Winix AM90 Air Purifier Review

In the family of air purifiers, Winix AM90 holds a top spot when it comes to ranking the best air purifiers. Using an air purifier has become more convenient with the rapid pollution rates that are rising around every local area in the US.

Design of the Winix AM90

The Winix AM90 from the first impression is carrying a design of a modern trend with a high-quality build. With a white color housing combined with its futuristic design on the front inlets, the air purifier will match any household ambiance. In design, the air purifier is basically a 3-D rectangular shape appliance. The price listed is far from the designed aesthetics. The Winix AM 90 has a height of 23.5 inches and a width of 15 inches which is mostly the case with Winix air purifiers. The purifying dimensions which are recommended for the Winix AM90 air purifier are 360ft.² with an operation of up to one hour.  

As with the Windex 5500–2, the Winix AM90 draws in air from the bottom and releases from the top. This type of airflow is convenient when the air purifier is used at home. The Winix AM90 weighs around 16.5 pounds, which we found to be a bit surprising in terms of the size of the air purifier compared to most of the larger air purifiers with a bigger range of cleaning dimensions. However, there is a handle that is available for portability, which made our task of handling the air purifier a bit easier.

Control panel

The Winix AM90 contains a small control panel compared to the Winix 5500–2 with an additional feature and without compromising any Winix authentic performance. On the far left the PlasmaWave button is visible, and on the right side, starting from the left, you’ll get the air quality sensor and next to it the power button of the air purifier.

Next, the speed adjustment, combined with an auto mode is present, where you get up to three speeds and additionally auto mode and turbo mode. Then the Wi-Fi smart feature with the check filter indicator is on the far right. A timer is not present in the air purifier and this was a bit odd for us as we often test our units with easy access to the timer.

Wifi indicator

The reason why Winix AM-90 is a definite buying choice is the availability of Alexa and Wifi. The indicator shows whether the Wifi is enabled or disabled. A single press of the button will switch it on or off and a long press (3 seconds) will jump to pairing mode to connect your wifi.

Air quality sensor

The air quality sensor of the Winix AM90 monitors the air quality in terms of odor in your surroundings to indicate the level of bad odors indoors. Once the auto mode is on it automatically adjusts the fan speed, according to the sensor guide cleaning the pollutants in the air. When the air is cleaned, the sensor will set the fan speed to a low speed. The air quality sensor indicates by the illuminating light in three different colors which are blue, yellow, and red for good air quality, slightly compromised, and highly compromised air quality respectively.

Light sensor

This is in a way optional than it is necessary. The light sensor of the air purifier senses the amount of ambient light in the room and when switched on for the auto mode it adjusts to the sleep mode setting when the ambient light is low in the room assuming less activity such as sleep.

Airflow and filtration stages

The filtration process is the standard Winix 4-stage filtration. The Winix AM90 contains four levels of purification without compromising any of the filters, and rather providing the same amount of performance with smart features. The first filter is the pre-filter, which is tasked with trapping most of the large-diameter pollutants, which are common in the household. Followed by the activated carbon filter, which is tasked with absorbing odors and other harmful VOCs, this filter is also known as the deodorization filter in Coway air purifiers. 

The HEPA filter is found after a carbon filter, as the most important aspect of capturing pollutants up to 0.3 µm however, most viruses and bacteria are also much smaller than 0.3 µm.

PlasmaWave – Ionizer feature

Next, you will get the Winix PlasmaWave optional feature which is the most popular. This is the ionizer filter, which comes with an option to be switched on or off, according to your preference as ionizers have harmful side effects without proper emission regulations.

The filtration process of the Winix AM90 matches most competition with the best air purifiers in the market, and can only vary in terms of how air generation and the surface area of the filter which can trap more pollutants going through each filter. 

Performance and filtration process

After carrying out our testing we were able to clear a room of 210 ft.² at around 52 minutes with an efficiency of 94% successfully. Compared to some of the largest air purifiers the performance of the Winix AM90 can be a little less due to the large surface area for capturing pollutants and the speeds of fans can vary according to the consumption of power in an air purifier.

In our testing, we switched on the PlasmaWave technology for the Winix AM90, which we do not usually recommend as a regular feature to be used, and when recommended it is necessary to clear the room for around 30-45 minutes and to switch off the feature and provide good ventilation to the room.

CADR – Winix AM90

The CADR testing of the Winix AM90 was analyzed and we were impressed by the ratings it posted.

Pollutant	Rating
Smoke	233
Dust	246
Pollen	240

The Winix AM90 has a power of 65W compared to the Winix 5500-2, this is a bit on the higher side, comparing the sizes of the two air purifiers. However, it is to be noted that the air purifier comes with additional features such as Alexa enabled, which is one of the best selling points of this air purifier. 

If you are an individual who uses Alexa more often, then this air purifier will be one of the best recommendations for you. If you are not a person who uses the smart function then the Winix AM90 allows you to control the air purifier from its own Winix Smart App this feature along with the efficiency of the air purifier is why the Winix AM90 remains one of the best air purifiers. 

Noise levels

The noise of the Winix AM90 is not a disturbance at all when it comes to the auto mode and the first two levels of the speed, however when operated from the other three levels of the fan speed, the noise was a bit on the high side, which was always the case with some of the best Winix air purifiers. 

At night we recommend using the auto mode and the sleep mode. The sleep mode has low noise and the ability to detect the level of ambient light in a room to switch to the sleep mode automatically and does not irritate or disturb your sleep.

Maintenance of Winix AM90

The power rate of 65W doesn’t bother you especially compared to what the air purifier does to your air quality. As with every air purifier, the maintenance of the filters is mandatory. The pre-filter can be cleaned and maintained for a long time. Filters such as HEPA will need to be replaced once a year and the deodorization filter every six months. Cleaning the air purifier with a vacuum will provide good efficiency including any filters as well. Make sure you refer to the manual cleaning section for the exact specifications for cleaning.

Operating cost

With an overall power rate of 65W, the air purifier will not add to electricity consumption excessively. With added features such as Wifi connectivity and Alexa, the Winix AM90 is a top pick for the best air purifier. The filter replacement cost is mandatory to keep the air purifier at its maximum capability. Given the value that this air purifier provides operating cost is valuable to be maintained.

Our opinion

The Winix AM90 is a great choice for air purification if you are to looking to buy a new purifier. Compared to most Wininx air purifiers AM90 might not cover the exact dimensions but this air purifier can certainly mount up to be the best purifier for an average living room, bedroom, or kitchen.

However, the absence of a standard timer disappointed us as we often rely on the timer without having to clean the air constantly. The air purifier closes in on the same performance as its large counterparts and the added feature of Wi-Fi and being Alexa enabled provides great value for money.