Reviews You Can Rely On

Blueair Blue Pure 311 Auto Review

An easy to use, high performance, mid-sized purifier that has an air-quality sensor and automatic air cleaning feature
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Blueair Blue Pure 311 Auto Review
Credit: Blueair
Price:  $250 List
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Manufacturer:   Blueair
By Nick Miley and Genaveve Bradshaw  ⋅  Jun 16, 2022
76
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Air Cleaning Performance - 40% 7.9
  • Noise - 25% 7.7
  • Ease of Use - 25% 8.1
  • Operating Cost - 10% 5.0

Our Verdict

The Blueair Blue Pure 311 Auto is an incredibly easy-to-use, conveniently sized cylindrical purifier that will fit nearly any room's decor. The unit boasts a simplistic user interface supported by an air-quality sensor that informs the automatic operation system, as well as the user, of air quality. The unit is reasonably quiet, easy to move from room to room, and consumes very little power. All in all, this tidy device will satisfy most users despite its moderately expensive operating cost. But, if you're looking for something that has a much better operating cost without sacrificing air cleaning performance, we suggest looking at other models in our review.
REASONS TO BUY
Minimalistic design
Air quality sensor
Auto on/off setting
REASONS TO AVOID
Higher operating cost
No handles or timed settings
Blueair discontinued the Blue Pure 311 Auto as of 2023.

Our Analysis and Test Results

Performance Comparison


blueair blue pure 311 auto - the 311 is an easy to use, reasonably well-performing product that...
The 311 is an easy to use, reasonably well-performing product that looks sharp, too.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Air Cleaning Performance


The air cleaning performance analysis is the most important aspect of our air purifier review. While the testing is not complicated, it is demanding and reveals which purifier one would want working to clean the air in their home or place of work. The Blueair Blue Pure 311 Auto is one such device as it removes nearly 100% of the particulate matter from the air in our smoky room test. However, it struggles with the much more difficult task of removing the smoky odor from the room despite having a carbon layer in its filtering system.


Noise


While removing irritating and harmful particulates from the air is the most important function a purifier serves, the juice isn't worth the squeeze if the motor and fan make a racket. Fortunately, the 311 is a relatively quiet device. It produces just 56 decibels of sound at 6 feet when put on its highest setting. The high setting also has a noticeable whirring noise, but the whir isn't high-pitched and thus largely goes unnoticed. As the speed decreases, decibels and whirring decrease until the low/sleep setting is reached, and the 311 becomes virtually silent.


While not part of our assessment, we thought it worth mentioning that the lights on the unit dim at the lowest setting, further helping improve the sleep environment.

blueair blue pure 311 auto - the blueair blue pure 311 auto undergoing a noise test. we liked its...
The Blueair Blue Pure 311 Auto undergoing a noise test. We liked its sleep mode that was virtually silent with dimmed lights.
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw

Ease of Use


Most of us purchase an appliance like a purifier because it will improve our lives in some way — in this case, it will improve the quality of the air we breathe. So, we don't want to introduce new complications to replace the ones the product purchased solved. As such, we test the products in our review for their ease of use.


Happily, the 311 is a streamlined user interface that makes operating it a breeze. Perhaps our favorite feature is its eponymous auto setting that uses an air quality sensor to turn on/off the unit, thus maintaining the perfect air with zero input from the user/beneficiary. The unit is reasonably light and compact, too, earning it a good portability performance despite its lack of carrying handles.

blueair blue pure 311 auto - the single button interface makes this one of the simplest units in...
The single button interface makes this one of the simplest units in the class to operate. Light bars let the user know what setting they are on and the air quality sensor allows one to set the purifier on auto.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Operating Cost


The operating cost metric is key to understanding what these devices will actually cost at the end of the year as opposed to the sticker. This is not a very complex assessment; it simply requires the cost of the replacement filter, the recommended replacement interval, the operation time, and the national average cost per kilowatt-hour plus the cost of the unit itself. Thus, the annual cost of operating this device is approximately $132.99, assuming the product lifespan is five years.


While the power consumption of the Blueair Blue Pure 311 Auto isn't particularly high, the cost of the filters is, and, given the parameters we have laid out, the manufacturer recommends a filter replacement every six months.

blueair blue pure 311 auto - the power consumption of the 311 isn't high, however the cost of the...
The power consumption of the 311 isn't high, however the cost of the filter brings up the over all operating cost.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Value


Value is often in the eye of the beholder. However, in the case of the Blueair Blue Pure 311 Auto, its value is decreased compared to other products that performed better and cost less. The one caveat is that we really like the automatic on/off feature controlled by the air quality sensor as it removes the human from the equation and ensures maximum benefit. If you like this feature, too, it will likely outweigh the higher cost.

Conclusion


The Blueair Blue Pure 311 Auto is a high-quality, high-performance device that looks good to boot. The unit's namesake auto function is a highlight as it ensures that air quality will be at its finest without a thought on the user's part while keeping energy consumption to a minimum. All told, this is a great choice of small-to-medium-sized spaces.

Nick Miley and Genaveve Bradshaw