Midea PortaSplit Alternative: What You Can Actually Buy in Switzerland

TIME named the Midea PortaSplit one of its Best Inventions 2025, and Stiftung Warentest rated it the best mobile air conditioner in its class (test.de). The result, in Switzerland: you can read about it everywhere and buy it almost nowhere. This guide maps what you can actually do about that. The real alternatives sold in CHF, the traps of importing from the EU, and an honest look at our own house brand, including where it loses to the original.

Why is the PortaSplit sold out everywhere in Switzerland?

Because demand has outrun Midea's production since 2025, and Switzerland is a small market that receives small batches. When Interdiscount, Galaxus, Digitec, Fust or ecofort get stock, it sells out within days, sometimes hours. A paid tracking service that watches 187 points of sale claims one in two restocks vanishes in under 17 minutes. The next real supply arrives in spring 2027.

The shortage has produced its own little economy. portasplit-tracker.ch charges CHF 9.90 for 90 days of stock alerts. On tutti.ch, scalpers have listed units at up to CHF 3'500.–, well over double the official price of CHF 1'349.–. And the German tech site heise warns that fake shops are appearing around the search demand (heise). Three ground rules protect you: never pay above the UVP of CHF 1'349.–, never prepay by bank transfer to a shop you do not know, and check the imprint for a real Swiss address and a working phone number. One more thing: stock alerts do not need to cost CHF 9.90. Our per-product waitlist does the same job for free.

Should you order from Germany or an EU shop instead?

You can, and German availability is sometimes better. But price the whole trip before you click. Switzerland is not in the EU: a unit ordered abroad goes through customs, 8.1 percent Swiss VAT and a carrier processing fee. EUR prices hide all of that, and warranty service means shipping a 45 kg device back across the border. What looks cheaper rarely is.

The concrete cases. portaspliteu.com, an Italian Midea sales channel, lists the PortaSplit Cool at EUR 899 and the heat-pump version at EUR 1'199 with free EU delivery in 5 to 7 days. Switzerland is not covered by an explicit shipping policy, and the shop's own "Buyer's Guide for Switzerland" page has already gone offline. Buying near the border yourself, at a German Hornbach or Bauhaus (the Swiss checker braucheklima.ch tracks them), works if you find stock and drive. But anything above the CHF 150.– personal allowance must be declared for Swiss VAT at the border (Federal Office for Customs and Border Security). Then comes the fine print: a German invoice means a German warranty process, and nobody enjoys posting 45 kg to another country. Devices sold in Germany also come with a Schuko plug, which does not fit a Swiss T13 socket, so you live with an adapter on a device that runs all night. A Swiss shop with a Swiss warehouse makes all four problems disappear.

What must a real PortaSplit alternative deliver?

Four things make the PortaSplit worth the hype, and any honest alternative needs all of them: a true split design with the compressor outside; a flat connection line around 2.7 cm thin that passes through a closed, sealed window; a quick coupling you can connect without a technician; and an indoor unit under 40 dB(A) so you can sleep next to it. Add A+ efficiency or better, and ideally a heating function for spring and autumn. Anything sold as an "alternative" without these points is a monoblock with better marketing.

PortaSplit alternatives in Switzerland: the comparison

Here is the field as it looks from Switzerland, with what each option honestly delivers. Prices and availability checked in August 2026.

Device	Type	Cooling and heating	Quiet enough for sleep?	Price and availability in Switzerland
Midea PortaSplit	Portable split	3.5 kW cooling, heats too (SEER 6.1 A++, SCOP 4.0 A+)	Yes, 39 dB(A)	CHF 1'190.– (UVP CHF 1'349.–), sold out, free waitlist for spring 2027
Midea PortaSplit Cool	Portable split	2.35 kW, cooling only (A++)	Yes, 38 dB(A)	CHF 1'090.–, sold out, free waitlist
SplitClima S12	Portable split	3.5 kW cooling, heats too (SEER 5.6 A+, SCOP 4.0 A+)	Yes, 39 dB(A) sleep mode	CHF 799.–, next batch spring 2027, free waitlist with 48 h early access
Comfee PortaSplit	Portable split	Same hardware as the PortaSplit under Midea's second brand	Yes	Sold at Fust; availability comes and goes with the same shortage
Argo Ulisse 13 DCI	Portable split	The category veteran, with a longer line between the units	Indoor unit quiet; check the current data sheet	Rarely stocked in Swiss shops; usually an import with the friction described above
Monoblocks (Climia CMK 3500 and similar)	Monoblock	3.5 kW class, cooling only	No, expect 55 to 65 dB(A) in the room	Widely available at DIY and electronics stores for a few hundred francs

The honest case for the SplitClima S12

The S12 is our house brand and the closest thing to a PortaSplit you can reserve for Swiss delivery today: 3.5 kW of cooling and heating, a 39 dB(A) sleep mode, WiFi control, R32 refrigerant, a Swiss T13 plug and the window kit already in the box, at CHF 799.– instead of the PortaSplit's CHF 1'190.–.

