These two sit within a few dollars of each other, hold the same 185°C, take the same 26mm plate and carry the same three-year warranty. Neither is an upgrade on the other in the ordinary sense.
Platinum+ measures the hair section against the plates and adjusts power to hold temperature across it. Chronos, the newer of the two, measures how fast you are moving the styler and adapts to that instead, which ghd describes as twice as responsive.
ghd Platinum+
26mm plates holding a 185°C plate temperature, with predictive technology that senses the thickness and speed of the section and adjusts heat to each side of the plate. Three-year warranty.
It has been ghd's flagship for years, which means it is the one most often discounted and the one most salon stylists have used.
What We Like:
- Predictive heat across both plates
- Three-year warranty
- Frequently discounted
What We Don't Like:
- Superseded as ghd's newest styler
ghd Chronos
26mm plates, the same 185°C, and HD motion-responsive technology that ghd says monitors heat twice as accurately by reacting to the movement of the styler rather than the section in it. Three-year warranty, with a 21-day trial on ghd's own store.
It is the current flagship and the one least likely to be marked down.
What We Like:
- Reads styling speed, not just the section
- Three-year warranty
- 21-day trial through ghd
What We Don't Like:
- Rarely discounted
Side by side
| ghd Platinum+ | ghd Chronos | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $300–350 | $300–350 |
| Plate width | 26mm | 26mm |
| Styling temperature | 185°C | 185°C |
| Heat control | Predictive, per section | HD motion-responsive |
| Warranty | 3 years | 3 years |
| Universal voltage | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep mode | Yes | Yes |
Figures are from ghd's Australian product pages, checked on 21 September 2026 while ghd was running a sale, so the prices shown are sale prices rather than list prices.
What actually differs
What the styler is sensing. Platinum+ reads the section: thickness, and how quickly it passes through. Chronos reads the styler's own movement. In practice both are trying to solve the same problem, which is that a plate loses heat the moment hair touches it, and both do it well enough that most people will not tell them apart.
Price behaviour. They launch close together but do not stay there. Platinum+ has been in the range long enough to appear in sales regularly; Chronos is current and holds its price. If the two are within twenty dollars when you look, the newer one is the better buy; if Platinum+ is eighty dollars less, it is not.
What is identical. Plate width, styling temperature, warranty length, universal voltage and the automatic sleep mode. Neither offers variable temperature, which is the thing Cloud Nine does differently and is covered in ghd vs Cloud Nine.
Who each one suits
ghd Platinum+ suits anyone who finds it discounted, and people replacing an older ghd who want the familiar behaviour.
ghd Chronos suits someone buying at full price either way, and heads that need a lot of passes, where the faster heat recovery shows up most.
FAQs
Why is every ghd fixed at 185°C?
ghd's position is that 185°C is hot enough to reshape the hair's hydrogen bonds and cool enough to avoid the damage that comes above it, so the styler holds that temperature rather than offering a dial. Whether you want a choice is the main reason to look at another brand.
Is the wide-plate version worth it?
For long or thick hair it takes fewer passes, which is covered in Chronos vs Chronos Max.
Does ghd's warranty cover everyday use?
Three years on both of these, registered through ghd. The Gold and the wide-plate models are listed at two.
