Midea Duo Smart Inverter MAP12S1TBL Review

The heat of summer can be grueling without the modern luxury of air conditioning. That icky, sweaty feeling where your clothes stick to your back and droplets roll down your face can make even the sanest among us desperate for relief in the form of a portable AC unit. The Midea Duo Smart is one of our favorite all-in-one portable air conditioners. It features fantastic cooling power, low noise, and dual inverter technology for better air flow in the home. Although not quite as “portable” as some other models, it is mobile enough that it is easily set up for use in the summer, and then storable for the cooler months.

Cooling

The Midea Duo Smart is a mid-sized unit that was one of the highest-performing models of the machines that we've tested. It's a substantial 12,000-BTU machine with an impressive dual-hose design that's rated for rooms of up to 450 square feet, more than double the capacity of some other models.

With the unit cranked up to high, we found that it cooled our test room by 7.9 degrees Fahrenheit in just one hour. For the purposes of our testing, the room's temperature started at 82.8 degrees and cooled to 74.9 degrees by the time the timed test was done.

To put this into context, the difference in temperature was enough that the room felt noticeably cooler to us, making for a soothing experience. “I definitely felt a nice cooling relief when I entered the room at the end of the test cycle,” our lead tester noted. All of the units tested cooled the room to a certain degree, but not all of them gave us this crisp and cool sensation.

Overall, the Duo Smart is not quite as powerful as machines rated for larger square footage areas, and if used in a large room, the effect might not be quite as strong. It will, however, be highly effective when used in small- to medium-sized rooms, like offices, dens, and larger bedrooms, that are found in most houses and open-plan apartments.

Installation & Portability

If you're looking for a portable AC unit, it's likely because there are times when you need to move your portable air conditioner to a different room, floor, or property. We wish the Midea were a little more accommodating in these instances. At a whopping 74 pounds, this unit is not as readily mobile as we would have wanted, especially when it came to wrestling with its cumbersome weight on flights of stairs.

The Midea is one of the heavier models in our lineup, and it is partially due to its dual-hose design and ultra-powerful inverter that give it such excellent cooling abilities. Regardless, it still makes for a tough carry when it comes time to move. However, it is still “portable” enough that we don't mind setting it up and taking it down at the beginning and end of each summer; the dedicated storage on the back for its ventilation hose is an extra plus when it came to storing the air conditioner in a compact package for the winter season.

The installation took our lead tester about 25 minutes. Although this was one of the lengthier installations of the ACs in our lineup, we thought the customizable fit was well worth it when dealing with a nonstandard window size. If you live in an older home, a cabin, or a funky old-school apartment, having the flexibility to adjust for an atypical window size on the fly is a key consideration.

This unit is big enough to fit in a five-foot-wide frame, with the caveat that the window needs to open about 10 inches at a minimum. The manufacturer's guide recommends that the installation window's width be between 19.1 inches and 63.8 inches, meaning that the Midea Duo Smart is equipped to fit larger windows that not all units can accommodate.

To simplify the setup process even further, additional pieces of foam are included to accommodate a huge range of window dimensions. This would be massively helpful for any house or apartment with larger windows, discontinued pane sizes, or an unusual configuration.

Noise

The Midea Duo Smart is one of the quietest units in our lineup, hitting just 55.4 decibels from four feet away when running on high. For comparison, that's just a touch louder than a refrigerator hum.

There was a quiet grumbling on the unit's low setting, but when we turned it up to high, our testers found that the sound was surprisingly low and unobtrusive. We had no problem conversing with friends and family while this machine was running at full blast. We heard a slight rattling coming from the plastic piece behind the filter on the back of the unit, but this was easily fixed with a small piece of foam or tape.

Energy Consumption

The Midea Duo Smart is one of the few portable air conditioners we tested that uses an inverter. This technology is supposed to increase energy efficiency with better airflow, helping you save money on your monthly utility bill. This model is not an ENERGY STAR-rated machine (none of the units in our testing are), but it boasts a Combined Energy Efficiency Ratio of 14.7, the highest in our rubric.

To test energy consumption, we set the units to high and ran them for a one-hour testing period. In the end, the Midea pulled 1.21 kWh of power. Comparatively, some models clocked a mere .81 kWh in this same test, but they were less powerful as well. We compared it with other units rated for similar room sizes and found the Midea to have an average consumption level. The caveat here is that typically energy consumption naturally increases with cooling power, but the Midea outperforms comparable models without using more energy.

That's not to say it's the most affordable machine to run, though. We did the math, and we estimate that the Midea would cost about $220.59 over a three-month period, if you run it for 12 hours a day, every day.

Convenience

The product was the highest-scoring model for overall convenience, in large part due to its very easy-to-use app.

The Duo Smart is a WiFi-enabled unit with a smartphone app for easy, seamless control. The app is extremely convenient, allowing a user to control the unit without having to get up and physically reach the dials from across the room, and since the remote is on your phone, you are less likely to lose it in the couch cushions. We love using the timer to help manage usage without the need to fumble for the controls or come home to a sweltering house. And those of us with toddlers running around the house especially love the child lock that keeps the AC controls safe from little ones' grabby fingers. Several different cooling modes and fan speeds are also available in the Duo Smart's controls, including five modes for “Cool” and four “Fan” settings. There are also “Dry” and “Auto” settings, with easy-to-manage air direction adjustments. All of these convenience features help you get closer to achieving that elusive perfect temperature inside your space.

Should You Buy the Midea Duo Smart Inverter MAP12S1TBL?

If you're the kind of shopper who's prioritizing cooling rate, low decibels, and convenience, the Midea Duo Smart certainly delivers on all fronts. It gives users complete control over their air conditioner while providing enough portability and an ultra-quiet operation that will not interfere with work, socializing, or, most importantly, sleep.

What Other Portable Air Conditioners Should You Consider?