The Levoit Vital 100 S is a home air purifier aimed at people who want to improve what they breathe every day but have neither the time nor the patience for daily slider‑tweaking, filter resets, or rummaging for the manual at the bottom of a drawer. This particular model is intended for rooms of up to ~50 m², so it covers studio flats, offices, and even a sizable living room with a kitchenette. How does it perform in practice, and is it worth buying? That’s what today’s piece is about. At the outset I’ll mention that I received the unit for review directly from Levoit. Thank you for supporting my channel and blog.
First impressions
The parcel turned out to be surprisingly compact—on the outside, nothing more than a mid‑sized coffee‑machine box; inside, the device was very well secured alongside a (truly extensive, also Polish‑language) manual and the power cord. The manufacturer ships a 3‑in‑1 filter pre‑installed in the chamber but wrapped in protective film, so your first mission is to remove the front panel, take out the cartridge, peel off the film, and reinstall it. The front panel is held by two upper clips; I grab the recesses, pull evenly, the top clips release, the lower hinges remain, and the panel can be tilted to 90 degrees or lifted off completely. The whole operation takes less time than boiling a kettle, but it’s good that the manual reminds you—just in case.
It’s worth noting that the Vital 100 S holds an ECARF certificate (from the European Centre for Allergy Research Foundation). This means that independent tests have confirmed its effectiveness in lowering concentrations of common allergens—pollen, dust mites, pet dander—while simultaneously emitting no irritating substances into the room. In other words: the paperwork matches the advertising. That makes me even more curious how it fares in practice, because I’ve been an allergy sufferer forever. In spring you’d like to keep windows open, but when everything’s releasing pollen outside, the same stuff ends up floating around indoors.
Appearance and ergonomics
I have to admit I like the look of this purifier. I’ve tested several designs from different brands, and it’s nice to see manufacturers paying more attention to how such devices fit into our interiors. With the Levoit Vital 100 S, it’s very well done.
The Vital 100 S keeps to a simple two‑tone shape, but its housing features several details with specific functions. The entire front is a white panel perforated with small, elongated openings—the main air intake behind which the three‑stage filtration system operates. Looking at the unit from the front, you can also spot an additional black U‑shaped strip. Its interior hides extra intake slots positioned closer to the floor. Thanks to this, the device more easily lifts heavier pollutants—dander, hair, dust—and directs them straight onto the pre‑filter.
On the right side, just below the top edge, sits a discreet sensor the manufacturer calls AirSight. It monitors particulate matter PM2.5 and constantly feeds data both to the VeSync app and to the internal fan controller. You can see air quality status instantly—the LED ring around the central power button glows blue when the air is excellent, shifts to green and yellow as it worsens, and turns red at high particulate levels.
The top panel has a dual role: it’s the outlet for purified air and simultaneously the control center. Its glossy black section houses a row of touch icons. Here you’ll find a Sleep‑mode button, speed selector, Auto mode, child lock, three timer positions (2 h / 4 h / 8 h), and an option to darken all LEDs. In theory everything is obvious; in practice, huge credit—the panel is very responsive. I managed to change settings with a toe while lying in bed. And when the device is farther away, the phone app suffices.
It’s also worth adding that this model is meant for larger rooms and has high output. I expected it to be much bigger; instead it doesn’t take up much space, and wherever you place it, it looks very elegant.
Real‑world operation—“set and forget”
In the air‑purifier world you often encounter the acronym CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate)—a lab metric indicating how many cubic meters of “clean” air the device supplies per hour. Tests are run separately for smoke, dust, and pollen, and specs usually list the highest of the three. For allergy sufferers or smog season, it’s assumed you should aim for 4–5 air changes per hour (ACH) in the room. For a 20 m² room at 2.5 m high, you need a CADR of about 200–250 m³/h. The Vital 100 S fits that bracket perfectly—the stated 234 m³/h means that in a 20 m² room it can theoretically exchange all the air five times per hour and keep PM2.5 far below outdoor levels. Just remember CADR is measured at maximum fan speed with new filters and no Auto mode, so every model is compared under identical conditions.
In practice, the Vital 100 S is a true “set and forget” appliance. The three‑layer filter—pre‑filter, HEPA H13, and carbon—captures virtually all household pollutants. In Auto mode there’s no need to babysit the device: it runs at the lowest speed, saving power and ears, and when the AirSight sensor detects a particulate spike, it ramps up speed—and therefore performance—until the air is clean again, then quiets down. All this happens without touching a button.
