We tested 9 air conditioners in NYC — This is the one that ‘made it here’

New York City can be a place of extremes. 

For example, on February 8, 2026, the temperature dropped to 3 degrees Fahrenheit (-30 with the wind chill!) and five months later the temp was 100 degrees in Central Park, which tied the record high for July 2 (previously set in 1966) and marked the first time Central Park hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit since July 18, 2012.

The New York Post Made it Here Awards are our recommendations for the things that New Yorkers have proven to be resilient and work hard — just like New Yorkers themselves. That’s why instead of testing the best air conditioners in a lab, we put them through their paces in the real world of edge cases and unique spaces.

After testing nine of the most popular home cooling devices in actual New York City homes under rigorous testing criteria, we came up with one overall winner based on its abilities, its aesthetics and cost. 

The winner is the Midea 8,000 BTU DOE U-Shaped Smart Window Air Conditioner. It’s a revolutionary design that cools your space efficiently and quietly beats out all other air conditioners.

See our full testing criteria

Midea 8,000 BTU DOE U-Shaped Smart Window Air Conditioner

The Midea U-Shaped Smart Window Air Conditioner’s unconventional design physically blocks compressor noise outside, delivering ultra-quiet operation inside at levels as low as 32 decibels — up to 12 times quieter than traditional window units. It has advanced Variable Speed Inverter Technology, which achieves up to 35% more energy efficiency compared to standard models, earning it ENERGY STAR’s “Most Efficient” certification.

Dimensions: 19.17-inches W x 21.97-inches D x 13.46-inches H | BTUs: 8,000 | Noise Level: As low as 32 dBA | Wi-Fi Capable App: Yes | Remote: Yes | Modes: 3-in-1 (Cool, Dehumidify, Ventilate) | Inverter: Yes | CEER: 15.0 | Warranty: 3 years

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The Midea 8,000 BTU DOE U-Shaped Smart Window Air Conditioner is a highly efficient, ultra-quiet unit designed to cool spaces up to 350 square feet. Our tester, Robert Kearns of Richmond Hill, Queens, lives in a 100-year-old home and tested the unit from late June through August and was highly satisfied with the unit.

Both Kearns and his wife work from home several days a week, making reliable, quiet daytime cooling crucial for their family of four.

“The unit was installed in the dining room on the first floor,” which is adjacent to both the kitchen and the living room, he told the Post. “The home’s insulation has been upgraded over the years, but there are still areas where outside air enters during both the summer and winter.”

Our review

Older housing that wasn’t built with window air conditioners in mind is the norm, not the exception, in NYC. That can make cooling a space more difficult than in newer homes and apartments. According to RentCafe, the average apartment in Manhattan is 737 square feet. Though you’d think apartments in the outer boroughs would be bigger, you’d be wrong: Apartments in Brooklyn average 712 square feet for new units, and apartments in Queens average 692 square feet.

Kearns said he installed this unit himself without needing help. As we’ll see in the following section, the U-shaped design of the Midea makes installation much easier, though you still need tools to affix the bracket that holds it in place.

The setup

Because the dining room opens into the kitchen, cooking adds to the heat and humidity. “We use a separate fan to help circulate the conditioned air from the dining room into the adjoining living areas,” Kearns said. “Because this is an older home, the air sealing is not ideal, and the air conditioner must continually offset warm outdoor air entering the space.”

Kearns said he installed the unit himself without needing help. As we’ll see in the following section, the U-shaped design of the Midea makes installation much easier, though you still need tools to affix the bracket that holds it in place.

The design

Its U-shape allows the window sash to close securely through the middle of the machine, isolating the noisy compressor outside, and the unit ships with a bracket to attach it to the window sill as well as different sizes of foam insulation that Kearns said were perfect for sealing the window.

The manufacturer claims the unit can operate at high cool at just 32 decibels, though when we tested it with a decibel reader, we recorded 52. Equipped with variable-speed inverter technology, it uses up to 35% less energy than standard fixed-speed models.

Though our test unit was the 8,000 BTU model, the unit also comes in 10,000 and 12,000 BTU versions. “Sometimes we host gatherings at our house with family and friends,” reported Kearns. “Lots of kids are constantly in and out of the house, so the AC has to work hard during those times. We normally use a 12k BTU air conditioner in this space and the Midea held up well under those conditions.”

