Levoit Vital 100S Review: Compact & Mighty Air Purifier

Full Review

I have confirmed several times, particularly in my latest articles where I mention Levoit air purifiers, that the Vital series is my new favorite. The Levoit Vital 100S and 200S are the best Levoit air purifiers I tested, and I’ve tested almost all of them.

The Vital 200S has earned its place in many guides on my website due to its exceptional performance, great build quality, numerous features, and affordable price. But what if I tell you that the Levoit Vital 100S is almost the same air purifier, but just smaller, with a smaller CADR and room coverage?

This compact model has become my top choice for small rooms, offices, or tables. It doesn’t take up much space, has shown great performance in tests, and has many smart features.

If I still haven’t convinced you of how great this small air purifier is, please sit comfortably and read my full, in-depth review of the Levoit Vital 100S, which includes all the test data, evaluations, and opinions.

Also, don’t hesitate to ask any questions in the comment section located at the bottom of the article.

Setup & Installation

Some air purifiers require complicated preparations before their first use, but that’s not the case with the Levoit Vital 100S. However, you must do a few steps before starting it for the first time.

First and foremost, you need to prepare the filter by opening the front cover, pulling the filter out, removing the plastic wrap around it, and then placing everything back as it was. And that’s all; your air purifier is now ready to start.

The next step is to unpack the AC adapter, attach it to the device, plug it in, and turn it on. Please remember not to block the air inlets or outlets, as doing so may damage the motor. I recommend moving the device away from walls or other objects to ensure proper airflow.

When using the device, ensure the front and rear sides are at least 15 inches (38 cm) away from walls and other objects. You can place it near a wall only if the wall faces the device’s backside.

Design

The Levoit Vital 100S is rectangular in shape, featuring a black base and white body. On the top, there is a black control panel with buttons and LED indicators arranged on it.

The build and plastic quality are excellent; everything is in its place, and you can immediately feel the high-quality plastic just by touching it.

It is available in white or black colors, but I highly prefer the white one as it adapts much more easily to almost any environment and doesn’t appear as conspicuous as the black model.

While it doesn’t have dedicated carrying slots, it features a U-shaped air inlet that is long and deep enough to insert your fingers and use it as a makeshift carrying slot, which definitely eases moving this air purifier from room to room.

Overall, this is a stylish and modern air purifier that will undoubtedly fit into almost any home.

Control Panel

The control panel is located on the top of the device and consists of controls and LED indicators. The control buttons are arranged in a line, touch-sensitive, and easy to use.

There, you can find buttons for power, sleep mode, fan speed, auto mode, display lock, timer, and display off, along with indicators for these functions as well as the filter reset indicator, Wi-Fi indicator, and an air quality indicator.

I don’t have much to say about these controls, and frankly, I can’t remember the last time I used the physical controls on this air purifier. The VeSync smart app is more than enough for the full use of the Vital 100S.

Airflow 

The Levoit Vital 100S is a rectangular air purifier with openings on the front for drawing air in and grilles on the top for the air outlet.

In general, Levoit air purifiers feature two different airflow principles, or better to say, two shapes that directly influence the airflow: cylindrical and rectangular. While I used to prefer cylindrical air purifiers, in recent years, I have developed a strong preference for rectangular ones and tend to use them more often.

Size & Dimensions

The Levoit Vital 100S is a compact and portable air purifier that can easily fit even in smaller rooms where you may not have much free space.

Its dimensions are 12.8 x 6.4 x 16.1 inches (32.5 x 16.3 x 41 cm), and it weighs 7 lbs (3.4 kg).

What’s in the box?

By purchasing this device, you will get the Levoit Vital 100S, a washable pre-filter (pre-installed), a True HEPA and activated carbon filter combo (pre-installed), a user manual, a quick start guide, and an AC power adapter.

Features Overview

Levoit always amazes me with the innovations and improvements integrated into every new air purifier they release.

The same is true for the Vital 100S model, which, despite its compact size, isn’t larger than a PC unit and is equipped with plenty of smart features that make using your air purifier straightforward.

Air Quality Sensor & Indicator

The Levoit Vital 100S features the AirSight™ Infrared Dust Sensor, which measures particles in the air in real time. Depending on the current air quality, it triggers specific actions in the device.

The air quality indicator changes color based on the current air quality data received from the sensor. For reference, use the table below, where I have described the air quality indicator colors and their connection with the current air quality.

