Article updated on August 5, 2024 at 11:54 PM PDT
Written by
Gianmarco Chumbe,
Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission.
Reviews ethics statement
Gianmarco Chumbe
Laboratory Technical Project Manager Gianmarco Chumbe has been part of the CNET Home team since 2018. He is in charge of developing and carrying out testing procedures for a wide variety of home appliances and smart devices including robot vacuums, smoke/CO detectors and air conditioning units. He takes a data-driven and creative approach to every project he is involved in, honoring his background in Science and Engineering.
Expertise SOP development and laboratory testing of home appliances and smart devices
Jon Reed Senior Editor
Jon Reed is a senior editor overseeing coverage for CNET's home, energy and utilities category. Jon has over a decade of experience of writing and reporting as a statehouse reporter in Columbus, Ohio, a crime reporter in Birmingham, Alabama, and as an mortgage and housing market editor for TIME's former personal finance brand, NextAdvisor. Jon now leads coverage and strategy on CNET's Energy category and aims to help readers take charge of their home's energy usage and costs. Jon has first-hand experience testing home energy products such as portable power stations, home battery solutions and smart thermostats. Jon has showcased his expertise live on TV for news networks and his written work is often cited in major publications such as This Week in CleanTech, NASDAQ and MorningBrew's newsletter. When not asking people questions about energy, he can usually be found half asleep trying to read a long history book while surrounded by multiple cats. You can reach Jon at joreed@cnet.com
Expertise Energy, Solar Power, Renewable Energy, Climate Issues, Virtual Power Plants, Grid Infrastructure, Electric Vehicles, Plug-in Hybrids, Energy-Savings Tips, Smart Thermostats, Portable Power Stations, Home Battery Solutions, EV Charging Infrastructure, Home
Best portable AC unit for small spaces
Black+Decker 12K BTU (model BPP08WTB)
View details
A central air conditioner is great for keeping your home comfortable, but sometimes the added cost or space requirements needed for one aren't ideal. Window air conditioners or portable air conditioners are perfect to counter this situation -- the latter more so -- because of the minimal space it needs. Plus, a portable AC unit will keep your space comfortable for less money and hassle.
To provide more context, like window air conditioners, a portable AC is placed right in the space you want to cool down without the need for any ductwork. Now, they have to be vented through a window -- don't forget to take this into account -- but the best portable AC comes with wheels, making it easier to move around.
Whether you're looking for a portable air conditioner for an apartment, a particularly stuffy part of your home or another space, we've tested several portable AC units in the CNET Testing Lab to see which can get your room cooler and maintain its air conditioning. But if you're looking for a straightforward answer, our newest pick, the Black+Decker BPP08WTB, is the best portable AC unit that does this on a budget.
Read more: Window Air Conditioners vs. Portable Air Conditioners: Find Out Which One Is Best for You
Quiet, powerful, compact and efficient. The Black+Decker BPP08WTB delivers power at a very competitive price, earning the title of best small portable AC.
In our temperature consistency test, it outperformed all other units, maintaining a set point of 68 degrees Fahrenheit with a score of 48.3%. No other small portable AC unit achieved this level of performance. This unit offers exceptional value.
Key features include an easy-to-use LCD remote control with a “follow me” function, allowing you to set the thermostat to your desired temperature from a distance. This unit is ideal for areas with high humidity, as it also functions as a dehumidifier, capable of removing up to 80 pints of moisture per day.
Photo Gallery 1/1
Not only did the Midea MAP14HS1TBL excel in performance compared with the other larger portable air conditioners we tested, but it also has a lot of features and specialty options. This unit isn't cheap, but it's a well-rounded luxury AC unit with everything you need -- and then some.
To start, the MAP14HS1TBL has the highest cooling capacity of any other model we tested. Those 12,000 Btu come in handy for cooling larger spaces up to 550 square feet, and it showed in the performance. The Midea model beat out the two other larger AC units in this list, the Haier QPWA14YZMW and the LG LP1419IVSM, in both of our performance tests.
This model also comes with a standard remote control and has sleep mode, timer and dehumidifier functions, as well as an app and support for Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands.
Overall, the Midea MAP14HS1TBL has all the premium features and options you'd expect for its price. Throw in its stellar performance and this unit is our top pick to cool larger spaces. Keep in mind that this air conditioner was also the heaviest unit we tested at 77 pounds, but like the rest, it comes with wheels for easy maneuvering.