To maximize the Midea’s reach across his open first floor, Kearns pairs it with a separate fan to circulate the cold air into adjoining living areas. The machine’s smart features and washable filter make maintaining that consistent comfort incredibly easy throughout the sweltering summer months.

Special features 

In addition to its cooling and dehumidifying power, the Midea U-Shaped Smart Window Air Conditioner offers a versatile and user-friendly interface through its onboard controls, remote, and mobile app. 

The physical control panel features tactile rubber buttons that provide old-school haptic feedback (remember turning knobs and flipping switches?) alongside a clear digital display. The included remote is intuitive, notably featuring its own digital screen that mimics the AC’s display.

For digital control, the Midea SmartHome app (available on iOS and Android) allows users to set sleep curves, create schedules and monitor the temperature remotely. The unit also integrates seamlessly with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and features Matter compatibility for smart home ecosystems like Apple HomeKit.

Note: You don’t need to use the app or a smart home assistant to set up this AC.

Price

The Midea 8,000 BTU DOE U-Shaped Smart Window Air Conditioner is in the middle range of window air conditioners at this power level. The unit usually retails at $399.99, though you can often find discounts and deals on Amazon. However, you’re more likely to find these discounts in the fall and winter before buying picks up again in the spring. Retailers also use the Black Friday and Cyber Monday buying holidays to move remaining summer stocks.

In the 8,000 BTU category, the Midea U-shaped inverter model is $50 to $250 less expensive than similar models from some competitors and on par price-wise with others. (Frigidaire and Danby fall in the former category, Hisense in the latter.)

How does it compare?

Midea’s most direct competitor is the Frigidaire Gallery U-Shaped Inverter Air Conditioner. The Frigidaire closely mirrors Midea’s true U-shape design and bracket-based installation process. It also offers similar energy-efficient cooling, smart connectivity, and quiet performance, though some online reviewers note the Frigidaire can be slightly louder than the Midea on its highest fan setting, and it has an air quality light that can’t be turned off.

In 2025, other brands, like Hisense, also introduced true U-shaped models that prioritize enhanced drainage systems for humid climates. The GE Profile ClearView takes a different approach with a saddle or “over-the-sill” design. Instead of the window closing through the middle of the unit, the entire machine straddles the window sill. This allows the window to close completely flat in front of the air conditioner, keeping the view entirely unobstructed. 

Like the Midea, the GE ClearView uses an advanced inverter compressor to deliver exceptionally quiet and efficient cooling. However, the GE model is priced about 25% more than the Midea model, and its installation can be trickier depending on the depth of the window frame.

The drainage and mold question

On June 5, 2025, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced a massive recall of approximately 1.7 million Midea U and U+ Window Air Conditioners (with an additional 45,900 units sold in Canada).

The recall was initiated due to a design flaw that prevented condensation from draining properly. Water would pool inside the unit’s internal drip pan, creating a dark, damp environment that allowed mold to thrive on components like the fan blades.

Newer models, such as the Midea U+, feature a redesigned base equipped with rubber drain plugs. These updated plugs contain tiny holes or a fibrous wicking filter that allows excess water to slowly drip out of the unit rather than pooling deeply inside the chassis.

This now-remedied design flaw is important because it relates to how the Midea unit compares with other similarly designed models.

Is it worth it?

Ultimately, its blend of quiet operation, smart connectivity, and robust cooling power makes it a formidable upgrade over traditional box air conditioners. Our tester gave the unit five out of five stars.

Compared to similar U-shaped models from Frigidaire, GE and Danby, the Midea 8,000 BTU model is approximately 25% less expensive. But 10,000 BTU models and above are generally the same price point.

That said, the Midea brand is associated with quality, and since it fixed its drainage problem, Midea units are at the cutting edge of this particular cooling technology.

How we tested

For the New York Post Made It Here Awards, we evaluated popular air conditioners by giving a unit to nine households.

The brands we selected are the most common on the market, including options from Midea, Frigidaire, LG, GE and Vissani, the store brand of Home Depot.

Each space in New York City is unique. We tried to get some diversity in dwellings, from apartments to houses and in geography, placing units in Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan. (Sorry, Bronx and Staten Island!)

Our reviewers assessed each unit on installation ease, cooling power, cooling speed and control usability. To objectively gauge noise levels, we took precise sound readings using a decibel meter. Testers also tracked their monthly electricity bills to evaluate real-world energy efficiency and operating costs.