GoKawiilYou may have seen or heard about Coway's Airmega Mighty AP-1512HH air purifier before. It's the company's most popular air purifier, thanks to its compact and attractive design. In lab testing, it stood out for its quiet fan and fairly quick particle removal (with an average T90 of 2 minutes and 13 seconds), earning an honorable mention -- even if it didn't crack our top 10. We were more impressed by the larger Airmega 400S for its superior particle removal.
I spent several weeks testing its successor, the $270 Airmega Mighty2 AP-1512N, in my home. I'm still withholding a score because we're planning to test the Mighty2 in our lab in Louisville, Kentucky, to see how it fares in our smoke chamber test and other challenges. But in the meantime, here are some of my key takeaways.
The Mighty2 is still stylish and fairly compact
The Mighty2 doesn't have a big footprint, is notably shorter than the Winix 5510 and tucks nicely into a corner. Ajay Kumar/CNET
At first glance, the Mighty2 resembles the AP-1512HH in overall design. It has a similar square, modern design with a circular accent on the front that catches the eye. It's not as pronounced as its predecessor, which has a more 3D shape, but it looks more modern and stylish than many air purifiers I've tested, including the GermGuardian AC4825, which resembles a tower fan. The Mighty2 also comes in a new beige color option, though I opted for white because it works better with my space. That said, it doesn't quite double as a functional piece of furniture like the Blueair Blue Signature.
The good news is that it didn't look out of place in my living room. In terms of footprint, it's shorter and slightly wider than the Winix 5510 at 17.9x16.9x9.3 inches (HWD). During most of my testing, I placed it in my entry foyer, which connects to the living room, dining room, kitchen and main hallways, giving it strong airflow from multiple directions. More on that below.
Quiet and consistent performance
With air purifiers, the two big things I'm looking for are reliable air cleaning and quiet performance. The Mighty2 did a great job of delivering both. Even on its second fan setting, it was notably quieter than my Levoit Core 300 while also moving a ton of air. The noise level is usually between 19 to 50.9 A-weighted decibels, depending on the setting and fan speed, according to Coway.
I didn't have a noise meter on hand, but even at the second fan setting, the Mighty2 was nearly silent unless I stood right next to it, though the airflow was noticeable. It also stayed quiet enough not to interfere with the TV in the living room, unlike the smaller, noisier Core 300.
I was impressed by the airflow the Mighty2 delivered, even on its medium fan setting. Ajay Kumar/CNET
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