Has there ever been a tech brand more forward-thinking than Dyson?

Every time I've ever heard from a Dyson engineer - or even Sir James himself - I've always been impressed by their commitment to creating problem-solving devices. The Dyson philosophy seems to be completely unafraid to start again from scratch, even when creating the next generation of an existing device.

With the launch of the original Supersonic hairdryer in 2016, Dyson sent shockwaves through the hairdressing world. By applying lessons learned from decades of vacuum cleaner innovation, Dyson introduced us to an entirely different sort of hairdryer. Not only did it look crazy, it set a new standard. It was lighter, more compact and it dried hair fast.

So obviously, back in the lab, the Dyson crew immediately started asking themselves, "Can we make this even lighter, even smaller and even faster?"

In many ways, the Dyson Supersonic r isn't much to look at. It's essentially a tube with a bend in it. This is a typical example of Dyson's performance-first, aesthetics-second design approach. Which is not to say it doesn't look cool; my review unit is Ceramic Pink and Rose Gold or you can opt for the Jasper Plum model (essentially, two-tone purple).

I can't stress enough how small and light this device is - that's the first thing any of my test subjects tell me when they pick it up and start using it. The Supersonic r has a very long power cable - 6 feet (1.8 metres) - which gives you plenty of room to move. There's a Professional model which has an even longer lead but either way, the plug on the end is truly gigantic. I can only hypothesise Dyson has moved some of the bits you'd normally find inside the dryer itself down to the power plug instead. This would explain why it's so big and why the cord is so thick.

Conversely, the controls are minimalist in the extreme - a power button, a tiny fan-speed rocker and an equally small temperature rocker about where your thumb rests on the back, with a cooling button under your index finger on the front. This Cold Shot trigger allows you to set your style in place by deactivating the heating element and blowing only cool air while pressed.

There are five different styling attachments included in the box; Powerful Air, Gentle Air, Smoothing Nozzle, Professional Concentrator and Flyaway Attachment. Some of these are self-explanatory, some less so.

For example, if you're prone to frizzy hair, chances are you'd like it to un-frizz sometimes. That's where the Smoothing Nozzle comes in.

I've featured the Flyaway Attachment before - this is where Dyson utilises a law of fluid dynamics known as the Coanda effect to bend stray, sticky-up hairs back into line with the rest. Quite a useful physics experiment.

Meanwhile, the Professional Concentrator is a bit like a hair-drying version of a water-blaster, focussing the air precisely where you want it.

If this all sounds a bit overwhelming, Dyson has a library of styling guides online - short videos showing you how to use which combination of attachments to achieve anything from Curtain Bangs or Soft C-Curls to a 90s Supermodel Blowout. This can be facilitated even further with the application of Dyson's "Chitosan" pre-style cream - some kind of magic serum that comes in its own ingenious, Dyson-engineered pump dispenser.

Best of all, the five attachments easily magnetise on and off and each one has its own RFID chip built in. This means the Supersonic r remembers exactly what settings you opted for last time you used each attachment. Yet another very smart, time-saving feature.

And that's the other thing my hairy lab-rats all tell me, after they tell me how small and light the Supersonic r is... How fast it is.

This isn't just a matter of blasting your head with a hurricane force gale, although to be fair, this is Dyson's most powerful hairdryer yet. Despite that, it's amazingly quiet. Although I don't use one personally, I often find myself in the same room where a hairdryer is being operated. Sometimes I'm asleep when it's turned on. Talk about a rude awakening. Thankfully, the Supersonic r is so quiet, you can actually maintain an intelligent conversation without shouting. Have I mentioned how clever the Dyson engineers are?

There are also ten separate heater foils in the curve of the device to ensure exact temperature control. As the Dyson people always tell me, too much heat is how you damage your hair - and maybe even your scalp. Those mysterious hot and cold spots you can experience with other hairdryers just can't happen with the Supersonic r; the flow is always even and precise.

Even cleaning the filter is fast and simple - it just pulls off. As the guy designated to fish hair and other gunge off the back of many a hairdryer in the past to prevent overheating, I certainly appreciate one smart enough to tell you itself, when it needs cleaning.

Given the Supersonic r is so compact, it's a fantastic option for travelling and although the cable is long, because it's so thick, it's unlikely to be tangled when you take it out of your suitcase. One thing to watch though is the voltage used at your travel destination. Hairdryers are notoriously fussy about what voltage they require and this one is no exception. Not all countries run at 240-volts like we do. It's a shame there's no option to switch voltages as there is on some other devices.

But that's literally the only thing either my test subjects or I could find to mark the Supersonic r down on. And to be honest, it was me. The hair-test dummies have no idea it might not work if they travel to the Galapagos Islands.

Otherwise this seems to be the perfect successor to an already perfect hairdryer. Small. Light. Fast. Small. Light. Fast. That's what they keep telling me. And I believe them.

Click here for more information and pricing on the Dyson Supersonic r.