Quick Answer: The Midea Cube 50 (MAD50S1QWT) is still the more efficient, faster unit — about 512 watts versus 560 watts measured at 50% relative humidity in Dehumidifier Buyer’s Guide bench testing — plus a 34-pint water reservoir nearly triple Frigidaire’s 2.7-gallon bucket. But that gap is far smaller than Frigidaire’s own manufacturer nameplate rating (8.5A, about 978 watts) implies once you look at actual measured operating draw rather than the spec sheet’s peak/nameplate figure. Frigidaire’s advantage is warranty (5 years on the sealed system versus Midea’s 1 year) and price — Frigidaire’s FHDD5034Y1 currently lists around $279-320 depending on retailer, versus roughly $345-350 for the Midea Cube 50. Buy the Midea Cube 50 if the faster drying and less-frequent emptying are worth the premium; buy the Frigidaire if long-term coverage and the lower upfront price matter more — the running-cost difference between them is now too small to be the deciding factor.
Both machines sit at the same shelf: 50-pint (DOE-rated) capacity, ENERGY STAR certified, Wi-Fi and Alexa control, rated for spaces up to roughly 4,500 sq ft. We put each brand’s mainstream 50-pint model side by side using manufacturer specs and third-party bench testing already verified across our Midea and Frigidaire roundups.
Midea vs. Frigidaire at a glance
| Midea Cube 50 (MAD50S1QWT) | Frigidaire FHDD5034Y1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 50 pints/day, up to ~4,500 sq ft | 50 pints/day, up to ~4,500 sq ft |
| Power draw at 50% RH (measured) | ~512 W | ~560 W (nameplate: 8.5 A / ~978 W) |
| Water reservoir | ~34 pints (lift-and-twist base) | 2.7 gal (~21.6 pints) |
| Smart control | Wi-Fi + Alexa/Google | Wi-Fi + Alexa/Google |
| Warranty | 1 year (2 yr select models) | 5 yr sealed system |
| ENERGY STAR | Certified | Certified |
| Price | ~$345–350 | ~$279–320 |
Power draw: Midea wins, but by far less than Frigidaire’s spec sheet suggests
Correction (2026-09-17): this section previously compared Midea’s bench-tested 512 watts against Frigidaire’s manufacturer nameplate rating of 8.5 amps (about 978 watts) as if both were measured the same way — they weren’t. Going back to Dehumidifier Buyer’s Guide’s own Frigidaire FHDD5034Y1 review, its actual bench-measured draw was about 560 watts at 50% relative humidity (rising to roughly 760 watts at extreme, near-100% RH), with the reviewer explicitly noting that Frigidaire’s 8.5A nameplate figure runs higher than what they measured in practice. Comparing like with like, Midea’s 512 watts beats Frigidaire’s measured 560 watts by a real but modest 48 watts — not the near-double gap the nameplate comparison implied. Run both 12 hours a day and that 48-watt gap adds up to roughly 0.58 extra kilowatt-hours daily for the Frigidaire, about $3 a month at the US average residential electricity rate of 16.5 cents per kilowatt-hour published by the EIA — around $12 across a four-month humid season, not the $110 this page previously claimed.
Midea Cube 50 Pint (MAD50S1QWT)
- Up to 4,500 sq ft coverage, and pulled a room from 90% down to 40% humidity in under 8 minutes in Dehumidifier Buyer's Guide testing.
- 34-pint lift-and-twist base holds nearly triple a standard 50-pint bucket, so it needs emptying far less often.
- Wi-Fi and Alexa/Google control, but only a 1-year standard warranty — the line's one real weakness.
Warranty: Frigidaire wins by four years
Flip the scoreboard on coverage and Frigidaire takes it decisively. Frigidaire backs the sealed system on the FHDD5034Y1 — compressor, evaporator, condenser — for 5 years, while Midea’s Cube line defaults to a 1-year standard warranty (extendable to 2 years on select models sold through Home Depot). On a compressor appliance meant to run most of a humid season every year, that’s the difference between a failed part in year three being covered or coming out of pocket.
Frigidaire FHDD5034Y1 (50-Pint Wi-Fi, High Humidity)
- 50 pints/day, ENERGY STAR certified, rated for spaces up to about 4,500 sq ft.
- 2.7-gallon bucket plus auto-defrost down to 41°F for cooler basements and garages.
- 5-year sealed-system warranty — the longest coverage of any portable model either brand sells. The Y1 superseded the now-discontinued FHDD5034W1; reviewers treat the two as interchangeable aside from the minor spec differences above.
Water reservoir: Midea holds nearly 3x more
The Midea Cube 50’s lift-and-twist base holds about 34 pints of water before it needs emptying — nearly triple the Frigidaire FHDD5034Y1’s 2.7-gallon (roughly 21.6-pint) bucket. If you’re not running either unit on a permanent drain hose, that difference means noticeably fewer trips downstairs during a humid stretch. It’s less relevant if you’re plumbing either machine to a continuous drain, in which case reservoir size stops mattering and warranty and power draw carry the decision.
Price: Frigidaire still costs less, and the gap widened
The Midea Cube 50 now typically runs about $345–350, while the Frigidaire FHDD5034Y1 lists anywhere from about $279 to $320 depending on retailer — a real $25–70 difference. With the power-draw gap corrected to about 48 watts instead of the previously stated 466, the running-cost math no longer meaningfully offsets that price difference: the Frigidaire’s extra electricity use now costs roughly $12 across a four-month humid season, not $110, so it doesn’t erase the $25–70 you save at checkout. Price and warranty now both favor Frigidaire; only drying speed, reservoir size, and a modest efficiency edge favor Midea.
The bottom line
The Midea Cube 50 is still the more efficient, faster, lower-maintenance machine — a genuine (if smaller-than-previously-stated) power-draw edge, a reservoir that empties far less often, and a documented 8-minute humidity drop in third-party testing. The Frigidaire FHDD5034Y1 answers back with a 5-year sealed-system warranty that dwarfs Midea’s 1-year standard coverage, plus a $25–70 lower price tag at current retailer listings — and, now that the power-draw gap is corrected, a running-cost difference too small to offset that savings. If drying speed and less-frequent emptying still matter more to you than price, take the Midea. If you’d rather pay less today, get a longer warranty, and accept a modest efficiency tradeoff, take the Frigidaire. See the full lineups in our best Midea dehumidifier and best Frigidaire dehumidifier guides, or start from our best dehumidifier pillar for the wider field.
Last updated: October 26, 2026 — corrected a stale model number throughout this page: the Frigidaire FHDD5034W1 cited since launch has been replaced by the FHDD5034Y1 (same 50-pint Wi-Fi unit, now R-32 refrigerant), the same supersession already applied to this site’s other 50-pint guides. Price re-verified at $279-320, matching this site’s current Frigidaire pricing canon (up slightly from the prior $269-319 estimate; the $25-70 gap against the Midea Cube 50 is essentially unchanged).
Prior update (September 17, 2026) corrected the Frigidaire FHDD5034W1’s power-draw figure. This page previously compared Midea’s bench-tested 512 watts against Frigidaire’s manufacturer nameplate rating (8.5A, about 978 watts) as though both were measured the same way; Dehumidifier Buyer’s Guide’s own Frigidaire review actually bench-measured about 560 watts at 50% RH, which the reviewer notes runs lower than the nameplate spec. The real gap is about 48 watts, not 466 — a meaningfully different result that also changes the running-cost comparison.