IQAir Atem Desk Review: A Portable and Personal Clean Air Solution

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The Lowdown

So here’s the bottom line: Covid is not entirely gone, and sometimes, it is advisable to have air filters running at home and work; air quality issues will likely become more frequent as climate disruption leads to drier periods and more wildfires.

Even without these “extreme” situations, indoor air quality is a growing concern for many of us. A device like the IQAir Atem Desk is great for all those scenarios. And the fact that it automatically comes to life when a connected smartphone enters the room means you’ll need to set it up once and then enjoy clean, filtered air without needing to give it another thought.

Overall
4.5

Pros

  • Small and stylish
  • Easy to set up
  • Connected app easy to set up and offers nice but limited controls
  • Three-speed settings that can be fine-tuned in the app
  • Airflow easily directed where needed
  • Surprisingly quiet

Cons

  • It’s expensive
  • The bright blue light may not be to everyone’s taste

Many of us think about air quality in ways we never considered before. We’ve realized that wearing a mask is a healthy choice when air quality is bad outdoors, and we’ve begun exploring ways to improve the air quality in our homes and places of business. The IQAir Atem Desk is a desktop air purification system that, in a post-Covid yet still very much polluted world, makes more sense than ever.

As I write this review, smoke from a fire burning in Canada has reached New Jersey. I went into a meeting at 5 pm last night, and when I left two hours later, the air was thick as pea soup and smelled terrible. Within minutes my eyes were watering, and I began coughing. The current air quality is bad enough that numerous warnings have been issued.

When I got home, I immediately replaced the filter in my Central heat and air system, and I turned on the portable air purifiers that had not been in use since the Covid-19 numbers dropped a few months ago.

IQAir Atem Desk retail box

I also went into my office, grabbed the IQAir Atem I had received for review, and set it up. I’m now sitting here with the Atem blowing a steady stream of highly purified air directly at me, and I’m breathing more easily.

While this is an extreme situation, it has led me to recognize why this small desktop air purifier is nothing short of brilliant; let’s take a closer look.

The IQAir Atem Desk Unboxed

Marketed with the tagline, “A revolution in air purification: Create your personal clean air zone with the IQAir Atem,” the IQAir Atem Desk is designed to create a personal space of up to 300 sq ft. rather than filter an entire room.

The Atem weighs 6.26 pounds with the stand and power supply and is 12.44″ high, 11.77″ wide, and 5.51″ deep.

Most air purifiers tend to have a boring boxy or cylindrical shape, but not the Atem. Its unusual design looks like a stylized snail or shell and will surely capture people’s attention when they walk into the room. I think it looks rather cool!

Inside the box, you get the main unit, a two-piece stand, a power cable, and four wall plugs so that a single Atem Desk can be used almost anywhere. And, because the unit is as small and light as it is, it is portable enough to bring when you travel.

The IQAir Atem Desk unassembled

The fact that the company sells a carrying case for the IQAir Atem Desk indicates that they designed this to be portable. Even so, while I appreciate the small size and weight of the Atem Desk, I’m not sure I would want to take up that much space in a suitcase.

 

Setting up the IQAir Atem Desk took just a few minutes; I connected the two pieces of the base, fed the power cable into the channel in the base, selected a US 110V plug, and connected the main unit to the base.

The company offers a free iOS or Android App, but you don’t need the app to use the IQAir Atem Desk.

Turning it on is as simple as placing a hand over the Atem logo on the side of the unit and tapping the surface. A single tap turns it on to its lowest setting.

A second tap turns the fan to medium, while a third tap turns the fan to high. A fourth tap turns the unit off, although, with the app, you will never need to do so.

We’ll come back to that in a moment.

The IQAir Atem Desk set up and ready to start working

Air Guidance Technology: Your Atem Desk’s PureJet diffuser allows you to create a clean air bubble. While some room air purifiers may take hours to clean the air, Atem Desk immediately delivers clean air to where you need it most – your breathing zone.

Direct the PureJet diffuser and blanket yourself in pure air. Your IQAir Atem Desk helps you take control of the 25,000 breaths you take every day.

The clear plastic extending from the unit has slits on the end through which filtered air flows. This design lets you direct the air toward you while working at your desk. That not only means you get a constant flow of clean air, but it also means the device surrounds you with negative pressure and creates a “bubble.”

I was skeptical about the experience of having a personal air purifier next to me, but after just a few hours, I was sold on it.

IQAir Atem Desk on a table top

The IQAir Atem Desk’s three default fan speeds give you excellent control over the airflow. I’ve found I prefer the highest setting but suspect some people might prefer to have less air blowing at them and, as a result, will choose the low or medium settings.

