Wearable air conditioners have always sounded better than they behaved in real life, and Sony keeps trying to change that narrative. Cool in theory, awkward in practice—that gap between promise and reality is what the REON POCKET PRO Plus is designed to close. Sony has kept iterating on the concept year after year, and this latest version feels less like a novelty refresh and more like a serious push toward personal climate control for everyday life.
At first glance, the REON POCKET PRO Plus still looks slightly absurd. There’s no escaping that. You wear a cooling plate against the back of your neck while a small fan circulates air through the unit and vents heat away under your shirt collar. The concept lands somewhere between cyberpunk commuter tech and the kind of device people buy after surviving one brutal summer heatwave.
Sony finally fixed the biggest problem with wearable cooling
Sony REON POCKET PRO Plus
The biggest upgrade here sounds genuinely meaningful. Sony says the new thermal system and cooling algorithm deliver up to 20% better cooling performance than the previous model, with surface temperatures dropping an additional 2°C in Smart Cool mode. On paper, that sounds dramatic for such a small wearable. Cooling tech lives and dies by whether it creates an immediate physical sensation, and Sony clearly wants this version to feel less like “a chilly patch on your neck” and more like whole-body relief.
That matters because earlier wearable cooling gadgets often felt too localized. You’d get a cold spot, but not necessarily actual comfort. Sony now claims the REON POCKET PRO Plus cools your entire body more effectively instead of just the upper back area. If that turns out to be true, it changes the product from novelty territory into something commuters, office workers, travelers, and even people dealing with hot flashes might seriously consider.
A better fit might matter more than raw cooling power
The redesigned neckband also sounds overdue. Sony says the new “Adaptive Hold Design” improves holding force by around 40%, which addresses one of the most obvious weaknesses of wearable cooling devices: movement. A cooling plate only works if it stays pressed firmly against your skin. Once gaps appear, the effect weakens fast. If this version stays locked in place while walking around, that alone could make the experience feel far more premium.
I’m also weirdly fascinated by the adjustable air vent system. Previous models struggled with certain clothing styles, especially higher collars, because the exhaust airflow had nowhere to go. The new adjustable vent design feels like Sony acknowledging that wearable gadgets only succeed when they disappear into normal life. Nobody wants to redesign their wardrobe around a neck-mounted air conditioner.
The real test is whether people feel weird wearing it
Of course, the REON POCKET PRO Plus still faces the same problem every wearable gadget faces: social acceptance.
Some people will absolutely love this thing. Others will look at it and see an expensive robotic neck brace. Reading online reactions to the announcement has been hilarious because the responses swing wildly between “the future is here” and “just buy a fan.” One commenter described the original model as sounding like a laptop fan at full blast, while another said the noise stayed quiet enough that people nearby couldn’t hear it. Honestly, that question alone tells you everything about the product’s challenge. Performance matters, but embarrassment matters too.
Could you wear this during a meeting? On a train? Under office clothes? Without people staring?
Sony clearly knows those concerns exist, which explains the focus on stability, slimmer accessories, and discreet airflow management. The smaller REON POCKET TAG 2 environmental sensor also fits that direction. Instead of feeling like experimental tech, Sony wants this ecosystem to feel invisible.
Heatwaves keep making gadgets like this feel more reasonable
The price remains the hardest sell. At £199 in the UK, this still sits firmly in premium gadget territory. That’s expensive for something many people will compare to a handheld fan, ice pack, or cheap neck cooler from Amazon. Some users online already argue simpler cooling methods work just as well.
Still, I can’t dismiss the REON POCKET PRO Plus as pointless tech. Summers keep getting hotter, public transport keeps getting more miserable, and portable climate gadgets no longer feel ridiculous in the way they once did.
2025, for example, was the fourth warmest year in the United States. That’s where the REON POCKET PRO Plus gets interesting. It still looks a bit unusual, still sits in that “do I really need this?” space, but it also feels like an early version of something that might make a lot more sense in a few years than it does right now.
Grigor Baklajyan is a copywriter covering technology at Gadget Flow. His contributions include product reviews, buying guides, how-to articles, and more.