When people talk about smart homes, they usually mean thermostats, locks, and lights. These are the devices that greet you when you come home, set the mood, or keep things running in the background. But what about the thing you breathe? For years, air purifiers have been left out of the conversation. They're functional, sure, but they're passive: sit in the corner, hum away, maybe light up a warning when it's time to change a filter.
The Dreame AirPursue™ PM20 is an attempt to break that mold. Launched this summer, it's less "box with a filter" and more "air intelligence hub." It uses radar to detect when you're in the room, follows your movement with airflow, and promises something most purifiers don't even attempt: even distribution of clean air across an entire space.
Why Air Matters More Than Ever
Indoor air quality has quietly become a front-line wellness issue. From wildfire smoke sweeping across the U.S. in recent summers to the rise of allergy-related ER visits, more people are asking not just if their home feels comfortable, but whether it feels safe to breathe.
That's the context in which Dreame is stepping forward. Known for its high-tech vacuums and cleaning devices, the company has applied the same mix of automation, AI-inspired control, and design-forward thinking to air. The PM20 is a signal that clean air deserves the same attention we give to lighting design or sound systems.
The Tech Inside
At the core of the PM20 is what Dreame calls Enviro Detect™ Technology. It doesn't rely on cameras, which raises privacy issues, but instead uses millimeter-wave radar to sense presence. That means the purifier knows when someone enters a room, powers itself on, and directs airflow toward the person, not the ceiling.
That airflow is driven by Dualflow Modulation Technology, which pushes clean air upward and outward at once. Most purifiers focus on vertical airflow, which means cleaner air tends to pool around the unit. Dreame claims its approach delivers consistent airflow to every corner of the room, purifying 1,883 sq. ft. in just 15 minutes.
A 4-layer stack captures particulates, VOCs, bacteria, and viruses, including a self-regenerating formaldehyde filter, a nod to families moving into newer homes where construction materials can off-gas pollutants for years. Add in seven environmental sensors (PM2.5, PM10, formaldehyde, VOCs, temperature, and humidity), and the PM20 constantly reports on them, both on its LCD screen and through the Dreamehome app.
Year-Round Utility
One of the more surprising aspects of the PM20 is that it's not limited to purification. It doubles as a space heater in winter and an air circulator in summer, creating a genuine 3-in-1 appliance. That makes it easier to justify the premium price tag -- $999.99 -- because it's replacing multiple devices.
Noise levels also stay low, down to 32 decibels in sleep mode, which makes it viable in bedrooms or offices where constant background hum can be a dealbreaker. And design matters too: it's sleek, matte, and unobtrusive, the kind of device that feels more like furniture than machinery.
The Bigger Picture
Is the PM20 just another smart device with too many features, or is it signaling a shift in how we think about air? The answer lies somewhere in the middle. It's clearly aimed at a premium market: homeowners with enough disposable income to spend four figures on a smarter way to breathe. But it's also part of a trend that's harder to ignore.