Air purifier against animal hair: Levoit Vital 200s in the test

The air purifiers (top list) from the Levoit brand are still little known in this country. They are manufactured and marketed by Hong Kong-listed company Vesync, which has a 23 percent market share by sales in the US, according to NPD Group analyses. Based on the number of units sold, the market share is even said to be 33 percent. So Vesync is not a newcomer to the air purifier market, but a relatively successful company, at least in the USA. In addition to air purifiers, the company also sells air humidifiers (guide) and vacuum cleaners (theme world) under the Levoit brand (price comparison). And with Cosori (price comparison) and Etekcity (price comparison), there are two other brands under which Vesync sells smart health products, measuring devices and kitchen appliances such as hot air fryers. Many of the products on offer can be remotely controlled with the Vesync app and used for automation in a smart home (theme world).

This also includes the new Levoit Vital 200S air purifier. The device offers a Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) of 416 m³/h and is therefore ideal for rooms up to 35 m² according to the manufacturer. In these he cleans the air 5x per hour. In 88 m² rooms, which Levoit specifies as the maximum, the cleaning performance is sufficient for a double air exchange within one hour. Our test report shows how well the Levoit Vital 200S works in practice.

“Wide and narrow, instead of square or round”. This could have been the motto when developing the Vital 200S with dimensions of 39.6 × 21.7 × 50.2 centimeters (W/D/H). Instead of a round shape, Levoit values ​​a broad front with the Vital 200S. This should allow the device to get animal hair out of the air better than round models. The shape and structure are reminiscent of the Philips AC2889/10 (test report). Like this, the Levoit uses a washable pre-filter that captures larger particles such as dust, fibers, hair and pet hair. Behind it is the Hepa filter with an activated carbon layer. It filters at least 99.97 percent of all particles with a size of 0.3 microns and small particles such as fine dust, smoke particles and allergens such as pollen and animal hair. Statically charged fibers trap viruses and bacteria. With the activated carbon layer, the air purifier also adsorbs smoke, odors and vapors and filters out compounds such as formaldehyde, benzene, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The pre-filter must be cleaned with water every two to four weeks. The multilingual manual explains how to do this in great detail in German in the form of illustrations and descriptive texts. The HEPA filter with activated carbon layer lasts up to 12 months depending on the usage time of the device. The app provides information about the running time and the cleaning interval. Users can order a replacement filter via the Vesync app. This currently costs just under 60 euros for the Vital 200S.

Anyone who has to transport the device, which weighs almost 6 kilograms, will be pleased with the subtle indentations on the sides, which can be used as handles. On the right side, behind a cover, is an infrared sensor that scans the air for impurities 1,000 times per second. In order for this to be able to deliver accurate readings, it should be cleaned with a cotton swab every one to two months.

There is an illuminated control panel on the top that allows users to turn the cleaner on and off and control the fan speed, including a particularly quiet night mode. A colored LED band also runs around the on/off switch, which lights up in blue (very good), green (good), orange (fair/moderate) and red (poor) depending on the degree of pollution in the air. In night mode, the lighting on the control panel switches off, so you can also use the Levoit Vital 200S in the bedroom without being disturbed by the LED lighting.

As already mentioned, the supplied multilingual manual with detailed explanations and diagrams offers excellent information about the device including technical data. For experienced users, the clear brief instructions are sufficient for commissioning. Before the device is supplied with power via the supplied power supply unit and a 1.70 m permanently connected connection cable and paired with the Vesync app, the Hepa filter must first be freed from the plastic packaging. To do this, pull the front cover off the device, press the two upper tabs on the pre-filter and remove it. Then there is the Hepa filter, which is still wrapped in plastic packaging and can be easily removed. After removing the plastic packaging, put it back in and then the pre-filter and close the front cover. The whole procedure should not pose a serious problem for anyone. Fortunately, the Hepa filter does not emit any unpleasant odors.

Now you plug the power pack into the socket and the connection cable into the round socket at the bottom on the back of the device and switch on the air purifier using the on/off button on the control panel. The air purifier is paired with the home WLAN using the Vesync app, which requires registration with an email address. After switching on for the first time, the device is in pairing mode, which is indicated by the flashing WLAN symbol above the on/off switch on the control panel. If this is not the case, press the on/off button for several seconds until the WLAN symbol starts to flash. Now you tap in the app on the plus symbol at the top right and in the next step select the air purifier recognized via Bluetooth, the one with a symbol and the name Intelligent True HEPA Air… is displayed at the top of the app. In the test, the Bluetooth pairing was initially unsuccessful, but everything worked smoothly on the second try. You then select the WLAN network, although only 2.4 GHz networks are supported, and enter the appropriate password. All in all, the setup process is very easy (see also image gallery).

