The Midea Duo MAP12S1TBL is a high-end portable A/C with an inverter compressor and a space-saving two-in-one hose design. It's designed for use in large rooms, with an advertised capacity of 10,000 BTU/hr and an advertised coverage of 550 ft² (51 m²). As with many Midea A/C units, you can operate this one remotely using the Midea Air smartphone app, which offers integration with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa devices for using voice commands.
Our Verdict
The Midea Duo MAP12S1TBL is good for large rooms. It'll perform quite well in bigger spaces like living rooms, though it's worth noting that a window unit with comparable capacity will cool an equivalently sized space even faster. On the upside, it makes very little noise while running, so it won't be much of a nuisance regardless of where you set it up. It does incur moderate energy consumption while cooling, but it's highly efficient when maintaining your desired setpoint.
-
Low overall operating noise.
-
Very good energy efficiency while maintaining setpoint.
-
Cooling capacity is sufficient for all but massive open-concept rooms.
-
Moderately high energy consumption during cooling phase.
The Midea Duo MAP12S1TBL is a very good choice for use in smaller rooms. Its inverter compressor gives it the flexibility to operate efficiently in under-sized spaces without generating any substantial swings in perceived humidity. It's also a good option for light sleepers, as it runs very quietly during normal operation. Unfortunately, this is a very bulky unit, so it can be hard to fit into smaller bedrooms where space is at a premium.
-
Low overall operating noise.
-
Very good energy efficiency while maintaining setpoint.
-
Does an excellent job of maintaining ambient humidity and desired temperature.
-
Bulky design.
-
Moderately high energy consumption during cooling phase.
The Midea Duo MAP12S1TBL is a decently energy-efficient A/C unit. It isn't drastically more efficient than a similarly designed portable A/C when it comes to actually cooling down a room, but its inverter compressor comes into its own during the maintenance phase. It can modulate down to a low speed instead of cycling on and off to keep the ambient temperature at your desired setpoint.
-
Very good energy efficiency while maintaining setpoint.
-
Moderately high energy consumption during cooling phase.
The Midea Duo MAP12S1TBL is impressively flexible overall, and you can use it in a variety of room sizes. Its inverter compressor can simply operate at a lower band in smaller rooms instead of going through an energy-intensive cycling process. It minimizes any swings in temperature or perceived humidity and ensures your environment feels cool and comfortably dry instead of cold and clammy.
-
Does an excellent job of maintaining ambient humidity and desired temperature.
The Midea Duo MAP12S1TBL is amazingly quiet overall. Even at its highest setting, its operating noise is low enough to be masked by most common sources of household noise, like nearby conversation or a TV playing at a normal volume.
-
Low overall operating noise.
- 7.7 Large Room
- 7.8 Bedroom/Small Room
Performance Usages
- 7.3 Combined Efficiency
- 8.4 Oversizing Tolerance
- 8.6 Noise
Changelog
-
Updated Jun 12, 2025:
We've added the Duo MAP14AS1TWT-C variant to the 'Differences Between Variants' section of the review.
- Updated Jun 06, 2025: Review published.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Midea Duo MAP12S1TBL is only available in one color variant: 'Black.' For those interested, here's the product label.
If you're looking for a similar unit with higher capacity, there's also the Midea Duo MAP14AS1TWT-C, specific to Costco stores and available only in 'White'. The boasts a higher advertised capacity of 12,000 BTU. As a result, we expect it to perform similarly to the Whynter NEX ARC-1230WN, which is mechanically related to the MAP12S1TBL, and also uses a higher-capacity 12,000 BTU compressor.
Let us know in the comments if you come across another variant of this air conditioner.
Compared To Other Air Conditioners
The Midea Duo MAP12S1TBL is a high-end portable A/C. It's a bit of a standout as far as portable A/Cs go, going toe-to-toe with the Whynter NEX ARC-1230WN, another segment leader in the high-end portable A/C niche. The Midea offers enough cooling capacity to operate in all but the largest of spaces, and it has good overall energy efficiency thanks to its dual hose design and inverter compressor. It handily outperforms the Hisense HAP0824TWD, another dual-hose inverter unit, in most key ways: the Midea provides slightly greater cooling capacity, lower energy consumption while maintaining your desired setpoint, and quieter operation.
The Whynter NEX ARC-1230WN and Midea Duo MAP12S1TBL are mechanically similar units, sharing the same physical and in-app control interface. That said, the Whynter does pack in a more powerful inverter compressor, allowing it to cool an equivalently-sized space a little faster. That said, the Midea is still a very good option, especially if you don't need the extra capacity for a smaller room and can find it for a lower price.
The Midea Duo MAP12S1TBL is a better overall A/C than the Hisense HAP0824TWD. The Midea has a higher overall cooling capacity, enabling it to cool rooms a little faster, all the while having a lower energy cost during cooling and maintenance phases. Not only that, it also runs noticeably more quietly. That said, the Hisense is a little more compact and significantly lighter, making it a little easier to transport.
The Midea Duo MAP12S1TBL is simply better overall than the LG DUAL Inverter LP1419IVSM. The Midea's dual-hose design gives it a major advantage in efficiency over the LG, allowing it to cool a comparably sized room much faster while consuming less energy. Its two-in-one hose design also means that it's only marginally bulkier than the single-hose LG.
The Midea Duo MAP12S1TBL performs better overall than the Hisense AP1022HW1GD. The Midea's inverter compressor allows this unit to maintain more consistent humidity and temperature levels while also minimizing energy consumption once it has reached your desired setpoint. That said, the Hisense is noticeably smaller and easier to stow away when not in use.
Test Results
The Midea Duo MAP12S1TBL provides good cooling capacity. It can cool the vast majority of living rooms or bigger playrooms, but it can't keep up with a window unit with comparable capacity if you're looking for something that can cool a larger open-concept apartment by itself.
With out-of-the-box settings, this unit's compressor cycles down to a low speed early in the cooling cycle, resulting in a lower capacity than expected. Using the Boost mode (as we did in this test) keeps the compressor at its maximum speed, providing a result that's more representative of its true capacity.
This A/C unit has okay cooling efficiency. It doesn't operate as efficiently as a high-capacity window unit like the Midea MAW12HV1CWT in this regard, as it'll take noticeably longer to cool an equivalently sized space, all the while having higher upfront energy demands. Still, it's efficient for a portable unit, and much better in this regard than a single-hose model like the LG DUAL Inverter LP1419IVSM, which lacks a proper intake for cooling the compressor as it runs.
The Midea Duo MAP12S1TBL's energy efficiency while maintaining the setpoint is good. As an A/C unit with an inverter compressor, it doesn't have to cycle its compressor on and off to maintain a set temperature.
That said, this unit can briefly modulate its compressor to a higher speed in this maintenance phase, resulting in brief spikes in its energy consumption. Thankfully, these spikes are unlikely to have much of an effect on your energy bill in warmer months.
The Midea Duo MAP12S1TBL does a great job of maintaining ambient humidity levels while maintaining a setpoint. The compressor modulations are brief and small enough that they don't have a noticeable impact on a room's perceived humidity. As a result, the room that the unit is cooling will feel comfortably and consistently dry.
High-pitched operating noise from the compressor is a common complaint for inverter A/C units. This chattering noise can be heard faintly in the Inside Noise @ Low test video. This noise is completely normal once the unit enters a cooling cycle and isn't a cause for concern.
This is a pretty feature-dense air conditioner. You can operate the unit using its control panel, the remote control, or the Midea Air app, which also supports Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant devices for making voice commands.