Pros
Low noise
High air cleaning efficiency
App support and voice control
Energy Star certified
Ons
Restricted Air Quality Index
Limited filter options
Technical specifications of Blueair Blue Pure 311i Max air purifier
Size | 12,6 x 12,6 x 20,7 inch |
|---|---|
Usable area | 538 - 929 square feet |
Noise level | 30 - 60 dB |
Electricity supply | 220 - 240 V, 50/60 Hz |
Air purification method | HEPA 360 degrees |
If you have allergies, have a respiratory condition, or just want to keep the air in your home free of pet or kitchen odors, an air purifier like the Blueair Blue Pure 311i Max can help. Designed for spaces up to 75 square feet, the $229.99 311i Max quickly removes harmful contaminants from the air and supports app and voice control. It's attractively designed, easy to use, relatively quiet, and has a washable fabric pre-filter. It doesn't offer many features as the Dyson Purifier Humidify Cool Formaldehyde PH04 (listed for $999.99, but is currently marked down to $989.99), which doubles as an oscillating fan, nor does it offer Many filter options like the more affordable Wyze Air Purifier ($169.99), but the Blueair Blue Pure 311i Max is a solid mid-range model for large spaces.
Design and features
The Blueair Blue Pure 311i Max is rated to purify air in rooms measuring 35 square meters in 12.5 minutes or rooms measuring 75 square meters in 30 minutes. The cylindrical device is 52 cm high, 32 cm wide and weighs 3.5 kg. Moving from room to room is quite easy but a handle would have been a welcome addition here.
Blueair also sells a version called the 311i Plus Max ($299.99) that is slightly taller and recommended for larger spaces up to 104 square meters.
The Stockholm Fog fabric pre-filter (gray) traps large particles such as dust, pollen and pet dander and can be easily removed for washing or vacuuming. If gray doesn't suit your home decor, you can order pre-filters in Limestone, Moss, or Sand ($10.99 each).
Inside is a 360-degree carbon-layer HEPA filter designed to filter 99.97% of airborne particles as small as 0.1 microns to remove viruses as well as contaminants and odors caused by cooking. grilling, pet dander, mold, bacteria and smoke.
The main filter will last up to nine months depending on usage, and filter replacements cost $44.99 each. The 311i Max does not offer any specific filter options, there are a few options as follows: standard Allergen filter ($34.99), Wildfire filter ($34.99) and Formaldehyde filter ( $54.99).
This purifier uses Blueair's HEPASilent filtration technology, which combines traditional mechanical filtration with a static charge to help airborne particles more easily adhere to the filter. This helps prevent clogging and allows for more efficient filtering with reduced energy usage and fan noise.
The 311i Max measures real-time levels of PM2.5 (microscopic particles less than 2.5 microns in size) but does not provide more detailed air quality measurements like PM10 (microscopic particles up to 10 micron), NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) and VOC (volatile organic compounds).
The top of the 311i Max features a control panel with Power and Fan buttons and LED indicators for each fan speed setting. There are also LED indicators for Auto Mode (adjusts fan speed according to air quality), Night Mode (sets fan to lowest speed and dims LED), Wi-Fi connectivity, and replace the filter. Press the Fan button to toggle between fan speed settings, Auto mode, and Night mode.
It doesn't have a built-in display for real-time PM2.5 readings, but you can access this data in the Blueair app (available for Android and iOS). The 311i Max uses simple multi-color LED indicators to let you know what's happening with your home's air quality. Blue lights indicate very good air quality, green is good, yellow is moderate, orange is polluted and red is very polluted.
The 311i Max uses built-in 2.4GHz Wi-Fi to connect to your home network and Bluetooth to pair with the mobile app. It works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands, but not Apple HomeKit. It also lacks support for IFTTT applets that allow third-party integration.
The mobile app opens with a screen with an Outdoor section at the top and an Indoor section at the bottom. The Outdoor section displays your area's current and historical outdoor air quality index (AQI) in a colorful graph. It also displays current outdoor PM2.5, PM10, CO (Carbon Monoxide) and SO2 (Sulfur Dioxide) levels.
The Indoor section has a control panel for the air purifier that displays the name of the device, current indoor air quality, and fan settings. Swipe left on the control panel to turn the air purifier on or off, and swipe right to turn on Auto or Night mode. When you tap the panel, it opens a screen with a color-coded graph at the top showing current and historical PM2.5 levels with readings. Below the chart are controls for Power, Fan Speed, Auto mode, and Night mode. There's also a Child Lock button to prevent people from changing settings using the built-in controls. Other app settings let you adjust LED brightness, view filter status, and create on and off schedules with specific fan settings. The product settings menu allows you to view firmware information, change the device name, and change your location (for outdoor AQI).
Settings and performance
Preparing the 311i Max for use was easy during testing. I plugged it in, powered it on, and downloaded the mobile app. After creating my account, I clicked Connect Product, selected Blue from the device list, and clicked Connect My Air Purifier. The app immediately recognized the device so I tapped it and waited a few seconds until it prompted me to select my Wi-Fi SSID and enter my Wi-Fi password. After a few more seconds, I gave it a name, pressed Next, and the purifier immediately connected and appeared in the app as a Home Device.
The 311i Max handled my air filtration tests efficiently and quietly. Since it doesn't provide a numerical PM2.5 reading, I placed a Govee air quality monitor next to it to monitor actual PM2.5 levels. I set up both devices in my 110-square-foot office, lit a stick of incense, and waited 10 minutes before extinguishing the stick. At this point, the Govee screen showed a PM2.5 reading of 200, so I set the 311i Max to Auto mode and let it run. The air quality indicator LED immediately turns red and the fan accelerates to its highest speed.
After three minutes, the Govee screen showed a PM2.5 index of 55 and the purifier's LED light was yellow. After six minutes, the reading had dropped to 20 and the purifier's LED was green, after 10 minutes, Govee reported a PM2.5 level of 4 and the purifier's LED was blue. The 311i Max needed 14 minutes to return the PM2.5 index to 0 on the Govee screen.
According to measurements I took using the NIOSH Sound Level Meter app in a quiet room, the 311i Max emitted 52dB when operating at its highest fan speed. It is quieter than Levoit Vital 200S operates at 59dB at high speed. When running at low speeds, the 311i Max operates at 33dB. Levoit Vital 200S is bigger than a little (39dB).
Finally, Alexa voice commands worked perfectly. The purifier instantly responds to on and off commands, changes fan speed, and adjusts LED brightness levels.
Conclusions
The Blueair Blue Pure 311i Max may not offer as much convenience as its more expensive competitors, but it excels where it matters most. It handled our purification tests with aplomb, quickly removing harmful PM2.5 from the air. It has a wide coverage area (up to 929 square meters), is one of the quietest air purifiers we tested, and had no trouble responding to apps and voice commands. If you're on a budget or have a smaller room to filter, the affordable Wyze Air Purifier, intended for spaces up to 550 square feet, is an attractive alternative that delivers on performance. Excellent filtering, specific PM2.5 index and several filter options. And if you can stretch your budget then Dyson Purifier Humidify Cool Formaldehyde PH04 is a very good choice, providing more detailed air quality readings and has an oscillating fan to cool you.
