Specially FriedAppliance Reviews4 Best Mini Fridge with Glass Door – For College, Dorm and Offices!
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4 Best Mini Fridge with Glass Door – For College, Dorm and Offices!

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Immad Amir
Written by
Immad is a talented home cook and editorial director at Specially Fried. With his culinary expertise, love for gadgets and creative flair, he brings a fresh perspective to the world of food blogging.
Reviewed by

Amelia is the kitchen appliance expert behind Specially Fried. She thoroughly reviews the latest appliances, making sure readers have access to the best appliance insights.

best mini fridge with glass door
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Do you find yourself running out of space in your good old fridge? Is it too jam-packed to hold drinks and desserts for a special occasion? Well, these are some common issues that everyone faces. Do you want a quick fix? Just get yourself a mini fridge that can store all the beverages you’d ever need and keep them chilled enough for instant use!

Also, while you’re deciding on buying a mini fridge, why not get one that gets the job done with style? We’re talking about the super trendy mini fridges with glass doors! They’re decent, compact, and elegant enough to elevate the mood wherever they’re placed. Skip surfing through countless sites because we’ve compiled a list of the top 4 best mini fridges with glass doors that’ll surely fit your needs. Read ahead and pick your favorite one!

Rank Product name Reason to buy
1 Antarctic Star Best mini fridge with glass door overall
2 hOmeLabs beverage refrigerator Best mini fridge for office
3 ‎Danby DBC026A1BSSDB Best mini fridge for money
4 NewAir refrigerator Best mini fridge for drinks

Best mini fridge with glass door overall: Antarctic Star

Antarctic Star Mini Fridge Cooler 1.6 cu ft.

Specifications
● Dimensions: 17.5 L x 18.6 W x 19.6 H inches ● Capacity: 1.6 cubic feet
● Weight: 45.5 pounds ● No. of cans: 70
● Material: Stainless steel and glass ● Energy consumption: 280 kwh per year
● Adjustable shelves: Yes ● Color: Black
● Temperature control: Yes ● Interior light: Yes
● Defrost: Manual ● Lock: No
● Reversible door: Yes
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Reasons to buy Reasons to avoid
+ A mini fridge that can cool up to 70 cans (12 oz) at 40°F. – The fridge can be a bit noisy. Not recommended if you want to place it in a quiet room e.g., home cinema.
+ Door hinges are replaceable, making the maintenance cheap, and the fridge durable.

The Antarctic mini fridge offers storage space for 60 12oz 220ml standard soda cans and seventeen 750ml wine bottles, enough to quench the thirst of a large group of people. Antarctic Star Mini Fridge Cooler has advanced temperature control technology with adjustable temperature to keep your sodas at a chilling 40°F to 60°F. This mini fridge can cater to more than 15 people at once!

Furthermore, the soft blue light within the fridge casts a lovely glow over the drinks, making them look far more appealing than usual! The dual-pane glass door keeps the cold temperature inside for a long time while providing a sleek look. Stainless steel removable racks keep your bottles firmly in their places, strong as ever. The convenient LCD display can help control the temperature, and the light on/off switch.

Feature Analysis Performance Rating
Cooling result ★★★★☆
Consistent temperature ★★★☆☆
External temperature Moderate
Noise produced High
Capacity ★★★★☆
Energy consumption High

Antarctic community feedback – Users’ opinion after using the mini fridge!

Out of 20 people whom we interviewed, 17 people were amazed by the customer support they got after purchasing the Antarctic mini fridge. A few customers did complain that they received the product with a minor dent on the steel body, but that wasn’t a deal-breaker for them. These users are still using the mini fridge and are extremely happy with their purchase.

Our team reviewed the Antarctic mini fridge in our kitchen. According to our team, the mini fridge has enough space to accommodate more than 50 cans (12 oz) and can easily cool them at 40°F.

The blue interior light looks great and helps showcase anything that you place inside the mini fridge. One of our team members pointed out that the company has intelligently placed an adjustable wire rack in the fridge. The customer can place the wire rack in any of the three places inside the fridge according to their preference.

This allows the customer to place multiple kinds of drinks or cans inside the fridge.

