We all want clean air in our homes. What does it take to wake up or come back to a home filled with fresh air that is free of allergens, pollens, and other airborne particles? Quite simple, actually. Just get an air purifier, like this smart Cosmo Prime Air Purifier.
Most of us are not unfamiliar with air purifiers. The several incidences of severe haze pollution in Singapore over the last decade saw many households scrambling to get various kinds of air purifiers. However, as we get more health conscious, there are also concerns over air quality in general, and beyond just haze pollution which fortunately has abated somewhat in the recent years.
The Cosmo Prime Air Purifier has effective filtration, quiet operation, multi-function, and cool smart home integration. It’s a great fit in many homes, especially since it also sports a nice design and useful nightlight function.
The medical grade H13 HEPA filter inside the Cosmo Prime Air Purifier filters up to 99.97% of all air pollutants, down to 2.5 micros in size. With three layers, the filter effectively traps pollen, spores, dust, bacteria, tobacco, smoke, skin flakes, textile fibres, animal fur, and mould. This takes care of most air pullants that are present in homes. Airborne virus and bacteria which are attached to larger particles will also be easily caught by this filter.
The activated carbon in the filter also acts to neutralise odours and absorbs formaldehyde. This is very useful if you keep pets at home, as the activated carbon filter layer helps to remove their odours.
The proprietary HEPA filter lasts 6 to 12 months, depending on usage and air quality. Replacement filters cost $130 each.
The Cosmo Prime Air Purifier has an affective coverage area of up to 80 m2, which is quite large considering the size of the unit. This is large enough for most large master bedrooms, and one unit is likely enough to cover both the living and dining areas of most apartments in Singapore too. The unit itself measures 27 x 30.3 x 49.7 cm (W x L x H), so it won’t take up too much space.
Just make sure to leave some space so that the air intake vents, which are on the front and both sides, are not obstructed.
All the controls are located on the elegantly designed top panel. There are five touch-sensitive buttons, marked out by print and LED indicators, otherwise you can’t tell from the completely flat surface. There are individual buttons for power, operating mode, time operation, light control, and anion mode.
The large numeric display in the centre shows the current air quality level.
You can turn on or off the light that glows from beneath the panel. However, you can’t change its colour directly. The colour of the light is determined by the air quality level. Blue indicates good quality air, red is bad, and yellow is in-between. This soft glow of light also serves well as a nightlight.
There are a few operating modes to choose from: high, medium, and sleep (i.e. low). In sleep mode, the Cosmo Prime Air Purifier can make as little as just 20 dB of noise, so you can use it in your bedroom without worrying that it will disturb your sleep. There is also an auto mode, which adjusts the fan speed according to the air quality.
The anion mode controls whether anions, or negative ions, are generated. Negative ions are known to bring several positive benefits. Some studies have shown that they help regulate sleep patterns and mood, reduce stress, boost immune system function, increase metabolism, and inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. Negative ions are also known to reduce airborne pollution particles.
An integrated carrying handle folds out from the top panel, so it is easy to carry this unit around .
The Cosmo Prime Air Purifier is Wi-Fi enabled, and it is easy to integrate into your smart home setup. It uses the Smart Life app, which is a fairly generic platform that supports numerous other smart home appliances.
The Smart Life app is available on both Android and iOS. You will need to create a free account in the app to begin using it. Adding the Cosmo Prime Air Purifier is simple and straight-forward. The app gives you full control of the air purifier, including all settings, and also have the ability to configure operating schedules. You can set, for example, automatic timer modes to turn on the air purifier every day at 5 pm and to turn it off at 7 am the next morning.
Apart from seeing the real time air quality, the Smart Life app also shows a graph so you can see air quality trends in recent history. I find this feature quite useful.
The Smart Life app supports integration with Alexa and Google Assistant. I tested with Google Assistant. Unfortunately, from the only control available in Google Home is to turn on or off the Cosmo Prime Air Purifier. This is basically a limitation with Smart Life itself, since it is a common problem with all other devices added through Smart Life.
In the current climate of the COVID-19 pandemic, I think many people will wonder if this air purifier keeps us safe from the virus. The Cosmo Prime Air Purifier lacks UV-C light to “kill” viruses, like what some other air purifiers claim to do. Unfortunately, the efficacy of UV-C in air purifiers is questionable. Refer to this post from smartairfilters to understand.
The Cosmo Prime Air Purifier currently retails at a discounted price of S$399. You can get buy direct online. One sealed HEPA filter is included in the box. Delivery is free, on the same day, so it’s awfully quick. Five years of warranty is included. There is also a 20-day trial (carry-in returns), so you can try out this air purifier risk-free.
Summary
The Cosmo Prime Air Purifier is great for keeping the air at home clean and fresh. It is quiet, covers a large area , and doesn’t take up much space.
Highlights:
- Cleans up to 99.97% of air pollutants
- Quiet operation good for use in bedrooms
- Covers large area
- Smart home integration with Google and Alexa
- 5 year warranty, 20-day free trial