13 Best air conditioners for apartments

The best manufacturers of split systems

Electrolux . A Swedish company whose range is filled with mid-level split systems - both in terms of price and quality. It is the unofficial leader of the budget segment and is positioned as the most reliable European manufacturer.

Ballu . A Chinese industrial corporation that produces a wide range of household appliances under its own brand. It is characterized by the development of split systems for all price segments and is gradually gaining popularity among Russian consumers.

Daikin . The company is recognized as a world leader in the production of air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems. He is the main innovator in the modernization of split systems, the technical (and technological) equipment of which is unattainable for competing companies.

LG . Direct competitor of Electrolux and Toshiba in the development and implementation of mid-level split systems. Positioned as one of the most reliable manufacturers, located on the Russian market for more than 20 years.

Toshiba . A large multinational industrial company founded in 1875 in Tokyo, Japan. Widely known to domestic consumers for various household appliances, including laptops and televisions. Engaged in the production of air conditioners for price niches mainly of the middle and top level.

Royal Clima . An Italian manufacturer of air conditioning units, headquartered in Bologna.
It is distinguished by its specialization for the creation of elite ventilation systems and occupies one of the leading positions in sales of bifurcated air conditioners in Russia.

Two prerequisites for choosing a good air conditioner:

The air conditioner must have an inverter: smooth regulation of not only the rotation speed of the indoor unit fan, but also the power of the compressor.

Simply put, this is an inverter air conditioner that can not only “blow differently,” but can also “cool differently,” maintaining a set temperature. Just take it for granted - if for yourself, then only an inverter! Believe me, in another couple of years, split systems with conventional compressor control will no longer be produced by all normal manufacturers of modern equipment.

It is advisable that the air conditioner be Japanese! If you want to save money and choose a Chinese brand, only the native factory brand of leading corporations (Hisense, Haier, Midea). But the order for the “no_name” series brand has not been placed.

Remark: or at least with a Japanese-made compressor

(usually the Chinese install Toshiba or Hitachi). In the current economic situation, fewer and fewer people can afford “Japanese”. Let the assembly be in Malaysia, Thailand and even China - this is the tenth thing. The main thing is technology.

Everything described below is written for those who believed in the first two “required”:

Alas, the thickness of your wallet is usually not unlimited. And as everywhere else, all the best is expensive. So it's up to you to decide:

No matter what anyone says, the DAIKIN concern has been and remains the trendsetter, the stronghold of “know-how”, the standard of performance and reliability. The most beautiful, the most reliable and silent, the most thoughtful in installation and not glitchy in operation are DAIKIN. But alas, you have to pay for everything, and the price level for DAIKIN split systems has been and remains unconquered. Although it is fair to note that over the past 3-4 years the leader has nevertheless come closer in price to the main group of those catching up.

In the standard version of the inverter, the difference in price is not at all large, and if the classic white block suits you all, and the difference of about 5000-7000 rubles does not seem critical for confidence in the correct choice, then you don’t need to read further. Take it! In designer blocks the price is more than steep. Frankly speaking, it is unreasonably expensive. However, there is one thing: no one else has them! Daikin was really able to combine quality and beauty, unlike the other manufacturers described below, whose design blocks are all stubbornly and clumsily similar to the Renault Logan: rough, but practical and reliable. And the latter is the most important thing for any Japanese.

After the “climate Apple” called DAIKIN, almost all the Japanese giants lined up in a row.

