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Genki Dual Wield Charging Grips and Base: Review

Genki’s Joy-Con 2 charging accessory has no pretensions of being a complicated, feature-packed gimmick. Rather, it commits to a minimal design and doing the simple things well. There are just two grips for your Joy-Con 2 pads, and two ports on the dock to charge them.

The basic square design of this dock doesn’t push the boat out aesthetically, but I was impressed by just how thin it is. There’s just enough for a USB-C port to be squeezed in on one end.

(Image credit: Future)

The grips attach magnetically to the dock, so there’s no need to press a button. I found it a little hard to tell whether they were correctly seated, as there’s little feedback, either physical or audible, when you slot them into place. Once in, they aren’t particularly sturdy; I can imagine a heavy knock dislodging them, but they’re fit for purpose otherwise.

There is a button to release the grips, but this doesn’t offer the smoothest operation, feeling a little cheap and flimsy. It’s big, at least, which at least makes it easy to press. Overall, the dock isn’t as well made as some of the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories around, but it’s adequate for the job.

It took just over three hours to fully charge a single Joy-Con 2 set, which is reasonable. There are LED lights either side of each docking point in the form of plus and minus signs, corresponding to their button counterparts on the Joy-Con 2. These are bright and clear, making them easy to see at a glance.

However, they don’t actually illuminate while the controllers charge, which is a little annoying. They only turn green once the Joy-Con 2s are fully charged, and even then, they go out after a short amount of time.

(Image credit: Future)

Like the base, the grips have a simple form. They’re also quite thin, but feel better made than the dock itself. They’re very solid and sturdy, but also quite light.

The Joy-Cons snap magnetically to the sides, just as do to the Switch 2 itself. They’re reasonably secure here, but there is a noticeable amount of play. Under normal usage, though, they remained stable and I was never worried about them coming loose. They’re also slightly translucent, which allows the battery indicators on the Joy-Cons to shine through.

They have a curious triangle shape, which means the Joy-Cons lean inwards at the top. This didn’t cause an issue for me, though, and I could play games such as Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Metroid Dread just fine.

The hole in the center allows you to partially wrap your fingers into them, but I found it too small to wrap mine all the way around. Combined with the flat top and undersides of the grips, they aren’t as ergonomic as the best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers. You’d be better off combining these grips with those that provide some underhand support on the Joy-Cons themselves, to make it feel like a traditional gamepad.

There’s a USB-C port on top, allowing you to connect to the console and charge while you play. However, the included cable is quite short, so you’ll struggle to use it in a TV setup.

Genki Dual Wield Nintendo Switch 2 Charging Station review: Price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

The Genki Dual Wield costs £35.99 and is available now in one colorway: black.

This is a price reasonable for what it offers. Not only are there grips and charging docks for two sets of Joy-Con 2 controllers, but the fact that it has a USB-C port means you have more options to connect to sources, rather than relying on yet another single-use power adapter you’ll have to throw away once it’s served its purpose. It ticks many boxes if all you’re after is a cheap and easy way to hold and charge two sets of Joy-Con 2 controllers.

Should I buy the Genki Dual Wield Nintendo Switch 2 Charging Station?Buy it if…

You want a simply accessory
There’s nothing extraneous or unnecessary about the Genki; it’s simply a case of plug and go.

You want convenience
Being able to dock two sets of Joy-Cons, as well as being able to charge them while playing, are both very convenient.

Don't buy it if…

You want plenty of features
No bells and whistles here — just a dock, two basic Joy-Con grips, and a USB-C cable that’s too short.

You want something built like a tank
The charging dock isn’t particularly solid and the grips don’t seat with the utmost stability. There’s also some wobble to the Joy-Cons when attached to the grips.

