Reon Pocket – Sony’s portable air conditioner is pretty cool

August 04, 2020

The Reon Pocket is a fairly thin white plastic device, the size of a palm, that charges via USB-C. It connects to your iOS phone or Android phone with bluetooth. There is a silicone pad on the back that you can press against your skin. And the Reon Pocket uses the Peltier effect to cool or warm by absorbing and releasing heat.

How to use the Reon Pocket

You can use the Reon Pocket by hand. However, the most prevalent use cases involve purchasing special Sony V-neck underwear with a pocket on the back to keep the device between your shoulder blades.

The app is quite simple and allows you to directly control the temperature settings of the Reon Pocket. There are three levels of cool or reheat, plus an additional ‘boost’ mode limited to two minutes and ‘fan’ speed control. You can also set automatic modes that are triggered as soon as you turn on the device. A power button is available if you want to use the app. The duration of use is approximately 2 to 3 hours, depending on the intensity of your settings.

Reon Pocket - Sony's portable air conditioner is pretty cool

Features of Sony portable air conditioner

The device weighs only about 80 grams. So it doesn’t really stand out when you wear it in your underwear. Then the Reon Pocket does not protrude under another layer of clothing. However, it is a bit difficult to insert once the underwear is on. It needs to fit snugly in the pocket, which is difficult to do with your hands behind your back. Maybe it gets easier with practice.

So how does it work ? Sony marketing suggests that it can lower your body surface temperature by 13 ° C; for example from 36 ° C to 23 ° C. I can believe this is the case at the point of contact, but the effect is clearly much less pronounced on the whole body, as seen in Sony’s own photos.

Basically, the Reon’s pouch does what one would expect from any small cold object when held against the skin. You will always feel like you are in a hot and sweaty environment.

Finally, if you’re interested, the Reon Pocket is available exclusively in Japan. It costs 13,000 yen ($ 122) for the device itself. The underwear, available in white or beige, is 1,800 yen ($ 17) each. The application works in English.