Mobile split air conditioners compared: every 2026 option for EU homes

A mobile split puts the loud, hot half of an air conditioner outside on a balcony or railing and connects it to a quiet indoor unit through a flat line a few centimetres thick. The window closes onto the line, nothing is drilled, and no installer visits. It keeps the move-in-day flexibility of a portable while fixing the single-hose design flaw: a hose unit pushes room air out of the window, so warm air gets pulled back in through every gap while the machine works.

Stiftung Warentest’s standing verdict on classic monoblocs is that they are flexible but inefficient for exactly that reason. The mobile split is the market’s answer, and since 2024 it has grown from one product into a category. This page compares every option we can verify for summer 2026: 13 units in total, 5 with the split layout and 8 one-box alternatives.

How this comparison was made

Specs come from manufacturer EU label sheets, prices from Geizhals listings checked on 10 June 2026, and test results from Stiftung Warentest issue 06/2025, the only lab test of a mobile split so far. We have not lab-tested these units ourselves; the methodology page explains how we work and what the energy label scales mean. One scale note matters here: mobile splits are graded on the seasonal SEER scale and monoblocs on the older EER scale of Regulation 626/2011, so an A++ split and an A++ monobloc are not the same achievement. Our analysis of all 2,828 registered portables shows 92% of monoblocs share the same class A grade.

1. Midea PortaSplit

What it is. The unit that created the category: a 12,000 BTU mobile split that cools and heats, with the compressor module hanging outside and a flat 2.7 cm connection line that a tilt-and-turn window closes onto.

Key numbers. 3.5 kW cooling for rooms to about 42 m², A++ (SEER 6.1), 39 dB(A) silent mode on the indoor unit, R290 refrigerant. From €799.99 on Geizhals in June 2026.

The evidence. Stiftung Warentest tested it in issue 06/2025 as the first mobile split in its programme: overall grade befriedigend (3.3), handling 2.2. TIME put it on the Best Inventions 2025 list. It sold out for weeks at a time during the 2025 heat phases.

Watch out. You store two boxes in winter, the outdoor module needs a railing, bracket or ledge, and the compressor noise moves to the balcony rather than vanishing. Full specs and sources.

2. Midea PortaSplit Cool

What it is. The cooling-only version: same layout, smaller compressor, about €300 less.

Key numbers. 8,000 BTU (2.35 kW) for rooms to about 28 m², A++ (SEER 6.1), around 38 dB(A) silent mode, R290. From €699 on Geizhals; Lidl sells it at €599 from 15 June 2026.

Best for. Bedrooms and offices where heating is not wanted. The smaller compressor also idles more quietly at night.

Watch out. No heat-pump mode, and the capacity ceiling is real: in a 35 m² living room with evening sun it will run flat out. Full specs and sources.

3. Midea PortaSplit-E

What it is. The 2026 successor to the heat-pump PortaSplit in Midea’s range. It keeps the split layout and the no-drill window line.

What we can say. It is new this season; check the EU label sheet on the retailer listing for its exact class, capacity and noise figures before ordering. Until independent test results exist, the original PortaSplit is the better-documented buy at a similar price.

4. TCL BreezeIN

What it is. TCL’s quick-connect mobile split, the first direct PortaSplit rival from a major brand, with heating.

Key numbers. 9,000 BTU for rooms to about 26 m², with a 22 dB(A) advertised sleep mode on the indoor unit (homeandsmart, 2026 roundup).

Best for. Anyone who wants the split layout with a second brand to price against. Competition arrived in 2026; let it work for you.

Watch out. It is newer to EU retail than the PortaSplit, with thinner availability and no lab test yet. Compare the label sheets side by side.

5. Quick-connect DIY split kits

What they are. Brands such as HANTECH and KESSER sell split systems with pre-filled refrigerant lines and self-sealing couplings, marketed for DIY installation. They cost less than a PortaSplit and cool like a fixed split.

The trade. They sit between categories: more efficient than any monobloc, but the line is thicker than a mobile split’s flat cable, the outdoor unit is a permanent-feeling fixture, and listings vary in what they include. Specs differ listing by listing, so treat the EU label sheet on the exact offer as the source of truth, and check your tenancy terms before mounting anything to the facade.

The split options side by side

Unit	Cooling	Rooms to	Class	Quiet mode	Heats	From
Midea PortaSplit	3.5 kW	~42 m²	A++ (SEER 6.1)	39 dB(A)	Yes	€800
Midea PortaSplit Cool	2.35 kW	~28 m²	A++ (SEER 6.1)	~38 dB(A)	No	€599 at Lidl, else €699
Midea PortaSplit-E	see label sheet	new for 2026	see label sheet	see label sheet	Yes	retailer listing
TCL BreezeIN	9,000 BTU	~26 m²	see label sheet	22 dB(A) advertised	Yes	retailer listing
HANTECH / KESSER kits	varies	varies	per listing	per listing	usually	per listing

Quiet-mode figures are manufacturer numbers for the indoor unit, not lab measurements, and the two unlisted prices change too often to print.

The one-box alternatives

A monobloc is still the right call when the budget stops under €500, when there is no balcony or ledge for an outdoor module, or when the unit moves between rooms. These are the eight from our shortlist, all R290:

Unit	Cooling	Rooms to	Class	From
De’Longhi Pinguino PAC EX105	2.5 kW	~40 m²	A+++	€734
AEG ChillFlex Pro AXP34	3.4 kW	~40 m²	A++	€499
Trotec PAC 3000 X	2.9 kW	~40 m²	A+	€349
Klarstein Metrobreeze Rome	2.9 kW	~49 m²	A+	€329
Olimpia Splendid Dolceclima 12	2.8 kW	~30 m²	A	€384
Comfee MPPH-09CRN7	2.6 kW	~33 m²	A	€279
Trotec PAC 2100 X	2.05 kW	~26 m²	A	€185
EcoFlow Wave 3	1.8 kW	~16 m²	unlabelled	€1,299

Classes here are the monobloc EER scale; remember it runs easier than the split SEER scale. Every one-box unit needs a sealed window to hold its rated output, which on a tilt-and-turn window means a cloth seal kit.

Which to choose

• You rent, the room matters, and the budget reaches €700 or more: the PortaSplit or PortaSplit Cool. Quietest, most efficient, and the window still closes and locks.
• Same situation, smaller budget: an A-class monobloc plus a €15 seal kit covers a bedroom for under €300 with the Comfee or the Trotec 2100 X.
• You own the flat and never plan to move the unit: price a real fixed split installation against the quick-connect kits before buying any portable; a fixed split beats everything on this page on noise and running cost.
• No balcony, no ledge, no place to hang anything: monobloc, full stop. Start with the De’Longhi EX105 if running cost matters, the finder if you want a match to your exact room.

Sources

• Stiftung Warentest 06/2025: Mobile Klimaanlagen im Test
• TIME Best Inventions 2025: Midea PortaSplit
• Geizhals price listings for the PortaSplit family
• homeandsmart: mobile Klimaanlagen 2026 roundup with the TCL BreezeIN
• homeandsmart: PortaSplit availability and 2026 line-up
• mydealz: PortaSplit Cool at Lidl for €599 from 15 June 2026
• Our extract of all 3,046 portable AC registrations in the EU energy label database