Genki Dual Wield Charging Grips and Base review: Also consider

Snakebyte Starter Kit S2 for Nintendo Switch 2
This kit covers many bases with its wide range of accessories. You get a case, a screen protector, silicone grips and thumb caps for your Joy-Cons, and even a pair of wired earbuds. The quality is inconsistent across all these, but it’s still a reasonable package if you want to get up and running with your Switch 2 without spending a fortune. Read our full Snakebyte Starter Kit S2 for Nintendo Switch 2 review.

How I tested the Genki Dual Wield Charging Grips and Base

(Image credit: Future)

I tested the Genki Dual Wield for several days. I used it to charge a single set of Joy-Cons from flat to full, using a 67W charger. I also used the grips to play various Switch 2 games.

I’ve been gaming for decades, and have used all sorts of gaming accessories. I also own the DualSense Charging Station — one of the best PS5 accessories around — and have used other Switch and Switch 2 Joy-Con grips before. I’ve also reviewed a large number of controllers and other gaming peripherals.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: June 2026

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Looking for a simple grip and charging solution for your Joy-Con 2s? Look no further than this Genki accessory.

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Dreame AirStyle Era: two-minute review

The Dreame AirStyle Era is an eight-in-one multi-styler that works as a dryer and creates smooth, curly, bouncy, or straightened styles from a single device.

On paper, it looks like one for TechRadar's best hair styler roundup, and it's the follow-up to the seven-in-one AirStyle Pro, addressing some of that model's most obvious gaps. Namely, adding a diffuser for the first time, and replacing the Pro's flyaway attachment with a U-shaped straightening nozzle.

The auto-wrap curl barrels remain the headline act. The 360-degree airflow draws hair in automatically and produces bouncy, natural-looking curls without the need to manually wind sections around a barrel.

For fine to medium hair, the results are impressive, and at $349.99 / £349 / AU$699 the Era undercuts the Dyson Airwrap by $250 / £130 / AU$150 while producing comparable curl results as an Airwrap alternative. The smoothing brushes perform well too, and the diffuser is a welcome addition for anyone with naturally curly or wavy hair.

The Dreame AirStyle Era styling system includes interchangeable attachments for drying, smoothing, curling and volumizing (Image credit: Future)

The issues are harder to ignore, though. The maximum temperature of 176F / 80C — unchanged from the AirStyle Pro — will be a limiting factor for anyone with thicker or longer hair. You could rope in one of the best hair dryers for that first stage, but that rather defeats the point of an all-in-one tool. The straightening nozzle is also more fiddly than expected, not to mention time consuming.

None of these are dealbreakers on their own, but together they add up to a tool that falls slightly short of its potential. The Era is still the most complete multi-styler Dreame has produced, and the most attractive multi-styler I've tested, and at this price it's a worthy Airwrap dupe, but it needs to be better than it is in a few key areas to make a truly compelling case.

That's the two-minute version; read on for my full Dreame AirStyle Era review.

Dreame AirStyle Era review: price & availability

• List price: $349.99 / £349 / AU$699
• Available: US, Australia and UK
• Launched: May 2026

The Dreame AirStyle Era costs $349.99 / £349 / AU$699 and is available directly from Dreame and Amazon in the US, Dreame in the UK, and from Dreame Australia as well as from several third-party retailers.

It sits closer in price to the $279.99 Shark FlexStyle in the US (which costs AU$499 in Australia), but is more akin in terms of features and attachments to the $599.99 / AU$849 Dyson Airwrap. It's the follow-up to Dreame's seven-in-one AirStyle Pro, which had a higher list price of $399.99 in the US but was rarely sold at that, while the latter's list price is lower in Australia at AU$599.

(There are also other, cheaper Dyson Airwrap dupes, but few come with the auto-wrap curl barrels of these four stylers.)

In comparison to its predecessor, the AirStyle Era swaps the Flyaway Attachment of the Pro for a U-shaped straightening nozzle and adds a diffuser for the first time, addressing one of the glaring gaps in the original's feature set.