On the other hand, while testing the Antarctic mini fridge, we noticed the fridge makes a regular pop sound after a set time interval. Upon investigating, we found that the compressor makes this sound and is not to be worried about.

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Best mini fridge for office: hOmeLabs refrigerator

hOmeLabs Beverage Refrigerator and Cooler

Specifications
● Dimensions: 17.32 L x 18.9 W x 33.07 H inches ● Capacity: 3.2 cubic feet
● Weight: 68.3 pounds ● No. of cans: 120
● Material: Stainless steel and glass ● Energy consumption: 288 kwh per year
● Adjustable shelves: Yes ● Color: Black and silver
● Temperature control: Yes ● Interior light: Yes
● Defrost: Automatic ● Lock: No
● Reversible door: Yes
Buy hOmeLabs Refrigerator From
Reasons to buy Reasons to avoid
+ Digital touch display thermostat with a memory function that restores the preset temperature in case of a power outage. – No automatic light; you have to manually turn it on and off.
+ The door hinges can be switched to swing from the left or the right side. – The control panel is inside the fridge so you cannot jam pack the fridge in that area.

The hOmeLabs beverage refrigerator has amazed us by having a whopping 120 cans of storage and a 34 degrees Fahrenheit lower limit. This mini fridge can be set anywhere in the room or your lounge, but it is best if it’s installed as an under-the-counter fridge.

One of the coolest features of this mini fridge is its touch controller and digital display, which make it easy for you to both set and see the temperature. Moreover, in case of a power outage or upon being unplugged, the fridge will automatically restore the preset temperature thanks to its memory function.

This beverage refrigerator also comes with an interior LED light that can be turned on and off through the digital panel.

Feature Analysis Performance Rating
Cooling result ★★★★★
Consistent temperature ★★★☆☆
External temperature Low
Noise produced Moderate
Capacity ★★★★☆
Energy consumption High

hOmeLabs community feedback – After testing the mini fridge with a glass door

We interviewed multiple members of the hOmeLabs community to gather their thoughts on how the hOmeLabs beverage refrigerator and Cooler were performing. It’s safe to say that almost everyone is in love with this mini fridge. hOmeLabs was appreciated for their good packaging and spacious, sleek design of the mini fridge.

The hOmeLabs fridge is one of the few fridges that actually maintain a consistently cool temperature while offering good space. It is also known to be very quiet.

“This refrigerator is so silent that, at times, I forget that I even have it in my room. The only time it makes a little noise is when the compressor turns on.” – Kevin.

Apart from making very little noise, this mini fridge also doesn’t heat up too much. Many buyers noted that it just gets warm on the sides, not very hot.

Despite all the good points, the hOmeLabs beverage refrigerator doesn’t actually have a 120-can capacity. The capacity is pretty good but not enough for 120 cans. Many users could fit only 80 to 100 cans in the fridge. Moreover, a fan at the top sticks out a bit. Due to that fan, you can’t use the top shelf properly, reducing the space too. But overall, this mini fridge is very good value for money.

Buy hOmeLabs Refrigerator From

Best mini fridge for money: ‎Danby DBC026A1BSSDB

Danby DBC026A1BSSDB mini fridge

Specifications
● Dimensions: 19.7 L x 17.5 W x 27.1 H inches ● Capacity: 2.6 cubic feet
● Weight: 54.6 pounds ● No. of cans: 95
● Material: Stainless steel and tempered glass ● Energy consumption: 175 kwh per year
● Adjustable shelves: Yes ● Color: Black and silver
● Temperature control: Yes ● Interior light: Yes
● Defrost: Automatic ● Lock: No, but has a latch
● Reversible door: Yes
Buy Danby DBC026A1BSSDB From
Reasons to buy Reasons to avoid
+ Stainless steel body for durability and weightlessness. – Flimsy packaging.
+ Very power efficient with an operating voltage of 115 volts.
+ Offers a 93 standard can storage.

The most prominent feature of the Danby DBC026A1BSSDB is its value for money and energy efficiency. Usually, these types of fridges have an energy consumption of 250 kilowatts per year, but Danby only takes 175 Kilowatts per year.

Talking about the storage capacity, it can hold over 93 standard beer cans, which is quite good for a mini fridge at this price and efficiency.

