Dyson's PencilVac only just went on sale, but there's already a dupe on its way — here's what we know about Narwal's ultra-slim vacuum

A mere eight months ago, Dyson announced an ultra-innovative new vacuum cleaner. It was called the PencilVac, and the USP was that all of its major components, from its motor to its battery to its dust cup, had been shrunk down to fit into its broom-shaped handle.

The design was – I was informed – the result of much meticulous work from the Dyson, and required the engineers to create a teeny-tiny new motor just 1.1 inches / 2.8cm in diameter. It would be worth it though: there was nothing else remotely like it.

Except now, there is. The PencilVac went on sale in the UK in December 2025 (it launched a little earlier in Australia and is yet to become available in the US), and in January 2026 I saw my first PencilVac dupe at CES. It's just at prototype stage at the moment, but there ...