Summer has arrived: you’re sweating through your shirt on the train, your fringe is stuck to your forehead, and it feels like someone’s just locked you inside the sun. You could try fanning yourself with your debit card, but there are more practical solutions: portable fans.
I’m not talking about the flimsy, noisy portable fans you once bought impulsively from a guy on a city break that barely moved any air and broke in a day. Instead, you can find quiet, surprisingly powerful and multipurpose handheld and wearable fans. The best can almost rival a tower fan, and one comes surprisingly close to functioning like an air conditioner or an air cooler.
As a tech critic, I’ve spent this year’s heatwave testing the best portable fans to see which ones actually deliver the breeze you need to stay cool and sweat-free.
How we tested
I tested each fan in the blazing sun, on the Tube, and on buses with no air conditioning. I’ve also tried it while walking outside in 30C heat, and while trying to sleep through muggy nights. I also used them at home during the day to see how noisy they were on work calls and whether they actually made a difference while I was working.
As well as battery life, noise levels and how much cooling power they actually delivered, I looked at design and usability. Could they fold up to sit on a desk, clip to your neck, or fit in a bag without taking up loads of space? Ultimately, it had to feel effective outside.
Why you can trust us
Alex Lee is The Independent’s senior tech critic and has been reviewing everything to do with cooling your home down and air treatment since 2021. From the best portable air conditioners and air coolers to the best air purifiers and dehumidifiers, he’s got you covered when it comes to beating the heat.
The best portable fans of 2025 are:
- Best overall – Commem turbo fan: £7.77, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for quiet operation – John Lewis Anyday handheld fan: £12, Johnlewis.com
- Best for versatility – VonHaus handheld fan: £10.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best wearable fan – Sony reon pocket pro: £199, Sony.co.uk
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Commem turbo fan
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Best: Overall
Speed settings: 5
Weight: 200g
Battery life: Up to 20 hours
Why we love it
- Extremely powerful
- Sleek and minimalist design
Take note
- Quite noisy
If power is your priority, this turbo model is the one to beat. It’s the most powerful handheld fan I’ve tested to date, delivering such intense airflow that I’ve actually had to switch it off just to take a breather. The top speed genuinely feels like sitting in front of a small desk fan – it’s that strong.
It's also cleverly designed. There’s a near-180-degree hinge, so you can prop it up at different angles without it slipping or tipping over, and the overall look is slim and minimalist, which makes it easy to carry around or stash in a bag. While it doesn’t offer as much surface coverage as some chunkier handheld fans, the sheer force of the airflow more than makes up for it.
The battery life is generous, too. With a 10,000mAh capacity, it comfortably ran for five to six hours on the highest setting. If you’re not blasting it at full power, you’ll easily get much longer runtime by sticking to the lower speed modes. The only issue? It’s really noisy. It’s almost as loud as a hairdryer on the highest speed. If you don’t mind that, then this is the best portable fan to buy. It’s cheap, compact, and you can even attach a lanyard to loop it around your neck.
Buy now £7.77, Amazon.co.uk
John Lewis anyday fan
Best: Quiet operation
Speed settings: 3
Weight: 360g
Battery life: Up to 9 hours
Why we love it
- Quiet
- Sleek, simple design
Take note
- Not that powerful
Want something no-frills that looks pretty, is well-built and easy to use? The John Lewis ANYDAY handheld fan is a simple option that is super quiet, and while it doesn’t pack the same punch as some others on this list, it makes up for it with its near-silent performance.
There are three speeds to choose from, and there’s a built-in flip-out stand so you can use it hands-free on a desk or bedside table. That stand is very sturdy, and it has never toppled over. It’s just as easy to pop in your bag as any other portable fan. The battery life is good, too. You get around nine hours on the lowest setting, and it charges via USB.
It’s certainly not the strongest fan I tested, but it is the quietest. If you prioritise subtlety and simplicity over power, and want something no-frills that won’t distract you, this is a nice handheld fan, and it comes in lots of different colours.
