Vitesy Eteria personal air purifier review: Filterless appliance for the eco-conscious

Most air purifiers use fans and one or more filters to suck in the air, capture airborne pollutants and blow clean air back out into the room. There are many reasons why this design is so common — for example, it allows for the purifying of large volumes of air in a relatively short time, and it removes a wide range of airborne contaminants, from large particulates like dust and pet hair to pollen, pet dander and other minuscule allergens.

This tried-and-tested method has some caveats, though. Air purifiers equipped with air filters are usually big, energy-sapping and in need of regular filter replacements, which can massively add to financial costs and environmental waste. These are the key issues Vitesy Eteria is trying to solve.

Vitesy Eteria is an innovative air purifier that is much smaller and more portable than most appliances available on the market. As a personal air purifier (a portable device that cleans the air you breathe while you are on the move), it is designed to go wherever you go, so it has a relatively low coverage.

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Another difference is that it uses photocatalytic technology instead of air filters made of fiberglass, plastic and other materials that degrade over time. In simple terms, it does not retain airborne pollutants, but instead destroys them by breaking their chemical bonds and transforming them into harmless gases (more on that later.)

In addition, Vitesy Eteria promises to use less electricity than an LED bulb. These specs alone make it a strong contender for a spot in our guide to the best air purifiers.

Vitesy makes appliances destined predominantly for British and European markets. The good news is that this Italian company offers international shipping, so its Eteria air purifier is not completely unavailable for the American folks (it is priced at £159, which comes down to approximately $206). Some of Vitesy's signature appliances (such as the Shelfy, an innovative fridge air purifier) are already available to purchase in the U.S, so there is a good chance that American retailers will be selling Eteria at some point in the future.

Vitesy Eteria personal air purifier review

Vitesy Eteria: Design

• Compact, stylish and feather-light
• It cannot be used without an app
• Short cable reduces its portability

The Vitesy Eteria is one of the smallest and lightest air purifiers we’ve tested — it weighs only 2.73 pounds (1.24 kg) and measures just 9.5 inches (24 cm) in height, making it exceptionally portable. It is quite stylish, too. It looks more like a portable speaker than an air purifier, which is a welcome respite from boxy, unappealing appliances that can clash with home decor. That said, we did not particularly like the design of the Vitesy Eteria air purifier. True, it looks good and does not take up much space, but it can be surprisingly impractical on a day-to-day basis. Here is why.

The Vitesy Eteria air purifier consists of two parts: the main unit that houses the photocatalytic filter, and the much smaller module that monitors air quality and connects the main unit to a power source via an electric cord. These two parts lock in place magnetically, so it is easy to detach and reattach them if needed. However, the main unit only works if it is attached to the module, and the electric cord is surprisingly short (approximately 5 feet or 1.5 meters). You are vastly limited in where you can place your Eteria, and this somewhat goes against the idea of a portable air purifier.

You do not have much choice in terms of controls, either. The Vitesy Eteria can only be used if it is linked to the app — it has no physical buttons, touchscreen panels or any other ways to change the settings manually. We found it slightly inconvenient having to log into the app every time we wanted to do anything with it. However, others may like this digital approach.

Lastly, the filters. The Vitesy Eteria air purifier features a fabric pre-filter that catches large pollutants like dust and hair before they can reach the ceramic filter inside. While fabric pre-filters are quite common in air purifiers, they can get dirty quickly, especially in households with furry pets or loads of dust. In our experience, it can take quite a lot of your time to wash and dry them, and it is never easy to put them back on (if you have ever had to put a fitted sheet on a mattress, you know what we are talking about.)

Then there is also the ceramic filter. While this does not need replacing, which sounds like a brilliant idea, it has to be cleaned every two months or so. The problem is, the Vitesy app has no cleaning reminders and can't tell you if the filter needs a wash before the two-month mark passes.

Vitesy Eteria: Features

• Tracks temperature, humidity, VOC and CO2
• Compatible with Google Home and Amazon Alexa
• Four purification modes

While the design of our Vitesy Eteria air purifier did not impress us, its features surely did. This appliance does everything that it claims to do — it has a good range of intensity settings, an in-depth approach to air quality monitoring and an easy-to-navigate app. Plus, it can be linked to Google Home and Amazon Alexa.

The Vitesy Eteria features four purification modes: Silence mode, in which it works at minimum power to keep the noise down, Standard mode, in which it works with "normal" settings, and Performance mode, in which it reaches maximum efficiency, as well as Auto mode that automatically adjusts the purification power based on the air quality readings. In our experience, the Eteria was quick to pick up on changing air pollution levels and briskly switched between modes when needed.

Speaking of the sensors, the Vitesy Eteria tracks four metrics: temperature, relative humidity, CO2 levels and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are gaseous and often strong-smelling chemicals emitted from paints, varnishes and other household products. The Vitesy app allows you to view current and historical air quality readings, all presented in the form of easy-to-understand graphs. You will also get a notification every time one of these metrics spikes above recommended levels.

Tracking CO2 and VOCs levels is of particular value here, as most air purifiers can't detect and/or remove these compounds. Similarly, most appliances do not have temperature and humidity sensors, and these two factors can have a profound impact on air quality. Unlike most air purifiers, though, the Vitesy Eteria does not measure any solid airborne particulates such as pollen, dust mite allergens or pet dander. This means that it may have limited functionality for people with airborne allergies.