It's also had a meaningful upgrade under the hood — the NTC temperature sensor now checks 1,000 times per second compared to 300 on the AirStyle Pro, which in practice means more consistent heat distribution and less risk of spikes that could cause damage.

• Value for money score: 3.5 out of 5

Dreame AirStyle Era specs

Weight (styler only, no cord)

0.64lbs / 0.29kg

Dimensions (styler only)

1.76 x 1.76 x 10.2in / 4.5 x 4.5 x 26cm

Cord

9.2ft / 2.8m

Temperatures (US): 

2 (122F / 50C and 176F / 80C) + cool shot (room temperature)

Temperatures (UK) 

2 (122F / 50C and 176F / 80C) + cool shot (82F / 28C)

Speeds (US)

3 (50m/s, 55m/s, 60m/s)

Speeds (UK):

3 (50m/s, 57m/s, 65m/s)

Wattage

1,300W

Attachments

Fast dryer, straightening nozzle, diffuser nozzle, 32mm auto-wrap barrels (L+R), hard smoothing brush, soft smoothing brush, round volumizing brush

The UK listing features different specifications than the US page – 28°C/55°C/80°C for temperatures and 50m/s, 57m/s, 65m/s for wind speeds. We tested the US model so use the US figures throughout.

Dreame AirStyle Era review: design

• Pink and bronze colorway with pebbled leather-texture grip
• Eight attachments covering drying, curling, straightening, smoothing and diffusing
• Twist-on mechanism same as the AirStyle Pro but more secure
• Comes with a storage box and bag

The Dreame AirStyle Era follows the same basic design as its predecessor (and all other multi-stylers for that matter) – a tube-shaped dryer onto which you twist different styling heads.

It comes in a single pink colorway, not too dissimilar to the pink Dyson Airwrap i.d, with bronze accents at either end, and a soft pebbled leather-texture grip running the length of the handle.

It feels and looks solid and luxurious, and at 0.64lbs without the cord, it's light enough that your arm doesn't start aching even when working through a full set of curls.

The controls consist of two buttons with LEDs that let you cycle through the two heat settings. and three wind speeds. The cool shot is built into the top of the on/off slider rather than given its own dedicated button, and you enable and disable it by sliding up once for on, and sliding up again for off.

The AirStyle Era’s textured handle feels solid and luxurious and features dedicated controls for airflow, temperature and power settings (Image credit: Future)

These controls sit at a natural thumb position on the handle and toe a delicate line between being easy to control mid-style and difficult to press accidentally. This is much rarer on stylers than it should be.

At the base of the handle is a removable dual intake filter— an inner stainless steel mesh that keeps fine hair and particles out of the motor, and an outer mesh that prevents tangling.

A small cleaning brush is included for maintenance, and the filter is straightforward to remove and reattach. Attached to this filter is the cord that runs to 9.2ft / 2.8m with a 360-degree anti-tangle swivel at the handle end.

Each of the eight attachments twist on using the same mechanism as the AirStyle Pro, but unlike the heads on the older model, the Era's attachments securely lock into place because they're also magnetic. This was a major complaint in our AirStyle Pro review and I'm glad it's been resolved.

In terms of the attachments, the line-up is as follows:

• Fast dryer: A concentrated nozzle for quick drying
• Straightening nozzle: U-shaped head with dual airflow channels that direct air downward to smooth and straighten without heating plates
• Diffuser: Bowl diffuser with prongs for dry curls without disrupting them
• 32mm auto-wrap barrels (x2): One for left curls, one for right; 360-degree airflow draws hair in to create curls without manually winding sections
• Soft smoothing brush: Spherical teeth designed for fine, fragile, or chemically treated hair
• Hard smoothing brush: Conical teeth for coarser, thicker, or heavily product-styled hair
• Round volumizing brush: Wider tooth spacing to reduce tangling, with perforations to diffuse airflow and create lift at the roots

A close-up look at the AirStyle Era’s branding, filter and styling tools (Image credit: Future)

The two additions — the straightening nozzle and diffuser — address the most obvious gaps in the original AirStyle Pro's feature set.

