DREO Inverter Portable Air Conditioners,High Efficiency,14000 BTU Dual-Hose

Why it's worth it

The Dreo pairs an inverter compressor with a dual-hose exhaust and a pump-driven self-evaporating system that handles condensate for you. It's lighter than most units this capable, and it takes app, remote, or Alexa commands.

Emptying a condensate bucket is the chore that makes people hate portable ACs. Dreo's answer is a sensor-and-pump system that evaporates water automatically in environments below 90 percent humidity. That's the single biggest quality-of-life difference between owning one of these and merely tolerating it. If you run your AC overnight in a humid climate, not waking up to a full-tank alarm is worth real money.

It's the lightest capable unit here. At just over 55 pounds and under 29 inches tall, it's noticeably easier to move than the 72-to-85-pound machines it competes with. If you want cooling in the office by day and the bedroom at night, this is the one you can actually reposition without recruiting help.

From our review of 6 portable air conditioners for small spaces, by David Sinclair, Managing Editor

What we like

• +Emptying a condensate bucket is the chore that makes people hate portable ACs
• +It's the lightest capable unit here
• +Dreo claims 32 percent better efficiency than conventional models, from the combination of inverter modulation and dual-hose…
• +Control options are broad: app, physical remote, or voice through Alexa

What to know

• –Dreo is a newer name in cooling, and the ownership record is shorter than Whynter's or BLACK+DECKER's
• –The self-evaporating system has a stated limit — above 90 percent humidity you may still need to drain
• –Coverage is modest for a unit that advertises 14,000 BTU