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Here at the Strategist, we know that finding the “best” product really depends on exactly whom you ask — which is why we’ve devoted this series to squeezing in as many informed, trustworthy opinions as possible. And we’ve come up with dozens of ways to do this, among them: surfacing reader reviews from across the internet, taking quick polls of our most insane friends and fellow shopping-obsessed Strategist editors, and partaking in some advanced internet snooping. standing air conditioner unit

12 Best Portable Air Conditioners 2022 | The Strategist

With that, we’re rounding up the best portable air conditioners that you can buy online. Although window ACs are far more popular, portable ACs are a useful alternative if there’s some issue with size, style, or building management that prevents you from installing one. The big disadvantage is that they take up more space, and are often noisier and less efficient than window units. But it’s still better than sweating the summer away. Below are a bunch of highly rated, well-reviewed, expert-recommended, and even stylish options to help you narrow down your search.

We spoke to home-cooling experts about the best smart air-conditioning units — the kind you can control remotely so your apartment is already cool when you get home. One recommended this portable version: a sleek Frigidaire model with over 12,000 BTUs, which will cool about a 450-square-foot space. You can control it with an app or even with your voice, using Google Assistant. “This would be great for someone with an irregular window size that a window unit won’t fit into,” Eugene Fiks, president of Fiks Consultants, which integrates smart products into clients’ homes, told us. Portable ACs still need to be near by a window, however, to exhaust heat, but Fiks says that with this model, “The flex-tube connection (or hose) will fit into any window that opens.”

12 Best Portable Air Conditioners 2022 | The Strategist

Standing Ac Unit [Editor’s note: This portable air conditioner is currently only available in 10,000 BTUs from a third-party seller on Amazon with less than a 97 percent approval rating. But Frigidaire’s square-shaped Cool Connect 13,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner is available from $550 at various local retailers in-store and online, including AJ Madison and Home Depot.]