Now the honesty. The PortaSplit stays ahead in two places. Its cooling efficiency is better, SEER 6.1 against the S12's 5.6, which means roughly 9 percent less electricity for the same cooling, and it carries the bigger brand with the larger service network. If you find a PortaSplit in stock at UVP, buying it is a perfectly good decision, and we sell it ourselves.

What the S12 answers with: it costs CHF 391.– less. The window seal and balcony kit is included, while the accessory market for the PortaSplit is chronically sold out at Swiss shops. Heating performance is identical on paper, SCOP 4.0, so both work as efficient shoulder-season heaters. The plug is Swiss T13, no adapter. And the commercial side is fully Swiss: free delivery, a 2-year warranty handled in Switzerland, a 30-day return right, payment by TWINT, card, PayPal or invoice.

The part we will not sugarcoat: the S12 is sold out as well. The next batch was ordered for spring 2027, sized against the waitlist. Joining the waitlist is free and gives you 48 hours of early access before the batch opens to everyone.

What about the rest of the field?

Midea PortaSplit Cool

The Cool is the PortaSplit's smaller sibling: 2.35 kW, cooling only, 38 dB(A), and visually almost identical to the full model. That resemblance is a real problem; notebookcheck warned buyers explicitly about the risk of confusion. At our price of CHF 1'090.– against CHF 1'190.– for the full model, the CHF 100.– saving buys you a third less cooling power and no heating. It only makes sense for a single small bedroom, or when it is the model you can actually get.

Comfee PortaSplit at Fust

Fust sells the same hardware under Midea's second brand as the Comfee PortaSplit. If you see one in stock at a fair price, it is a PortaSplit with a different badge, and a legitimate buy from a Swiss retailer with a Swiss warranty. It rides the same supply wave, so do not expect it to be available when the original is not.

Argo Ulisse 13 DCI

The Italian veteran of the portable split category, and the unit Reddit threads recommend when the PortaSplit's 2 m line is too short for the room layout. Its weakness from a Swiss chair is simple: almost no Swiss shop stocks it, so you are back to importing, with EUR pricing, customs and a foreign warranty.

A monoblock as a stopgap

Monoblocks like the Climia CMK 3500 are what German media recommend when the PortaSplit is gone, and they are genuinely available. Just know what you are buying: one hose out of an open or adapter-sealed window, negative pressure pulling warm air back in, and 55 to 65 dB(A) in the room. Stiftung Warentest's verdict on the category was "flexible but not very efficient" (test.de). Fine for a home office you leave at 18:00. Not for sleeping.

Frequently asked questions

Is the SplitClima S12 identical to the PortaSplit?

No. It is the same category with the same core numbers, 3.5 kW cooling and heating, SCOP 4.0, 39 dB(A), but its own manufacturing, housing and app. The PortaSplit keeps the better cooling efficiency, SEER 6.1 against 5.6, and the bigger brand. The S12 answers with CHF 799.–, an included window kit and a Swiss T13 plug.

When is the PortaSplit back in stock in Switzerland?

Realistically in spring 2027. The batches were ordered in autumn and winter 2026, and Swiss retailers will receive limited quantities. The free waitlist on the PortaSplit page gives you 48 hours of early access before the batch goes public. Do not pay CHF 3'500.– on tutti.ch to skip a single season.

How do I recognize a fake PortaSplit shop?

Warning signs: prices far above or suspiciously below the UVP of CHF 1'349.–, bank-transfer prepayment as the only option, no Swiss address or phone number in the imprint, and immediate delivery promised on a device the whole market is waiting for. German tech media have documented fake shops riding this exact shortage. A legitimate shop takes card, TWINT or invoice and shows a real imprint.

Do portable splits need a permit in Switzerland?

No. Nothing is drilled or fixed, so a portable split counts as a mobile household appliance, not a building alteration. No building permit, no landlord consent for renters. Noise rules and house quiet hours still apply, and Geneva has a grey zone worth understanding. The full picture is in our permit and landlord guide.

Can I just drive to Germany and buy one?

If you find stock, yes. Declare it at the border: above the CHF 150.– personal allowance you owe 8.1 percent Swiss VAT on the full price. Factor in the Schuko plug that needs an adapter for Swiss sockets, and a warranty that runs through the German seller. After the maths, the CHF advantage is usually gone.

The practical move for 2027: reserve a SplitClima S12 now. CHF 799.– for 3.5 kW of cooling and heating with the window kit in the box, free delivery from the Swiss warehouse, a 2-year warranty handled in Switzerland and a 30-day return right. The waitlist is free, and when the spring batch lands you get 48 hours to order before anyone else.