Color	Air Quality
Blue	Very Good
Green	Good
Orange	Moderate
Red	Bad

Having an air quality sensor is definitely a feature that moves the Vital 100S to the next level and makes it one of the best options in the class. 

My only concern regarding the sensor is its accuracy, which is slightly lower than that of sensors in more expensive Levoit air purifiers, such as the Levoit Core 400S and Core 600S. These models use a laser particle sensor instead of an infrared one.

In addition to this sensor, the Vital 100S also includes a light detection sensor that measures the current light levels in your room. If the room is dark, the air purifier automatically dims all control panel indicators. If it’s in auto or pet mode, it won’t use high and turbo speeds to minimize motor noise.

Auto Mode

When I started reviewing air purifiers, the auto mode was a feature I consistently highlighted as innovative and advanced. However, in today’s era of smart devices, I believe it’s essential for every air purifier to include this functionality, at least at a basic level.

Auto mode allows an air purifier to adjust its fan speed according to the current air quality. But, it’s important to note that when in auto mode, the air purifier won’t activate the turbo fan speed.

This means that the Levoit Vital 100S air quality sensor constantly sends data to the device, which then switches the fan speed based on the current air quality. In the table below, you can see how the fan speed changes based on the current air quality. 

Color	Auto Mode Fan Speed
Blue	Sleep Mode
Green	Low
Orange	Medium
Red	High

If auto mode doesn’t work properly and doesn’t switch the speeds as it should to, it could be due to the dirty air quality sensor, so cleaning it using a cotton swab may be a great idea.

Sleep Mode

When in sleep mode, the air purifier will switch to a fan speed that is even lower than the one in low mode.

This means you will barely hear your air purifier working, making this an ideal feature if you plan to use it in a bedroom.

The sleep mode also turns off the display after 6 seconds if no other buttons are pressed.

Filter Reset Indicator

The filter reset indicator is a must-have feature. Simply, this indicator will light in red when it’s time to replace the filter.

It’s good to know that instead of using a sensor to measure the filter’s dirtiness, this system algorithmically calculates the usage of your air purifier, including the fan speed at which it has been working. Based on this data, it determines when it is time to replace the filter.

Timer

The timer is a feature that lets you set a specific time for your device to turn itself off automatically.

You can set a timer through the control panel for 2, 4, or 8 hours, after which the air purifier will automatically shut off. For more advanced settings, you can use the VeSync app to effortlessly set the timer anywhere from 1 to 24 hours.

Display Off

Pressing the display off button will turn off all the indicators and lights on the control panel, except for the filter reset indicator, but only if it’s activated (if it lights in red).

Display Lock

The display lock is a feature that allows you to lock the controls on your air purifier, preventing any settings from being accidentally changed.

Interestingly, this feature can be activated through the VeSync smart app even when the device is turned off. Once set, there is no way to deactivate it through the control panel. This provides a great way to maintain full control over your air purifier.

Warranty

Levoit offers a standard two-year warranty for all its air purifiers.

The only action required after purchasing the device is to register it on Levoit’s website. This step is necessary to activate and extend the warranty to the full two years.

Room Coverage & CADR

CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) is, alongside filtration technology, one of the most important specifications to consider when purchasing an air purifier.

The Levoit Vital 100S has a CADR of 141 CFM / 240 m³/h, indicating its suitability for rooms up to 219 sq. ft. (20 m²). It will clean the air approximately 4.8 times within an hour in the recommended room sizes.

An ACH (Air Changes per Hour) rate of 4.8 is considered an industry standard. Therefore, don’t be misled by marketing gimmicks from some brands claiming their air purifiers can cover areas 10 times larger without disclosing the real ACH information. 

While the Levoit Vital 100S can indeed cycle air once in an 1100 sq. ft. room, it’s insufficient for significantly improving air quality in such a large space. For optimal results, you would need a device capable of cleaning the air at least 4.8 times an hour in your specific room.

Filtration Technology

The Levoit Vital 100S uses three-stage filtration technology, including a pre-filter, a True HEPA filter, and an activated carbon filter.

What initially caught my attention was the filter size, which is larger than expected for such a small air purifier. To be clear, this is a huge plus. 

Levoit has also innovated with its pre-filter, which is now permanent, washable, and easy to clean. This enhancement changed the maintenance and performance of the Vital 100S to an entirely new level.

Additionally, I would like to warn you to be careful when purchasing replacement filters for your air purifier. Although the Vital 100S was recently released, a wide selection of third-party replacement filters is already available. I can’t vouch for their quality or efficiency compared to the genuine ones, which is why I generally don’t recommend getting cheaper third-party filters over the original ones.

