Until now, the only portable air conditioning unit I'd seen was one my grandfather used: it was the size of a Dalek and looked about as friendly. It was louder than the planes that flew over his apartment, and barely managed to cool the room by a degree or two.

So I was sceptical when unboxing the evaSMART air conditioner. The whole package is the size of a bread basket, about 12cm squared, and even when turned up all the way, it's not that loud. I registered 40db, or about the sound of refrigerator hum – noticeable, but not distracting.

Better yet, this tiny little unit actually cooled my test environments. It's small and quiet enough to place on my bedside table, and I immediately felt the temperature around the unit drop. It struggled to cool a larger bedroom, but the change in temperature is enough to get you through a sweltering summer night – and the cooling tank will last more than eight hours, perfect for the task.

When placed on the other side of my smaller office, it took about 20 minutes to feel the effect of the evaSMART – but again, the drop in temperature was noticeable and appreciated.

One side of the unit holds a 1300ml cooling tank with a powerful LED light underneath, which can light up the water to match your mood or your surroundings. It's a surprisingly nice effect, like a modern lava lamp, not the standard blinding LED on most tech devices.

It's 2017, so naturally you can talk to the evaSMART. Well, technically, you can talk to an Alexa or Google Home, and those devices will relay your commands. If you'd prefer to control the evaSMART the slightly old-fashioned way, you can adjust temperature with a smartphone app.