Midea U-Shaped MAW12V1QWT Review

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.

Performance Comparison

Cooling

Our cooling test metric assessed how effectively each model can cool a space from a specific temperature within an hour. Due to its significance to air conditioners, it makes up 30 percent of each window unit's overall score.

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.

Energy Consumption

Our energy consumption tests accounted for 25 percent of each window air conditioner unit's total score and entailed measuring each model's energy consumption in a controlled test. With a watt meter, we measured kilowatt-hours consumed by each AC unit while running at its max setting for an hour.

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.

Noise

Our noise metric gauged the loudness and disruptive quality of each of the models in our lineup and assigned it a weight of 20 percent of their overall scores.

The Midea U-Shaped MAW12V1QWT did a great job, 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.

Convenience

Our convenience metric, constituting 15 percent of each model's final score, assesses and scores a number of convenience features. This includes air direction adjustments, temperature and display settings, the different operational modes, how robust their remotes are if one is included, WiFi connectivity and apps, timers, and child locks.

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.

Installation

For our last metric, we installed and uninstalled each unit to see how easy or difficult it was. Since this task will likely only be performed once a year, we only dedicate 10 percent of the final score to this metric.

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.

Should You Buy the Midea U-Shaped MAW12V1QWT?

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.

What Other Window Air Conditioner Should You Consider?

The Midea U-Shaped MAW12V1QWT may be an excellent choice for cooling larger rooms, but it may be more than what is necessary for more modest sized rooms, and is also on the expensive end for window air conditioners. For smaller spaces, the more affordable 8,000 BTU Midea U-Shaped MAW08V1QWT also offers top-tier performance and comes with the same smart capabilities and energy efficiency. However, if budget is a concern, then the LG LW6017R is a more affordable and easier to install option, offering performance that rivals the top models but isn't nearly as quiet as the Midea. If noise, energy consumption, and cost are not a factor, and you are still looking for a 12,000 BTU model to rapidly cool a larger space, then take a look at the Frigidaire FHWC124WB1. This model offers one of the greatest cooling performances of any of the models we tested but is exceptionally loud, a little pricey, and won't be doing you any favors on your next energy bill.