9 portable air conditioners that are still in stock after this weekend's sweat-fest — plus our top tips on how to choose and use one

Well-reviewed units to help you take on the rest of the summer

by · TechRadar

Features By Ruth Hamilton published 26 May 2026

(Image credit: Amazon / Curry's / Meaco / Edited by Gemini)

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For many of us across the UK, the past bank holiday weekend has been something of a rollercoaster of emotions. The joy of the sun finally coming out, the excitement of that first BBQ of the season, the thrill of flinging off that jacket and heading out in just a T-shirt... closely followed by the realization that we're just not built for this kind of heat, particularly when it comes to bedtime.

If you've invested in the best fan you can and it's still not cutting it, maybe it's time to think about upping the stakes. Maybe it's time for a portable air conditioning unit. It seems that's the thought process that's occurred to quite a few people over the long weekend, because many compact air-con units are now showing as unavailable.

There are still some great-quality options in stock, though — I've rounded up my top picks from trustworthy brands, backed by reassuring reviews, below.

If you're looking for more advice on buying and using a portable air con unit, scroll down for some top tips from Matt Bolton, who bought one two years ago and hasn't shut up about it since.

You can read his full missive about whether a portable air con is worth it ("100%... life would be immeasurably worse without it"), but I've also pulled the key takeaways below, for easy browsing.

Keep it cool

How to choose a portable air con

First up, BTU. This stands for British Thermal Units, and a higher BTU means the unit is suitable for bigger rooms. Unless you're only wanting to cool a tiny room, Matt suggests a minimum of 10,000 BTU. That's based on the efficiency of his own unit — "My 12,000 BTU air conditioner takes a fair amount of time to cool my bedroom, and it's not very large."

Opting for that kind of BTU rating rules out the most lightweight options, so while 'portable' might be in the name, don't expect to be carrying your air con up and down stairs on a regular basis. Matt flags that these things can get seriously heavy, and the internal workings are delicate.

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