Vitesy Eteria: Performance

• Surprisingly loud for its size
• In-depth air quality reports
• Relatively efficient at removing odors

The Vitesy Eteria air purifier uses photocatalytic technology that helps remove pollutants without retaining them in the filter. So, how does it work?

Photocatalysis is a process that uses light, which can be natural or artificial, and a catalyst, which is a medium that increases the rate of chemical reactions within other substances without degrading itself in the process. When the catalyst absorbs the light, it generates electrons that tear up the pollutant's chemical structure, transforming it into water, carbon dioxide and other less harmful substances. Photocatalysis mimics natural self-cleaning mechanisms in Earth’s atmosphere, and while it is relatively slow and does not appear to work against all kinds of airborne pollutants, it is a promising method of air purification, according to a 2021 review published in the journal Nature Communications.

In the Vitesy Eteria air purifier, the catalyst is a ceramic filter coated with WO3 (tungsten oxide). According to a 2023 review published in The European Society Journal for Catalysis, WO3 appears to be one of the most stable and efficient catalysts, and it has been shown to help disintegrate potentially harmful substances, such as alcohols or benzene and cyclohexane (chemicals found in gasoline and cigarette smoke, for example.) Again, that is not something that all air purifiers can do.

It is also worth noting that Vitesy has published independent lab test reports which suggest that the photocatalytic technology used in the Eteria air purifier can help reduce harmful airborne bacteria, yeast spores and even the viruses that cause Covid-19.

That is the theory, but what about practice? Well, as the Vitesy Eteria is not a typical standalone air purifier and does not have an air filter or CADR rating, we decided not to refer to our usual air purifier testing protocol. It would be like comparing apples and oranges, and could lead to an unfair judgment. That said, we still used our trusted Perfect Prime Air Particle Monitor — but this time to assess the accuracy of Eteria's temperature and humidity sensors, not its purification power.

Indeed, the temperature and humidity sensors displayed very good accuracy. While we can't similarly vouch for the VOCs and CO2 measurements, they did seem to work well, too. Every time we sprayed cosmetics, used cleaning products or cooked food on the stove, these values went up as expected. The sensor module may be tiny, but it appears to do its job with flying colors.

During our four weeks of testing, the Vitesy Eteria appeared to be quite efficient at reducing odors and gaseous pollutants. We typically kept this air purifier in the kitchen, as it is one of the smallest rooms in our house. While it did not seem to make much of a difference when cooking (too many smells to combat at once, we suspect), it did keep the air fresh between meal preparations. That said, it is tricky to assess the purification capabilities of Vitesy Eteria without complex lab instruments on hand, so this is based entirely on our personal experience.

We were also impressed by its energy efficiency. Using the Vitesy Eteria 24/7 hardly made any difference to our electricity bill. It is a great eco-friendly choice in that regard.

On the other hand, we were somewhat surprised by its noisiness. True, the Eteria is barely noticeable when in Silence mode (at 30 dB, the noise can be compared to whispering), but when it kicks into high gear, it can be as loud as a refrigerator (approximately 52 dB). While that is not particularly noisy, it is much louder than you would expect from an air purifier this tiny.

Overall, the Vitesy Eteria is not a bad air purifier, but given that its coverage is limited to just 366 square feet (34 square meters), we think that it is a tad too expensive. You can easily get a much more powerful appliance in this price range. However, it would likely not be as cheap to maintain.

Vitesy Eteria: User reviews

Amazon's customer reviews placed the Vitesy Eteria air purifier at a 3.8 out of 5 stars rating. Positive reviews tended to praise this appliance for its energy efficiency, compact design and smart features, with many users noticing a tangible difference in their respiratory symptoms and indoor air quality.

As one happy buyer commented: "Works perfectly, I’m asthmatic and I’ve noticed a huge improvement at home, the app shows exactly what the air quality is like and it’s really helped me. Highly recommend."

Another user said: "Love this product. I have it in my open-plan kitchen living room. Great for getting rid of cooking smells. Not noisy even on full power, and in quiet mode, I can’t hear it at all. Great app for air quality monitoring, easy to maintain and discreet size and design — highly recommend."

Negative reviews, on the other hand, either did not disclose the reasoning behind their low scores, or complained about the Eteria's excessive noise levels, low purification power and inability to reduce cooking odors.

Should you buy the Vitesy Eteria air purifier?

✅ Buy it if: You want an eco-friendly personal air purifier. The Vitesy Eteria is compact, energy-efficient and relatively effective against odors and gaseous pollutants. It looks good, too.

❌ Do not buy it if: You are looking for a more powerful air purifier or you have allergies. The Vitesy Eteria does not track solid particulates, and its coverage is limited to 366 square feet (34 square meters.)

If the Vitesy Eteria air purifier is not for you

We have not tried any personal air purifiers before (except for the N95 air pollution masks), so it is hard to find a suitable alternative here. However, you can check our guides to the best air purifiers and best air purifiers for some excellent standalone units, from our all-time favorite Levoit Core 600S (this smart-enabled air purifier was designed for large spaces, but it costs a very reasonable $299) to Sensibo Pure (a stylish air purifier that can fit on a tabletop, and it is cheaper than the Vitesy Eteria by around $90.)

Vitesy Eteria: How we tested

We spent over a month testing the Vitesy Eteria air purifier, looking at its design, features, day-to-day performance, third-party connectivity and value for money. We also measured how loud this air purifier was on different settings using the Sound Meter decibel-counting app, and assessed the accuracy of its humidity and temperature sensors using a Perfect Prime Air Particle Monitor.