Danby mini fridge comes with a dual-pane glass door and a stainless-steel body to keep it lightweight and to give it a simple look. Its reversible hinged glass door keeps the heat out, and the blue LED light keeps your eyes on the cans inside. Danby has also fixed this model with the defrost feature to keep the fridge looking fresh and neat.

Feature Analysis Performance Rating
Cooling result ★★★☆☆
Consistent temperature ★★★☆☆
External temperature Moderate
Noise produced Moderate
Capacity ★★★★☆
Energy consumption Low

Danby community feedback – After testing out the mini fridge!

We interviewed the Danby community members to gather their thoughts about the Danby DBC026A1BSSDB. The majority were quite satisfied with their purchase. The buyers appreciated the mini fridge for its great capacity and value for money.

The cool blue light was loved by the buyers too. It is nice and decent and looks pretty calm at night. The buyers also liked the reversible hinged door due to its usability. The adjustable shelves make the entire experience pretty hassle-free too.

However, a couple of users complained that the mini fridge doesn’t keep the beverages cold enough. Danby did state that the temperature goes to 43 degrees Fahrenheit as the bottom limit. To counter this, a user posted a hack to get a lower temperature:

  1. Access the thermostat at the back by unscrewing the 4 screws.
  2. Pull the thermostat knob off and remove the metal box.
  3. There will be a green/yellow wire on the left side of the thermostat. You’ll see a tiny Phillips-head gold screw right next to the wire. Unscrew the screw (counterclockwise) to reduce the temperature further.

Another complaint by most users was the fridge’s flimsy packaging. By the time the mini fridge arrived at the buyers’ homes, it had dents in it. Danby really needs to package their fridges better.

Buy Danby DBC026A1BSSDB From

Best mini fridge for drinks: NewAir refrigerator

NewAir Mini Fridge Beverage Refrigerator

Specifications
● Dimensions: 16.75 L x 18.9 W x 19.75 H inches ● Capacity: 1.6 cubic feet
● Weight: 45 pounds ● No. of cans: 60
● Material: Stainless steel ● Energy consumption: 250 kwh per year
● Adjustable shelves: Yes ● Color: Silver and black
● Temperature control: Yes ● Interior light: No
● Defrost: Manual ● Lock: No
● Reversible door: No
Buy NewAir Refrigerator From
Reasons to buy Reasons to avoid
+ Very good size to storage capacity, holding over 1.6 cubic feet of content. – You cannot place it on carpet (according to the manual).
+ Simple thermostat functioning. – The temperature gauge is on the back.

NewAir’s 60-can mini fridge keeps food and beverages cold between 37 and 64 degrees Fahrenheit. With its 5-step thermostat, you can set the temperature anywhere from 1, being the coldest, to 5.

The multiple shelves positioning lets you store almost anything there, from fruits to soda cans.

This mini fridge has a holding capacity of 60 for standard cans. Because of its compact size, you can keep it under your desktop or on the side table. Moreover, this mini fridge works well in outdoor settings too!

Feature Analysis Performance Rating
Cooling result ★★★☆☆
Consistent temperature ★★★☆☆
External temperature Low
Noise produced Low
Capacity ★★★☆☆
Energy consumption Moderate

NewAir community feedback – After using the mini fridge!

We approached members of the NewAir community to inquire about their experiences with the NewAir Mini Fridge Beverage Refrigerator and Cooler. The members liked how compact the mini fridge was; they explained how it was convenient for offices and mancaves alike.

The buyers also commented on how the fridge temperature remained consistent, and the beverages came out chilled. Moreover, the unit isn’t that noisy either. It hums a bit when the motor turns on, but apart from that, it stays fairly quiet.

However, the first issue that customers highlighted was that the mini fridge didn’t cool the beverages as advertised. This could happen if you fully fill the fridge with cans, blocking the cold air circulation.

“When I had my mini fridge full of cans, only the ones near the coils got chilled. I had to remove 15 to 20 cans to get them all kind of cold. This means that the actual capacity of this fridge would be about 40 to 45 cans.” – Dave.

Another issue was that the shelves weren’t designed to hold water or wine bottles. They can hold cans, but it’s difficult to properly fit wine and standard water bottles.

Buy NewAir Refrigerator From

How we tested the mini fridges with glass doors?

