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• Dyson has announced the new ultra-thin, ultra-light PencilVac
• Its new Fluffycones floorhead is designed to avoid hair tangling
• It looks like a specialist model for hard floors

I write about vacuum cleaners for a living, and while performance varies, most new models these days tend to look roughly the same.

So when news of a new addition to the Dyson vacuum lineup landed in my inbox, I expected to see something similar to its existing models: slick and high-quality, but not especially distinctive or surprising.

How wrong I was.

The newly unveiled Dyson PencilVac doesn't just have an unusual name, it's all-round one of the most unique vacuums I've seen. This brand knows what it's doing in this marketplace – it makes some of the best cordless vacuums you can buy, and today's very best Dyson vacuums include features you still can't find anywhere else.

So while the PencilVac strays a long way from the tried-and-tested formula of what works for vacuum cleaners, I'm very optimistic about its performance. Here's a rundown of the most intriguing features in this new launch...

1. It's ridiculously thin

The most immediately noticeable thing about the PencilVac is that it's incredibly streamlined. Without the floorhead, the whole thing is 1.5 inches / 3.8cm in diameter. To make that possible, the brand had to develop a tiny new motor – the Dyson Hyperdymium 140k motor is just 1.1 inches / 2.8cm wide, and hidden entirely within the handle.

The PencilVac is also impressively lightweight, clocking in at 4lbs / 1.8kg. For context, the lightest option in our best cordless vacuum roundup right now is 5.7lbs / 2.6kg, and there are a number of models that weigh over 6.6lbs / 3kg.

All the PencilVac's mechanics are shrunk down and fitted inside the handle (Image credit: Dyson)

Generally, when you shrink down a vacuum, you sacrifice power. That's why handheld vacuums tend to be much less 'sucky' than full-sized options. That holds true for the PencilVac – there's 55AW of suction, compared to 115AW for the V8 (the oldest Dyson stick vacuum in the current range) and a massive 280AW for the latest-and-greatest Gen5detect. However, while it's unlikely to be suitable for a truly deep clean, that's still a decent amount of suction for the size and weight.

As a side note, the 1.5-inch / 3.8cm diameter isn't incidental. Brand founder James Dyson says, "I have long wanted to make a vacuum of only 38mm diameter (the same as my latest hair dryer, the Supersonic r)". The Dyson Supersonic r is the pipe-shaped dryer that was originally released for professionals only, but recently joined the main consumer range.

2. There are cones instead of rollers

Moving down to the business end, and you'll find the new 'Fluffycones' floorhead. It sounds like a Pokémon, but it's actually a reimagined cleaner head. Vacuums traditionally have one brush roll, maximum two, and they're tube-shaped. The Dyson PencilVac has four brushrolls, and they're all conical.

There's logic to the tapering shape: it helps direct long hair along the roll and into the dust cup, whereas with parallel rollers the hair tends to just wrap around and stay there, until your rip it off or attack it with scissors. Dyson's hair screw tool also has a conical brush roll, and works exactly as it's meant to when it comes to tackling long hair.

Rather than one parallel brushroll, the PencilVac has four tapering rollers (Image credit: Dyson)

The cones project out at the sides so they can clean right to the edges of rooms, and the whole thing can lie flat to the ground, with a clearance of just 9.5cm / 3.75 inches off the floor.

I'm interested in Dyson's description of the rollers as 'fluffy', because in the brand's vocabulary that usually indicates a soft roller for use on hard floors only. In fact, the more I look at this vacuum, the more I'm convinced it's a specialist model just for use on hard floor. It's not specified in the press material I have so far, but it would make sense with the lower suction and smaller dust capacity.

3. There's no visible dust cup

One of the most baffling things about the PencilVac is that it doesn't appear to have a dust cup. Of course, there is one – like the motor, it's hidden away inside the handle.

The capacity is next-to-nothing: just 0.08L. However, Dyson has introduced a dust compression system, which uses air to squish down the particles so they take up as little room as possible. Dyson claims that means it can hold five times the physical volume.

The dust cup is also hidden within the handle (Image credit: Dyson)

The emptying process has also been reimagined, with a push-lever system replaced by an exciting-sounding "syringe, no-touch bin ejection mechanism".

As it pushes out dust and debris, the mechanism simultaneously wipes the 'shroud'. I'm not totally clear what the 'shroud' is in this context, but I do know that keeping the internal mechanisms clean is key to efficient vacuum performance, so this seems like a good thing.

4. The floorhead glows and appears to float

As well as siphoning off hair as you clean, the floorhead cones have another trick up their sleeve. The cones rotate in opposite directions, the aim being that this vacuum cleans just as well when it's pushed forward as when it's pulled back. This is a bit of a weak spot on the regular Fluffy floorhead – it has no trouble sucking things up when moving forwards, but pull it back and debris will pool behind it.

I'm intrigued to see how this new approach works in practice – especially because Dyson describes it as "floating" across the floor. I wonder, too, if it might make this vacuum reversible altogether, given the fact that the handle section looks very symmetrical.