I particularly like the Sleep option. When the light goes out, the unit automatically darkens its own LEDs, yet you can still control it via the app. In default Sleep mode the fan slows so much that from a bed one meter away you hear virtually nothing—only 23 dB, an excellent result.
Beyond the default, you can switch Sleep into a quick‑clean variant, where the purifier runs at high output for a few minutes to refresh the air rapidly before bedtime. There’s also a white‑noise mode for people (e.g., small children) who find that sound soothing and sleep‑inducing.
We sleep in a small upstairs bedroom in an older house. Because it’s an attic, all the smells from the boiler room and kitchen below drift upward and then accumulate right where we sleep. Our rescue had been cracking a window, but noisy neighbors discouraged night‑time airing. The Levoit turned out to be a lifesaver: the unit is so quiet that for a month I haven’t turned it off even once, and we can sleep with both door and window closed. The air stays fresh, free of downstairs odors, and sleep is more pleasant than ever. When I leave the house, I open all the upstairs doors so the Vital 100 S can “pump” the entire attic. When I come back there’s no need to open a window. Huge plus.
Filter types in the device
Pre‑filter: This first line of defense is a mesh with fairly large openings, catching coarser pollutants: dust, hair, pet fur, and larger particulate matter (usually above 5–10 µm). It protects the subsequent, more expensive filters from clogging quickly and significantly extends the HEPA cartridge’s life. This specific pre‑filter is reusable—you can vacuum or wash it per the manual, which clearly lowers running costs. Remember, though, it traps only large particles; fine particulate and micro‑particles pass through freely, so further filtration stages are essential.
HEPA filter (High Efficiency Particulate Air): The second stage and the heart of the system. Made of densely packed fibers (e.g., glass), it captures contaminants mechanically—via interception, impaction, and diffusion through the fiber matrix. To earn the name “HEPA,” it must remove at least 99.97 % of particles 0.3 µm in diameter. That 0.3 µm size is considered the most difficult to trap (MPPS—Most Penetrating Particle Size); larger and smaller particles are caught even more effectively. In practice this means that out of 10 000 such particles, at most three slip through. The HEPA element wears out gradually—after 10–12 months (depending on conditions) it needs replacement because it begins to impede airflow and lose efficiency.
Carbon filter: The third component, responsible for removing gaseous pollutants and odors. It is filled with activated‑carbon granules whose highly porous structure acts like a sponge adsorbing gases. Thus the filter effectively absorbs volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in homes—formaldehyde from furniture, benzene and other hydrocarbons from cigarette smoke—and neutralizes unpleasant aromas: cooking fumes, pet smells, cleaning agents.
The app
The VeSync app is simple and intuitive yet offers quite a lot. You can add and pair various devices and, of course, control them individually. What I don’t like is that after registering in the app, to use Google Assistant or Alexa you get redirected to the manufacturer’s website where you have to log in again, because the site doesn’t detect the app’s authorization.
What I do like is that the app lets you track current air quality and view historical data on a graph. You can also create schedules, control fan speed, and activate special modes like Sleep or Pet. A neat feature is light detection: when enabled, the display automatically turns off in low light, and the purifier runs more quietly in Auto so it won’t disturb you. Auto mode itself can be tweaked to your needs, as can Sleep settings, which I mentioned earlier.
The app will also remind you to clean the pre‑filter, notify you about air quality (I quickly disabled that—it spammed me with pop‑ups), and display filter‑life information. If necessary, you’ve also got the user manual at hand—though only in English.
What I don’t like
Sometimes I sense randomness in its behavior. In Auto it might run at the lowest level, then suddenly decide the air is very dirty and switch to turbojet. When I turned on a humidifier in heavy‑mist mode, the purifier is so powerful it can bend the mist stream straight into itself for filtering. The AirSight sensor then detects “dirty” air and the unit hits top speed, which isn’t needed. Notifications in the app—specifically, those about degraded air and then its cleaning—are superfluous. I value the device for unattended Auto operation; I don’t want half a dozen alerts every hour—that’s the opposite of automation.
A second downside appears if you place the unit close to a bed or desk. The Vital 100 S blows the air stream at an angle—always to its right, not straight up. The manufacturer didn’t include any directional grille or diffuser, so you can’t redirect the airflow leftward or straight to the ceiling. You have to keep this in mind when positioning the purifier so it doesn’t blow straight at your face while you sleep or at sensitive plants.
