De'Longhi Pinguino PACEM82 Portable Air Conditioner Review

This review is built from De’Longhi’s own published specifications and an independent long-form hands-on test (Galaxus, a European electronics retailer with an editorial review team), cross-checked against Noel Leeming’s own listing data rather than taken from a single source. We haven’t tested this unit ourselves.

Who it’s actually good for

If you want a portable unit that genuinely lowers room temperature rather than just moving air around, the independent test backs that up clearly — real, fast, measured cooling in a realistically sized bedroom, and an overall conclusion that it delivers what it promises. It’s also a reasonable pick for a home office or living room, where the reviewer found the noise level simply wasn’t an issue during normal use.

Who should look elsewhere

If you were hoping to move this between rooms daily, recalibrate that expectation — at 32kg, it’s a two-handed, occasional-relocation appliance, not something you’ll casually carry upstairs each evening. And if you’re sound-sensitive overnight, know going in that real testing measured around 60dB at full power, loud enough that it wasn’t a comfortable bedroom companion for everyone in the household that tested it.

What independent testing found

The clearest result was cooling performance matching real expectations: a 15m² bedroom dropped from 28°C to 24°C within an hour, comfortable well before that. Performance held up reasonably in a smaller 9m² room (comfortable in around 20 minutes) but fell off in larger, multi-room, or open-plan spaces — three connected rooms totalling 45m² took close to two hours to cool and never quite reached an even temperature throughout. The unit never reached its lowest 16°C setting even running continuously, which is realistic to expect rather than a fault. On noise, the measured ~60dB at maximum power was actually slightly better than the manufacturer’s own 65dB spec — a rare case of a unit not overselling its own quietness — but still loud enough that the reviewer’s partner wouldn’t sleep next to it, even though he personally tolerated it with earphones in. The most distinctive complaint was one not found in this site’s other reviews: the unit keeps making an audible dripping noise for over ten minutes after being switched off, which the reviewer found genuinely disruptive when trying to fall asleep.

The real numbers

• Cooling capacity: 9,400 BTU (2.4kW), rated for rooms up to roughly 33m²
• Noise: measured at ~60dB at maximum power in independent testing (spec states 65dB), ~55dB at the lowest setting
• Weight: 32kg — heavier than most units in this category, genuinely limits regular room-to-room moves
• Power draw: up to 860W at full load, typically stabilising around 780W
• Functions: cooling, dehumidifying (up to 43L/24h), and fan-only modes; 3 fan speeds; 24-hour timer; remote control
• Refrigerant: significantly lower-impact than De’Longhi’s older R134-based units, per the manufacturer

If you’re not certain a portable AC is the right size for your specific room, our room-size calculator gives an honest range rather than a generic BTU number — and if you already have a heat pump, check our heat pump cooling-mode guide first, since using it properly is often cheaper and more effective than buying this at all.