Sony's mad little personal air conditioner has another new version out today
The Reon Pocket Pro arrives
You have to love a personal crusade, and while I don't know for sure that Sony's entire Reon personal air conditioning lineup is the brainchild of one particularly passionate executive, it gives me that vibe. After all, we're now a few years into Sony refreshing its Reon offering on a near-annual basis, without my ever having spotted one in the wild.
That's hugely anecdotal, of course, and Sony must be selling enough Reons to justify continuing with its R&D – as evidenced by the new, revamped Reon Pocket Pro, which joins the lineup today. It's launching as the new flagship at the top of the Reon range, with a price tag of £199 or €229.
Another nice change is that the included remote is also now around 18% smaller than the last version, making it even more pocketable or stowable – attached to a keyring or lanyard, it shouldn't be an obstruction at all.
The aim here, of course, is that you can wear the Reon Pocket Pro all day to regulate your temperature in hot conditions or cold, since it can both cool and warm. Those who've tried the Reon say it's surprisingly effective, but I can't say I've ever had the privilege.
The fact remains that at £200 this is way pricier than a normal personal fan, which will likely mean it continues as a niche option rather than a mainstream one, but it's frankly quite fun to see Sony continuing to commit to an oddball device like this. Plus, of course, the climate crisis means that its utility will probably only go up over time.