If you wanted smooth, straight hair or defined natural curls from the Pro, you needed separate tools entirely. The Era fixes that, and the result is a kit that not only covers the full range of everyday styling needs, but it makes it the only styler that can truly rival the Dyson Airwrap in terms of scope and scale.

Elsewhere, everything ships in a leather-textured storage box that keeps the attachments organized and easy to find, plus you get a travel bag if you need something more portable.

• Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Dreame AirStyle Era review: performance

• Fast dryer attachment works well on fine to medium hair; may struggle with thicker, longer hair
• Auto-wrap curling barrels produce good results but swapping between directions is fiddly
• Straightening nozzle is less effective than the flyaway attachment it replaces

I started, as Dreame recommends, by removing most of the water in my hair with the fast dryer attachment. Like all multi-stylers of this type, you need to get hair to around 80% dry before switching to any of the styling attachments for best results, and the fast dryer handled that first stage well enough on my fine, shoulder-length hair.

It's not the hottest of stylers though, and anyone with thicker or longer hair may find themselves reaching for a standalone dryer to get there faster. This was a complaint with the original Pro and hasn't been fixed, it seems.

Dreame AirStyle Era soft smoothing brush (left), hard smoothing brush (center) and round volumizing brush (right) attachments (Image credit: Future)

The auto-wrap curling barrels are where the Era earns its keep. The 360-degree airflow draws hair in and wraps it around the barrel automatically, producing bouncy, defined curls without the need to manually wind sections. The results hold well, and the curls have a natural quality that can be hard to achieve with traditional tongs. The catch is that if you want the curls to go in different directions, you need to physically swap between the left and right attachment. This isn't just tricky, because the attached barrel is hot, but it interrupts your rhythm. The Dyson Airwrap handles this on a single, multi-directional barrel, and once you've used that system it's hard not to notice the difference here.

The straightening nozzle is the most interesting new addition on paper — a U-shaped head that uses dual airflow channels to smooth and straighten without heating plates. It's more intuitive than the flyaway attachment it replaced, while producing a very similar finish, but I found it more fiddly than I'd hoped. You can only smooth small sections at a time and this takes a while, which feels like a step backwards for anyone who relied on the flyaway attachment for quick touch-ups and frizz control.

The diffuser attachment is a new addition to the AirStyle Era compared to the previous AirStyle Pro and it's great at enhancing natural curls and waves while reducing frizz (Image credit: Future)

The diffuser does what it should. For naturally curly or wavy hair, it distributes airflow evenly without disturbing the curl pattern, and the results are noticeably better than using the fast dryer attachment on the same hair type. It's not doing anything the category hasn't seen before, but its absence from the AirStyle Pro was a gap, and it's good to have it here.

The fast dryer attachment quickly removes moisture before styling; it's great for fine-to-medium hair but people with thicker and/or longer hair might get frustrated with the device's temperatures (Image credit: Future)

Finally, the brushes. The soft and hard smoothing brushes both perform well. The soft brush is gentle on fine or fragile hair, with the airflow automatically redirecting downward when attached to leave your hair feeling smooth. The hard brush handles coarser or more tangled hair well, and separates knots without pulling.

In testing, my favorite brush is the round volumizing brush. It's great for lifting roots and adding shape at the ends and it can even create loose curls.

In terms of noise levels, Dreame claims it produces 76dB, and in testing I recorded 79dB on the highest speed setting. That's slightly louder than the spec sheet suggests although not unreasonable for a tool of this type and it's quiet enough to hear music or have a conversation.

The straightening nozzle (pictured) has replaced the flyaway attachment from the previous Pro model and helps smooth hair (Image credit: Future)

• Performance score: 4 out of 5

Should you buy the Dreame AirStyle Era?

