No matter how you look at it, the COVID-19 pandemic is here to stay and as a result, face masks are now considered essentials.

But single-use face masks are proven to be detrimental to the environment, while reusable cloth masks may not offer the protection we need against the virus.

So, tech companies are now creating high-tech face masks that not only keep us safe, but help keep the environment safe as well.

One of them is none other than the LG PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier.


Boasting a portable air purifier, a voice amplifier, Bluetooth connectivity and smart sensors that detect the way you breathe, the LG PuriCare could very well be the face mask of the future.

But is it feasible though? Could it protect us from all the viruses that are swirling around us? Most importantly, is the LG PuriCare for you and your family?

Here's our review.

Setting it up

By now, you can probably tell that the LG PuriCare is a high-tech 'face mask', so unlike your regular cloth masks, it requires a little bit of installation and set up before you can bring it out for a spin.

Inside the box, you'll find two PuriCare HEPA filters, a packet consisting of 15 inner covers and a face guard - each neatly packed in seperate turqoise-coloured packaging.


Setting the LG PuriCare for the first time is really easy as it takes less than a minute to get your LG PuriCare portable air purifier up, running and ready to go.

First, you need to do is pop open the filter case on the left and right side of the unit to insert the PuriCare filters. It's really not that hard, but we did kind of struggled a bit putting in the left filter because the filter case refuses to click shut.

However, we managed to click it shut after adjusting the filter a little bit and applying a little bit of force.


Next, you insert the inner cover and finally, you install the face guard by just sliding it into place and the built-in magnets on the main unit will hold the face guard in place.

We love just how simple it is to remove the face guard, because it's being held into place really securely with magnets. The magnets are strong enough to hold the face guard in place while we're wearing it, yet it's easy enough to pull off when we want to clean it.


Finally, plug the charging cable into the LG PuriCare and let it charge before you bring it out into the real world.

Just like our smartphones, we let it charge overnight (we know, bad habit), but we later realised that it takes just two to three hours to fully charge up the device's 1,000mAh battery.

LG claims that you can use the PuriCare for eight hours on a single charge, and based on our real world usage, we got up to six to eight hours of usage before we have to plug it into the charger again.

That's actually not too shabby.

LG PuriCare, meet the real world

So, what does it feel like wearing a portable air purifier out in public? Well, it has its pros and cons, that's for sure.

For this section, we willl be breaking it down into several different segments so it's easier for us to list down the good and the bad.

Form:

Unlike its predecessor (the one made 'famous' by former Prasarana chairman Tajuddin Abdul Rahman), the new LG PuriCare comes in a really sleek packaging. We were pleasantly surprise to see just how sleek and small it is when we unboxed it.

Also, unlike the old one which looks more like a respirator due to the inverter fans that sticks out at the sides, LG managed to squeeze the fans inside the device with the new one.

As a result, the design of the new LG PuriCare is cleaner and more streamlined, and that thankfully makes it look more like a face mask than a respirator.


We love just how simple and minimalistic it looks, as the smooth outer shell only features the 'LG PuriCare' branding and a speaker slit on the left side of the device.

It totally gives off a cool Stormtrooper vibe, if you're into that sort of thing.


LG is also kind enough to include a soft, velvety pouch so that you can safely (and stylishly) store your portable air purifier when you're outside.

Oh, and speaking of outside, we do have to add that we got our fair share of curious looks when we wear the LG PuriCare out in public. We do not know if the curious onlookers were staring because they thought it was cool, or because they thought the wearer was trying too hard to look cool.

We prefer to think it was the former.

Fit:

One thing we really like about the LG PuriCare is that it fits likes a glove. When you have it on properly, it fits snugly on your face. During our test, never once did the device slide off or dislodged itself due to how form-fitting the face guard is.

Adjusting the fit is also really simple; all you need to do is pull on the aglets on the straps to tighten or loosen the ear straps, and once you found your preferred length, we have to say that the aglet does a pretty good job holding the air purifier on our face.

Thanks to how ergonomical the entire device is, we never found ourselves adjusting the device as often as we would using a traditional face mask, and that's a plus point.

Comfort

We know you're dying to find out if wearing a portable air purifier on your face for the whole day is comfortable, and here's our answer: yes and no.


LG states on their website that the PuriCare weighs around 94 gram, and it does pass the hold test. Holding it in your hand, the LG PuriCare is pretty lightweight. The entire unit is made of durable hard plastic, so it doesn't have any components that put unnecessary weight on it.

And surprisingly, it doesn't weigh a lot when you put it on as well; you'll definitely feel the bulkiness of the device on your face, but it doesn't feel uncomfortable - well, until you wear it for a long time without taking it off, that is.

