Samsung WindFree air conditioners: models and specifications

Samsung's WindFree air conditioners are split systems that cool a room without blowing a direct stream of cold air at anyone in it. Instead, the indoor unit pushes air out through thousands of micro-holes so it disperses evenly across the space¹. In the UK the range currently comes down to two high wall models and one ceiling unit: the WindFree COMFORT S2 at £719.99 including VAT, the WindFree AVANT S2 at £829.99 including VAT, and the 1 Way WindFree ceiling system at £1,449.99².

The ceiling unit is the one to plan around. It is not in stock and is sold on pre-order, and it is only dispatched once the FGAS details of the installation engineer have been received and verified¹. That means the order cannot move without a registered engineer already lined up, even though the maker's own description allows a householder to carry out most of the physical installation and leave commissioning to that engineer¹.

The WindFree range at a glance: high wall and ceiling models

Samsung's UK WindFree line splits into wall-mounted indoor units and a ceiling unit, and the two are bought and installed in quite different ways. The high wall models are the mainstream domestic option, sold as complete systems with an outdoor unit and priced per unit rather than per installation. The ceiling system is a 1-way airflow design that directs air precisely where it is needed, giving even airflow across the room rather than the broad sweep of a wall unit¹.

The wider Samsung climate range shows how the company positions these products. Its ceiling suspended systems are offered across R32 Power Inverter, R410A Power Inverter and Standard Inverter ranges, and its large capacity ceiling concealed ducted systems come in Power Inverter and Standard Inverter versions⁴. The WindFree wall units sit in the domestic end of that picture, alongside the brand's heat pumps, which are also sold through Samsung Climate Solutions in Great Britain⁵.

For a household, the practical distinction is between a unit that mounts on a wall in the room it serves and one that sits in the ceiling void. The wall unit is simpler to site and to service. The ceiling unit is less visible and spreads air more evenly, but it needs ceiling space, a longer refrigerant run in many cases, and it is the model currently held on pre-order¹.

What WindFree technology does: cooling without direct airflow

The idea behind WindFree is simple to describe and easy to misunderstand. A conventional split system cools by delivering a concentrated stream of cold air from the louvres, which is effective but produces the draught and the cold spots that many people dislike. WindFree instead disperses the cooled air through thousands of micro-holes in the front panel, so it arrives across the whole room at once and at a gentler velocity¹. The maker describes it as cooling without the discomfort of direct airflow, ensuring a gentle breeze³.

The ceiling version adds a directional element: a 1-way airflow design that directs air precisely where it is needed, ensuring even airflow across the room¹. In a bedroom or a room with fixed seating, that matters more than raw output, because the complaint about air conditioning is usually about where the cold air lands rather than how cold it is.

Noise is the other half of the comfort story. Across the ultra quiet range, the quietest models, including the Samsung WindFree units, operate as low as 19dB³. That is a figure worth holding on to, because it is the level at which a unit effectively disappears from the room's soundscape at night.

What WindFree does not change is the physics of the system. It is still a split air conditioner with an outdoor unit, a refrigerant circuit and a compressor, and it still needs the same commissioning and the same maintenance as any other split. The technology changes how the cooled air is delivered, not how the cooling is produced.

The models and their sizes: 2.5kW to 5.0kW

The ceiling system is offered in 2.5kW and 3.5kW outputs¹. Those two sizes cover the common domestic cases: a 2.5kW unit for a bedroom or a small living room, and a 3.5kW unit for a larger or more heavily glazed space. The high wall models are sold in the same kind of band, with the AVANT S2 and COMFORT S2 listed as complete systems rather than as a menu of outputs.

Choosing between them is a matter of heat load rather than floor area alone. Orientation, glazing area, insulation, ceiling height and how many people use the room all shift the figure, which is why the size is normally settled at a survey. The general principles behind that calculation are set out in what size air conditioner you need, and the difference between the two common domestic outputs is covered in 2.5 kW vs 3.5 kW.

The AVANT S2 comes in two colour options, which is the main visible difference between it and the COMFORT S2 at the point of ordering².

Prices: from £719.99 to £1,449.99

The published UK prices for the range run from £719.99 to £1,449.99 including VAT, and they are sale prices set against higher high street comparisons². The COMFORT S2 is listed at £719.99 against a high street price of £794.99, and the AVANT S2 at £829.99 against £919.99². The ceiling system is listed at £1,449.99¹.

