Affordability
Reliability
Visual appeal
Compare Air Conditioning Rating
Pro’s
Con’s
Our Compare Air Conditioning review team rated Daikin as the best value air conditioning brand. While the initial outlay for their units comes with a higher price tag, the units make up for that in reliability, features and energy efficiency. They received high ratings for their visual appearance and reliability.
Hisense’s range is also not the cheapest, but they have included essentials in their units such as smart technology and easy to use controls. New to the market, Hisense’s range is currently limited to split system residential units, while Daikin offer systems for both the residential and commercial markets.
Daikin have been acknowledged by the Sensitive Choice program for their allergy friendly air filtration and purification technology. Their wide range of controllers feature a lock system and temperature limits to reduce energy expenditure. They are easy to program, with Wi-Fi options.
Hisense’s residential range has been designed to provide comfort under the harsh conditions of the Australian climate. Built to last, Hisense’s units are easy to operate with filters that can be easily removed, cleaned and replaced by users, saving the cost of calling in a technician.
Daikin’s split system range is much larger than Hisense’s. Daikin offers energy efficient systems, with 8 main units available. These include the US7 Series; Zena Series; Cora Series; Alira Series; Daikin Lite Series; Nexura Series and Floor Standing Series. Daikin’s range offers enough diversity to cover all types of homes, providing a comfortable environment in varied Australian climates. With intelligent controllers offering comfort and energy saving features, Daikin's split system range was rated 4.5 out of 5.
Hisense’s Reverse Cycle Split System and Cooling only split systems were given a rating of 3.5 out of 5, which is a solid score for their first foray. Hisense’s range offers three capacity choices for each configuration. These units also deliver allergy friendly comfort, fitted with filters that can reduce the generation of bacteria and disease. Hisense’s quiet mode is also ideal for those working at home or new parents trying to encourage a peaceful night’s sleep.
While limited compared to Daikin in terms of format choice, Hisense’s units are still a solid choice when looking for a unit that can navigate harsh conditions.
Daikin’s ducted systems include: Premium Inverter Ducted Series; Inverter Ducted Series; Slim-Line Ducted Series and Bulkhead Ducted System Series. Compact and efficient, we rated Daikin's range at 3.5 out of 5. These units are designed to fit discretely into tight roof spaces and fit in with most surrounding décors. With a wide capacity range of 2.4kW to 24.0kW, Daikin’s ducted systems can cover small or larger spaces.
Daikin’s Hydronic system, the Altherma Bi-Bloc Hydronic Heating Series, was rated at 3.5 out of 5. This energy efficient system is designed to heat, cool and provide hot water for the kitchen, laundry, showers and baths. It’s a good solution for those with limited outside space as the unit’s hydrobox can be positioned inside the residence. It also takes up less space, as a gas system isn’t required.
With a 4 out 5 rating, Daikin offers a centralised unit that is ideal for apartment buildings where outdoor space may only be a small balcony or courtyard. Multi systems can cool or heat larger indoor spaces, with one outdoor unit controlling a number of different indoor units.
Daikin’s multi-systems provide a diverse range of choice in terms of space saving solutions, complemented by a variety of compatible indoor units with advanced features and controls.
Daikin’s air purifiers can reach spaces of up to 46m², utilising a 6-layer filtration system to deodorise and clean the air. During times of high pollution, say during bushfire season, a turbo mode can quickly remove pollutants, allergy and asthma triggers. Users can keep up to date with the contaminant and odour levels in their space using a display on the unit.
This range offers effective and long reaching air purification, resulting in Daikin's Air Purifier Series being rated at 4.5 out of 5.
Daikin’s commercial air conditioners are designed to be reliable, quiet and energy efficient. Daikin offer a wide variety of air and controller solutions that are built to perform in the harsh Australian environment. Daikin has a large range of commercial systems, whereas Hisense commercial range is limited to its split system range, which are equally suitable for light commercial solutions. For that reason, this article has not included details of Daikin's range of other commercial solutions, such as VRV systems, applied solutions, light commercial applications and packaged solutions.
Daikin’s commercial split system range has been rated 4 out of 5 by our review team. The range is ideal for commercial applications from kitchens to retail outlets and comes in the same configurations as Daikin’s domestic units, with 8 different options. This versatile range includes wall mounted or floor standing options, covering one room or a large area in a commercial building.
Hisense’s Reverse Cycle Split System and Cooling only split systems were given a rating of 3.5 out of 5, which is a solid score. Hisense’s range offers three capacity choices for each configuration. These units also deliver allergy friendly comfort, fitted with filters that can reduce the generation of bacteria and disease. Hisense’s quiet mode is also ideal for those working at home or new parents trying to encourage a peaceful night’s sleep
