Best Window Air Conditioners of 2026: Midea, Zafro, GE
AI News Desk
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Wired
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19 min read
The world is getting warmer.
The world is getting warmer. And the weather is getting weirder. The best window air conditioners offer sweet relief and potential energy savings when you use them for targeted cooling. Extreme heat is exhausting, and it ages you faster than smoking or drinking . Even Europe, long resistant to them, is now cottoning to the idea that air conditioners are a public health need.
WIRED’s top pick, Midea’s 8,000 BTU U-Shaped Smart Inverter Window Air Conditioner ($400) , is among the most energy-efficient on the market, and uses newfangled coolants that don’t deplete the ozone like the more damaging ones of yore. Heat pumps are even more efficient , and mini-splits like the Della Optima Series 12,000 BTU 23 SEER2 ($970) are becoming increasingly accessible, although they require expensive installation.
We’ve also included the best models for those on a tight budget, such a surprisingly quiet small-room 6,000 BTU air conditioner from GE for a mere $209 . But note that budget models generally aren’t as efficient, so saving on the upfront cost can lead to higher energy bills over time.
Be sure to check out our other air-quality guides, including Best Air Purifiers , Best Indoor Air Quality Monitors , and Best Fans .
Updated July 2026: Matthew Korfhage retested this year’s model of our top-pick, the Midea U-Shaped Air Conditioner, to ensure that updates addressed condensation issues. We also tested and added the TCL Q-Series Air Conditioner and the Dreo Portable Air Conditioner to our honorable mentions, and updated links and pricing throughout.
Since the first-generation device arrived in 2020, the U-shaped air conditioners from Midea have become the benchmark that every other manufacturer seems to be chasing. (Midea also white-labels the devices used by many other brands.) This device’s energy-saving inverter compressor and exclusive U-shaped design solves nearly every problem I want to solve when it comes to window air conditioners.
The deep cutout in the middle of the device lets my window slide down deep into the unit, leaving the noisy compressor outside—making this Midea the quietest air conditioner that any WIRED reviewer has tested. It also lets me crack open my window at night during the summer to let in cool air.
But just as important, this design leads to better energy efficiency. Most window units leak heat through a large surface area of poorly insulated plastic accordions. But U-shaped designs allow windows to be nearly shut, save for a two-inch gap sealed by thick foam. When I place the 10,000 BTU Midea on energy-saving Eco mode in a 400-square-foot main room, I find it maintains room temperature on summer days while running only a small fraction of the time. Note there are two variants of this device, depending on the vendor. A newer U-Plus version sold by Home Depot offers slightly better CEER efficiency. Both score above 15 CEER, equal to the best in the market aside from expensive heat pumps.
The Midea’s U-shaped design also leads to better noise insulation from other outside sounds, a real issue in urban environments. (I live across from a bar with a patio, and the improvement is notable when compared with standard designs.) The device is Matter-compatible and connects to Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa and an easy-pairing phone app—allowing scheduling and remote control from afar.
If there’s a small Achilles’ heel, it’s installation. Even with a clever no-drilling-required and a spring-pin bracket design to support the weight of the external compressor, the process is less than intuitive and a little finicky. You’ll want to watch Midea’s installation video , which is way easier to follow than the printed instructions.
Midea issued a voluntary recall and update in 2025 to address drainage problems that could lead to condensation and mold risks when installed at the wrong tilt—an issue that afflicts nearly all window air conditioners but was slightly more pronounced in these models. The fix mostly entailed including a bubble level to ensure correct installation, plus some drip plugs that allow for water clearance from the rear of the device. Even without these retrofits, WIRED reviewers had not encountered issues over years of testing. I have now installed and tested the newest version, and it’s been moisture-free so far.
