The De'Longhi Pinguino PAC EL98 is, for us, the best all-rounder among portable air conditioners: roughly 9,800 BTU, considered design and a price that's justified by the cooling on offer. Here's what it does well — and where its limits lie.
De'Longhi has been making portable air conditioners longer than almost anyone, and the Pinguino line is the name most people reach for first. That reputation is well earned: the PAC EL98 doesn't feel like a no-name unit, it feels like properly engineered kit at a sensible price. That blend is exactly what makes it the obvious choice for most homes — and our best overall pick in this comparison.
| Model | Price | Cooling power | Suitable for rooms up to | Functions | Rating | Link | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ★ Top pick De'Longhi Pinguino PAC EL98 Portable Air Conditioner | £449.99 | 9,800 BTU | ~30 m² | 3-in-1: cool, dehumidify, fan | ★ 4.4 | View → |
£449.99
9,800 BTU · ~30 m² · 3-in-1: cool, dehumidify, fan
The verdict from Marcus Bell, home appliance tester
Our best overall pick. De'Longhi's Pinguino is the reference brand for portable air conditioners, and it shows in the build, the steady running and the cleverer water handling. With around 9,800 BTU it comfortably cools a standard living room up to roughly 30 m². You pay more than for a no-name unit, but you get a machine that lasts.
Cools evenly with noticeably less of the harsh compressor drone over long runs.
The Pinguino is the right unit if you want to cool a standard living room or bedroom up to roughly 30 m² and you'd rather have a dependable, well-built machine than save a few pounds on an unknown brand. With around 9,800 BTU it has a little more headroom than a typical 9,000 BTU unit, so it copes with larger living rooms as well as ordinary bedrooms. For renters it's ideal, because it needs no structural changes at all: hose into the window, plug in, cool.
It's less suited to very large, open-plan spaces above 35 m² or strongly sun-facing loft rooms — there, every unit in this class starts to run out of headroom, and you'd be better off with the Russell Hobbs 12,000 BTU. For a normal room, though, the Pinguino has power to spare.
In a normally insulated room of around 25 m², the Pinguino brings the temperature down steadily and evenly — the effect is clearly noticeable within minutes, and it holds it without drama. As a 3-in-1 unit it also dehumidifies and runs as a plain fan. The dehumidify mode is genuinely useful in a British summer, where muggy, damp heat often feels worse than dry heat alone.
De'Longhi's patented self-evaporating system is the Pinguino's quiet party trick. In most conditions the unit recycles the condensate it collects and pushes it out with the exhaust air, so for much of the time there's no tank to empty — a real, everyday convenience that cheaper units don't match. In very humid spells you may still need to drain it, but day to day it's noticeably less hassle.
At around 64 dB the Pinguino sits just below the class average, and it runs more smoothly over long periods because the compressor and fan are better isolated. It is not silent — no single-hose unit is — but the note is less harsh and easier to tune out. For a bedroom it's one of the more liveable units here; if quietness is your top priority, compare it with the others in our quietest portable air conditioners guide.
This is where the brand premium shows. The casing feels solid, the castors roll properly, the digital display and remote are clear, and the window-sealing kit is well thought out. Setup takes about 15 minutes. Nothing here is flashy, but everything feels built to survive several summers rather than just one.
The Pinguino's only real drawbacks are that it costs more than a budget 9,000 BTU unit and that it's heavier to move between rooms. Neither is a flaw in the machine — you're paying for build quality and the self-evaporating system, and the extra mass comes with the sturdier construction. If you only need to get through one hot summer in a small room, a cheaper unit such as the Pro Breeze 9,000 BTU will cool you just as effectively for less. If you want a unit that lasts and barely needs draining, the premium is money well spent.
A little, yes. At around 64 dB it sits just below the class average and runs more smoothly over long periods, because the compressor and fan are better isolated. It is not a whisper-quiet machine, though — like every single-hose unit, the Pinguino still sits in the room with you.
If build quality, steady running and longevity matter to you, yes. De'Longhi is the reference brand for portable air conditioners, the self-evaporating water system is well thought out and the units tend to last. If you only need to get through one summer, a cheaper 9,000 BTU unit will cool you just as well.
With around 9,800 BTU the PAC EL98 is rated for rooms up to roughly 30 m². That gives it a little more headroom than a typical 9,000 BTU unit, so it copes well with larger living rooms as well as standard bedrooms.
The Pinguino is our best overall pick because it strikes the best balance of cooling, refinement, convenience and longevity. It doesn't reinvent anything, but it does everything that matters in a portable air conditioner right — and the self-evaporating water system removes the single most tedious chore. For a standard living room or bedroom up to 30 m² it's the soundest buy here. If you'd rather spend less for similar cooling, look at the MeacoCool MC 9000 for value or the Pro Breeze on a budget. Before you decide, it's always worth checking our buying guide and getting your BTU sizing right.