U-shaped and saddle window air conditioners split the cabinet in two. The fan, controls and vent stay in the room, the compressor hangs outside, and the window closes into the gap between them. That should make them the quietest window units you can buy, and it is why they cost more than a standard box. This guide checks what the makers actually publish for them, at the setting you would run, and what each one asks of your window and wall.
Our main window air conditioner guide compares every published window AC figure, standard and split. This page covers only the U-shaped and saddle units: Frigidaire's U-shape Gallery, GE Profile's ClearView, Soleus Air's saddle range and the Midea U. We also looked for a U-shaped or saddle model from Windmill and LG and did not find one on their US sites.
Our picks are listed above, with full specifications for each.
What the split design does, in the makers' words
ENERGY STAR describes the design plainly: these units bracket the window or windowsill rather than sitting on top of it, which lets you fully open and close the window. "In most cases, the control panel and vent are situated inside the room, while the noise-producing compressor is located outside the room." It says they "provide greater noise reduction", and it gives no number.
The makers say the same thing in their own words. Soleus Air says its saddle units keep "the compressor noise outside". Midea says its U "effectively minimizes compressor noise". GE calls its ClearView models "Ultra Quiet" in their names.
Only one maker shows the split in figures. Soleus Air's manual for the WS5 units lists 38 to 48 dB(A) indoors and 51 to 63 dB(A) outdoors, measured "at a distance of 3.28 ft away from the front of the unit in cooling mode". The outdoor range starts 13 dB above the indoor range and ends 15 dB above it. Soleus does not say which fan speed gives each end, but the gap shows how much louder the half outside the glass is.
What the numbers say, and what they do not
Frigidaire: every speed. The U-shape Gallery GHWQ085WD1 lists 40 dBA on low, 46 on medium and 50 on high. The 10,000 BTU version lists 40, 47 and 53; the 12,000 BTU version 42, 49 and 55. No other U-shaped or saddle maker publishes a three-speed table.
GE Profile: two fan speeds and Quiet Mode. The inverter PHNT10CC lists 54 dBA on high fan, 51 on low fan and 40 in Quiet Mode. The non-inverter AHTT06BC and AHTT08BC list 41 in Quiet Mode, and print their fan speeds as "51/63" and "52/63", or "52/63" and "53/63", without saying what the second number is. We print them as written and do not guess.
Soleus Air: a range, with a distance. 38 to 48 dB(A) indoors for the WS5 units and 38 to 49 for the WS4 units, with the condition stated in the WS5 manual.
Midea: one line. Every Midea U says "as low as 32 dBA", with no speed, mode or distance. Our page of every Midea air conditioner figure lists all ten U models and the warranty split between their versions, so we do not repeat it here.
The comparison that matters most is one maker against itself. Frigidaire sells both shapes at 8,000 BTU, and its standard-shaped Gallery GHWW085TE1 lists the same 40, 46 and 50 dBA as the U-shape GHWQ085WD1. So on Frigidaire's own sheets the U shape does not lower the indoor figure at all. That does not mean the design does nothing: neither sheet says where the microphone was, and a figure taken near the indoor grille would not capture compressor noise coming through the glass. It does mean you should not pay extra for a U-shaped unit on the strength of the indoor number alone.
Makers quote their quietest setting, and for these units the quietest setting is a different thing on each brand.
Frigidaire. The quietest published setting is Low fan, at 40 dBA. Its Sleep mode, which turns the display and lights off, "will automatically select the Auto fan speed", and the guide says that on Auto the "fan starts on High Speed". For a bedroom, use Cool and Low fan and let the display turn itself off after 60 seconds.
GE Profile PHNT10CC. Quiet Mode, at 40 dBA, sets the fan to Low and runs longer at lower energy use. GE's own low fan figure in ordinary Cool is 51, so the difference between the two settings on one sheet is 11 dBA. GE also warns that in Quiet Mode "It is normal to hear the unit switching speeds if it senses the room becoming uncomfortable."
GE Profile AHTT06BC. Quiet is a fan speed as well as a mode, and the Sleep pad keeps the fan on Quiet for 8 hours while it raises the set point by 4 F in two steps.
Soleus Air. In Sleep "the fan will run on quiet to keep fan noise at a minimum" and the display dims after 10 seconds. Soleus does not say whether quiet fan is the 38 dB(A) end of its range.
Midea. The 32 dBA line names no setting, so you cannot tell which one gets you there.
We do not rank a Low fan figure against a Quiet Mode figure, or either against a range. Where two makers publish the same named setting, high fan, Frigidaire's 50 dBA is the lowest of the U-shaped and saddle units, against 54 for the GE PHNT10CC and 56 for the PHNT12CC. Our explainer on comparing decibel ratings across brands covers why a few decibels between makers with no stated distance should be read loosely.
Will it fit your window?
This is where U-shaped and saddle units differ most from standard ones, and where most returns start.