In all cases, this Midea remains the best design I’ve seen on the market—surprisingly far ahead of the rest of the market. Other manufacturers have followed suit with inverse U-shaped designs that hang deeply over the windowsill and aren’t compatible with wider sills—leading to difficulties in testing for many WIRED reviewers. This one has a small indoor footprint, looks unobtrusive, and the performance is the best I know. — Matthew Korfhage
Even though my home has central air, it’s a large, ancient house insulated with horsehair and tissue paper—with massive, oddly shaped single-pane windows that are about as thick as cardboard. I also have a taste for ambient temps in the mid-60s Fahrenheit. Restricting 68-degree cooling to just my bedroom and connected home office makes sense financially.
Enter the Zafro Lullaby Duo, a powerful portable AC that uses two duct hoses fed into an adjustable panel that slides into your window frame. That design makes this device incredibly flexible for weird windows, and would have saved my ex-wife two days of carpentry when custom-building a frame for the horizontal sliding windows we had in an ’80s-built home out West. Push the power button, and the two vents on the top open to direct air around your room.
In a month of testing, I’ve found the Zafro delivers the performance and flexibility you’d expect at this price. The model I tested offered an impressive 16,000 BTUs of cooling, more than enough to quickly cool the approximately 400 square feet where I’m using it. There’s a system for ejecting condensed water automatically, which works in all but extreme humidity, which I have not yet encountered. In addition to a full suite of buttons on top and an included remote, the device connects via Wi-Fi to an app that allows you to set the temperature and pick between modes (eco, humidity reduction, fan, and a super-powerful extra mode that pins the pedal to the floor and attempts to cool your space to 61 degrees as quickly as possible). The device comes with two types of foam to fill any gaps around the window, though arriving at the right fit is tougher than I’d like and I’ve learned to live with a quarter-inch gap in several spots.
The other best reason to buy this device is a capability I haven’t even used yet: the ability to easily roll it between rooms and set it up in a different window. Like all portable window devices WIRED recommends, this is a dual-hose system that does not create the depressurization “vacuum” effect that’s common in single-hose units. — Martin Cizmar
It can be difficult to find a good window air conditioner for $200— and over time, less-efficient models may end up costing you more when you add up the energy bills. You can check a model’s efficiency by looking for its combined energy-efficiency ratio , or CEER, which measures the unit’s cooling capacity when compared with the power input, in both cooling and in standby mode. The higher the rating, the better. Essentially, you pay less in electrical bills over time. The top-pick Midea AC in this guide has a CEER of 15 to 16, one of the highest you’ll find. This GE model, on the other hand, has an 11.1 CEER rating, which means it’ll use potentially twice the energy of the top pick.
But your upfront budget might be tight, and relieving heat stress is an important health issue. This GE offers few bells and whistles. But it’s still easy to install and around half the price of our top-pick Midea. Note it’s a lower-power 6,000-BTU model, better for rooms up to 250 square feet. It cooled WIRED senior gear editor Julian Chokkattu’s 150-square-foot bedroom so well with the door closed that he once had to throw on blankets in the middle of the night. But while you’ll notice its effects quickly, it might take some time to cool the whole space. It’s one of the louder window units on this list, at around 65 decibels, and Chokkattu noted it forgot his preferred settings every time he turned it on. He installed a smart plug to get around this, which also let him control the AC with Google Assistant. — Matthew Korfhage
Windmill excels at removing the annoyances we’ve all come to accept from window air conditioners. Namely, they’re usually ugly, loud, and difficult to install. When longtime WIRED reviewer Adrienne So tested the first model of the 8,000 BTU Windmill window unit (8/10, WIRED Recommends), she declared it the first AC she “didn’t want to bash out of my window with a hammer” for being so ugly.
The window install kit comes preassembled, which makes installation a 15-minute affair. The newest WhisperTech model is also relatively quiet (if not as quiet as our top pick Midea), ranging from the barely-audible hum of a white-noise machine to around 50 decibels. You may need to raise the volume on your television, but not by much, noted reviewer Lisa Wood Shapiro, who tested the newer model.
