comparing it to the Dyson Corrale

Hairstyling tools that detect the temperature of your hair and personalise the temperature in order to protect your tresses?

This smart technology, known as the SenseIQ technology, is now available in two Philips hair tools – its Hair Dryer and Straightener Prestige.

How is Philips' SenseIQ technology different?

Conventional hairstyling tools typically offer one-size-fits-all functions, allowing you to merely adjust the temperatures of the tools from "low" to "high". More premium options in the market, on the other hand, tend to detect the temperature of airflow in order to adjust the temperature of the tool to a safer one for the hair. The SenseIQ technology by Philips senses the temperature of the hair instead.

This different approach ensures that consumers with different hair texture and condition, which respond differently to hairstyling tools, are able to get a more personalised level of protection.

Activated through infrared sensors, hairstyling devices that are equipped with the SenseIQ technology can continually sense the hair's temperature, and in turn adjust temperatures to protect the hair. The intelligent microprocessor is able to analyse the data capture by the sensor and then adjust the temperature up to 4,000 times for the hair dryer and up to 20,000 times for the straightener to make sure that there's no over-heating.

Philips Straightener Prestige review: How does it compare with the Dyson Corrale?

You might be wondering why I decided to make comparison between the Philips Straightener Prestige and Dyson Corrale Straightener. There are a few reasons:

• I have been using the Dyson Corrale since June this year so I'm familiar enough with it to make a reasonable comparison with the Philips Straightener Prestige, which is the newest straightener in town. (You can read my Dyson Corrale review if you haven't researched about it.)
• Like the Dyson Corrale, the Philips Straightener Prestige boasts an intelligent temperature-monitoring feature that helps to protect hair from heat damage
• The Dyson Corrale is a much-talked about straightener in the market because of the features, appearance, and hefty price tag. I'm sure many of you will be interested to know if there are any affordable options out there that can stand up to it

With these explained, let us get to my thoughts about the Philips Straightener Prestige.

We know that one of the most distinctive highlight of the Dyson Corrale is its striking good looks, including a cool design that only reveals the buttons and LED screen after you've released the plates.

While the Philips Straightener may look a little less outstanding, there's a very good chance you're going to like the exterior design of it too. Slim, sleek, and in a crowd-pleasing white-and-rose gold shade, the straightener even comes with a beautiful heat-resistant roll-out pouch that makes it easy to pack and carry around. I know I was quite delighted with the presentation of the product.

While the Dyson Corrale is cordless (and can be used with a cord too if you haven't got time to charge it), the Philips Straightener Prestige is attached to a two-metre cord.

While I am used to the convenience of a cordless straightener that I was previously using, I appreciate that the cord is long enough for me to use in front of my mirror, which is about one metre away from my socket.

But what makes up for the slight inconvenience is the lightweight of the straightener – the Philips Straightener Prestige feels significantly lighter than the Dyson Corrale.

Coupled with its ergometric design, it was effortless to hold and operate. My arms didn't feel tired at all even after spending at least 20 minutes straightening out my full head of hair. Its lightweight further makes the styling process even faster, compared to other straighteners I've used.

Both tech giants boast that the plates of their straighteners are made with a specialised technology.

Dyson uses the flexing plate technology. Philips, on the other hand, uses a specialised refinement process to produce ultra-smooth plates that are also 20% larger than the straightener's predecessor. I could feel the benefit of this improvement. I find that it was able to offer a smooth glide without tugging at my hair – something that I absolutely appreciated.

And to be honest, I can't feel any significant difference between the two plates; both glided effortlessly and smoothly, and didn't cause any breakage to my hair. If I were to really compare, though, I find that the Dyson Corrale was able to give my hair a straighter look with just one pass. You can see the above image for the result that I achieved using the Philips Straightener Prestige after two passes.

In terms of operation, it's easy to get the hang of the Philips Straightener Prestige. There are three styling modes to choose from – Fast, Normal, and Gentle – depending on your preference. On top of these modes, you can also select from 14 temperature settings ranging between 120°C and 230°C.

Dyson's, in comparison, only has three precise heat settings. So if you're someone who prefer a lot of customisation, then the Philips' one definitely gives you more autonomy.

The power of the SenseIQ technology is evident each time I use the Philips Straightener Prestige. With conventional straighteners, I tend to get burnt occasionally either from getting the straightener too close to my scalp or with my hair getting too hot after styling and burning my hands as a result. I haven't had any such problem at all with the Philips Straightener Prestige.

On top of the ability to sense and regulate temperature, the straightener is also equipped with a cool tip that acts as a safe-touch area so you wouldn't burn yourself during styling.

Finally like many of Philips' styling tools that care for your hair, the Straightener Prestige bathes your hair in an ionic mist, thanks to its Tetra Ionic System.

This is a patented design is made up of four ionic jets embedded on both sides of the straightener, which infuses millions of ions into your hair as you style it. This feature helps remove static, eliminate frizz, and intensify the look of shine in your hair.

Finally, you'll probably be wondering which one I'll use more of. I'm currently using the Philips Straightener Prestige in the office to style my hair before I need to be on camera to film a video, I like that it's light enough for me to use during shoots and to touch-up my hair effortlessly. The Dyson Corrale is what I use at home and it is the styling tool I use if I want to style my hair for an event or a date night.

All in all, the Philips Straightener Prestige is certainly a great styling tool that I will continue using. I don't think it's easy to find something in the market with similar intelligent functions that protect your hair that also look incredibly good for its very reasonable price; it's S$249, compared to Dyson Corrale's S$699 price tag.

The Philips Straightener (BHS830/00) Prestige with SenseIQ technology is now available at the recommended retail price of S$249. It is available at the Philips e-store and all Philips-authorised retailers, together with the Hair Dryer (BHD628/03), S$249, which is also equipped with the SenseIQ technology. 

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