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The only downside is that it doesn’t fit well into a lot of chunkier phone cases, including my iPhone 15’s Casetify case. The Phone Fan comes with a little USB-C extender, which allows it to work with my case, but it’s a loose fit and constantly falls out if I’m not holding it at the perfect angle. Those with slim phone cases, however, will not have this issue.
Photograph: Kat Merck
Others Tested
Aecooly Portable Handheld Fan Air Gimbal for $35: I was originally interested in this handheld fan for its fun World Cup–edition designs, which are now on sale. (There are also World Cup versions of the Aecooly’s Cold Air Ultra misting fan, shown below.) It’s a fine fan, but it is quite loud for the amount of airflow it puts out. There are other fans with more features for half the price.
Jisulife Handheld Fan Ultra2 for $76: This fan is so strong, it’s almost comical—1,614 feet per minute on my anemometer. (For reference, this is stronger than a typical full-sized tower fan.) It also emits a high-pitched whine not unlike a jet engine (60 decibels on its lowest setting), and its mallet-like shape makes it too bulky to slip into a pocket. However, it does double as a power bank and a flashlight, and it’s got a short carrying lanyard you can attach to make it slightly less unwieldy. The 9,000-mAh battery capacity is also a plus. Jisulife says this can last up to 25 hours, which I have no reason to doubt, as I’ve been using it on and off for most of the year and the battery has yet to run out.
Dyson HushJet Mini Cool for $100: With so many decent portable hand fans on the market for around $20, I’d expect great things from a fan that costs $100. While this one is fine (aside from a resemblance to—I’m sorry to have to say—a worm anus), the wind speed and overall performance were only marginally better than that of the cheaper fans. I do like that it comes with a stand for use on a desk, though, as well as the ribbon lanyard for wearing around your neck, but it’s also—despite the name—quite loud at nearly 70 decibels on high.
PlayHot Handheld Turbo Fan for $19: WIRED reviewer Kristin Canning loved the versatility of this fan, the contained blades, and the fact it fit into her small crossbody bag. I’ve used it all summer, and it’s a solid fan, but the Diveblues above offers better performance and more features for the same price.
JisuLife Pro 1S Handheld Fan for $75: A handy scroll wheel controls the speed (as opposed to up-and-down buttons) on this lightweight fan, and the magnetic center cap comes off in two phases. The first section reveals an absorbent pad about the size of a pea, for saturating with essential oil, and the second section comes off to reveal a digital screen that shows power level and battery life. However, I was never able to test the full wind speed, as my unit would shut off as soon as it reached its max.
Aecooly Waist Fan for $30: I liked the 3-in-1 design of this chunky waist fan, which lets you wear it on your belt or waistband inside or outside your shirt, on a strap around your neck, or propped up on a table or desk. It’s not super lightweight at nearly three-quarters of a pound (which means you can’t wear lighter-weight pants or shorts if you plan to clip it on your waistband). It’s also not exactly quiet at 53 decibels, but with five speeds and a top wind speed of 866 feet per minute, it’s one of the more powerful waist fans I’ve tried. There’s also a “flashlight” on the side with a strobe option, but it’s about the size of a BB, so don’t count on it illuminating anything important.
Aecooly Aero Pro Hand Fan for $20: Aecooly’s periscope-shaped “powerful turbo air tube” won both a Red Dot and iF Design award last year, and the curved shape is both easy to transport and hold. I also like that there are no rotors or blades to knock into. It doesn’t double as a flashlight or phone charger, but it does come with a digital display, which shows you the battery and speed levels. You’ll also get a short lanyard for carrying. Don’t plan on using this one if you plan to have a conversation, though, as it was one of the worst offenders for having a high-pitched jet-engine whine.
Gaiatop Portable Handheld Fan for $10: WIRED reviewer Kristin Canning found this fan to be a great companion during a late-summer parade, providing airflow without too much noise. Like the Jisulife Handheld Mini above, the Gaiatop’s soft blades stop automatically if they hit anything, and it can stand upright on a table. It’s got pointy owl “ears” on top, which is cute, but it doesn’t double as a flashlight or power bank like other fans of this style and price point.
Aecooly Cold Air Ultra Personal Cooling System for $80: Behold, another pricey entry with super-high airflow, impressive battery life, and a jet-engine whine. The key difference with this Aecooly is a little sealed compartment at the bottom you can fill with water. Press a button on the front, and it will dispense a wet spray along with the breeze. This is the second model I’ve had of this fan—the first one stopped misting after about six months. It should also be noted that the misting function makes a quite loud “unnnnhhhh” sound when it’s happening, kind of like a miniature pressure washer. The first time I used it, it alarmed me and the person sitting next to me.
I (or another WIRED reviewer) tested each of these fans in real life. The fans came to weddings, festivals, and tournaments; they went on vacations; and they sat on desks to gauge if the noise level was distracting or livable. I tested all available features and attachments, used a decibel meter and anemometer to measure noise and wind speed, practiced holding a conversation while running them, and transported them in a bag to see if they were awkward or easy to carry.
Why Does Charge Capacity Matter?
Charge capacity is the total amount of electricity—and cooling power—that rechargeable battery-powered fans can store and deploy. Measured in milliampere-hours (mAh), or one-thousandth of an ampere-hour (the ability to provide one amp of power for one hour), the higher a fan’s charge capacity number, the longer it can go between charges. How this measure translates to run time heavily depends on speed, fan size, and features used. The measure also varies widely between fans.
Some fans were samples I obtained from the fan companies with no promise or guarantee of coverage; other fans I purchased and expensed. After testing, I keep the fans on hand for future testing, noting any malfunctions.
