Dreo air circulator fan review: More power, more control

At a glance

Expert’s Rating

Pros

Powerful
Quiet
Vertical and horizontal oscillation
Excellent smart controls
Comes with remote

Cons

Functional design
On device controls are fairly basic

Our Verdict

This is a hugely powerful fan that can move lots of air in any direction you want. It’s quiet and its app controls allow for plenty of customization and automation. If you can deal with the functional design, there’s no reason not to buy it.

Best Prices Today: Dreo Air Circulating Fan (CF714S)

$99.99

If you’re looking for a fan this summer, the Dreo Air Circulating Fan (CF714S) must be one of the most powerful around – which is even more impressive given its compact build.

Just to be clear, we need to say that a circulating fan like this won’t actually lower the temperature in a room. But any people or pets in the path of its airflow will feel much cooler.

It’s also designed to work with air conditioning, a heater or an open window to circulate cool, warm or fresh air around a room more quickly.

Design and build

Horizontal and vertical oscillation
On device, in app and remote control
LED display

This Dreo fan is just 16 inches high with a base diameter of around 11 inches. Thanks to its size and weight (7.27lb / 3.3kg), it can stand on the floor, on a table or counter and it’s much easier to shift around and find a spot for than a tower fan, although it’s easily as powerful.

There are two color options: silver and gold, but both have black fan blades and detailing. We’re testing the silver model. Its exterior is entirely plastic and it’s a typically function-first Dreo build.

But, thanks to its Klieg light-style base, you can easily swing it around and point it at the exact spot you want it, or let it rotate like a moving spotlight.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

Its clever design means that it can target airflow to any spot, or oscillate on a horizontal or vertical axis. It can pivot by up to 120° horizontally and up to 90° vertically and you can set both at once for wide airflow in all directions.

On the neck of the fan is a subtle LED display that provides basic information: fan speed and settings symbols. There’s an adaptive brightness setting in the app which you can switch on and the display will dim at night and brighten during the day.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

Its control pad is on the front of the base. From here, you can switch it on and off, change its settings, including fan speed, modes and both types of oscillation, and set a timer to switch it off. It also has a child lock.

Whenever you change a setting, the fan emits an acknowledging beep – but if you don’t want the quiet of your home disturbed, you’ll be pleased to know that you can silence it from the control pad as well.

Its clever design means that it can target airflow to any spot, or oscillate on a horizontal or vertical axis

All the same controls appear on a remote control that’s included with the fan. Both the remote and on device controls are fairly basic and in a few cases involve multifunction buttons, which can be fiddly and rely on you remembering when you need to long press a key and for which function.

That’s why you need the app. It improves the fan performance immeasurably.

App control

Straightforward app
In-app customization and automation features
Voice control via Alexa and Google Home

The Dreo app is free to use and available for both iOS and Android and it’s straightforward as well.

It’s a simple business to create an account and in our test, pairing was quick and painless.

Smart controls can sometimes feel like a bit of a pointless add-on but not in this case. You’ll want to download the Dreo app to unlock all of the fan’s features and give you granular control.

For example, if you use the on appliance controls to set a timer to turn off the fan, you’ll only get the option to set it for up to 8 hours ahead, in increments of one hour. But in the app, you can set a time in increments of one minute, for up to 11 hours 59 minutes.

You’ll also need the app to make it easier to adjust the oscillation modes. You can actually change the oscillation area on the fan itself but it’s not as user-friendly.

Put it in turbo mode and it can push a door shut on the other side of the room

Earlier, I said that the fan can pivot by up to 120° horizontally and up to 90° vertically, but you can adjust the oscillation down to 30°, in 30° increments. As with the timer, this level of control sets this fan apart from the competition.

In the app, you can also set the fan speed, choose from different modes: there are six in total, so it’s easy to set it exactly how you want it. There’s Normal, Sleep, Auto, which adapts to the ambient temperature, Natural (alternating speeds to simulate natural air currents), Turbo and Custom.

Dreo app pages showing customisation options

Foundry

The Custom mode includes a daily routine option that’ll allow you to set fan speeds for different times of the day. You can also choose to set it to come on when the temperature hits a certain point (it’s based on local temperature) and power up further if the temperature rises.

It’s also compatible with Alexa and Google Home, so you can use voice commands to start and stop it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t test voice control features as I’m reviewing this product outside of the US and Alexa in the UK lacks the right Dreo skill.

There’s no option to add it to Apple’s Home app or IFTTT.

Performance

There are two key things to say about this fan’s performance. One: it’s powerful. It can blow air to a maximum distance of 110ft. Put it in turbo mode and it can push a door shut on the other side of the room (the cat was even more surprised than I was).

Two: it’s quiet. Dreo gives an operating volume of 25-51 dB and I have to say that it’s one of the quietest fans I’ve tested. The exception is in turbo mode, but honestly, this is for use on rare occasions. You’d probably only use this if you burned something in the kitchen and needed to clear the air quickly – or needed a wind tunnel effect for a photoshoot.

It would make a good bedroom fan but it’s also ideal for living areas: you can have it on while you watch TV and you’ll still be able to hear the dialogue.

Price and availability

In the US, the CF714S Air Circulator Fan is available or direct for $99.99, although the gold model is around $10 more. Yes, there are cheaper fans around but we think this one is worth the price.

It’s not yet available in the UK.

If this fan isn’t the one for you, you can see more options available in all countries in our round-up of the best fans we’ve tested.

Verdict

Dreo’s CF714S air circulator fan is not the loveliest piece of tech you’ll see, but it’ll be at home in a modern setting. And when it comes to functionality, for a straightforward fan, it’s unmatched. It can move a lot of air very quickly – and in any direction. Plus, it’s quiet and its smart features allow for a huge amount of customization and automation.