How to Choose the Best Mini Portable Air Conditioner in 2023
Now that the holidays are over, we have to go back to our normal lives, and that includes getting ready for the hot weather that comes along with the summer. If you are the type of person who likes cold weather, we recommend you buy a mini-portable air conditioner.
Why shouldn’t you get a bigger AC? Because portable air conditioners offer many advantages you don’t get with oversized products. However, since people are used to buying big alternatives, they don’t often know what to look for in a small product.
Are you interested in buying the best small portable air conditioner you can find on the market? You’ve landed on the right page! Dive into this page to learn how to choose a small portable air conditioner in 2023.
What Makes a Mini Portable Air Conditioner Different from an Air Cooler?
The first thing you need to know when looking for the best personal air conditioner you can find is that ACs are not the same as air coolers. Both products may offer similar things, but the way they do it and the benefits of getting them are completely different.
Air conditioners, for starters, don’t have the same cooling method as air coolers. The former uses a refrigerant to cool the air by turning it into a liquid form and passing it through indoor evaporative coils. Air coolers have a simpler way of cooling the air since they only pass it through wet absorbent pads.
Apart from that, air coolers are way more energy-efficient than air conditioners since they don’t need to use compressors to cool the air. Air coolers chill the air with internal motors, which requires less energy.
Affordability is the main difference between an air cooler and a personal portable air conditioner since the latter is a far more expensive option than the former. The reason for that is that those products require less maintenance, as fixing an air conditioner requires experts who often charge a lot of money for their services.
Reading these differences may make you think air coolers are way better than air conditioners, but the truth is they are just used for different situations. You can’t get an air cooler for all kinds of environments since they only work in low-humidity places due to how much they hydrate the air. Air conditioners work everywhere.
However, if you are working on a budget, you are better off with an air cooler. Getting it will help you save money on energy bills.
Things to Consider When Buying an Air Cooler
Do you want to buy an air cooler instead of a mini-portable air conditioner? You can do it, but you should know some things before looking for one. Not taking these things into account can make you miss the benefits we just talked about.
Firstly, you need to make sure your air cooler is the right size for your room, and this applies to any kind of air-cooling device. The best way to get the right air cooler size for your place is to measure your room and ask the company you are buying it from if the product is enough for that much space.
Not all air coolers have the same cooling power, so try looking for a product with enough capacity to cool your room. Most air coolers cover up to 40 square feet, but that depends on the type of product you buy.
It’s true air coolers are more energy-efficient than air conditioners, but that’s just if you get one with low energy use. Some of them need high electricity consumption, so try to look for something that asks for 10W or less.
Are Portable Air Conditioners Better Than Bigger Ones?
“Why should I buy the best personal air conditioner I can find if an average big AC can cool all my house?” Many people ask themselves this question, but that’s because they don’t know all the benefits of portable air conditioners.
Firstly, compact ACs are way better for small places, so you don’t have to spend hours figuring out how you can fit the big unit you bought in your house. Many small air conditioners have the power to cool an entire room, so you can simply put them there and let them do the work.
That’s another advantage portable air conditioners have over bigger versions. People can install small ACs by themselves in a matter of minutes, while oversized models need you to call an expert to do the job, which can take several days.
Adding that up to how affordable small air conditioners are, compared to other products on the market, lets you know how much money you can save just by getting a compact product.
Something not many people know about big ACs is they have a temperature sensor to know when the device cools the room to turn it off or on. The cycle length in which an AC does that can be too fast depending on how wide is the place where you installed the AC, and fast temperature changes are not good for your health.
This doesn’t mean you should forget about buying big air conditioners, but we recommend you check if you really need a big device or if you are good to go with a mini portable air conditioner or air cooler.
The same happens with your air cooler's noise level since some products are noisier than others. Try buying one that emits noise between 30 and 82 decibels.
Aside from the things we just mentioned, you should also look for products with essential features all air coolers should have. Some of them are speed adjustability, humidifying, and purifying.
If you get an evaporative air cooler, make sure it has the right water tank capacity to cool your room.
10 Best Air Conditioners and Air Coolers in 2023
Now that you know all the things you should consider when buying air coolers and why you should buy a small portable air conditioner, it’s time to meet the best ones available in 2023. This list includes both products, so go for the one that better suits your needs.
