I got my hands on Dyson’s latest-announced cordless vacuum cleaner, the PencilVac, for a whirl around Dyson HQ.
Here are three reasons why it’s unique in Dyson’s portfolio, plus everything we know about its price and release date.
1. It’s the lightest vacuum cleaner I’ve tried
Dyson vacuums can be a pain in the arm. I loved the current flagship model, the Gen5detect, and gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars when I reviewed it. But at 3.5kg, it can be a bit of a drag after a few minutes of use.
Not so the PencilVac. It’s incredibly light in the hand. In fact, it feels like using a plastic mop. At a weight of 1.8kg, which is about the same as a small laptop, it will be Dyson’s lightest cordless vacuum. And it’s slender as well. The PencilVac’s wand – which includes an in-line dustbin – has a diameter of just 38mm.
Dyson was able to make what must be the world’s slimmest and lightest full-size vacuum thanks to its innovative and absolutely tiny 28mm digital Hyperdymium motor.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
But this quest for slimness has a potential downside. The vacuum has a two-stage filtration process to ensure it can retain its suction as the dustbin fills, and it compacts the dust and dirt as it goes. This means you won’t need to empty it as often as its limited 0.08-litre bin would suggest. But it’ll still be a very regular occurrence.
The dustbin also has a clever ejection mechanism to minimise the likelihood of the user needing to poke around in the bin with a chopstick to unclog it. Still, as the vacuum body is so narrow, it does feel as though jams are inevitable, especially if you have a lot of pet hair in your home. And, although Dyson recommends the PencilVac for use as a kitchen vacuum cleaner, it wouldn’t be suitable for vacuuming up a large amount of spilled rice, for example.
2. It can clean in any direction
A vacuum can trap you in a motion of sawing back and forth, which can mean lifting it and plonking it down again to get into small gaps. Not so the PencilVac, which can move and clean in any direction. When I tested it, I found that it genuinely glided across the floor. It can also lie completely flat to get under furniture. Dyson’s earlier release, the Omni-Glide, also had this functionality, but it’s difficult to get hold of now.
On the base of the cleaning head are four spinning casters, which allow it to slide sideways and twirl around table legs. At the front and back of the cleaning head are four fluffy conical rollers (Fluffycones, in Dyson terminology), fixed on two roller bars which rotate in opposite directions. These let it clean on both the back and forward stroke. The conical shape of the Fluffycones mean that long hair is whisked away from the rollers, rather than wrapping around it.
Dyson
But this design does mean that the PencilVac is largely for hard floors only, although it comes with high-quality accessories for cleaning upholstery and shelves, blinds and skirting. Not only will you get the hair screw tool, which is brilliant for giving sofas, chairs and mattresses a proper clean, but a really effective, redesigned soft combi brush.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
But it won’t be your one and only vacuum, unless your home is almost entirely rug- and carpet-free. And if you have pets, the casters will get gummed up with fur that you’ll need to cut away; that’s something I discovered when testing the Omni-Glide, which featured similar casters.
3. It’s Dyson’s first connected vacuum
This isn’t as strong a selling point, but the fact remains that the PencilVac will be Dyson’s first smart vacuum, connecting to the excellent MyDyson app. While the LCD screen on the PencilVac’s wand will show you the remaining battery life (in minutes) and the mode you’re in, you can head to the app for more information on maintenance, filter life and troubleshooting.
Smart features on devices such as this are often unnecessary add-ons, which means users will drop or forget about them once they’ve owned the product for a while. Either that or they contain functionality that’s been shunted away from on-device controls, which means it’s a bit more hassle to access those settings.
In this case, it seems to be the latter – a measure Dyson has used to keep the PencilVac as simple and slim as possible.
My thoughts on the PencilVac
The PencilVac is a pleasure to use. It makes vacuuming much easier, simple as that. If you procrastinate where vacuuming is concerned because dragging out a heavy vacuum and shifting furniture around is a job in itself, the PencilVac will help you get around those problems – by swiftly getting around your furniture.
For a quick-grab cordless for light vacuuming, it’s pretty much ideal. But bear in mind that it’s largely limited to hard flooring, it’s not suitable for vacuuming up big spills, and, in spite of its anti-hair wrap technology, it will struggle with a lot of pet hair.
When will be PencilVac be available to buy?
The PencilVac is already available to buy in Japan. It will be available in other countries, including the UK and the US, in 2026.
What will the PencilVac cost?
Dyson has not yet announced UK or US pricing for the PencilVac. According to New Atlas, it’s priced at ¥84,920, which works out at approximately £425/$572. This is a pricey buy for what will amount to a second vacuum for most people. But if you have a compact city flat, it could be the perfect cleaner for you.
To see how the PencilVac compares to Dyson’s other models, have a look at our round-up of the best Dyson cordless cleaners.