The unit’s magnetic face comes off for easy access to the filter, and there’s a holder for the additional small patch of activated carbon filter. The Windmill is compatible with Google Home and has an app you can use remotely if you want to start cooling your house before you get home. Advance scheduling is also possible. The unit’s buttons are easy to see, and it has an auto-dimming LED display. Windmill partners with EcoCart for carbon offsets, and New York and California customers can sign up for an Eco Rewards program designed to relieve the energy load during heat waves. Signing up gives Windmill agency to adjust the settings on your unit, taking stress off the power grid. In return, you get cash or free filters for not opting out. — Matthew Korfhage
Comes in 6,000 BTU, 8,000 BTU, and 8,000 BTU with WhisperTech.
The EcoFlow Wave 3 is not for the weak, wrote WIRED reviewer Lisa Wood Shapiro: It weighs nearly 56 pounds when attached to its 22-pound lithium battery, so “portable” doesn’t mean you’ll be carting this 6,100 BTU air conditioner and heater around on foot. Rather, the Wave 3 is portable because it’s battery-powered. Thus, it’s suitable to cool off-the-grid spaces like cars, RVs, tents, or boats—or perhaps errant rooms in your home without a suitable place for a window air conditioner. WIRED senior editor Julian Chokkattu tested previous models of the EcoFlow in his wife’s office for years, while Wood Shapiro used hers to cool down her van for her dog on hot days. Just note that before use, you need to leave the Wave 3 in a flat, fixed position for at least two hours, and avoid tilting it beyond 15 degrees.
For many, the best use will be cooling off pets in Pet Mode, which activates at temperatures above 77 degrees Fahrenheit. The Wave 3 was able to drop the temperature in a Toyota Sienna van from 85 to 76 degrees in 15 minutes in a baking parking lot—offering comfort to a pair of dogs who promptly stopped panting. Wood Shapiro was able to control fan speed through the intuitive EcoFlow app, which she found easier to use than the control panel.
The Wave 3 isn’t quiet, exactly, but its 60-decibel hum has the approximate character of a white-noise machine. As a safety note, the EcoFlow Wave 3 uses R290 refrigerant, also known as refrigerant-grade propane, which is a good choice for the environment and has been used in air conditioners in Europe for decades. But like all propane, R290 is flammable, so avoid placing the EcoFlow in direct sunlight on very hot days (this makes using its solar charging panels a bit of a creative endeavor). The Wave 3 also can’t get wet, so check the weather first if you plan on camping and placing the Wave 3 outside your tent. — Matthew Korfhage
Heat pump technology keeps getting more accessible, which is terrific: It’s far more efficient than air conditioner technology as a means of heating and cooling the house. I’m still waiting for window-unit mini-splits to become available, but in the meantime, mini-splits like this Della can now be ordered for less than $1,000 on Amazon, with installation very much not included.
WIRED reviewer Chris Null tested the Della Optima Series 12,000 BTU 23 SEER2 in his Texas home, and found it performed well at an excellent price, with admirable features despite a couple of rough edges. It’s quiet, never more than a whispering 40 decibels. The app is intuitive and allows scheduling based on the time or day of the week. The unit also supports Alexa and Google Assistant, though without a logging system to track a running history of operations. A geofencing system, alas, was difficult to get up and running.
You might find international models for less, but they likely won’t come with a lifetime warranty. Note, however, that you’ll need a certified HVAC technician to install your unit if you want to activate the warranty—and unless you’re quite handy, you’ll almost certainly want a pro anyway. Unfortunately, installation will likely run multiple times the cost of the actual unit. — Matthew Korfhage
Comes in 9,000, 12,000, 18,000, and 23,000 BTU cooling.