In order, but without priority. More details about each brand ⇓⇓⇓

• Mitsubishi Electric
  is the eternal number two on the Russian market. In my opinion, the quality of the equipment is in no way inferior to Daikin, but the large thick internal blocks of a person who sees them with their own eyes will definitely make you think. At the same time, the trend in the series is simple - the larger the dimensions of the block, the more functional and sophisticated it is... Everything would be great, but more than $1000 for a coffin on the wall would not make me happy... The most advanced series to date, FH or LN in rooms of 15 meters (and God forbid with low ceilings) it looks depressing with any renovation. Although full functionality, noiselessness and quality are above all praise.
• Mitsubishi Heavy
  . I don’t know the correct slogan for this company, but in Russia it would sound something like this: “we are no worse than Mitsubishi Electric, but cheaper.” And I agree! Excellent quality, discreet design, stable operation, noiselessness and good technical support from official services make you vote for it if you use your reason. All cars of the Mitsubishi Motors concern are equipped with car air conditioners from this particular company - and this also says a lot.
• Panasonic
  are good air conditioners... They were... They were good until March 2012: until they started spamming defective batches in official deliveries for several months. And these are premium inverter series! I’ll note the design - it’s probably the best after Daikin, but the quality of the air conditioners is oh so lame. Whistling boards of internal units, automation glitches, and service centers overcrowded with complaints are only saddening for now. An absurd situation in 2012: the new NKD series was sold for a long time cheaper than the old MKD by $70-100! Right next to the house there are Panasonics from 4 years ago, I’m happy as an elephant, but for now there’s no point in looking in their direction. Although... wait... I completely forgot. To launch sales of glitchy equipment in October 2012, Panasonic launched an incentive program: buy 2 air conditioners and get a bread machine as a gift! Why, their bread machines seem to be nothing, I’ve even heard people praise them! It’s sad in general, although there’s nothing to be surprised about: 10 years ago Panasonic didn’t make air conditioners, just like their brother SONY still doesn’t make them... This is probably correct.
• Hitachi
  is a good and reliable manufacturer. I see only one minus - despite the low noise level stated in catalogs, in fact, for some reason, air conditioners operate louder than the above-mentioned competitors. Although the catalogs indicate the same minimum noise levels of up to 26 dB for almost all Japanese manufacturers, it turns out that Hitachi is a little, but still audible, and for some reason there is no similar Panasonic or Mitsubishi. And almost all Hitachi inverters are assembled in China. Not an indicator - you will say, and you will be right. The Chinese are already flying into space, and there is no need to doubt their capabilities, but I personally still doubt the veracity of the technical noise characteristics.
• Toshiba
  is definitely a complete harmony of price and quality. For rational buyers - just the thing! They are harmonious, they are reliable, they don’t break down and are not prone to the most barbaric executions like “I forget to clean the 3rd year” or “oh, why can’t you turn it on at minus 25?” Simply unkillable devices! By the way, the first to come up with a split system was TOSHIBA, and without greedy markups, Toshiba representative offices in Russia sell them in unlimited quantities every year. Alas, the most unprofitable brand according to the markup of any climate control company (even ours) - but this is a secret...
• Finally, General
  or
  Fujitsu
  . This is one plant and the same blocks. But in “our rush” this brand is sold under both brands, with different labels (the difference is one letter, so no one would guess) and with different prices. There are also two suppliers of these models to Russia. This move avoids direct competition. However, excellent, good, high-quality equipment. Decent design and characteristics. The price is too high due to an artificial monopoly on the import of this brand into Russia - nothing can be done. The choice is worthy no matter how you look at it, otherwise you can vote with your wallet.

There are a great many other manufacturers offering quite decent and high-quality equipment, but due to distrust in both quality and service, I prefer to remain silent. I would also note that the cheap segment of climate control equipment, although present in the company in a large assortment, practically does not make any difference in gross volume. Practice has shown that it is much more profitable for us and more pleasant for the client to install and forget (in the good sense of the word) a normal air conditioner than to go to repair cheap stock manufacturers with a headache about finding spare parts and constant hemorrhoids of unpredictable work in the winter.

For your convenience, a breakdown by class of split systems is also provided. You can immediately go to what you want based on the possible:

• premium segment: the best air conditioners to date
• business class: one of the most functional, reliable and economical models
• comfort class: the choice of the economical consumer, but... should not be confused with cheap air conditioners, there are excellent models that you can vouch for

Well, in order not to be unfounded, and to bring more specifics to thoughts about air conditioners in 2019-2020, below I present a table of similar air conditioners from the described manufacturers and their prices in our company. Let me note that the writing of this article is of course of a commercial nature, but unlike companies dealing with certain brands, we pursue the goal of increasing sales as such, and not of any specific brand. In any case, this is indeed the case in this table.

The best premium air conditioners

The best mid-class air conditioners

The best comfort class air conditioners