If you’ve decided you need an air purifier and researched the units available, you’re most likely to have come across the Levoit brand. Levoit changed the game when they started engineering units in 2017 and have grown to be one of the most popular air purifier manufacturers on the planet.
The 300S is an upgrade on Levoit’s hugely successful 300 to fit in with their Core S (Smart) range. That means that the Core 300S comes with a built-in sensor that monitors the air quality in your home in real-time, making it possible for the air purifier to come on automatically when needed. You can see air quality levels in your room on the screen, or you can access the data on your phone through Levoit’s VeSync app.
But it begs the question, is it worth paying the extra $50 for the Core 300S over the 300?
To find out, we bought the Levoit Core 300S with our own money and put it through its paces to assess its air cleaning performance, sound levels at each fan speed, energy consumption, day-to-day usability and long-term maintenance costs.
With all this data, I will be able to compare the Levoit Core 300S to the more than 90 air purifiers we have tested to date. The result? A comprehensive review to help you decide if this is the right device for you.
The lowdown on the Levoit Core 300S


If you don’t have time to read the full review, check out what I liked and what I think Levoit could have done better for the 300S.
What we really like
What we think could be better
HouseFresh rating: | ★★★★☆ |
Time to clean our 728 cubic feet test room (with the device running at top speed): | 45 minutes |
Air purifier technology: | 3-Stage Filtration (pre-filter, main particle filter, high-efficiency activated carbon filter) |
Recommended room size (4.8 air changes per hour): | 219 sq. ft. |
Clean air delivery rate (CADR): | Dust: 134 CFM Smoke: 126 CFM Pollen: 154 CFM |
Dimensions (in inches / in cm): | 8.7L x 8.7W x 14.2H inches (22L x 22W x 36H cm) |
Weight (in pounds / in kg): | 5.95 lbs (2.7 kg) |
Filter life: | 6 – 8 months |
Noise level in decibels (measured from 3 ft. away with a sound level meter): | Speed 1: 38.9 dB Speed 2: 45.7 dB Speed 3: 54.5 dB |
Electricity consumption in watts (recorded with an electricity usage monitor): | Standby mode: 1.7 watts Speed 1: 5.9 watts Speed 2: 9.8 watts Speed 3: 21.8 watts |
Estimated running cost (electricity consumption + official filter replacement): | $79.43 per year |
Cost per CADR cfm (based on dust CFM as reported by AHAM): | $1.12 |
Manufacturer’s warranty: | 2 years |
Country of manufacture: | China |
Basic design, intuitive functionality
Levoit has engineered the Core 300S to be extremely user-friendly without compromising on design.

Levoit isn’t known for edgy designs, but that doesn’t mean the 300S looks bad. Its white, cylindrical body is compact, light and easy to move between rooms. It doesn’t take up much floor space and could also fit on a tabletop, desk or kitchen side.

The 300S sits firmly in the “mid-size” category when you put it next to some of the other Levoit units we’ve tested. You can see in the image below how it compares to bigger Levoit devices such as the popular Vital 200S (left), the Core 600S (middle) and the EverestAir (right).

When comparing the 300S side-by-side with the 300, you will see that they look pretty much identical. The only visible differences can be found when looking at the control panel on top and when comparing the back of each devices.

On the back of the Core 300S, you will find Levoit’s AirSight™ Plus air quality sensor. This feature scans the surroundings, detecting how many pollutants are in the air, in real time. You need to keep the air quality sensor unobstructed and free of dust for it to do its job effectively.

The 300S uses this air quality data to determine the most suitable fan speed when running in auto-mode, and it also stores it in the VeSync smartphone app.
But you won’t need to be looking at your phone all the time to find out how good the air quality is in your room because the 300S displays this information on the control panel on top of the device in the form of an LED color-coded ring around the power button:

