Head-to-head · Best Dehumidifiers

hOmeLabs HME020031N 50-Pint Dehumidifier vs Midea Cube MAD35S1QWT 35-Pint Smart Dehumidifier

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

The short answer

Midea Cube MAD35S1QWT 35-Pint Smart Dehumidifier comes out ahead by a narrow margin (4.4 vs 4.6). The gap is mostly about Medium living rooms, finished basements, or 1,500 sq ft single-floor apartments where quiet operation and tank size matter more than maximum capacity or pump drainage. — read the strengths below before deciding.

Ranked #2 in Best Dehumidifiers

hOmeLabs HME020031N 50-Pint Dehumidifier

4.4

$162as of May 23

The HME020031N is the budget pick of the 50-pint workhorse class — typically $100 under the Midea Cube and other premium pump units, with energy-efficient performance and a long included drain hose that hits most basement geometries. HouseFresh's longer-term testing exposed durability concerns with the optional pump add-on, but the base unit kept a 2,000 square foot basement under control through months of continuous service. Buy this if budget is the dominant constraint and you do not need smart controls.

Strengths

— Reduced 90% RH to 40% RH in 10 min 3 sec in dehumidifierbuyersguide testing
— Energy Star certified at 520 W maximum draw, lower than most 50-pint competitors
— 16.4-foot included drain hose covers most basement layouts without splicing

Watch-outs

— Small 12.8-pint water tank fills quickly without continuous drain
— HouseFresh flagged a pump failure and mold growth inside the hose at six months
— Build quality and LED display feel cheaper than premium competitors

$162 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Higher ratedRanked #4 in Best Dehumidifiers

Midea Cube MAD35S1QWT 35-Pint Smart Dehumidifier

4.6

$170as of May 23

The MAD35S1QWT is the mid-capacity sweet spot of the Midea Cube line and Consumer Reports' top-scoring mid-pint dehumidifier in 2026 testing. It inherits the same cube chassis and 3x-larger tank as the 50-pint sibling but in a quieter, lower-wattage package suitable for medium spaces. The compromise is no built-in pump on this SKU and a real-world coverage closer to 1,500 sq ft than the marketing's 3,500 sq ft claim — but in its actual sweet-spot rooms, no other 35-pint unit matches its scores.

Strengths

— Quietest in class at 50.4 dB low / 52.2 dB high in quietest.org testing
— Consumer Reports gave it the highest score of any mid-capacity dehumidifier in 2026 testing
— Same lift-and-twist cube design and 3x larger tank as the 50-pint Midea sibling

Watch-outs

— No built-in pump — gravity drain only on this SKU
— Marketing claims 3,500 sq ft but real-world coverage is closer to 1,500 sq ft per quietest.org
— Companion app has not received feature updates in over a year

$170 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

How they stack up

hOmeLabs HME020031N 50-Pint Dehumidifier

The HME020031N comes in roughly $100 under the Midea Cube MAD50S1QWT, with similar moisture-removal speed but a much smaller 12.8-pint tank versus the Cube's 34-pint cube tank. Compared to the Honeywell TP50AWKN, it sacrifices smart controls and the longer five-year sealed-system warranty for a meaningfully lower sticker price. Anyone who values build quality and warranty over price should skip this in favor of the Cube or the Honeywell.

Midea Cube MAD35S1QWT 35-Pint Smart Dehumidifier

The MAD35S1QWT shares the same cube chassis and large-tank advantage as the 50-pint MAD50S1QWT and 20-pint MAD20S1QWT siblings in this lineup. It is noticeably quieter than the 50-pint Cube (50 dB versus 65 dB low) but gives up the built-in pump that the MAD50S1QWT includes. Compared to the Honeywell TP50AWKN, the Midea hits a lower noise floor but loses the five-year warranty advantage. The hOmeLabs HME020031N at 50-pint has higher raw capacity but doesn't match this unit's noise or Energy Star numbers in mid-size rooms.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	hOmeLabs HME020031N 50-Pint Dehumidifier	Midea Cube MAD35S1QWT 35-Pint Smart Dehumidifier
Capacity	50 pints/day (2012 DOE), 22 pints/day (2019 DOE)	35 pints/day (2019 DOE)
Coverage Area	4,000 sq ft	3,500 sq ft (manufacturer) / 1,500 sq ft (tested per quietest.org)
Tank Size	1.6 gallons (12.8 pints)	3.2 gallons (25.6 pints)
Drain Options	Gravity hose (16.4 ft included) or bucket	Gravity hose or bucket (no pump on this SKU)
Noise (low/high)	58.6 dB / 59.3 dB	50.4 dB / 52.2 dB
Power Draw	520 W maximum	~310 W at 50% RH
Energy Star	Certified	Most Efficient certified
Warranty	1 year (2-year with manual registration)	1-year parts and labor
Smart Hub	—	Wi-Fi + Alexa + Google Assistant

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