One of the biggest drawbacks of window air conditioners is that they block a significant portion of the window and the plastic baffles are flimsy and poorly insulated The Midea U Smart Air Conditioner is the first product to solve this problem, allowing the window to slide between the two halves of the air conditioner design. However, light penetration is still significantly blocked.

The GE Profile Clearview Window Air Conditioner (from $429) solves this problem by essentially turning the U upside down. The Clearview can be hung below the window, allowing more light to enter. On top of that, this model uses inverter technology to cool the room, so it's not only quieter, but more efficient than older air conditioners. Is this the best smart window air conditioner you've been looking for? To find out, you need to read the rest of this review.

The GE Profile Clearview Window Air Conditioner will be available in spring 2023 and comes in two sizes: a 10,300 BTU unit for $529 and a 12,200 BTU unit for $579. The smaller model is suitable for rooms between 350 and 450 square feet, while the larger model is suitable for rooms between 450 and 500 square feet.

GE also manufactures Clearview in 6,100 BTU and 8,300 BTU sizes, but these models do not use inverter technology and are louder and less efficient than inverter-based models. [The GE Profile Clearview looks like a Midea U air conditioner turned upside down, with a lowercase n, or horseshoe. The outer section houses the bulk of the air conditioner, while the inner section has the controls and outputs.

I liked how the Clearview turned the air upward. The touch controls were easy to use and responded immediately when pressed.

However, I was not as enamored with the design of the Clearview as I was with the Midea. Measured from the window, the Midea unit protrudes about 8.5 inches into the room. In contrast, the Clearview sticks out about 13 inches. In addition, there is a large gap between the back of the Clearview and the wall below the window because it does not wrap around the window frame.

Installation of the GE Profile Clearview window air conditioner was much more fiddly than other window air conditioners I tested. The Clearview is expandable to three different sizes, allowing it to fit a variety of window frame widths up to 13.75 inches. Finding the best size, however, proved difficult. My wife and I had to install and remove the air conditioner three times before it was installed correctly. In the process, we also had to scrape some paint off the window frames.

Once the proper size was found and the air conditioner was installed in the window, we then had to reach outside and turn two rubber feet to adjust the air conditioner so that it was snug against the outside of the house. The whole time I was turning each foot, I was nervous that the entire air conditioner would flip and fly out the window.

With the hard part done, I cut the foam blocks provided to size, lowered the window, and secured everything snugly in place.

I also had a little trouble connecting the SmartHQ app to the air conditioner. Yes, even a veteran like me can have trouble setting up smart home devices. Fortunately, when I called GE tech support, Travis quickly and expertly diagnosed and solved the problem.

It took until July, but my area finally warmed up, and I was happy to cool my bedroom with the GE Profile Clearview instead of the old, noisy air conditioner I had been using, And it was quiet.

With the fan on low in Eco mode, Clearview measured about 45 decibels from 10 feet away. Not as quiet as the advertised 40 decibels, but still quite soft. When the fan speed was increased, the noise level increased to 50 decibels. For everyday use, we would say that the noise level is about the same as the Midea units.

Clearview's energy saving mode certainly seemed to save energy by not turning on the air conditioner. One night, when I set the unit to Energy Saver before going to bed, the room cooled down, but then did not turn on again. However, the air didn't move and it became muggy. So we set the air conditioner to the cool setting and the fan speed to low.

The Clearview control panel was easy to use, but it has a nasty feature. After a certain amount of time, all the lights on the panel would turn off. While this is nice to not be an eyesore at night, if the air conditioner is not actively running, the entire machine appears to be off. One tap on the power button turns on the lights, and the necessary buttons need to be tapped to change the temperature, etc.

Clearview comes with a small white remote control to adjust the temperature and change modes. The buttons are soft and easy to press, but we found the gray text on the buttons incredibly difficult to read, especially in dim lighting

The SmartHQ app used to control the GE Profile Clearview air conditioner and other connected GE appliances has a friendly and easy to use interface. It is not overly complicated and displays not only the mode of the air conditioner (cool, energy saver, or silent mode), but also the fan speed and temperature. The only thing I would tweak here is the temperature display: it shows both the room temperature and the air conditioner's set temperature, but I can't tell which is which.

The app also allows you to create a schedule for when to turn the air conditioner on and off and assign specific modes and temperature settings. Additionally, you can create location-based automations so that the air conditioner automatically turns on when you are home and off when you leave. You can also connect the air conditioner to Alexa, Google Assistant, or IFTTT and use these assistants to automate functions.

On paper, GE's Clearview window air conditioner looks like a great idea. It lets in more light and insulates better than other window air conditioners. However, its design makes it very difficult to install, and other small issues, such as the letters on the remote control, dampened my enthusiasm.

Needless to say, the GE Clearview costs $529, $110 more than a comparable Midea window air conditioner. However, if light from the windows is important to you, the GE Profile Clearview may be worth the extra money.