The Haier QPWA14YZMW is an excellent midpoint between the Black+Decker and Midea AC units. Its price sits in the middle of the best small and best high-end air conditioners, yet it offers similar specs and performance to the Midea model but without some of the advanced features.
Specifically, this Haier AC unit has a 9,700-Btu cooling capacity and can cool up to a 550-square-foot room. While its cooling capacity is lower than the 12,000-Btu Midea air conditioner, the Haier unit held its own during testing. It managed to maintain a 68 degree set temperature for over 75% of its running time (compared with the Midea's 85%). It also maintained its lowest temperature 70.9% of its running time, after the Midea's 80.1% and the Whirlpool's 73.5%.
Regarding features, this unit has a remote control, timer and dehumidifier functions. It also has an app, but you won't have support for voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant.
Overall, this Haier portable air conditioner performed well but cost less, and it has fewer features than the Midea AC unit. If you don't want all the extras of the Midea, the Haier QPWA14YZMW is a solid alternative at great value. If you don't need a portable air conditioner that can cool up to 550 square feet, look instead to our favorite smaller unit, the GE APCD08JALW.
We tested 10 portable air conditioners for this best list: the Black+Decker BPP08WTB, the Black+Decker BPACT14WT, the Frigidaire FHPC082AC1, the GE APCD08JALW, the Haier QPWA14YZMW, the LG LP1419IVSM, the Midea MAP10S1CWT, the Midea MAP14HS1TBL, the Whirlpool WHAP131BWC and the Whynter ARC-14S. In the chart below, you can get an overview of each unit and how they compare in terms of pricing, specs and features.
undefined
| Price | Area it covers (in square feet) | Btu | Weight (in pounds) | Dimensions (HxWxD, in inches) | Special features | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black+Decker BPACT14WT | $570 | 700 | 8,400 | 28 | 27.09 x 16.5 x 14.06 | Remote control, dehumidifier function, washable filter, sleep mode |
| Black+Decker BPP08WTB | $400 | 350 | 12,000 | 63.1 | 27.2 x 17.32 x 13.2 | Remote control, 24-h timer, dehumidifier function, sleep mode |
| Frigidaire FHPC082AC1 | $349 | 350 | 5,500 | 50 | 26.8 x 12.17 x 13.78 | Remote control, timer, dehumidifier function, sleep mode |
| GE APCD08JALW | $579 | 350 | 8,500 | 62 | 28.9 x 16.7 x 14.7 | Remote control, timer, dehumidifier function |
| Haier QPWA14YZMW | $549 | 550 | 9,700 | 71 | 32 x 18.5 x 15.35 | Remote control, timer, app, dehumidifier function |
| LG LP1419IVSM | $699 | 500 | 10,000 | 71 | 32.36 x 22.13 x 19.84 | Remote control, timer, app, dehumidifier function |
| Midea MAP10S1CWT | $399 | 200 | 10,000 | 67.9 | 28.3 x 17.1 x 13 | Remote control, timer, app supports Alexa and Google Assistant, dehumidifier function, sleep mode |
| Midea MAP14HS1TBL | $599 | 550 | 12,000 | 77 | 34.48 x 19.53 x 16.73 | Remote control, timer, app, supports Alexa and Google Assistant, dehumidifier function, sleep mode |
| Whirlpool WHAP131BWC | $580 | 350 | 8,000 | 75 | 27.9 x 18.7 x 15.16 | Remote control, timer, sleep mode |
| Whynter ARC-14S | $600 | 500 | 14,000 | 73 | 35.5 x 16 x19 | Remote control, dehumidifier funciton, activated carbon filter, dual-hose operation |
At a glance, you can see we tested some units with similar specs, while also covering a wide range of options. Not only do the prices vary from $349 to $699, but half of the units are designed to cool smaller 350-square-foot rooms, while the rest can handle larger spaces up to 500 or 550 square feet. They also vary in terms of Btu, which ranges in the units we tested from 5,500 to 12,000 Btu.
It's worth noting here that there are currently two different standards for determining Btu capacity: the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers' Btu rating and the Department of Energy's Seasonally Adjusted Cooling Capacity Btu rating. For that reason, many manufacturer sites list both the ASHRAE and the SACC ratings in their specs.
