SwitchBot Battery Circulator Fan Review: Quiet and Portable

SwitchBot's move into fans is a logical step for a brand already well established in the connected home. The Battery Circulator Fan is neither a large tower model nor a spectacular floor-standing unit, but a compact table fan designed to move air day to day without being permanently tethered to a socket.

The model makes its case on three main arguments: an integrated battery, oscillation across two axes, and extensive connectivity. It can run on mains power or cordlessly, and be driven through its touch buttons, its remote control or the SwitchBot app. It can also be brought into the wider SwitchBot ecosystem with a hub, which unlocks voice control and automations.

SwitchBot has not forgotten simpler uses either, adding an integrated night light, a timer and a form factor that is easy to move around the house.

At 2.4 kg, with an ergonomic handle built into the rear grille, the SwitchBot Battery Circulator Fan is considerably easier to move than a large floor-standing fan. It is heavy enough not to feel like a gimmick, yet compact enough to move from a bedroom to an office, from a kitchen to a balcony, or even to take away for a weekend. The point of the battery is not having to hunt for the nearest socket every time it is set down.

Its table-fan format does impose some limits. There is no column and no height adjustment, so it will often need to sit on a table, a desk, a chest of drawers or a worktop in order to blow at a useful height. In a bedroom or a living room that is not necessarily a problem, but it makes the fan less versatile than a pedestal model when the aim is to direct air precisely at a sofa or a bed with no furniture nearby.

In compensation, its horizontal and vertical oscillation partly offsets that constraint. The fan can direct its airflow across two axes, allowing it to sweep a wider area without constant manual repositioning.

The user experience is good. The touch controls on the unit give access to the settings, while the remote saves getting up to change speed, oscillation or the timer, or to switch on the night light. The one frustration is the absence of any way to clip or store that remote on the fan itself.

The SwitchBot app is the other strong point. It is simple to get to grips with and gives access to finer adjustments, notably setting fan speed across 100 levels rather than the nine available from the remote, and controlling the unit remotely within Bluetooth range. Going further requires adding a SwitchBot hub, which is essential for voice commands and for integration with Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri Shortcuts, IFTTT or SmartThings.

The timer runs up to 9 hours in 60-minute steps, which is more than enough for a night or a working session. The integrated night light will also earn its keep in a bedroom. It does not turn the fan into a bedside lamp, but it adds a useful small function.

On maintenance, the SwitchBot remains a bladed fan. The front grille can be removed to reach the parts that need cleaning, but a cloth will have to be passed over them regularly to stop dust building up.

The first measurements set the tone: the SwitchBot Battery Circulator Fan blows strongly at short and medium range, but will not necessarily cover a large room. At 1 m, 2 m/s was recorded in normal operation and up to 2.8 m/s at full power. For a compact battery-powered model, that is a genuinely solid result.

At 2 m, the airflow is still clearly present at 1.1 m/s in normal speed and 1.7 m/s at maximum. In a bedroom, an office or a kitchen, that is enough to feel air moving quickly, especially with oscillation switched on. The unit is obviously no substitute for air conditioning and will not lower the temperature of a room, but it noticeably improves the sensation of coolness when pointed in the right direction.

Measured useful range reaches 3 m for an airflow still perceptible at 0.3 m/s. That is less than some larger models, but consistent with its format. The SwitchBot therefore looks more at home in close-range use or in a reasonably sized room than it does moving air around a large living space.

Noise is one of this model's strong points. At medium speed, 24 dB was measured, which is a very discreet level. At that setting the fan can easily accompany a night's sleep, a reading session or a day of working from home without imposing a permanent rush of air.

Even at full power the SwitchBot stays reasonable, with 45 dB recorded. The airflow inevitably becomes audible, but it does not tip over into a racket. That is contained enough for daytime use, and still acceptable occasionally in a bedroom when a rapid cool-down is wanted before dropping the speed.

It is at the intermediate speeds that it is most agreeable day to day, where it holds a good compromise between airflow and acoustic discretion. For a unit that can be placed close by, on a desk or a bedside table, that counts for as much as raw power.

Consumption is almost negligible in the recorded measurements. At low speed, the SwitchBot drew only 1.5 Wh over an hour. At full power, 3.2 Wh over an hour was recorded. Those are very low figures, measured after a full recharge of the battery.

On a basis of 8 hours a day over four months, that works out at roughly 1.44 kWh at low speed and 3.07 kWh at full power. Even used every day through the summer, then, the SwitchBot Battery Circulator Fan remains very undemanding on electricity while providing a real gain in comfort.