All the items listed below are safe purchases, but we recommend you stick to the first ones since you can get them on the Autonomous website, which often offers excellent deals to its customers.
1. Airthereal TOSOT Shiny 8,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner
The Airthereal TOSOT 8,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner is the best small portable air conditioner on the market in 2023 due to its cooling power and new X-fan technology. You can use this product to cool spaces up to 300 square feet, so it’s ideal for home offices and bedrooms.
If you don’t have the funds to get a mini portable air conditioner and a portable air humidifier, you can get this Airthereal product. The TOSOT Shinny BTU Portable AC also works as a fan and dehumidifier. Don’t worry about this AC making a lot of noise, as it has a lower noise mode.
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2. Aithereal TOSOT Shiny 10,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner
Although they are all different from each other, you get almost the same benefits when buying any TOSOT air conditioner on the company’s lineup. The reason for that is they all have the same goal: cooling your room. Regarding this personal portable air conditioner, it has a more powerful cooling power than the previous one.
You should go for this alternative if you don’t want to spend that much time installing your air conditioner since you can do it in horizontal or vertical sliding windows in 15 minutes or less.
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3. Evapolar Store Evapolar evaSMART Personal Evaporative Air Cooler
If you are looking for the best personal air conditioner on the market, you may not be that interested in a personal evaporative air cooler. However, we recommend you stop to see this one's features for a second.
The evaSMART air cooler chills, purifies, and humidifies the air while only consuming 12.5W, so you don’t have to worry about this product adding a lot to your monthly energy bill. You can adjust its settings and smart home integrations through its touchscreen display.
If you have any problem with this item, you can take advantage of its one-year warranty.
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4. Evapolar Store evaCHILL Portable Air Cooler: Air Cooler & Humidifier
As you could see by reading this article, many air conditioners and air coolers offer you the same benefits you would get when buying an air humidifier, which is the reason most people getting into an air conditioner vs. air purifier debate end up buying an AC.
The evaCHILL Portable Air Cooler, for example, can humidify the air while cooling it enough for you to survive hot weather. You can take this product wherever you want with ease thanks to its ultraportable design with a handle. On top of that, it only weighs 26oz and uses 7.5W.
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5. Evapolar Store evaLIGHT Plus Portable Evaporative Air Cooler
Getting to another product from the Evapolar Store, we have the Evapolar evaLIGHT Plus, which comes with a smart control wheel and a removable water tank. Those features allow you to easily repair or replace any parts of the air cooler in the future.
You don’t need to worry about this product making too much noise at night since it has an automated sleep timer that makes it whisper-quiet while you sleep.
It’s worth noting this air cooler was made to cool the area in front of you, so it’s not enough to cool your whole bedroom, office, or living room.
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6. Yuki Air Conditioner
The Yuki air conditioner is a revolutionary product since it’s a 3D-printed AC that is also USB-powered, so it uses way less energy than the others on this list. You only need to fill it with ice and plug it into your computer for it to cool your surroundings.
7. Shinco 10,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner
Although the Shinco Portable Air Conditioner doesn’t have a stylish design like others on the list, it still cools, dehumidifies, and works as a fan. Hence, it’s still an excellent option for people looking for the best small portable air conditioner.
8. Honeywell Smart Wi-Fi Portable Air Conditioner
This Wi-Fi portable air conditioner is a bit bigger than other ACs on the market, but it’s still a mini-AC, so don’t compare it with bigger options. However, due to its size, it can cool bigger rooms with no problem.
9. Midea Portable Air Conditioner
The best thing about the Midea Portable Air Conditioner is that you can pair it with a smart home device and control it through voice commands. You can use it to cool 200 square feet-rooms.
10. Whynter BTU Dual-Hose Portable Air Conditioner
Getting to the last product on this list, we have the Whynter BTU Dual-Hose Portable Air Conditioner. This personal portable air conditioner has a cooling power of 14,000 BTU and works for rooms of 500 square feet.
It’s worth noting this is the only dual hose model on this page.
Conclusion
Whether you go for an air cooler or a mini-portable air conditioner, you can pick any of the options on this list. It’s way better for you to buy something that adapts to your place than get an oversized product and then spend a lot of money on energy bills and maintenance.
The first five air-cooling devices on this list are available on the Autonomous website, so don’t miss out and check the deals available for them!
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WRITTEN BYAutonomous
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