De'Longhi Pinguino.

The Gavler Review.

De'Longhi Pinguino Review: Quiet Enough to Sleep Next To

The De'Longhi Pinguino ranks No. 6 on Gavler's Best Portable Air Conditioners list with a score of 8.5 — the pick for anyone whose first complaint about portable AC units is the noise. De'Longhi's "Silent" tuning targets a measurably lower sound floor than the category average, and Trusted Reviews' hands-on testing of the Pinguino 100 Silent backs that up directly: testing "in my south-facing garden office, which gets very hot," the unit "reduced the temperature from 31.5°C to 26°C in just an hour, which felt much more comfortable." The trade-off is that De'Longhi prioritizes comfort and quiet over raw BTU output, which means this is a small-to-medium-room specialist, not a great-room cooling solution.

What it is

Pinguino is De'Longhi's long-standing portable air conditioner line, and it's important to understand upfront that it spans multiple specific models rather than a single SKU — a distinction Gavler's own scoring note is careful to flag, since review coverage spans the Pinguino 100 Silent (a 10,000 BTU UK model), the PACEX390LVYN (a 14,000 BTU US model), and an Australian Air-to-Air variant, each independently tested by a different outlet. What unifies the line is the engineering approach: Silent tuning aimed at a genuinely lower noise floor than typical portables, a built-in thermostat that lets the unit hold a set temperature rather than running at full output continuously, and a capable dehumidification mode that earns its keep in shoulder-season humidity, not just peak summer heat.

In use

The noise performance is the headline, and it's backed by real measurement rather than marketing copy alone. Independent testing puts the line at roughly 46.5 dB in fan-only mode and 51 to 52 dB in cooling mode — quiet enough, per Gavler's own assessment, to leave running overnight without disrupting sleep. Trusted Reviews' David Ludlow measured both power draw and noise directly on the Pinguino 100 Silent, and Reviewed's Julia MacDougall ran the larger PACEX390LVYN through an instrumented test chamber, reporting: "As you can see, the room's initial temperature of ~80°F was cooled down to its target temperature of 70°F in under an hour, showing a significant drop in the room's temperature within the first 10–15 minutes." Reviews.org's Australian testing of the Air-to-Air variant, in a top-floor double-brick apartment bedroom, found similarly strong results: "the air con had no issues lowering the temperature by a good 5-8 degrees on steamy days."

That consistency across three separate outlets testing three different Pinguino models is itself a meaningful signal — the line's core cooling and noise performance holds up regardless of which specific SKU you land on.

Strengths

Quiet operation is the clear differentiator, and it's the kind of feature that matters disproportionately in the room where a portable AC actually gets used most — a bedroom, home office, or nursery, where a loud compressor cycling on and off all night is the single biggest complaint about the category generally. The built-in thermostat compounds that advantage: rather than running at full output continuously, the unit cycles to hold a set temperature, which both reduces noise over a long evening and likely helps with energy use. The dehumidification mode is a genuine bonus feature rather than an afterthought, useful in the humid shoulder seasons when a room needs moisture control more than aggressive cooling.

The trade-offs — who should skip it

The clearest trade-off is weight. Reviewed's testing of the PACEX390LVYN was direct about it: "While lighter than most window units rated for the same space, it's pretty heavy for a portable A/C." If you're planning to move the unit between rooms regularly rather than leaving it installed for a season, that's worth factoring into the buying decision.

The bigger-picture trade-off is capacity. De'Longhi's Silent tuning and thermostat-driven operation prioritize comfort over maximum cooling output, which means the Pinguino line is best matched to small and medium rooms rather than great rooms or open-plan living spaces. Gavler's own scoring note is explicit that this is a specialist positioning, not a general-purpose one — for a large space, a higher-BTU unit that trades some quiet for cooling power is the better fit. It's also worth going in aware that "Pinguino" spans several distinct models with different BTU ratings and dimensions, so it's worth confirming the exact SKU's specifications match your room size rather than assuming line-wide consistency on every spec.

How it compares

One rank above on the same Gavler list, the Dreo AC515S takes a similar quiet-first approach from a different angle: The Inside Review measured it at just 46 dB on its lowest setting, "comparable to the sound of moderate rainfall," and Pick Comfort's testing found it brought a room down to a comfortable temperature in 20 to 30 minutes on 90-degree days. It leans more heavily into smart-home control via the Dreo app, Alexa, and Google Home, positioning it as the connected alternative to the Pinguino's more straightforward thermostat-and-dial approach.

One rank below, the Whynter ARC-14S represents the opposite trade-off: a fixed-speed, dual-hose unit that's louder and less efficient than inverter-driven competitors, but has racked up a decade of Best Overall recommendations, including a 2025 Good Housekeeping nod, for real dual-hose cooling performance at a price below the inverter flagships. If quiet operation is your top priority, the Pinguino and Dreo both beat it; if raw dual-hose cooling power and a long track record matter more than noise, the Whynter is the better buy.

The Gavler verdict

The De'Longhi Pinguino earns its spot on this list by delivering exactly what its Silent branding promises: independently measured noise in the mid-40s to low-50s dB range, cooling performance that held up across three separate outlets testing three different SKUs in the line, and a built-in thermostat and dehumidifier that add real day-to-day value beyond the headline quiet operation. The weight is a genuine consideration if you plan to relocate the unit often, and the line's capacity is tuned for small-to-medium rooms rather than open floor plans. For a bedroom, study, or home office where low noise matters more than maximum BTU output, it remains the clear specialist pick.

Common Questions

Is the De'Longhi Pinguino worth it in 2026?

At around $500, it scores 8.5 on Gavler's Best Portable Air Conditioners list, ranked No. 6. Trusted Reviews measured the Pinguino 100 Silent cooling a hot garden office 'from 31.5°C to 26°C in just an hour' — genuinely strong performance for buyers whose top priority is quiet operation in a small-to-medium room.

How loud is the De'Longhi Pinguino really?

Independent measurements of the Pinguino 100 Silent put it at roughly 46.5 dB in fan-only mode and 51 to 52 dB in cooling mode — quiet enough that Gavler's scoring calls it suited to overnight use, though because Pinguino is a product line rather than one SKU, exact dB figures vary by the specific model tested.

Is the De'Longhi Pinguino heavy to move around?

Yes, relative to its cooling class. Reviewed's hands-on testing of the PACEX390LVYN noted: 'While lighter than most window units rated for the same space, it's pretty heavy for a portable A/C' — worth factoring in if you plan to move the unit between rooms often.