The heat dome is about to land like a thud on much of the country (if it already hasn’t done so where you live). A portable AC is a great source of instant cooling relief, especially for spaces without a window for a traditional room AC.
TCL’s Smart Portable Air Conditioner is the best budget pick in our current roundup of portable ACs—and right now it’s 17% off at Walmart, dropping its price below $200. That’s a rarity for this product category, where prices are typically in the $300 to $600 range.
Our experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute's Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab test portable ACs in the Lab, as well as in the homes of consumer testers, where we can see how the units perform in real-world conditions. Though the TCL is relatively small, packing 5,000 BTUs of power (a.k.a. the amount of heat an AC can pull out of a room every hour), it was able to cool down medium-sized spaces up to 250 square feet quickly and effectively.
NOTE: The American Red Cross notes that a fan may not be enough to stay cool during extreme heat. Finding a cooling center is another way you can stay cool during a heat wave. Visit the National Center for Healthy Housing to find the closest one to you.
What really set this portable AC apart from the competition in our tests was its pinpoint temperature control. For the test, we set the machine to 64ºF and returned to measure the room a short time later to find it at 65.6ºF. No other portable AC came as close to achieving near-perfect temperature control as this TCL. The only trade-off for that cooling performance is that the unit is on the noisier side, particularly on max fan settings.
One more bonus with the TCL is its Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing you to control the unit via smartphone app. Though not essential, it’s nice if you want to cool the room down before you reach home—which you’ll really appreciate for as long as the heat dome hangs around.