In the test, the Levoit Vital 200S convinces with a cleaning performance that corresponds to other models with a similarly high CADR of around 400 m³/h such as the Xiaomi Smart Air Purifier 4 (test report). Like this, the Levoit reliably eliminates cooking odors thanks to the integrated activated carbon layer and quickly cleans the air of fine dust. We were also able to understand this using the Air-Q air quality meter (adviser), which analyzes the air using 14 sensors. Like the competition, however, it has a hard time eliminating volatile organic compounds (VOC). It sometimes takes a very long time before an effect can be observed. Even the best air purifier cannot do without ventilation.

If you value good air quality in the bedroom at night, you can look forward to the quiet operating noise of the Levoit Vital 200S. In the so-called night mode, the air purifier works very quietly. However, it is not quite as quiet as the Philips AC3033/10 (test report). All LEDs on the control panel are switched off for this purpose. Otherwise, the background noise at levels 1 and 2 is still suitable for the office, while the higher levels are no longer suitable for this.

The power consumption of the device is 40.8 watts at maximum fan speed (level 4), in night mode it is 3.2 watts and in standby 0.6 watts. The device thus works a little less efficiently than the Xiaomi Smart Purifier 4, which with a CADR value of 400 m³/h offers a similarly high cleaning performance as the Levoit and requires a maximum of 28 watts.

The app is intuitive to use and also offers a timer function, schedules and progress graphics for indoor air quality. However, it does not explain which criteria or measured values ​​are used to classify air quality in Very good, Good, Moderate et cetera takes place. It also does not display measured values, such as PM2.5 or VOC, as is usual with other air purifiers.

To do this, it integrates a mode that is specifically aimed at pet owners and is designed to get cat and dog hair out of the air particularly efficiently. When Pet Mode is activated, the air purifier runs at high speed (level 3) for 15 minutes, then at medium speed (level 2) for 60 minutes, and then alternates between the two fan speeds. In the dark, the integrated light sensor limits the pet mode to fan level 2 to avoid making as much noise.

Like many other air purifiers, the Levoit Vital 200S only supports Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. It can thus be used on these platforms for simple routines and controlled by voice. However, more complex automations linked to air quality meters (guides) such as Air-Q or Awair are not possible with this. If you want that, you need a smart home center that couples these sensors and the air purifier. In the case of the Levoit Vital 200S, however, powerful solutions such as Homey Pro (test report) or Home Assistant are also ruled out, since Vesync does not offer any integration or API for the Levoit air purifiers. The previously available integrations for some older Levoit air purifiers are also tied to the Vesync cloud service and therefore do not offer local control. So anyone who values ​​smooth integration into a smart home center is better off with devices from Philips. And if you are only looking for a controllable air purifier for Homekit, you can use a Smartmi model such as the Air Purifier 2 (test report) or Jya Fjord Pro (test report).

Vesync charges around 200 euros for the Levoit Vital 200S air purifier. With its performance of 416 m³/h CADR, the device is one of the cheapest air purifiers. A replacement filter, which is due after 12 months at the latest, is relatively expensive at 60 euros. Replacement filters for the Philips AC3033/10 cost the same but last three years.

An air purifier is a blessing, especially for allergy sufferers. It not only frees the air from harmful fine dust particles, but also from allergy-causing pollen. In this respect, the Levoit Vital 200S offers good performance values ​​that are comparable to other models in its performance class with a CADR value of around 400 m³/h. The quiet operation in night mode with deactivated lighting predestines the device for use in the bedroom. Thanks to the control panel, it can also be effectively controlled without an app.

But there are also aspects where the Levoit Vital 200S doesn’t look quite as good. The first thing to mention is the relatively high price of replacement filters and the only average service life of the filters. In this respect, other models, mainly from Philips, offer clear advantages. There is still room for improvement when it comes to integration into a smart home center. Away from Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, things are looking bad here. Last but not least, the app and air purifier show the degree of air pollution, but not the exact values ​​such as fine dust pollution PM2.5 or VOC. It is also unclear when the air quality will be described as very good.

For more information on air purifiers, see our leaderboard, which also includes details on the health effects of air pollution. And our Smart Room Air Sensors guide from €10 shows how these devices can be used to detect air pollution and the risk of mold.