Pre-filter

The pre-filter is the first stage of filtration on this air purifier. Levoit has upgraded its functionality by making this filtration layer washable, reusable, and still highly effective.

Although I have seen similar pre-filters on devices such as the Coway AP-1512HH and the Winix 5500-2, I must say that Levoit positively surprised me, and I really like this improvement. 

The primary function of this filter is to capture large particles such as lint, dust, fibers, hair, and pet fur. This makes it particularly ideal for pet-friendly environments, especially because it’s washable and easy to clean.

Furthermore, the pre-filter helps to protect and extend the lifespan of the True HEPA filter by trapping these large particles before they can reach the HEPA layer.

True HEPA Filter

This is the primary filtration stage of the Levoit Vital 100S air purifier. The True HEPA filter captures 99.97% of airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns in size, including dust, pollen, mold spores, allergens, and other particulates.

I highly believe the high quality of the True HEPA filter is the main reason why the Vital 100S achieved such remarkable results in performance tests.

Activated Carbon Filter

The final layer of defense is the activated carbon filter. This pellet-based carbon filter helps neutralize bad odors, smoke, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and other unpleasant smells.

It’s not the case that such a small air purifier has such an amount of carbon pellets inside, which is a big plus for Levoit. Also, I’m more often seeing carbon filters that are simple fibrous filters coated with carbon than high-quality pellet-based carbon filters, which is another confirmation of the excellent filtration technology behind the Vital 100S air purifier.

Noise Test

The Levoit Vital 100S has five different fan speeds, making it easy to adapt to almost every user’s needs. I tested its noise level at each speed using a specialized noise measurement tool that uses the dBA scale.

In sleep mode, this compact air purifier produces only 40.5 dBA, ranking it among the quietest air purifiers I tested and making it an excellent choice for bedroom use. While it remains quiet at the other speeds, it’s slightly louder at the maximum speed, where it produces 65.4 dBA.

Refer to the table below for noise production at the other speeds.

What I really like about this model is its bearable noise, which isn’t as annoying as the noise of some other air purifiers I tested. For instance, the Blueair 411, though not much louder at maximum speed, produces an odd noise at the maximum speed, which is quite unpleasant. In contrast, the noise produced by the Vital 100S at maximum speed is significantly more tolerable and not annoying at all.

Performance Tests

An air purifier is a device designed to remove or capture pollutants from the air. As such, the most crucial attribute of such a device is its efficiency, which I evaluate through performance tests.

I used this air purifier in my home for some time, evaluating its performance in the kitchen and in a living room where people smoked to form an objective opinion on its effectiveness.

In addition to these real-world tests, I conducted two controlled tests in predefined rooms, a method I’ve used to measure the performance of every air purifier I’ve reviewed.

The Levoit Vital 100S just additionally confirmed its good performance and high efficiency in these two tests, which you can find below.

194 sq. ft. Room Test

In the first test, I placed the Levoit Vital 100S in a 194 sq. ft. room, which closely matches the recommended room size.

The air purifier worked at maximum speed for 60 minutes. During this time, it improved the air quality by an impressive 95%, making it 1% more efficient than its largest competitor, the Levoit Core 300S.

320 sq. ft. Room Test

In the second test, performed in a 320 sq. ft. room, the Vital 100S again demonstrated outstanding performance. It improved the air quality by 94% in just 60 minutes while operating at maximum speed.

This result is impressive, mainly because the room size for this test significantly exceeds the recommended room size for this device, which is 219 sq. ft. (20 m²).

Operating Costs

With a motor of just 35W, the Levoit Vital 100S isn’t a heavy power consumer. It uses 30.3W at maximum speed and only 3.2W in sleep mode, which is less than a light bulb.

Putting this into a calculation, I can say that the Vital 100S isn’t a huge power consumer. If used at maximum speed 24 hours a day for one month, your electrical bill would increase by about $2.65. This cost is reasonable and comparable to other air purifiers in its class, such as the Medify MA-15 or the Levoit Core 200S.

In addition to power usage, there’s also the cost of replacement filters. Given the fact that the pre-filter is permanent and that you only need to replace the main filter once per year, we can easily conclude that this isn’t a huge cost. 

Overall, the Levoit Vital 100S is a cheap device for maintenance, characterized by low power consumption and affordable, long-lasting filters.

FAQ on Levoit Vital 100S