Just like your usual face masks, you'll start to feel the strain of wearing the LG PuriCare after an extended period of time. Because the face guard cups your nose all the way down to just below your chin for that snug fit, condensation tends to happen and perspiration will build up in that area, especially on a hot, sunny day, and you'll have to take it off once in a while to wipe it off.

During our tests, we felt the whole 94 gram of the LG PuriCare resting on the bottom half our face after around three hours of continuous usage, and we have to say, it's not a very comfortable feeling.


But thankfully, the face guard is made out of soft, thin silicone that at least makes it pleasant enough to wear for an extended period of time.

And here's the bonus point: if you wear glasses, wearing the LG PuriCare will not fog them up like how a cloth face mask would, so that's a pretty big win for us.

Functionality

While we love the look and the comfort level of the LG PuriCare, it is its function that gives you your money's worth.

Like we've mentioned countless times above, the LG PuriCare is a wearable air purifier, and that means that every time you take a breath, this little device would purify the air before it even reaches your nostrils.

When you inhale, the dual inverters suck in air from the side and passes it through the HEPA filters to sieve out impurities such as dust and germs, giving you a breath of clean, fresh air.

According to LG, the PuriCare can remove up to 94 per cent of micro dust, up to 94.9 per cent of bacteria and up to 97.1 per cent of virus particles. We can't really quantify this in a real world test, but we do feel a little bit safer when we have the device on.


But here's the 'canggih' bit: the LG PuriCare has a built-in respiratory sensor that detects your breathing, so the inverter fans will only kick in when you inhale.

We have to say that the sensor works pretty well, as it always managed to detect when we're inhaling. However, we do notice that the device works a little bit harder every time we're in a lift. Maybe the sensor is detecting a sudden change of air pressure in confined spaces?

As for the inverter fans, they operate pretty silently, so don't worry; you won't get any additional weird stares in public.


Another feature of the LG PuriCare is the VoiceON function, which is, essentially, a voice amplifier.

When you turn the VoiceON feature on, the device picks up your voice and amplifies it over the speaker slits located at the front of the mask, making it easier for whoever you are conversing with to hear your voice.

This is indeed a really great feature, because your voice does get muffled when you're trying to speak through several layers of hard plastic, just like how it would when you're speaking through, say, double face masks and a face shield.

But here's the thing: we didn't really find the need to use the VoiceON function all that much.

We tested it out on our friends, and they agreed that they could still hear us fine when we have the function off; we just needed to speak a little louder.

Also, our voice sounded a bit too 'robotic' for our liking, like it being beamed out using a cheap microphone. Not only that, it also picks up and amplifies our breathing, so we have a feeling those who hate mouth breathers will not be too fond of this feature.

And yes, in case you're wondering; we did the whole Darth Vader "I am your father thing" because the opportunity was too good to pass up. Our friends, however, didn't find that funny, sadly.


Both of these features can be turned on by pressing the power button located on the bottom of the device, which also houses the status LED and the USB Type-C charging port.

And this is where using the LG PuriCare needs some adjustment as well. There were a few times where we put the device on, went out to get some groceries and food...only to discover that we forgot to turn it on the entire time!

There's really no way to tell if the device is on or off, because the status LED is located at the bottom of the device and the beep that indicates that the device has been turned on can be a little soft at times.

It definitely needs a little getting used to -- because when do we ever need to charge and turn on our face masks, right? -- but after using it a few times, you'll get the hang of it.


To add to the 'canggih'-ness of the LG PuriCare, LG said that they would soon release a companion app that will let you connect your device with your smartphone so that you can adjust the speed of your inverter fans or the volume of your voice.

Verdict

Overall, we think that the LG PuriCare is a pretty cool and functional device that is worth every ringgit you throw at it.

However, it is also the ringgit part that, we feel, makes it somewhat undesirable.

For one, the LG PuriCare retails for a steep RM849, which some most of us reckon is a pretty high price to pay for a 'high-tech face mask'.

And that doesn't include the monthly 'mantainence' for the device: a box of HEPA filters (which you need to change monthly) and a box of 15 inner covers (which LG recommends that you change daily) will set you back around RM53 - which is almost triple the price of a box of surgical, three-ply face mask.


But if you can afford it, then the LG PuriCare is indeed an investment worth making because you can't really put a price tag on clean, fresh, uncontaminated air.

And besides, wouldn't you want to be the cool uncle/aunty with the cool Stormtrooper mask?

For more information about the LG PuriCare, check out LG Malaysia's official website here.