Every previous Airwrap carried the same cylindrical handle shape since 2018. The Co-anda 2x is the first with a visibly different base, now oval-shaped for better ergonomics and 24 grams lighter than the Airwrap i.d., Allure reported. The Hyperdymium 2 motor doubles air pressure without increasing noise output, according to Dyson engineer Fred Howe, quoted by Allure. In practice, WIRED's tester rough-dried roots in about three minutes, roughly two minutes faster than the same task on a previous model, and completed a full dry in under 10 minutes (WIRED; Allure).

The attachment incompatibility flows directly from that motor upgrade. The connection point was re-engineered to handle higher airflow pressure, so the Co-anda 2x cannot accept any attachment built for prior Airwrap generations, including those sold for the Airwrap i.d., WIRED confirmed. That distinction matters beyond price. Owners of every earlier Airwrap still have the option to buy new individual attachments for the handle they already own upgrading the toolkit without replacing the device. With the Co-anda 2x, that incremental path doesn't exist. Switching means starting over, not stepping up.

A few practical limits worth knowing: the Co-anda 2x is 120V only, unsuitable for international travel without a voltage converter, and ships with a 6.56-foot cord, on the shorter side for a tool that requires maneuvering around a full head of hair. It carries a 2-year limited warranty and a 30-day return window (WIRED).

The headline addition is the AirSmooth 2x, the first straightening attachment in the Airwrap line. It lightly clamps onto dried hair and uses directed airflow to smooth and straighten strands without flat-iron-level heat, functioning as an Airwrap-compatible version of Dyson's standalone Airstrait product, WIRED noted.

Reviewer results were strong. WIRED called it the standout tool in the kit, reporting smooth results and soft C-bends in under 20 minutes with heat gentle enough that hair felt undamaged (WIRED). Allure's tester found it cut frizz and straightened each section in roughly two minutes (Allure).

One critical purchase detail: the AirSmooth 2x ships only in the straight+wavy configuration. The curly+coily kit replaces it with a Wave+Curl diffuser and a tension comb designed to dry, stretch, and smooth coils. Both kits retail at the same price and include six attachments each (WIRED).

Beyond the AirSmooth, the curling barrels were redesigned with squared tips for easier grip, and the round volumizing brush was revamped. Every attachment carries an embedded RFID chip that auto-adjusts heat and airflow to match each tool's last-used settings when clicked in, what WIRED described as a feature that makes "the whole process smoother" (WIRED). The new barrels are easier to handle, but curl longevity is familiar territory: WIRED found curls deflated within a couple of hours without hairspray, a known Airwrap characteristic the more powerful motor doesn't appear to have materially changed (WIRED).

The Co-anda 2x pairs with Dyson's MyDyson app via Bluetooth. Input hair type, length, texture, and styling goals, and it builds a sequenced routine specifying heat level, timing per section, and when to apply the cool shot. The RFID chips in each attachment recall last-used settings automatically, with or without a phone (Allure; WIRED).

There's good evidence the guidance changes results. Testing on the Airwrap i.d., which introduced the same app approach, showed app-guided use produced longer-lasting styles than freehand styling. Good Housekeeping's tester discovered through the app that she had been under-curling strands and skipping sufficient cool-shot time, two common errors the guided sequence corrects automatically (Good Housekeeping). For experienced Airwrap users, the RFID settings memory alone covers most of the usability benefit without picking up a phone. For first-time buyers, the guided onboarding materially changes the learning curve (WIRED).

First-time buyers have the strongest case. The more powerful motor, app-guided onboarding, and attachment range, including the AirSmooth in the straight+wavy kit, make the Co-anda 2x the most capable entry point into the Airwrap line to date. WIRED described it as "undeniably expensive, but you get the smoothest Airwrap to date" (WIRED).

Airwrap i.d. owners face a harder argument. The i.d. and Co-anda 2x share the same app connectivity and hair-type kit structure. The hardware leap is real, but Good Housekeeping's lab conclusion that "if you already own the Airwrap, upgrading isn't necessary since the two perform similarly" carries roughly equal weight here, particularly given that all i.d. attachments are incompatible with the new device (Good Housekeeping).

Owners of the 2022 Airwrap Complete or older face a larger performance gap but also a larger sunk cost in accessories that won't transfer. Those owners still have a meaningful option that Co-anda 2x buyers don't: purchasing new individual attachments for the existing device. All i.d.-generation attachments remain sold separately and are cross-compatible with older pre-Co-anda Airwrap units, Good Housekeeping confirmed. That path, new attachments on the same handle, is not available with the Co-anda 2x.

Curl-focused buyers should calibrate expectations. The motor is more powerful, but curl longevity limitations from air-based styling persist. People with thick, straight, or highly resistant hair may still find the Airwrap format unsuitable as a primary curling tool, a pattern observed consistently across earlier models that the Co-anda 2x's motor improvements are unlikely to fully reverse (Good Housekeeping; WIRED).

Straight-style buyers are the clearest beneficiaries of what's genuinely new here. No previous Airwrap owner could straighten with the device. The AirSmooth 2x delivered in early hands-on testing, and that capability alone distinguishes the Co-anda 2x from every prior generation.

For most existing Airwrap owners, the practical question isn't whether the Co-anda 2x is a better device. It is. The question is whether the attachments they don't own yet are worth buying for the handle they already have.

That option remains open for every Airwrap generation before the Co-anda 2x (Good Housekeeping; Dyson). Upgrading to i.d.-generation attachments costs a fraction of a new device and keeps the existing handle in play. With the Co-anda 2x, that calculation disappears entirely. Its closed attachment system means anyone switching isn't upgrading a tool, they're replacing an ecosystem at $699.99, with a 6.56-foot cord and no cross-border voltage flexibility (WIRED). For first-time buyers, none of that history is a factor. For everyone else, it's the deciding one.