Summer will soon be coming in hot after some patchy weather over the Bank Holiday weekend. And when a fan just can’t keep you cool, a portable air conditioner is your best bet. Luckily, earlier this month, one of our favourite ACs, Black+Decker’s 5000 BTU unit, fell to its lowest ever price. Now, there’s more good news: Amazon has brought down that price even further.
The portable AC has now been reduced to less than £190, which means it’s currently cheaper than half price. What’s more, The Independent’s senior tech critic, Alex Lee, named it the best affordable portable air conditioner in his review. It has smart app controls so you can turn it on and off, increase the speed or put it in sleep mode, all from your phone. Smart portable air conditioners don’t come cheap, so it pays to take advantage of offers like this when they come along.
However, there’s a catch. You need an Amazon Prime account to access the deal, though definitely don't let this put you off. With Amazon’s 30-day free Prime trial, you can nab this deal, end the subscription at any point before the end of the trial, and not pay a penny for the benefits, which include free delivery. Keep in mind that the free trial is only available to new customers or those who haven’t been a Prime member in the last 12 months.
It might be worth your while keeping the account a little longer, though. The deals in the Amazon Prime Day sale, which is set to land in July, will only be available to Prime members. We’re expecting to see everything from mattress and air fryers, to beauty and Amazon-own brand devices like Echo speakers and Kindles discounted. And, as ever, myself and the team will be bringing you the best deals as and when they drop throughout the two-day event.
Black+Decker 5000 BXAC40023GB air conditioner: Was £399.99, now £189.05, Amazon.co.uk
The smart portable air conditioner originally cost £399.99, but dropped to £289.99 this time last year and has stayed at this price since. Earlier in May, a further reduction put it at £199, which was its lowest ever price at the time. Now, it’s fallen by a further £9.95, putting it at around half the price of its original RRP.
Alex put the Black+Decker 5000 BXAC40023GB air conditioner to the test in his flat, which has been known to reach up to 30C in heatwaves. He praised its portable, lightweight design and range of settings, with cooling, dehumidifying and standalone fan modes. “It’s not the most powerful air conditioner unit,” he said. “But it managed to cool down our small office room in about 45 minutes.”
It’s not perfect – Alex found it was quite loud, for example – but if you’ve got a small space to cool, this is a good deal to snap up.
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