Two things need saying about those figures. First, they are unit prices for the equipment, not installed prices. A split system also needs an outdoor unit position, a refrigerant run, drainage, an electrical supply and commissioning, and none of that is in the number on the product page. Second, the figures conflict between pages. The COMFORT S2 is listed at £719.99 and at a high street comparison price of £794.99, and the AVANT S2 at £829.99, or £691.66 ex VAT, against a high street comparison price of £919.99². The 3.5kW AVANT S2 appears at a high street price of £1,084.99 and at £904.16². The range should be read as indicative rather than as a firm quotation.

For context on what installation adds, the wider costs of a high wall system are covered in how much a high wall system costs, and the running side in air conditioning running costs.

Smart control via the SmartThings app and AI Auto Comfort

Both the wall and ceiling models connect to Samsung's SmartThings platform, but not in the same way. The COMFORT S2 allows remote access and adjustments through the SmartThings app². On the ceiling system, Wi-Fi control is optional and requires a Wi-Fi dongle before the app can be used, after which it allows remote operation and easy adjustments from anywhere¹.

The ceiling unit also carries AI Auto Comfort, which analyses room conditions and usage patterns and automatically adjusts the temperature¹. That is a scheduling and setpoint function rather than a change to the refrigeration cycle: it decides when and how hard the unit runs, based on what it has learned about the room.

The dependence this creates is worth being clear about. Local control at the unit and through the supplied remote continues without a broadband connection. Remote scheduling, monitoring and any app-based adjustment depend on a home internet connection, Samsung's servers and the SmartThings app continuing to work. The wider picture of what app control does and does not give a household is covered in air conditioning controls and Wi-Fi.

Filtration and inverter efficiency

The two wall models are described with different strengths. The AVANT S2 is listed with advanced filtration that captures dust, allergens and pollutants for cleaner, healthier air³. The COMFORT S2 is listed with inverter technology that provides energy-efficient performance, reducing electricity consumption while maintaining comfort³.

Inverter control is the more consequential of the two for running costs. A fixed-speed compressor cycles on and off to hold a temperature, while an inverter compressor varies its speed and holds the setpoint more steadily, which is why it is the standard arrangement on modern split systems. The maker's claim is about reduced electricity consumption rather than a published efficiency rating, and no SEER or energy label figure appears in the material for these models. The general framework for reading those ratings is set out in air conditioning efficiency ratings.

Filtration is a comfort and air quality feature rather than an efficiency one. It captures particles from the air passing through the unit, and it depends on the filter being cleaned or replaced on schedule to keep doing so. Maintenance intervals and what servicing involves are covered in air conditioning maintenance.

Buying and installing in the UK: pre-order status and FGAS requirements

The buying process differs sharply between the two product types. The high wall models are sold as systems with prices published on the product pages². The ceiling system is not in stock and is offered on pre-order, with dispatch arranged once it returns to stock¹.

The installation pack for the ceiling system includes basic materials for a domestic single split installation and supports a standard back-to-back 6m pipe run¹. That is the simplest possible layout: indoor unit on one side of a wall, outdoor unit directly behind it. Longer runs, upper floors and awkward siting all add work, and the general sequence is set out in air conditioning installation.

The refrigerant side is where the rules bite. The ceiling system requires FGAS installer commissioning, and the maker's own description is that a householder can perform most of the install and have a professional FGAS installer do the commissioning¹. Dispatch is conditional: the item is only sent once the FGAS details of the installation engineer have been received and verified¹. The same requirement appears on other makers' split systems, where an FGAS commission is simply listed as required³. What the certification covers and why the refrigerant circuit is the restricted part is explained in F-Gas rules for home air conditioning, and the DIY limits in can you install air conditioning yourself.

What owning a WindFree unit means for household energy independence

A split air conditioner is a grid-dependent appliance, and it is worth being straightforward about that. It runs on mains electricity from a supplier, it needs an outdoor unit with a refrigerant circuit that only a certified engineer can legally work on, and its smart features depend on a home broadband connection and a manufacturer's app. None of that changes because the air is delivered through micro-holes rather than louvres.

What a household can do is change where the electricity comes from. Solar panels generate free, clean electricity, and a home battery stores what is generated during the day so it can be used at night, which is when a cooling unit in a bedroom tends to run⁷. Combining solar with a battery to power a heat pump makes a home less reliant on grid electricity, and the same logic applies to a cooling unit⁸. More homegrown energy means greater energy independence⁹.

The limits are real. A battery sized for a heat pump may not cover a cooling unit running through a hot evening as well, and output depends on the array, the battery and the weather. The relationship between cooling demand and self-generation is covered in running air conditioning on solar panels, and the wider picture in home cooling and energy independence. For the brand's other UK products, see Samsung air conditioning, and for the field as a whole, air conditioning brands sold in the UK.