This brings me to the controls of the Core 300S and I’ve got to say, they are intuitive and easy-to-use at a glance, which is something I’ve come to expect from Levoit at this point.
There are minimal button descriptions, but the icons used are pretty self-explanatory. Here are which functions each button controls:
Power | Press once to turn the power on/off. Press and hold to configure the air purifier and connect to the VeSync app. |
Auto Mode | When engaged, this allows the 300S to automatically adjust its fan speed to neutralize the amount of pollutants in the air (perfect for when my cat farts). |
Display Lights | You can turn off the display lights if you don’t want them distracting you. Ideal for when I’m using auto mode at night. |
Display Lock | Pressing the button once locks the display so no settings can be altered. Press and hold for 3 seconds to unlock. Perfect if you have curious kids and/or pets. |
Timer | You can set a timer to turn off your 300S for anything from 1-24 hours. |
Night Mode/Filter Reset | Pressing the night mode button reduces the fan to its lowest speed and turns off the display lights for undisturbed sleep. To reset the filter indicator light, press and hold for 3 seconds. |
Fan Speed | Cycle through three of the unit’s fan speeds. |
There are a few more lights you will come across, all packed onto the control panel. On top are the fan speed indicators and the Wi-Fi signal to show that the unit is connected to your app. Below is the filter indicator light, which prompts you to replace the filter with a new one and an LED display to show the timer.
The smartphone app
As I mentioned briefly in the introduction, Levoit models in the ‘S’ (Smart) range include the ability to connect to their VeSync smartphone app. This allows you to have complete control of your 300S and the capacity to monitor the quality of the air in your home from anywhere in the world.
Connecting your device is a straightforward task and doesn’t take long. All you need is to have the app downloaded, have a good wifi connection and be next to your air purifier. You can even connect multiple units to control and monitor the air quality in each room.

The app itself is very intuitive and easy to navigate. The air quality is displayed on the screen with buttons to control fan speeds, engage Auto or Sleep modes, and set a timer or schedule when you want the air purifier to power on and off.

If you have smart home devices at home already, you will be pleased to learn that you can connect the VeSync app to your Alexa or Google Home device in order to enable voice commands.

Here’s what happened when I subjected my 300S to a burst of airborne pollutants at close range.
3-stage air filtration with activated carbon
Years after its release, Levoit was forced to remove all mentions of HEPA filtration from their marketing.
Levoit prides itself on the quality of its filters, and so it should, as we’ve never had any issues with them and found them to be extremely effective at removing harmful particles from the air. But a certain disruption has meant Levoit has had to make a few changes to their marketing materials.
Before I get into all that, let’s talk about the filter itself.

Inside the Core 300S, you’ll find Levoit’s trademark 3-stage filtration system:
- Pre Filter – This is the first line of defense by trapping larger particles like dust and dander from the air by capturing them in its fabric material. By removing these contaminants here, it prolongs the life of the main filter.
The pre-filter is the exterior layer of the Levoit Core 300S, so larger particles (such as pet hair and fluff) will get stuck to it. In order to extend the life of the other layers of the filter, you will need to vacuum the pre-filter regularly:

- ARC Formula™ Activated Carbon Filter – This is made up of lots of small pieces of activated carbon that remove VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and odors from the air using a process called adsorption. When these harmful pollutants hit the activated carbon they become stuck to it, unable to pass through.
- Main Filter – This is where the magic happens. The main filter comprises of a tightly woven maze of fibers that trap microscopic particles (I always think of a fly trapped in a spider’s web), removing them from the air.
On August 15, 2023, Dyson contacted the National Advertising Division, stating that the branding of Levoit’s filters was misleading by classifying them as HEPA.
In response to this challenge, VeSync (Levoit’s parent company) “asserted its belief in the efficiency of its products” and promised to update its testing data. Months later, Levoit instead opted for removing all traces of the word HEPA from its branding, packaging and promotional material.
So, does this mean that Levoit particle filters are inherently bad? Not really.
HEPA is an efficiency standard for air filters, but that doesn’t mean that only filters certified as HEPA are good. For example, we have seen excellent air cleaning results with air purifiers like the CleanAirKits Luggable XL-7, which uses MERV 13 filters instead of HEPA.
As I mentioned, you can check the remaining lifespan of your filter in the VeSync app but don’t worry if you don’t have access to that, as a red warning light will appear on your control panel when the filter needs to be replaced.
When the time comes, it’s extremely simple to replace the filter:
- Unplug your Core 300S
- Turn the unit upside down and twist off the cap anti-clockwise
- Pull out the filter and replace it with the new one
- Twist the cap back on clockwise
Check out the process in my instructional video.
Levoit filters will arrive wrapped in plastic packaging, so it’s paramount that you remove all of this before inserting the new filter into your 300S. If you don’t, the filter simply won’t work, and you’ll probably start to notice an unpleasant burning smell coming from your air purifier.
The Levoit Core 300S cleared our 728-cubic-feet test room in 45 minutes
This is two minutes slower than the Philips 800 Series but six minutes faster than the PuroAir 240.