(Image credit: Dyson)

Dyson has also added "laser-like" illumination to both the front and back of the floorhead. This is another feature borrowed from the exsiting Fluffy floorhead, and helps create big shadows on the tiniest bits of dust, which otherwise might go missed. It only works on hard floors, which is another indication this vac is likely not for carpet.

5. There's a tool that looks like a chimney brush

There's an intriguing addition to the tool lineup in the form of a 'Rotating combi-crevice tool', designed for cleaning in awkward gaps. This seems especially geared towards cleaning high-up, where it can be tricky to get your angles correct. It makes particular sense for an ultra-light vacuum like this one, which is far easier to lift above your head than your average stick vacuum.

As an aside, it looks like the PencilVac is button- rather than trigger-operated. That's dictated by the streamlined shape, but it's also great news for maneuverability and easy of use – the fact that many Dyson vacs still use a trigger to turn on is a perpetual bugbear of mine.

You'll also get a Conical hair screw tool, similar to the one included with the newest Dyson stick vacuums, for tackling long hair on furniture. Both can be stored on the magnetic charging dock.

The Rotating combi-crevice tool looks perfect for cleaning up high (Image credit: Dyson )6. It's app-connected

I'm much less excited about this feature, but it feel like I should point out that this is the first Dyson cordless vacuum to connect to the MyDyson app. The app will provide more information about battery life and also report on filter status. However, there's also a screen on the vacuum itself showing remaining battery, so I'm hoping the app connection is an optional extra rather than an essential.

There's a companion app, but key information is also shown on the vac's screen (Image credit: Dyson)Price & availability

The PencilVac will arrive in Australia first, with launch scheduled for August 2025. It's due to go on sale in the UK sometime in 2026, and I'm awaiting info as to if/when it will come to the US. As of yet I don't have any pricing info at all – I'll update this article with more details when I have them.

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Google has rolled out a new AI-powered shopping feature to help you figure out what the clothes you are interested in buying might look like when you wear them. It's dubbed "try it on" and it's available right now in the US through Google Search Labs.

To get started, you just need to switch it on in the lab. Then, you upload a full-length photo of yourself and start looking for clothes in the Google Shopping tab.

When you click on an image of some outfit from the search results, you'll see a little "try it on" button in the middle of the enlarged version of the outfit in the right-hand panel. One click and about ten seconds later, you'll see yourself wearing the outfit. It may not always be a perfect illusion, but you'll at least get a sense of what it would look like on you.

Google claims the whole thing runs on a model trained to see the relationship between your body and clothing. The AI can, therefore, realistically drape, stretch, and bunch material across a variety of body types.

The feature doesn't work with every piece of clothing you might see, or even every type of outfit. The clothing retailer has to opt into the program, and Google said it only works for shirts, pants, dresses, and skirts.

I did notice that costumes and swimwear both had no usable images, but I could put shorts on myself, and costumes that looked enough like regular clothes were usable. The AI also didn't seem to have an issue with jackets and coats as categories.

Elvis looks

(Image credit: Photo/Google AI)

For instance, on Google Shopping, I found replicas of the outfits Elvis wore for his 1966 comeback and one of his jumpsuits from the 1970s. With a couple of clicks, I could imagine myself dressed as the King in different eras.

It even changed my shoes in the all-black suit. I'd always wondered if I could pull off either look. The images are shareable, and you can save or send them to others from the Google mobile app and see how much of an Elvis your friends think you are.

Super summer

(Image credit: Photo/Google AI)

The details that the AI changes to make the photos work are impressive. I used the AI to try on a fun summer look and the closest to a superhero costume I could try. The original photo is me in a suit and jacket with a bowtie and black dress shoes. But the shoes and socks on both AI-generated images not only match what was in the search result, but they're shaped to my stance and size.

Plus, despite wearing long sleeves and pants, the AI found a way to show some of my arms and legs. The color matches reality, but its imperfections are noticeable to me. My legs look too skinny in both, like the AI thinks I skipped leg day, and my legs in the shorts have not been that hairless since I turned 13.

Imperfections aside, it does feel like this will be a major part of the next era of e-commerce. The awkward guessing of whether a color or cut works for your skin tone and build might be easier to resolve.

I wouldn't say it can make up for trying them on in real life, especially when it comes to sizing and comfort, but as a digital version of holding an outfit up against you while you look in a mirror, it's pretty good.

Ending unnecessary returns

(Image credit: Photo/Google AI)

Uncanny as some of the resulting images are, I think this will be a popular feature for Google Shopping. I'd expect it to be heavily imitated by rivals in AI development and online retail, where it isn't already.

I particularly like how the AI lets you see how you'd look in more outlandish or bold looks you might hesitate to try on at a store. For example, the paisley jacket and striped pants on the left or the swallowtail jacket and waistcoat with Victorian trousers on the right. I'd hesitate to order either look and would almost certainly plan on returning one or both of them even before they arrive.

Returns are a plague on online retailers and waste tons of packaging and other resources. But if Google shows us how we’d look in clothes before we buy them, it could chip away at return rates; retailers will race to sign up for the program.

It could also open the door to more personalized style advice from AI. You could soon have an AI personal dresser, ready to give you a virtual fit check and suggest your next look, even if it isn't something Elvis would have worn.

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