Kogan 2.6kW portable aircon review: Cool air, tepid support

Kogan doesn’t have the best reputation. The online retailer regularly comes under scrutiny from the ACCC, and just last month was slammed for it’s poor customer service by Choice. I have personally had to lodge a complaint against Kogan in the past, and was informed that the Office of Fair Trading has an entire division dedicated to handling Kogan issues. All up, it makes it difficult to recommend their products.

And yet, my time with the Kogan 2.6kW Smarter Home portable air conditioner has me rethinking my stance. The simple set up, coupled with a 247% cooling efficiency that holds up to the Queensland humidity overdelivers for the sub $400 asking price. There is a lot to love about this aircon itself, but the Kogan hurdle will still be an obstacle for some.

Although it takes quite some time for the aircon to significantly drop the temperature in the room, the cooling effects can be felt almost instantaneously. Pumping up the fan speed, the chilled air can be felt directly next to the device within minutes, with the chill reaching a metre away in less than half an hour. Bringing the ambient room temperature down from 25 degrees to 20 degrees however takes well over an hour, and even longer than that on hotter days. The device has a built-in dehumidifier which is able to remove 0.9L of moisture from the air per hour.

Generally speaking, air conditioning needs to work harder in more humid environments, and is more effective in well sealed rooms, with good insulation. If you’re in a warmer area, and have a leaky home then you’ll want to opt for a more powerful aircon unit than your room size otherwise requires.

I tested this aircon against 80–95% humidity in Brisbane, in a 20 square metre room, in a well insulated house. 2.6kW is a bit more powerful than is usually recommended for these conditions, but even so it took a while to evenly cool the space. I would have expected it to be a bit faster, but if you’re looking for something to keep you comfortable overnight, this portable aircon will definitely do the trick. Eventually.

Although the Smarter Home range allows for WiFi connectivity, there isn’t much of a need to use the Kogan app for this particular appliance. The aircon unit comes with a remote that is capable of doing most things the app allows for, albeit with a trickier mechanism. Either way you’ll be able to select the mode, target temperature, fan settings, set a timer, and schedule when it turns on.

If you are so inclined, connecting the app and the device is more streamlined than other smart appliances I’ve used. Robot vacuums in particular can take multiple attempts to pair, but the air conditioner was set up within minutes. But once again, don’t feel like you have to use the app. We found it to be a touch buggy. I wasn't able to scroll the fan setting to get to 'high' in the app, and the external temperature always reads -7 degrees. I can guarantee you I would not have this appliance out if that were the case. The only feature you miss out on by not connecting the air conditioner to your WiFi, is remotely turning it on, and you don’t have to make an account, and share more of your data with the world. If that is important to you, then the process should be pain-free, but if you can live without it you’ll be just as cool using the control in the box.

For Kogan First members, the portable aircon unit is $349, but for those without a membership it is $369. This is on the cheaper side for portable air conditioners, as are its running costs. Although the cooling capacity is 2.6kW or 2,600 watts, the input power wattage is just 1,050 watts, giving it a 247% cooling efficiency. This means the operating costs are significantly lower than you may expect.

The average kW per hour cost across Australia is $0.14, meaning this portable aircon should only set you back around $0.147 per hour. Even if you were to run it overnight, every night during summer, you would only pay an additional $105.84 for the luxury. You’ll have to weigh up that value based on your own budget, but it is a relatively small price to pay for several good night’s sleep.