The Midea U-Shaped MAW12V1QWT excels at cooling larger spaces while doing it quietly and efficiently. It also offers some really great convenience features, and the only gripe we might have with it is its slightly more involved installation. It's great all-around, but keep reading to see how it performed across our test metrics.
Our team tested two 12,000 BTU units in our product test lineup and the Midea U-Shaped MAW12V1QWT, while very capable at cooling our test room, was outperformed by others, although not many.
The Midea cooled our test room to 12.4 degrees in one hour. While the difference is relatively minor, the Midea does nearly the same task, but much more quietly, efficiently, and conveniently as you will see in our other test metrics.
For a more powerful 12,000 BTU unit that you would expect to consume more power, the Midea U-Shaped MAW12V1QWT performed very well.
The Midea U-Shaped MAW12V1QWT utilizes inverter technology, which controls motor speeds as opposed to the older technologies that simply cycle a motor on and off at its full duty cycle. Since keeping a motor running at almost any speed requires less power than constantly starting a comparable motor from a stop, the Midea is able to perform well while keeping energy consumption down and won't be nearly as bad on your energy bill as many other units of a similar size and capability. It's not as inexpensive as a simple floor fan, but it is much more effective.
The Midea U-Shaped MAW12V1QWT did a great job in the noise department, even for a powerful 12,000 BTU unit that you might expect to be louder. In fact, it didn't just do great for a 12k unit; it outscored most of the models we tested.
Quiet inverter technology combined with a 'U-shaped' design that keeps many noise-generating mechanical components on the outside of a window cuts noise down to a minimum.
The Midea U-Shaped MAW12V1QWT checks almost all the boxes when it comes to convenience. It offers a wide range of modes and settings, as well as a robust and easy to use remote. It can also be connected to the WiFi and controlled by an app that is straightforward and convenient to use. The unit is compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, so those who use those services can easily add the unit to schedules as part of their current home automation.
Just like our experience with the 8k sister model, our test team failed to get the child lock to work consistently. At its worst, the feature doesn't function, and at its best, it's difficult to get it to function. Unfortunately, if a child safety lock matters to you, you may have to look past either this model or the 8k 'U-Shaped' sister model.
While impressive in nearly every other regard, the Midea U-Shaped MAW12V1QWT, like a smaller sister 'U-Shaped' model, is not the easiest unit to install. Its design means you'll need to install a support bracket (which isn't used by most other models we tested), and you'll want to set aside between 45 minutes and an hour to install.
Weighing in just shy of 56 pounds, the Midea U-Shaped MAW12V1QWT can be difficult for some users to lift and install alone, and we wouldn't recommend it as it exceeds the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health standard of 51 pounds per person. So before installation, plan on getting a friend to assist in lifting the unit into place.
If you are looking for one of the best performing 12,000 BTU window air conditioner units to cool a larger space and don't want to listen to the noise often associated with a window AC unit, then the Midea U-Shaped MAW12V1QWT is our top choice. Not only will you get a lot of cooling performance and energy efficiency for a rather quiet unit, but you'll also get one of the best smartphone apps and other convenience features, like connectivity to Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa for those wanting more robust controls and automation. Overall, it is one of the best units for larger spaces that has all the modern bells and whistles.
