First impressions: Sony’s REON POCKET PRO Plus tries arduous to repair wearable AC—and largely does

Wearable air conditioners have all the time sounded higher than they behaved in actual life, and Sony retains attempting to alter that narrative. Cool in concept, awkward in observe—that hole between promise and actuality is what the REON POCKET PRO Plus is designed to shut. Sony has stored iterating on the idea yr after yr, and this newest model feels much less like a novelty refresh and extra like a critical push towards private local weather management for on a regular basis life.

At first look, the REON POCKET PRO Plus nonetheless appears barely absurd. There’s no escaping that. You put on a cooling plate in opposition to the again of your neck whereas a small fan circulates air via the unit and vents warmth away underneath your shirt collar. The idea lands someplace between cyberpunk commuter tech and the form of machine folks purchase after surviving one brutal summer season heatwave.

Sony lastly fastened the most important downside with wearable cooling

Sony REON POCKET PRO Plus

The greatest improve right here sounds genuinely significant. Sony says the brand new thermal system and cooling algorithm ship as much as 20% higher cooling efficiency than the earlier mannequin, with floor temperatures dropping an extra 2°C in Smart Cool mode. On paper, that sounds dramatic for such a small wearable. Cooling tech lives and dies by whether or not it creates a right away bodily sensation, and Sony clearly needs this model to really feel much less like “a chilly patch on your neck” and extra like whole-body aid.

That issues as a result of earlier wearable cooling devices usually felt too localized. You’d get a chilly spot, however not essentially precise consolation. Sony now claims the REON POCKET PRO Plus cools your total physique extra successfully as an alternative of simply the higher again space. If that seems to be true, it adjustments the product from novelty territory into one thing commuters, workplace staff, vacationers, and even folks coping with scorching flashes would possibly critically contemplate.

A greater match would possibly matter greater than uncooked cooling energy

The redesigned neckband additionally sounds overdue. Sony says the brand new “Adaptive Hold Design” improves holding power by round 40%, which addresses one of the vital apparent weaknesses of wearable cooling units: motion. A cooling plate solely works if it stays pressed firmly in opposition to your pores and skin. Once gaps seem, the impact weakens quick. If this model stays locked in place whereas strolling round, that alone might make the expertise really feel much more premium.

I’m additionally weirdly fascinated by the adjustable air vent system. Previous fashions struggled with sure clothes types, particularly larger collars, as a result of the exhaust airflow had nowhere to go. The new adjustable vent design seems like Sony acknowledging that wearable devices solely succeed once they disappear into regular life. Nobody needs to revamp their wardrobe round a neck-mounted air conditioner.

The actual check is whether or not folks really feel bizarre carrying it

Of course, the REON POCKET PRO Plus nonetheless faces the identical downside each wearable gadget faces: social acceptance.

Some folks will completely love this factor. Others will have a look at it and see an costly robotic neck brace. Reading on-line reactions to the announcement has been hilarious as a result of the responses swing wildly between “the future is here” and “just buy a fan.” One commenter described the unique mannequin as sounding like a laptop computer fan at full blast, whereas one other mentioned the noise stayed quiet sufficient that individuals close by couldn’t hear it. Honestly, that query alone tells you all the pieces in regards to the product’s problem. Performance issues, however embarrassment issues too.

Could you put on this throughout a gathering? On a prepare? Under workplace garments? Without folks staring?

Sony clearly is aware of these issues exist, which explains the give attention to stability, slimmer equipment, and discreet airflow administration. The smaller REON POCKET TAG 2 environmental sensor additionally matches that course. Instead of feeling like experimental tech, Sony needs this ecosystem to really feel invisible.

Heatwaves preserve making devices like this really feel extra cheap

The value stays the toughest promote. At £199 within the UK, this nonetheless sits firmly in premium gadget territory. That’s costly for one thing many individuals will examine to a handheld fan, ice pack, or low cost neck cooler from Amazon. Some customers on-line already argue easier cooling strategies work simply as effectively.

Still, I can’t dismiss the REON POCKET PRO Plus as pointless tech. Summers preserve getting hotter, public transport retains getting extra depressing, and transportable local weather devices not really feel ridiculous in the best way they as soon as did.

2025, for instance, was the fourth warmest year in the United States. That’s the place the REON POCKET PRO Plus will get fascinating. It nonetheless appears a bit uncommon, nonetheless sits in that “do I really need this?” area, but it surely additionally seems like an early model of one thing which may make much more sense in a number of years than it does proper now.

Grigor Baklajyan is a copywriter protecting expertise at Gadget Flow. His contributions embrace product critiques, shopping for guides, how-to articles, and extra.