Coway air purifier earns spot on TIME's best inventions list

Coway’s latest air purifier earned a place among TIME’s best inventions of 2026, highlighting the Korean company’s efforts to make cleaner indoor air more accessible through improved filtration, quieter operation and automated monitoring. The Airmega Mighty2 (AP-1512N) was selected in TIME’s household category, with the magazine describing it as “the double-duty air purifier” for combining air purification with real-time indoor air quality monitoring. TIME evaluated nominations from its editors and correspondents worldwide, considering originality, effectiveness, ambition and impact, according to Coway’s announcement Monday. The Mighty2 uses a three-stage filtration system featuring a high-efficiency particulate air filter that is 20 percent larger than its predecessor and an activated carbon filter that is 45 percent larger, designed to capture allergens, dust, pollen, mold, cooking fumes and wildfire smoke. Its MegaScan laser sensor measures PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 particles, displaying numerical readings and using a four-color indicator to communicate air quality. The purifie