One of the most surprising aspects of the Atem Desk is the fact that it is incredibly quiet. At its lowest setting, it puts out just 20 dB of sound. Medium increases that to 27 dB; even on the highest setting, the device only puts out 44 dB.

That’s quiet enough for the Atem Desk to offer a bit of white-nose but not enough to distract me while working. It is quieter than the larger air filters we’ve used at home and work throughout the pandemic.

The IQAir Atem Desk set up in the author's living room area

Today’s air quality alert results from the tiny particles released by the fires in Canada. Such ultra-fine particles are smaller than .1 microns and can easily make their way through lung tissue into the bloodstream, where they can impact various organs.

The result, for example, is that after taking my dogs out first thing this morning, I was coughing and had a burning sensation in my chest. I cannot imagine spending significant time outside until this clears.

The IQAir Atem Desk offers PM2.5 filtration and can filter 99% of particles down to 0.003 microns. That’s small enough to capture the tiniest viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. The device removes these particles and traps them in its filter material so they can’t make their way into the lining of your lungs.

The result is a constant flow of clean, healthy air. Moreover, the gentle breeze on my face while sitting in front of the IQAir Atem Desk is pleasant, and after a few minutes in front of it, my eyes, which began to burn this morning when I was outside with the dogs, started feeling better.

Obviously, this is my personal experience and is NOT a medical statement.

The IQAir Atem Desk App

IQAir Atem Desk app

While the IQAir Atem Desk works well on its own, you’ll want to download ad connect the Atem Desk app. The app lets you know the current fan speed and the filter’s health; the company estimates the filter will last up to a year, depending on the temperature and humidity.

Digging down into the app, you’ll find some great configuration control.

 

The Smart On/Off feature has a proximity sensor that turns the Atem Desk off when the connected phone or tablet leaves the space and then turns it back on when a connection is re-established. It is an excellent convenience that will help save on energy costs, but it is hindered by only working when the app is running in the background.

IQAir Atem Desk Settings Let You Adjust the Speed of each of the Three Fan Speeds

Additional settings provide some control over the light, a bright blue that some users won’t love, and the volume of the audio feedback. And because the app works with the IQAir Atem Desk and the mobile Atem Car, there is a setting to select one or the other.

IQAir Atem Desk in white

Should You Buy the IQAir Atem Desk?

When the pandemic began, I purchased several air filtration systems for my home. As we began reopening our synagogue after being shut down for a year, we invested significant money in portable air filters to augment the system built into our HVAC units.

And while I’ve been reasonably happy with the devices we already had, I was curious about the Atem Desk. I liked the unique design. I appreciated that it was portable enough to move from one place to another, and I figured it would work well on my desk at the office.

I never expected that fires in Canada would make the air unbreathable this week, not to mention that the world looks like it was hit with a Sepia filter. But when I awoke to a world of unbreathable air, I broke out the Atem Desk and set it up.

I am impressed. I love the design and think it looks excellent on the kitchen table when I am working and will look even better on my desk at work. I love the ability to direct the air toward my face, and I love how quiet it is.

While you can get a “personal” air purifier for less than the IQAir Atem Desk, I have yet to see one that is as stylish or as effective as this. It makes me want to try the larger, home-size Atem X!

So here’s the bottom line: Covid is not entirely gone, and sometimes, it is advisable to have air filters running at home and work; air quality issues will likely become more frequent as climate disruption leads to drier periods and more wildfires.

Even without these “extreme” situations, indoor air quality is a growing concern for many of us. A device like the IQAir Atem Desk is great for all those scenarios. And the fact that it automatically comes to life when a connected smartphone enters the room means you’ll need to set it up once and then enjoy clean, filtered air without needing to give it another thought.

Sure, cheaper “personal” air purifiers are available, but they may not be as effective.

The IQAir Atem Desk is a great, stylish product that delivers precisely what it promises; I love it and think you will too.

The IQAir Atem Desk sells for $399; it is available directly from the manufacturer and other retailers, including Amazon.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What I Like: Small and stylish; Easy to set up; Connected app easy to set up and offers nice but limited controls; Three-speed settings that can be fine-tuned in the app; Airflow easily directed where needed; Surprisingly quiet

What Needs Improvement: It’s expensive; The bright blue light may not be to everyone’s taste

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About the Author

Dan Cohen
Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”) Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him. Dan is married to Raina Goldberg who is also an avid user of Apple products. They live in New Jersey with their golden doodle Nava.

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