A portable air conditioner can be the perfect thing to make the summer heat a little more bearable. When small spaces need to be cooled down infrequently, the versatility of a portable air conditioner provides cooler temperatures when needed, without the unnecessary installation of a "permanent" system. Read on to find out more about a few of the best portable home air conditioners, along with descriptions and prices.

The best portable air conditioner for 2020, as ranked by Business Insider, is the LG 14,000 BTU Smart Wi-Fi Portable Air Conditioner. This model takes the portable air conditioner into the present with impressive smart technologies. Using LG's app, owners can not only control their unit, but also schedule it to run at specific times throughout the day or week. Additionally, LG's air conditioner is Alexa-enabled and can be turned on and off by voice. Another important quality of the unit is the ease with which it can be moved from one room to the next. Tests have been done to measure the time that task takes, and the LG 14,000 BTU Smart Wi-Fi Portable Air Conditioner came in at right around one minute to transport to another room. That beats many models that have the "portable" label, but are clunky or awkward to move. One more spec worth mentioning is the unit's quiet operation. One of the most silent models out there, its noise level never registered more than 56 decibels in a test, ensuring that owners won't be awakened by its humming. This air conditioner can be purchased via several online realtors, with the best deal being ABT.com's offering for $679.00

One of the best value options for a portable air conditioner is the Black and Decker Portable Air Conditioner. Despite a low price tage of just $407 on Amazon or at Walmart, the Black and Decker unit is one of the best performers on the market. In cooling tests, the model got the room as quickly as virtually any other air conditioner. So as far as doing the primary function of an air conditioner, this unit is among the best. But it's an unexpected feature that makes it even better. Unlike most portable air conditioning units, this one also can be used to heat a room. That makes the unit an indispensable, year-round machine at a low cost. A couple other key features of the Black and Decker model is its quicker-than-average setup time and a five-year warranty on its compressor. Guaranteeing a powerful, efficient cooling and heating unit for five years at just $400? That's pretty impressive.

Another good option, and one that falls in the middle of the first two options in terms of price, is the Honeywell Portable Air Conditioner. This unit is the one recommended by Wirecutter, due to some standout features. Among those are setup time and noise level. The Honeywell takes just 15 minutes to set up and is one of the easiest models to move from one room to the next. It's installation kit and energy efficiency put it ahead of much of the competition. Popular mechanics was also a fan of this unit because of its pleasant-sounding running noise and ability to hold a steady target temperature. The only cons of the Honeywell are that it takes just a tad longer to get a room cool than comparable models on average, and its warranty only lasts one year. The Honeywell Portable Air Conditioner comes in at $549.99 on Amazon with free shipping for Prime members.