At Frank Herbert’s Dune, the indigenous Fremen who inhabit the desert planet Arrakis wear moisture-capturing suits to survive the sweltering conditions. Now that I live in London, I have little need for a full-fledged stationary, but if you’ve ever tried to take the Central Line during rush hour in summer, you’ll share my wish in a better way – any of them path! – to face downright suffocating heat.
Enter the Sony Reon Pocket 5, a portable thermal device that cools or warms your body, depending on the conditions of your environment. Designed to fit snugly against the back of the neck, the Reon Pocket 5 uses a plate-shaped “thermos module” and five sensors – three for temperature, one for humidity and one for movement – to determine temperature optimal body and hopefully make you more comfortable when moving, standing or sitting.
The Reon Pocket 5 offers five levels of cooling and four levels of heat, which means – in theory – that it’s just as useful on a toasty commuter train as it is on a cold flight. The device works automatically when paired with the included portable Reon Pocket Tag, which detects external conditions and sends the information back to the cervical apparatus. The Reon Pocket 5 still works without this pin accessory, but it will only sense your body temperature, rather than that of your surroundings (thus reacting to changes in body temperature rather than anticipating them).
If you prefer to take a manual approach, the Reon Pocket 5 can be controlled using Sony’s new Reon Pocket app, compatible with iOS and Android devices. Helpfully, you’ll be able to cycle through the aforementioned temperature levels via Bluetooth, so the device should work anytime, anywhere (hikers, rejoice!). You will also benefit from a battery life of up to 17 hours on a rechargeable battery.
By the way, Sony’s remote climate control technology isn’t new; the first Reon Pocket device launched in Japan in 2019, while subsequent iterations have since gone on sale in Japan and Hong Kong. The Reon Pocket 5, however, is the first device of its type to be available outside of Asia, with the UK market being the first to get the chance.
The Reon Pocket 5 is available to pre-order now for £139 (that’s around $170 / AU$260) on Sony’s website and is expected to start shipping on May 15. The Reon 5T package includes the device itself, a Reon Pocket Tag, and a white neckband, although Sony also offers a beige-colored neckband for £25, if you want to replace the white with something more discreet.
Sony Reon Pocket 5: hands-on impressions
I had the chance to test the Reon Pocket 5 at a recent Sony demo and was pleasantly surprised by how effective the device was at reducing (or increasing) my body temperature when touched. with a button.
The thermos module is essentially a heating plate for your neck, and despite its small size, the increased sensitivity to temperature in this area of the body means that warming or cooling it makes your whole body more comfortable.
Weighing just 116g, the device itself isn’t a nuisance to carry either – I forgot it was strapped to my neck during an hour-long sit-down meal with the Sony team – although I will say that no amount of retrenchment makes it possible. invisible. In the front, the neckband sits just above the collar, and in the back, the thermos module protrudes upwards, so you’ll definitely get a “what’s that?” looks like wearing the Reon Pocket 5 in public places (that said, Apple’s AirPods were ridiculed when they were first released, and look at them now…).
The question of when and where this product should to be carried is altogether greater; I’m not convinced that finding the ideal body temperature all the time this is a good thing. But to simply make traveling more comfortable, the Sony Reon Pocket 5 delivers on its promise. Congratulations to the first person to wear this headset and the Dyson Zone air purifying headphones at the same time.