Whether you’re setting up your dorm room at the start of a new semester at university, looking for a dedicated space to store your medications or beauty products, or just expanding your full-sized refrigerator, mini fridges will serve you well.
These miniature appliances are ideal for small spaces, and many of them combine function with style, so they look great and don’t need to be hidden away from guests or treated as an eyesore. We have curated a list of the best mini fridges you can use to keep food and beverages chilled and near at hand, based on top ratings and user reviews. We also spoke with UAE residents who bought a small fridge recently, ahead of their upcoming university semester.
Get them with Amazon Prime for free and fast delivery, and take advantage of Amazon’s Back to School sale for further discounts.
1. Best Overall: Midea 120L Single-Door Refrigerator
Pros
- Fast cooling
- Spacious interiors
- Useful chiller zone
Cons
- Manual defrosting required
An affordable single-door fridge that will serve you well in a dorm room, or as a secondary refrigerator, Midea’s compact appliance offers 120L of space. It features an adjustable thermostat that allows you to keep food chilled at their optimal temperature. The removable shelves in this fridge let you manage your space efficiently, allowing you to include tall or odd-shaped items. The fridge door includes a two-litre bottle rack, perfect for large beverages, water or milk containers. But the best part is its chiller zone. Ammar Ziyad, a 20-year-old business student at American University of Dubai, finds it useful in “emergencies”. He said: “I use it whenever I need to cool down something quickly, like a few cans of soda when my friends visit my dorm room. In just a few minutes, it’s perfectly chilled and ready to drink.”
Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty by Salama Care for Dh29, and two-year extended warranty for Dh41.
2. Best for Cosmetics: Coolbaby Mini Fridge for Skin Care
Pros
- Quiet device
- Features a mirrored door
- Has dimmable LED lighting
- Lightweight, portable
- Decent, 8-litre capacity
Cons
- Some reviewers spotted water leaks after a few months of use
Make Coolbaby’s mini fridge your personal beauty refrigerator. With intelligent monitoring and a constant temperature system, it protects all your skincare products. You can prop it up right on your dressing table, because besides being functional, it’s elegant and chic. The front door is mirrored, and bordered with dimmable LED lighting, so you can even use it to apply your makeup. The device is quiet – as low as 40 decibels – and can even be plugged into your car if you’re on the move and need to apply your makeup at your destination.
Warranty: Amazon offers 1-year extended warranty for Dh29 and 2-year extended warranty for Dh41.
3. Best Portable: Russell Hobbs Mini Fridge
Pros
- Compact and lightweight
- Neat design
- Acts as both a cooling and heating appliance
- Foldable handle
Cons
- Small storage capacity may not meet user requirements
This compact mini fridge by Russell Hobbs sports a black finish, so it’s both stylish and functional. When you’re travelling and need your medication close at hand, store it in its eight-litre space – equivalent to about 10 cans of soft drinks. The mini fridge features an advanced thermoelectric system, so it can cool up to 20°C below the ambient temperature, or heat up to 65°C above. Functioning at about 37 decibels, this appliance is whisper quiet. It comes with a handy 12V DC car adapter, and has a foldable handle, so take it with you on family trips in cooler months!
Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty by Salama Care for Dh29, and two-year extended warranty for Dh41.
4. Best for Dorm Rooms: Hisense Single Door Refrigerator
Pros
- Adjust between eight temperature levels
- Three Energy Star rating
- Door can be opened from the left or right
- Manufacturer warranty included
Cons
- Expensive
Tall and spacious, Hisense’s single door mini fridge has a solid 122-litre capacity, making it the perfect second fridge for any home. It has a separate chiller within, for foods that can be stored a few degrees above freezing temperatures. An adjustable thermostat allows you to customise how cold you’d like the fridge’s interiors to be, and the appliance’s doors can be opened from the right or the left, based on your convenience. With plenty of door shelf space, as well as interior space, it’s a great option if you’re looking for more storage space for all your food and beverages. Erum Abdullah, a 19-year-old marketing student at American University of Dubai, said: “This is the one appliance I think every university student should have. Over the weekend, when I visit my mum in Abu Dhabi, I store all the food she sends back with me in my fridge. It makes me feel less homesick when I eat it.”
Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty by Salama Care for Dh29, and two-year extended warranty for Dh41.
5. Best Design: Hoover 123L Retro Single-Door Fridge
Pros
- Bright, eye-catching design
- Spacious interiors
- Built-in freezer
- Defrost system
Cons
- Door handle can become unstable with use
In a stylish retro design, Hoover’s 123L compact fridge is the perfect way to add a pop of colour to any room. The fridge features tempered glass shelves, and a fruit and vegetable crisper, with plenty of storage space in the door as well. A mechanical control and adjustable thermostat give you the ability to set the perfect temperature. Unlike most other compact fridges, this Hoover appliance also has an in-built freezer compartment and a defrosting system for hassle-free maintenance. Adil Abbas, a 22-year-old business graduate from the University of Wollongong, Dubai, bought this appliance a couple of years ago for his room, in order to store snacks and beverages. He said: “Every single person who would walk in would compliment the fridge. I didn’t expect it to be such a talking point!” You can pick from two colours - red and cream.
Bonus: Buy with 0% installments and pay Dh66.58 for 12 months with select banks.
Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty by Salama Care for Dh57, and two-year extended warranty for Dh81.
Our recommendations are independently chosen by Gulf News editors. If you decide to shop through links on our website, we may earn an affiliate commission, as we are part of Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.
