ring in the weekend with homemade pizza. We heat the oven to the highest setting to bring the pizza stone up to temperature. Every time it is opened, fine dust is released, for example burnt flour. The sensor in the Renew recognises this quickly and takes action: It switches to the highest filter level and pushes the PM2.5 value in the living room recognisably down again after a few minutes.
Secondly: blow-drying hair. Before using the Renew, the long-haired Family members weren't aware of what was triggering their drying activity. Now we know. The warm air disperses hair particles and residues of care products in the air.
There are other activities that also pollute the air: using a fireplace, burning incense, toasting, searing meat, and don't even get me started on smoking. Then there's the pollen pollution in spring. The good news is that Renew also effectively filters pollen from grass and trees out of the air. The pollen is even larger than fine dust.
When the Renew is running on the silent setting, I recommend the appliance for the bedroom with a clear conscience. At 23 decibels, it is almost inaudible and removes annoying pollen from the air so you can sleep.
Weekly report by email
Airthings deserves praise for the additional information available on the homepage on the topic of air quality and for a weekly report on the air quality at the Renew's installation site. I get an overview of the average PM2.5 level at my home.
The digital operating instructions and the FAQ list for the Renew are also exemplary: well organised, with sketches as explanations and available in three languages (German, English, French).
In a nutshell
Specialist for fresh air
The Renew is an air purifier that is very easy to operate. There are clever solutions such as a silent mode that switches the device to the lowest mode for eight hours at the touch of a button. My favourite is the automatic mode. In this mode, the Renew works so reliably and unobtrusively that I almost forget about it. This is also due to the fact that its successful design blends in well with the living room ambience. As a technology nerd, I don't have the option of integrating the Renew into my smart home world. This is an acceptable shortcoming, as the app presents the data beautifully and turns my smartphone into a remote control.
Pro
- Pollen forecast integrated in the app
- Sophisticated boost and silent mode
- Safety functions such as switch-off in the event of fan blockage
- Comprehensive and useful information by e-mail and on the website
- Comprehensible instructions
- Load-controlled and therefore usually very quiet operation
- Good app with historical data
- understated design
- Four cleaning stages including HEPA filter
- Very good air purification
Contra
- somewhat short power cable
- PM2.5 measurement only
- Missing display on the device
- No direct integration into the smart home possible
Martin Jungfer
Head of Content
Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.chJournalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.
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