Attribute

Notes

Rating

Value

Competitively priced against the Dyson Airwrap and broader than the Shark FlexStyle in terms of attachments, though the performance doesn't always match the promise.

3.5 / 5

Design

Comfortable, well-balanced, and good-looking with an improved twist-on attachment mechanism.

4.5 / 5

Performance

Strong curling and volumizing results, but the straightening nozzle disappoints and temperature limits will be a factor for thicker hair types.

4 / 5

Buy it if...

You want Dyson Airwrap results without the Dyson price

At $349.99, the Era undercuts the Airwrap by $250 with the auto-wrap curl barrels, in particular, producing on par results.

You want one tool that does everything

The Era's eight attachments cover drying, curling, straightening, smoothing, volumizing and diffusing from a single device.

You have fine or medium hair

The Era's temperature range works well for finer hair types, producing good curl and smoothing results without the risk of excessive heat damage.

Don't buy it if...

You have thick or long hair

The Era's maximum temperature may not be enough to dry and style thicker or longer hair.

You rely on frizz control and flyaway taming

The straightening nozzle that replaces the Pro's flyaway attachment is more fiddly and less effective for smoothing.

You want effortless directional curls

Switching between left and right curl directions means swapping the barrels over manually. If you want both directions without the interruption, the Dyson Airwrap's multidirectional barrel is a better choice.

Dreame AirStyle Era: also consider

Dreame AirStyle Era (reviewed)

Dreame Airstyle Pro

Dyson Airwrap i.d.

Shark FlexStyle

Weight (styler only, no cord):

0.64lbs / 0.29kg

0.6lbs / 0.3kg

1.4lbs / 0.6kg XXCHECK

1.5 lbs / 0.7kg

Styler dimensions (L x W):

10.2 x 1.8in / 26 x 4.5cm

10.2 x 1.8in / 26 x 4.5cm

10.7 x 1.9in / 27.2 x 4.8cm

11.3 x 1.7in / 28.7 x 4.4cm

Cord:

9.2ft / 2.8m

9.2ft / 2.8m

8.5 ft / 2.7m

8ft / 2.4m

Temperatures: 

2 + cool shot

2 + cool shot

2 + cool shot

3 + cool shot

Speeds:

3

3

3

3

Wattage:

1,300W

1,300W

1,300W

1,400W (US), 1,600W (UK)

List price:

$349.99 / £349

$399.99 / £299 / AU$599

$599.99 / £479.99 / AU$849

$279.99 / £269.99 / AU$499.99

Dyson Airwrap i.d.

The Airwrap i.d. is king in this category, both in terms of price and features. This multistyler comes with a switch that launches an automated wrap > curl > cool shot sequence, for maximum ease. It can also do clockwise and anticlockwise curls on the same barrel.

Read our full Dyson Airwrap i.d. review

Dreame AirStyle Pro

The AirStyle Pro is a stylish, well-designed multi-styler with a strong attachment lineup, but it's let down by temperatures that aren't hot enough for most hair types and attachments that don't clip on securely enough. If you can work around those limitations, it's a capable tool at a fair price.

Read our full Dreame AirStyle Pro review

Shark FlexStyle

The FlexStyle is a very similar proposition to the AirStyle in that it isn't as good as the original AirWrap, but it's a solid alternative if you don't want to spend megabucks. It looks slightly less stylish than the AirStyle but is all-round a more effective tool in my opinion.

Read our full Shark FlexStyle review

How I tested the Dreame Airstyle Era

I used the AirStyle Era as my main styling tool for a week. During this time I used it to dry my hair, and tested all the different attachments, paying particular attention to the auto-wrap curlers.

I compared the styling results to what I managed to achieve with other similar stylers I've tested – including the Dyson Airwrap i.d. and Shark FlexStyle. I also assessed how easy the styler was to use and the effectiveness of its design and features.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed May 2026

I tested Dreame's most ambitious multi-styler yet, and while the curls impressed, a few familiar frustrations refused to budge.