Are these more efficient than condenser/heat pump types? Are these still sold in Switzerland?
Venting warmed air outside can’t be considered an efficient use of heat energy.
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No, it’s not. I can’t imagine why anyone would want one nowadays. The only issue with condenser ones is if you want to put it in a room with no drain, but there are some models which have an tank instead an external drain. Last one I bought had this, which I had not realised, but thankfully I was able to cobble together a drain pipe from the old one and fit it into the tank connector piece.
Back in the day lots of them didn’t have an exit ‘vent’ as such, they just vented out into the room, so you weren’t losing the heat. Of course you were getting a shedload of humidity in the air instead.
I read that they use less electricity and dry faster.
Yes, they might be quicker, probably would, but not more efficient. You may be confusing it with washing machines that use a heat pump instead of an electric heating element to heat the water. These are, allegedly, a lot more efficient, but take an absolute age to get through a normal wash cycle.
They certainly dry quicker but are less energy efficient overall, noisier and harsher on fabrics due to their higher operating temperatures.
Heat pump dryers really are the way to go.