Midea Cube 50-Pint Dehumidifier Review: Is the MAD50S1QWT-A Worth the Extra Cost?

How much basement this covers

The Midea Cube is rated to pull up to 50 pints of moisture a day out of a space up to 4,500 square feet, the largest coverage rating of the three picks. Both are Midea’s figures, and the pints rating is measured at 65°F, so a cooler basement will see less. A larger basement, an open floor plan connecting several rooms, or a basement with a sump pump that runs often are all good matches for this unit’s higher ceiling. A smaller, drier basement doesn’t need this much capacity, and the Frigidaire will cover it for less money.

Running it through a cold basement

This unit is rated to run down to 41°F, the same floor as the Frigidaire. Below that threshold, a compressor-based dehumidifier like this one starts to lose efficiency, because the coil can frost over, and running it in that state removes less moisture and adds wear. A basement that stays above 41°F through winter is within range for this unit. The Hisense goes lower, to 38°F, which is the better pick if your basement runs a few degrees colder in winter. None of the three is rated for an unheated basement that regularly drops to freezing.

Drainage: the only one of the three with a hose in the box

It is the only one of the three picks that ships with a drain hose, so continuous drain works out of the box instead of requiring a separate purchase. The internal tank also holds 4.2 gallons, or 33.6 pints, more than double the Frigidaire’s 13.6-pint tank, for anyone who’d rather rely on the tank than run a hose to a floor drain. With the hose run to a floor drain, it can run unattended for days; on the tank alone, at its full rated 50 pints a day, it would fill in about 16 hours.

Wi-Fi and app control

The Midea app, along with Alexa and Google Home compatibility, lets you check the humidity reading and tank status without walking down to the basement. The Frigidaire offers a comparable feature set through its own app, so Wi-Fi control isn’t a point of difference between these two; the Hisense is the one pick without it. If you’d rather skip the app entirely, the unit runs the same without it.

Noise and where to put it

Midea doesn’t publish a decibel rating for the no-pump MAD50S1QWT-A. Figures published for the built-in-pump MAD50S1QWTB belong to a different model and don’t carry over. For a basement used for storage or laundry, that’s unlikely to matter much either way; for a finished basement doing double duty as a living space, plan to listen before you commit to where it sits.

Energy use and the Energy Star certification

The Amazon listing for this model (ASIN B0GL7B1FC8) lists Energy Star certification. ENERGY STAR certifies each model separately, so confirm the exact model number in ENERGY STAR’s product finder, especially if you switch to the built-in-pump version. In practice, Energy Star certification means a lower electricity cost than an equivalent non-certified unit removing the same amount of water, though the exact dollar figure depends on your local electricity rate and how often the unit runs.

Build and everyday features

The unit measures 14.45″W x 14.76″H x 14.57″D and weighs 41.54 lbs, per Midea’s product page for this model. It runs on R32 refrigerant and carries a 1-year warranty. Midea’s MAD-series user manual lists three fan speeds (low, mid, high) for the built-in-pump variant, and the listing for this no-pump model doesn’t state a count, so treat that count as unconfirmed here.

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