TCL Q-Series Air Conditioner (10,000 BTU) for $369: Chinese electronics company TCL has been making air conditioners for only five years, but it is tackling the category the way it did for TVs—that is, by quickly conquering turf with excellent value. I tested the 10,000-BTU version of the Q Series window AC in an 120-square-foot upstairs bedroom that gets very little flow from my home’s central AC. It took three hours to drop the temperature by 10 degrees from a sweltering 78, but as it operated at a fairly quiet 60 decibels, I didn’t mind it. Installation was a breeze thanks to the included frame. The TCL has Matter connectivity, but I was not able to get it to connect to my Apple Home app, apparently a common issue. There is a remote that has all the controls from the unit itself. The thermostat is accurate within one degree, and the unit reliably turns itself on and off to keep the room temperature on its mark. The CEER rating ranks an impressive 15.0, equaling WIRED’s top-pick Midea, and the TCL costs $100 less at the same power output. But while quiet compared well with many other models, this TCL is still louder than the Midea and doesn’t offer the U-shaped device’s superior insulation. Easy install may be a selling point over the U-Shaped model. — Martin Cizmar
Dreo Portable Air Conditioner 740S (10,000 BTU) for $700 : Look, I’m loving the new generation of portable air conditioners but not because they’re portable. Fact is, wheels aside, they’re pretty big and heavy, and the thick hoses make them bulky in a room. But they’re easy to install without lifting into a window frame, a real boon for solo residents. And because the only thing that needs mounting in a window is a bracket for the hoses, these ACs can be used on pretty much any window shape—a boon especially for those in older buildings. The Dreo has all these virtues, plus a respectable 12 CEER rating, courtesy of dual hoses and a smart inverter. (In general, avoid portable units without dual hoses, as this can cause a depressurization effect that lowers efficiency.) I’ve been using this portable in the difficult-to-access window in my 150-square-foot office, and its effects are basically instant. The evaporative cooling tech also means I don’t have to drain water. But our top-pick Zafro offers a lower price, and a slightly better CEER efficiency rating at a similar operating noise level of around 60 to 65 decibels on high fan speeds. Still, this is an excellent portable AC unit. If you see a deal, snap it up.
GE AWAS05BBA Window Air Conditioner Unit (5,000 BTU) for $231: This 5,000 BTU unit is less powerful than our favorite budget window air conditioner pick from GE . There’s no app and no remote, and airflow options are limited: You can’t direct air up and down, only left and right. But it’s the cheapest model we recommend, relatively easy to install, and much quieter than you’d expect for the price. It’ll cool a small 150-square-foot space quickly and mostly frictionlessly. But we haven’t tested it as long as for our top budget pick.
LG Window Air Conditioner Unit (12,000 BTU) for $379: The LG 12,000 BTU Smart Window Air Conditioner offers efficient large-room cooling at a surprisingly low price. It weighs 90 pounds and requires professional installation with a bracket. Its 60-decibel operation places it squarely in the middle of the pack on noise. This said, WIRED reviewer Lisa Wood Shapiro found it blends into a room well with its white-on-white design, and that the filter replacement indicator light is useful. The app was laggy and difficult to use during Wood Shapiro’s testing, but there is a remote.
Friedrich Kuhl Air Conditioner for $1,228: This unit from Friedrich is among the most expensive we’ve tested, and one of the heaviest—in part because of a metal chassis designed to provide easy maintenance access and deter first-floor break-ins. This model allows adding a custom Friedrich FreshAire MERV 13 filter to clean the air as it cools. The screen is easy to read, and the device comes with a remote. An app lets you schedule the unit’s use over the course of the week, but note that connection with the smart app was a little janky, and it paired only with 2.4 GHz signals.
