At first glance, this looks similar to a conventional straightener. We push up the lock button and the device gently springs into a V shape (ooh, the design). There are three buttons, for switching on/off and adjusting the temperature. A digital panel displays the temperature options, as well as the remaining battery life. It takes under 20 seconds to heat up, and the machine will chime melodiously to let you know it’s ready.

The biggest difference between the Corrale and a conventional hair straightener is that Dyson’s version is cordless, so you can zhng your hair without being tethered to a power point. Caveat: a full charge for its lithium-ion battery only gives you up to 30 minutes of cord-free werking.

For that reason, Dyson provides a sleek charging dock so you can plonk the straightener on it to charge periodically while you sort out your hair. Or you can also attach an accompanying magnetic charging cable that swivels 360° to keep your device constantly powered. It takes about 70 minutes to fully charge it (or 40 minutes for a 90 per cent charge if you’re in a hurry). As a safety feature, the Corrale goes into idle mode after five minutes when not in use, and shuts down after 10 minutes, so there’s no danger of burning your house down if you forget to switch it off.

It also comes with its own velvety padded pouch that unfurls into a heatproof mat to rest the gadget on. It’s all so well-packaged, we feel like the satisfaction of unboxing our review set is already worth some of its hefty price.

While most hair straighteners on the market come with rigid metal plates that clamp your hair to straighten it, the Corrale has a series of micro-hinged ‘tracks’ that lie beneath the straightener’s copper plates. These tracks move flexibly to better ‘wrap’ around each section of your hair as you straighten it. This also means that less force, and less heat, is needed, and you don’t have to violently kiap the life out of your frazzled strands to get straight hair.

Not really. According to Cara Wong, a professional hairstylist and Dyson’s regional personal care trainer (yep, the company even hires people who know hair to handle its hair tools), the Airwrap’s holding effect is “not as long-lasting, as its temperature does not exceed 150 degrees Celsius”. In comparison, the Corrale has three temperature settings: 165°C (for fine hair), 185°C (for thicker, coarser hair types), and 210°C (for strands that are like near-untameable beasts). A sophisticated microprocessor embedded in the straightener also measures its temperature 100 times per second to ensure that heat is constantly distributed evenly.

Now that we’ve explained its components, let us get to the review of the Corrale. To help you decide whether to splurge, we have come up with a list of pros and cons, plus a verdict.

- You can do your hair anywhere. We cannot stress enough how liberating it is to be able to do our hair while walking around our house. Or, if you’re rushing for time and not paiseh, you can also press your hair in the car. Just don’t overrun its 30-min battery lifespan.

- It’s easy to use. You just need to press a button to adjust the temperature mode displayed on a screen, or switch it off. The power button continues to blink when switched off till the straightener cools down, so you don’t accidentally grab it while hot.

- It doesn’t snag. Most hair straighteners, even the high-end one we’ve been using from another brand, snag when we glide it down our hair that has been coated with a heat protectant spray. We end up with a tug-of-war and an unnecessary amount of heat frying our tresses. The Corrale’s flexing plates travel smoothly like good whisky down our throat. What we also like a lot is that while it straightens our locks, our hair still has bouncy body, like we were born with this fab hair. It has none of that unnaturally stick-straight look that screams “I spent one hour ironing my hair!” The copper plates are infused with the mineral tourmaline, which is said to emit negative ions that reduce frizz and static.

For its $699 price, the Corrale can do two jobs. Because its plates glide so smoothly, we’re able to curl our long hair into beach waves without massively struggling. It helps that the tongs have a round, ergonomic body, which allows our hair to wrap around it as we curl. The straightening and curling effects on our stiff, coarse hair type also last most of an entire day without any styling products.

- You might need to iron some stubborn strands a few times. With reasonable heat control, the Corrale doesn’t have the aggressive efficiency of an ultra-hot, rigid-plated straightener. So we had to drag the flexing plates through some hair sections a few times to straighten ’em properly.

- It’s heavy. All this technology packed in one straightener has also inevitably made it heavier than usual, at around 565g. We feel like we’re lifting a small rock out of its box at first, which kind of negates this other cool function that the Corrale has — a Flight-ready tag (pictured) that can be pulled out to disconnect the battery and deactivate the straightener when you’re packing it for travelling. We’re not sure if we’d lug this on our overseas trips, but the weight surprisingly becomes manageable when in use, like holding a hairdryer aloft (at 816g, the Dyson Supersonic is actually heavier).

- It has a bulky charging cable. You can leave the optional charging dock at home, but the magnetic cable is still pretty bulky (like a laptop’s cable). Not exactly travel-friendly if you tend to pack light.

Is the Dyson Corrale worth buying? In a nutshell, we say yes. Its technology surpasses what’s currently on the market, and the cordless design is extremely convenient. Plus it’s easy to use and charge. For that price, you also get a charging dock to mount and display your Corrale when not in use, and a heat-proof bag/mat. But do consider if you’re planning to bring this hi-tech baby everywhere. It’s not the lightest or the slimmest. It has two colourways for now, Dyson’s signature Fuschia/Nickel combo, and a Purple/Black version.

Available from June 10 for $699. The Purple/Black colourway is retailing exclusively via www.dyson.com.sg and Dyson Demo Stores (at Owner Centre at Capitol Piazza and Dyson Beauty Lab at Funan Mall), while the Fuschia/Nickel version is sold at Dyson’s online store, Demo Stores and major electronics stores.

PHOTOS: YIP JIEYING/ DYSON