Buy now £12.00, Johnlewis.com
VonHaus handheld fan
Best: For versatility
Speed settings: 5
Weight: 1.38kg
Battery life: Up to 10 hours
Why we love it
- Good amount of power
- Doubles up as a phone stand
- Not too loud
Take note
- Doesn't sit well when folded
- Lanyard is a bit fiddly to put on and use
VonHaus’s £11 fan doesn’t look like much, but it’s a decent fan. It’s small, rechargeable and actually quite powerful, with five speed settings that range from gentle breeze to face blast. While the design is simple, with one button on the front and a slim build, making it easy to chuck in a bag, it also has a lot of different use cases.
It comes with a neat little base, which turns your fan into a phone stand, handy for travelling, and you can also wear the fan around your neck using the included strap. It’s a nice touch, even if the lanyard’s a bit fiddly. One hack I found is that it sits more securely against your chest if you keep the stand clipped to the bottom, helping to stop it from bouncing about as you walk.
You can technically prop it on a desk at different angles thanks to the hinge, but it’s not the most stable. The rounded body and button placement make it tip over unless you get the angle just right. That said, battery life isn’t bad. It lasts up to 10 hours on the lowest setting. It’s not silent, especially on higher speeds, but it’s one of the quieter ones I’ve tested and gets the job done.
Buy now £10.99, Amazon.co.uk
Sony reon pocket pro
Best: Wearble fan
Speed settings : Multiple cooling levels and automatic "Smart" mode
Weight: 194g
Battery life: Up to 34 hours
Why we love it
- Super quiet
- Comfortable to wear
- Cools your upper spine down really fast
- Comes with a temperature sensor tag for automatic adjustment
Take note
- Super pricey
- Doesn't always stay glued to your neck if you move
- Battery life not good at maximum power
The Sony reon pocket pro isn’t a portable fan in the traditional sense. It’s a wearable device that sits on the back of your neck and acts a lot like air conditioning. It doesn’t blow air, and it won’t stop you from sweating, but it cools that upper spine portion of your back really fast, and somehow, that’s enough. It’s a bit like a permanent ice pack attached to your neck.
While it only cools one spot, there’s actual science behind why that works. The upper part of your spine is one of the body’s thermoregulatory hotspots, meaning a chilled neck can trick your brain into feeling cooler overall, even if you’re still sweating elsewhere.
There’s also a companion app to control it remotely, but you can also control it using the buttons on the device itself. A separate pocket tag sensor comes included. It can be clipped onto your bag or belt, feeding in ambient temperature readings to automatically adjust the cooling power as you move from place to place.
This newer model is chunkier than the last, with a larger cooling plate and much better battery life, though it does only last about five to six hours on full blast, similar to other portable fans. It is comfortable, but it’s not super discreet, and still sticks out of my T-shirt if I don’t have perfect posture (as in when I’m not sitting or standing up straight). It’s also sometimes difficult to mould it to your spine, so that it stays there when you’re moving.
It didn’t stop me from sweating in 30C heat, but if you’re on the bus or the Tube, it will cool your body down quickly and quietly, and all hands-free. But at £199, it’s not cheap. Still, I never wanted to take it off.
Buy now £199.00, Sony.co.uk
The verdict: Portable fans
If you’re after an affordable and effective fan, the Commem turbo fan is hard to beat. It’s compact, shockingly powerful and can be propped up in loads of positions. The only issue? It’s noisy as anything. The John Lewis Anyday fan feels more premium and is the quietest of the bunch, though it’s a bit heavier, and isn’t quite as powerful as others on this list.
The VonHaus fan has a nice little base to prop up your phone and has five powerful speed levels, but the rounded shape and button placement make it less stable when propped up. If you don’t like the whine of a fan, the Sony reon pocket pro cools you using thermal plates rather than air. It’s expensive and only chills one spot, but that’s often enough to take the edge off, especially in muggy weather.
Need something stronger to beat the heat? Take a look at our tests of the best fans