For example, the Frigidaire FHPC082AC1 we tested has an ASHRAE capacity of 8,000 Btu, while the DOE's SACC rating for the same unit is 5,500 Btu. The SACC standard was developed more recently and is being broadly adopted across manufacturers, so we use the SACC Btu capacity as the default standard anywhere we reference Btu capacity in this list. Still have questions about this? Learn more about the SACC standard here. (PDF)
Show more
To test portable air conditioners, we heat a climate-controlled room to 92 degrees. After the room reaches 92 degrees, we turn off the heat and turn on the portable AC unit to cool mode, with a medium fan speed and a set temperature of 68 degrees. We run the unit for 2 hours and 30 minutes and repeat the same test twice per AC unit. We then use the data collected during the tests to measure two things:
- How consistently the portable air conditioner keeps the room within 5% of 68 degrees
- How consistently it kept the room within 5% of the AC unit's individual lowest temperature
Once we have this information, we compare the results across the units to see which ones maintained the set temperature for the longest period of time. We also look at which units maintained their individual lowest temperature for the longest time. We did this so that if a unit didn't reach 68 degrees in the allotted time, we were still able to track how consistently it maintained the lowest temperature it achieved. The higher the percentage, the better the unit performed.
When looking at performance, it's important to note that the units we tested don't have identical specs, so direct performance comparisons aren't the only thing we consider when arriving at our list of best portable air conditioners. We also look at a unit's features and other options in reference to its price and specifications to determine its overall value.
We also don't draw direct performance comparisons when looking at units of vastly different sizes and capabilities, say, the 12,000-Btu Midea MAP14HS1TBL versus the 5,500-Btu Frigidaire FHPC082AC1. For this reason, we compared performance results in two groups based on coverage area. Specifically, we compared the smaller Midea, Black+Decker, Frigidaire, Whirlpool and GE models (which all have coverage areas of up to 350 square feet) against each other and the larger Black+Decker, Whynter, Haier, LG and Midea models (which have 500-to-550-square-foot coverage areas) against one another.
Show more
Delving a little more into performance, you can see how long all 10 portable air conditioners maintained a temperature set point of 68 degrees. Because we're not comparing the larger units directly with the smaller ones, we've displayed the two groups in separate charts.
The Midea air conditioner performed the best, maintaining the 68 degree set point for 85.4% of its runtime. The Haier model came in second with 75.5% and the LG model in third with 74.2%. For the smaller units, the Black+Decker came in at 48.3%, followed by the GE at 39.7% and the Whirlpool model at 25.2%.
For the second test, we looked at how consistently the unit maintained its lowest temperature. The Midea air conditioner once again outperformed the other large units by maintaining its lowest temperature for 80.1% of its runtime. The LG model came in second with 73.5% and the Haier model in a close third with 70.9%. For the smaller units, the GE model performed extremely well, closely trailing the larger Haier air conditioner at 68.9%. The Midea model wasn't far behind, at 66.2%, followed by the Frigidaire model at 57%.
In addition, we made charts to track the temperature changes of each unit over time. In the chart representing the larger units, the Midea unit's temperature dropped more quickly than the others and maintained the lower temperature for most of its run. For the smaller units, the Black+Decker unit dropped the temperature more quickly, held the lead for much of its run, and cooled to a lower final temperature.
Do portable ACs have to vent through the windows?
Yes. Air conditioners work by absorbing thermal energy -- heat -- from inside and transferring it outside through coils full of refrigerant. Venting through the window gives that heat somewhere to go that isn’t inside your home, the space you’re trying to cool off.
Show more
How do portable AC units work?
These devices might look more like an air purifier than an air conditioner, but they work similarly to a window unit. They’ll probably contain a water basin, like a dehumidifier, since they serve that purpose as well. A single-hose unit will use a condenser to cool the air inside and then vent the heat outside through a hose mounted into the window. A dual-hose unit will pull fresh air from outside, cool it and circulate it through the room, using a second hose to vent the heat and warm air.
Show more
What portable AC brand is best?
It depends on what you’re looking for, including the size of the room, how you want it to vent and how much you’re willing to pay.
Show more
Is it worth buying a portable air conditioner?
If you’re just trying to cool a small space, a portable air conditioner can deliver results at a far more reasonable price than installing a central air system. A portable unit, as the name implies, can be easier to move from place to place than a window unit, making it great if you plan on moving often or for a vacation home or rental.
Show more
What are the cons of a portable AC?
A portable air conditioner won’t replace the efficiency and whole-home capabilities of a central air unit. This is a much smaller device. It also still requires ventilation through a window, so you’re not getting away from the aesthetic and logistical issues window access might entail.
Show more
Do you need a special thermostat for a portable air conditioner?
Portable AC units should come with their own control systems, but some companies do make special thermostats that can control these units remotely in a way more akin to what you’re used to with a smarter wall thermostat.
Show more