Window type. Every manual here is written for a double hung window. GE says other windows need the instructions modified; none of the others offers a casement or slider option.
Sash height. The lower sash has to rise far enough to clear the unit: 13 inches for GE, 13.75 for Midea, 13.8 for Frigidaire's install guide and 16 for Soleus Air.
Window width. Midea takes 22 to 36 inches, Frigidaire 23.6 to 36, GE 20 to 40 and Soleus Air 24 to 48. A wide window in an older house may rule out both U-shaped brands.
Wall and sill depth. Midea's bracket fits walls 3 to 10.5 inches thick, measured from the inside of the window to the outside wall. GE's chase-way slides out in steps, from closed for a window depth under 7.75 inches to its third position for 11.75 to 13.75 inches. Soleus Air says its WS5 units are sized for extra-thick walls and sills up to 12.5 inches thick. Frigidaire's install guide asks for at least 11.8 inches of clearance around the unit.
Weight. GE lists 80 lb for its inverter models and 70.55 lb for the smaller ones, and recommends two people. Soleus Air lists 64.6 to 68.6 lb, Midea 54.67 lb.
Storm windows. Midea says to add wood or remove the storm window, and not to block its drain holes. Soleus Air says a storm frame stops the unit tilting to drain.
Sealing the gap, and why it matters for noise
A split unit leaves more seams than a box in a window: the sash sits in a channel, side panels fill the width, and the space between the upper and lower sashes is open. Every maker ships foam for these, and the manuals are specific. Midea's final check is to "check for any gaps or openings to the outdoor air" and cover them with the provided foam. Frigidaire's guide adds a strip of sealing foam under the lower sash. GE supplies side panels, weather stripping foam and a top window gasket, and says to get suitable material locally if the gasket does not fit.
The makers frame this as stopping air and insects. For noise it matters too: the louder half of the unit is now outside the glass, and any open seam is a path for it. If a newly installed unit sounds louder than expected, check the seals before the fan speed.
Opening the window with the unit installed
The open window is the feature buyers pay for. Midea and Frigidaire both supply Open Window Brackets, and both manuals say they must be installed. GE supplies a window wedge, which it says is a convenience and not security, and a separate sash lock. Soleus Air offers an optional security bracket.
There is a noise trade-off here that the makers do not spell out. With the sash raised, nothing stands between the room and the outdoor side of the unit, and on Soleus Air's figures that side runs 51 to 63 dB(A) against 38 to 48 inside. For a quiet night, close the window onto the unit.
Size it to the room, not bigger
ENERGY STAR's chart puts 150 to 250 sq ft at 6,000 BTU, 300 to 350 at 8,000 and 400 to 450 at 10,000. Most U-shaped and saddle units start at 8,000 BTU. The GE AHTT06BC, at 6,100 BTU for 150 to 250 sq ft, is the only small one we found. For a typical bedroom, our bedroom window AC guide goes through sizing, display lights and sleep modes in more depth, and our guide to a quiet bedroom sets the AC against everything else that hums at night.
Bigger units list higher figures on the same sheet. Frigidaire's U-shape climbs from 50 dBA on high at 8,000 BTU to 53 at 10,000 and 55 at 12,000. GE's inverter ClearView climbs from 54 on high fan at 10,300 BTU to 56 at 12,200. Those larger sizes are living room units, and our living room window AC guide ranks the Gallery U and the ClearView beside standard window units of the same capacity, at the fan speeds a living room runs at.
What quiet costs
Price and stock. GE's ClearView pages showed $428.00 to $585.00, and every one we opened said the model is no longer being manufactured; the AHTT06BC also showed temporarily out of stock. Midea's MAW08U1QWT showed $379.99. Soleus Air shows no price, and frigidaire.com did not load from our location, so we have no US price for the Frigidaire U-shape.
Cycling. The GE AHTT models are not inverters, and GE's manuals say the compressor cycles on and off. Frigidaire, Midea and Soleus Air turn an energy saving mode on by default, in which the fan cycles with the compressor or every few minutes. Turn it off at night if restarts wake you.
Pinging. GE and Soleus Air both describe water thrown against the condenser as a normal ping. GE says opening the water hole seal reduces it at a cost in efficiency, and not to drill the base pan.
To see how 40 or 50 dBA compares with a fridge or a quiet conversation, see our decibel chart.
How we chose
We read the product pages, spec sheets, owner's manuals and installation instructions for every U-shaped and saddle window unit we could find from Frigidaire, GE Profile, Soleus Air and Midea, and checked Windmill and LG for one. We quoted each figure in the maker's own words and units, with the setting it describes, and compared figures only where two makers name the same setting. We ranked a full table above a range, and a range with a stated distance above a single "as low as" line. Prices are as shown on the makers' own sites on October 4, 2026.
We did not measure any of these air conditioners. Every figure is the maker's own, and only Soleus Air states the distance and mode behind its figure, so treat small gaps between brands as no gap at all.