We test all the air purifiers in the same rooms following the same process to assess the performance of each unit individually, as well as to make it possible to compare the data against other air purifiers we review. In this section of the article, I will take you through our tests.
Particle removal test
For our particle removal test, we lit an incense stick to fill our 728-cubic-feet test room with simulated contaminants. We then turned on the Core 300S at its highest fan speed and used our PurpleAir Zen particle counter to monitor how long it took for the 300S to clear all PM1 pollutants from the air.
Here are the results:
The 300S cleared our room of contaminants in 45 minutes, making it fifteen minutes faster than the original Core 300 (54 minutes).
The Core 300S is a small air purifier, so I wasn’t expecting results to match units like the Levoit EverestAir (16 minutes) or the Blast Mini from Smart Air (15 minutes).
Considering its size, the 300S offers good air cleaning performance but there are other small air purifiers available today that proved to be more effective and that offer better value for your money like the Winix A231 (40 minutes) or the Philips 800 Series (43 minutes).
AIR PURIFIER MODEL | TIME TO CLEAN OUR TEST ROOM | LIST PRICE |
---|---|---|
AirFanta 3Pro | 17 minutes | $159.99 |
Levoit Vital 200S | 23 minutes | $189.99 |
Coway Airmega AP-1512HH (with ionizer) | 26 minutes | $229.99 |
IKEA STARKVIND | 32 minutes | $199.99 |
Levoit Vital 100S | 37 minutes | $139.99 |
Winix A231 (with ionizer) | 40 minutes | $99.99 |
Philips 800 Series | 43 minutes | $139.99 |
Levoit Core 300S | 45 minutes | $149.99 |
PuroAir 240 | 51 minutes | $199.00 |
Molekule Air Mini+ | 61 minutes | $359.99 |
Noise levels test
All air purifiers make noise; whether it be the fan spinning or the motor running it, the sound is unavoidable. The issue is that if your air purifier is too loud, the likelihood is that someone will switch it off eventually as nobody wants to have a noisy fan running while doing deep work or watching a movie.
That is why we used a sound level monitor to record how much noise the Core 300S generates at each fan speed:
- Speed 1: 38.9 dBA
- Speed 2: 45.7 dBA
- Speed 3: 54.5 dBA
When comparing the performance you get when running at top speed with the noise generated (54.5 dB), the Core 300S doesn’t particularly stand out as neither quiet nor noisy:
AIR PURIFIER MODEL | SOUND LEVEL AT TOP SPEED (dBA) | TIME TO REACH PM1 ZERO AT TOP SPEED |
---|---|---|
Levoit Core 300 | 50.2 dB(A) | 54 minutes |
Philips 800 Series | 51.3 dB(A) | 43 minutes |
Levoit Vital 100S | 53.8 dB(A) | 37 minutes |
Levoit Core 300S | 54.5 dB(A) | 45 minutes |
IKEA STARKVIND | 57.4 dB(A) | 32 minutes |
Winix A231 (Zero Compact) | 57.9 dB(A) | 40 minutes |
Molekule Air Mini+ | 67.4 dB(A) | 61 minutes |
When you compare it to other small air purifiers, you’ll see that the 300S is on par. As you can see in the table above, the Winix A231 is louder than the 300S so if you were considering going with the A231 based on our particle removal test, then this is something to keep in mind.
Noise is subjective, so we video each unit we test to give you a good idea of how much sound it makes. Here’s the noise the 300S makes at each fan speed.
The cost to run a Core 300S: $79.43 per year
1. Electricity costs = $24.44 per year
Air purifiers need electricity to run, so the amount of energy it uses should be high on your list of considerations when looking to buy one. As the cost of energy continues to rise, finding an energy-efficient air purifier is more important than ever, especially as it’s recommended you run your unit 24 hours a day.
The Core 300S is more energy-efficient than its predecessor, pulling 21.8 watts at its highest fan speed. Assuming you would run your 300S all day, every day at its top speed, this will add $24.44 to your annual electricity bill. Unless you’re living in a consistently highly polluted area, you won’t need to have it at this level all the time, so the cost will most likely be lower.