EcoFlow Wave 2 for $1,299 (but usually on sale for much less ): Wood Shapiro tested the newest model, but previous models of the EcoFlow are often available at steep discounts. After happily testing the EcoFlow Wave 1 for more than a year in his wife’s office, WIRED senior editor Julian Chokkattu far preferred the EcoFlow Wave 2 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) because it’s both lighter and more cost-friendly, with a higher 5,100 BTU rating (up from 4,000). A heating mode rated at 6,100 BTU means you can keep using it in the winter to warm up. The company says it’s best for rooms up to 107 square feet. You do need to place it near a window to have one of the included ducts connected to the vent to take hot exhaust from the back of the unit out of the room. What makes this unit versatile is its alternate power sources. You can use a standard AC outlet, but you can also buy an add-on batter y to keep it working when you don’t have access to electricity, or hook it up to solar panels.
Zero Breeze Mark II for $999 : With its 2,300 BTU, the Zero Breeze (7/10, WIRED Review) won’t have the same cooling power as the EcoFlow Wave, but it’s much lighter at 17 pounds. This bundle includes a battery that makes the whole thing weigh about 30 pounds, but you’ll get four hours of use without needing to be near a wall outlet. Like the EcoFlow, you get a few vent pipes to direct exhaust away and direct cool air to a specific area, but unlike the EcoFlow, you can’t charge the battery and use the AC at the same time.
Zero Breeze Mark III for $1,399 : As WIRED reviewer Chris Null notes, the Mark III (7/10, WIRED Review) is both larger than the Mark II and quite a bit heavier, now at 22 pounds. Add on the 1,022-Wh battery pack and you’ll pack on another 14 pounds, though that frees you from having to be near a power outlet. New for the Mark III is the fact that batteries can now be stacked and charged in sequence, each daisy-chained to the next (though at $600+ per battery, this can get pricey fast). Each Mark III battery also has extra outputs that can be used for other devices—one USB-C port, one USB-A port, and a 12-volt DC socket. However, the Mark II battery had all of the above plus a second USB-A port. No word on why this was removed. However, the new version is a bigger, punchier unit by most standards and a worthwhile buy for outdoors enthusiasts
Look for the BTU, or British thermal unit. In the case of air conditioners, the number of BTUs per hour measures how much heat the compressor can remove from a room. It’s a quick and easy way to figure out whether an AC unit is powerful enough to cool your space.
The BTU rating also helps you avoid using a too-powerful unit, which will cool too quickly without dehumidifying, and possibly lead to mold formation in the room and within the device.
To find the right power air conditioner for your room, you’ll want to find the square footage of your room by multiplying its length and its width. The US Department of Energy’s guidelines call for a minimum of 20 BTUs for every square foot of space. But this figure also assumes optimal conditions and good efficiency. For a 150-square-foot room, more typical recommendations are to opt for a 5,000 BTU AC unit. If the room is especially sunny, high-ceilinged, or has poor insulation, you may even want a 6,000 to 7,000 BTU unit for that space.
When in doubt, your best bet is to use a BTU calculator. For a truly precise estimate, here’s a complex whole-house BTU calculator that takes into account building layout and construction, plus your location and climate. For a fast and dirty rule-of-thumb BTU calculator, try here.
Check the combined energy-efficiency ratio (CEER) rating. The specs on any air conditioner you buy should list a CEER rating, which is one of the best ways of checking the energy efficiency of a unit. You’ll usually see a number between 9 and 15. The higher the number, the less you’ll pay when the electricity bill comes around. A cheap window AC unit will save you money at first, but you may end up shelling out more in the long run. The US Energy Star program has a website that lets you browse AC units based on their CEER ratings.
Check local laws. Some cities, like New York, require installing brackets to support your window AC. A simple one like this model should do the trick , though we haven’t tried it out. You may also need to head to a hardware store for some plywood to make sure your windowsill sits flat, but this depends on the type of windows you have and the AC model you buy. Get a friend to help you out with installation. These units can be heavy and difficult to hold, and the last thing you want is to drop one out the window.
Measure your window. Before you buy, read up on the supported window types and sizes for the AC unit you’re looking at, and measure your window to be safe. Make sure to seal any gaps as best you can with the included foam. (You can always buy more if you need it .)
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