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.
The changes this time around are fairly subtle if you're not looking that closely. The new Pocket Pro looks much like the old one, but closer inspection reveals more ergonomics and customisability. For one thing, the main outlet vent at the top of the little unit now has the ability to change its angle, giving you more control over where it vents out.
The neckband, which keeps the Pocket Pro in place at the top of your back, is also sturdier and should keep it more stable now. That's just part of why it should have around 20% better cooling performance than the last model, although in truth, that isn't the craziest leap forward ever.
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.