When we compare the energy consumption of the Core 300S to other similarly sized (and priced) air purifiers, you will find that the 300S is a lot more energy-efficient than most:
AIR PURIFIER MODEL | ENERGY CONSUMPTION AT TOP SPEED (watts) | TIME TO REACH PM1 ZERO AT TOP SPEED |
---|---|---|
Philips 800 Series | 20.0 watts | 43 minutes |
Levoit Core 300S | 21.8 watts | 45 minutes |
Levoit Vital 100S | 27.3 watts | 37 minutes |
Levoit Core 300 | 35.5 watts | 54 minutes |
PuroAir 240 | 36.2 watts | 51 minutes |
IKEA STARKVIND | 38.4 watts | 32 minutes |
Molekule Air Mini+ | 39.7 watts | 61 minutes |
Winix A231 (Zero Compact) | 45.6 watts | 40 minutes |
2. Filter costs = $54.99 per year
As filters trap particles from the air, they become full over time because those particles have nowhere to go. Most air purifiers use filters that need replacing when full, so it’s important to factor the cost of replacing them into your budget.
Genuine Levoit filter replacements cost around $25.99 for the original and $35.99 for the higher-spec filters (which we highly recommend over the original filter). As each filter lasts from 6-8 months (depending on usage), you should budget for two a year ($54.99):
When combining energy consumption costs with filter replacement prices, we found that the Core 300S has some of the cheapest yearly running costs, second only to what we calculated when reviewing the Philips 800 Series:
AIR PURIFIER MODEL | ESTIMATED ELECTRICITY COST (per year) | FILTER REPLACEMENT COST (per year) | YEARLY MAINTENANCE COST |
---|---|---|---|
Philips 800 Series | $22.22 | $29.99 | $52.21 |
Levoit Core 300S | $24.44 | $54.99 | $79.43 |
IKEA STARKVIND | $42.65 | $40.00 | $82.65 |
Levoit Vital 100S | $30.32 | $53.28 | $83.60 |
Winix A231 | $50.65 | $49.99 | $100.64 |
PuroAir 240 | $40.21 | $75.00 | $115.21 |
Molekule Air Mini+ | $44.10 | $199.98 | $244.08 |
We tested the Pureburg generic filters that you can buy for $24 for two filters and found they slowed air cleaning performance a little but did use pelleted activated carbon like the genuine Levoit filters – a good alternative if you want to lower long-term costs a little:
Bottom Line: Is the Levoit Core 300S worth it?
The Core 300S is a worthwhile upgrade on the Core 300 and a good choise for a small bedroom, dorm or home office.
The Levoit Core 300S is small, smart and highly efficient at removing harmful pollutants from your home. Most importantly, it is affordable.
But is it dated?

What was once one of the most affordable air purifiers on the market has been overtaken by one of the best air purifiers we tested in 2024: the AirFanta 3Pro. This model is part of a new generation of air purifiers powered by PC fans and designed to be built at home. So if the idea of a super silent but powerful small air purifier tickles your fancy, then check out our review of this awesome new device taking the air purification world by storm right now.
If you like the look of the Core 300S but have some more budget to play with or a large room to clean, then I recommend sizing up and going with the 400S instead. If you want to check out other newer models from Levoit, I suggest you take a look at the Vital 100S, which is priced in the same bracket as the 300S but outperformed it.
Now, if you want something about the same size as the Core 300S with a cylindrical size and HEPA filtration, then you should check out the Winix A230/Zero Compact and the Philips 800 Series.
I still recommend the Core 300S to people with a small budget who want a reliable unit with smart functionalities and app support, but the market has changed, and there are other pretty great air purifiers available today that offer better value.
SOURCES
We calculated the yearly costs associated with running the Levoit Core 300S for 24 hours a day, 365 days per year, using the Appliance Energy Calculator from the U.S. Department of Energy as of December 2024.