To find the best mini fridge with a glass door for you, we carried out some tests on the fridges listed above. The fridges were monitored and used to calculate their efficiency and certain parameters such as:

  • Cooling result
  • External temperature
  • Noise produced
  • Ease of use
  • Capacity
  • Required space
  • Energy consumption

Starting off, we observed how much area the mini fridges occupied and whether they were conveniently sized to fit between and under furniture. We observed the space occupied to capacity ratio. Then, we observed how much energy the fridges were consuming. We also noted how easy the appliances were to install and use.

Then, we tested how much noise each mini fridge produced and how much heat it emitted and ranked the appliances accordingly.

We then put different-sized cans, wine bottles, water bottles, and juice boxes into the fridges to check for capacity and cooling power. We tested how many beverages the mini fridges could hold and how long it took them to chill the beverages. We also tested to see if the temperature was kept consistent.

Then, we came over to the side features. We checked to see whether the fridges had adjustable shelves, locks, interior lights, temperature control, and automatic defrost.

We also interviewed buyers to get their opinions on the appliances for more general and authentic reviews.

Best mini fridge with glass door buyer’s guide

Many people suffer from the tedious task of choosing a mini fridge that best meets their needs. But we’ve made the process super easy for you! We have compiled not only a list of the best mini fridges in the market above but we’ve also prepared a buyer’s guide for your convenience. Let us guide you on getting the best mini fridge for yourself. Go through the questions and features below to decide what suits you best.

What features do I want in my mini fridge?

The market is saturated with mini fridges that are loaded with useful and fancy features. You need to specify your needs so you can narrow down your search for fridges that have features that best match your needs and are not useless.

Where do I have to place it?

Every seller specifies the dimensions of the mini fridge being sold; therefore, analyze your surroundings and space to get a better estimate of the size of the mini fridge you want.

How many people are going to use it?

Are you a single person living in your dorm? or do you need to free up some extra space from your fridge? Or are you an outgoing party lover who needs a separate fridge for the beverages? All these questions need to be addressed before you decide to buy a mini fridge. There are refrigerators with different capacities from 150 to 30 standard can storage; thus, choose wisely, so you never lack an ice-cold drink at any time.

How frequent is its usage?

How many times a refrigerator’s door opens matters a lot when the cooling capability of its compressor is concerned. If the number of times the door will be opened is high, then get yourself a refrigerator with a powerful compressor and a convection fan so that it can cool the content quicker. If the number of times the fridge door will be opened is low, then buy yourself a mini fridge with good efficiency so you can save money.

What are the features available in the market for mini fridges?

The mini fridge industry is loaded with hundreds of options. After knowing about them, you can easily select the best mini fridge for yourself. We’ve detailed all the features you might consider. Have a look!

Cooling methods

Thermoelectric

In this method of cooling, a voltage is applied across the device, and as a result, a difference in temperature will build up between the two sides that can be used as a source of cooling temperature. This method is not preferred over the convection cooler but it is safer, requires fewer moving parts, and there is no need for any liquid.

Another huge advantage is its noiseless operation because of no compressor. These are mostly used in portable refrigerators for their properties of no leakage, flexibility, invulnerability, and very long life.

Its only disadvantage is high cost and power efficiency, and many companies are working on enhancing this technique as this is an infant technology

Compressor

This is a conventional technology with years of experience being clung to it. This makes the maintenance, cost, and power efficiency of this technology way better than any other new or developing technology.

It simply works on compressing and decompressing the liquid, which creates temperature differences and lowers the temperature. This brings its disadvantage of being vulnerable, liquid leaks, and many moving parts that make it a noisy operation.

Absorption

This compressor technique is the most energy-efficient cooling method being used in refrigerators. It uses the evaporation power of a heated source to cool down the temperature of the liquid moving through the pipes. It has no moving parts and only liquid which makes it energy-efficient and noiseless. The main disadvantage is its size because of pipes.

Types of mini fridges

Under-the-counter

These mini fridges come up with adjustable stands to vary their heights and reversible doors that make them useful under-the-counter mini fridges. You can set them up under your desktop or your kitchen counter, where they blend in completely and quietly, providing you with ice-cold beverages.

Mid-size

These mini fridges can have as much as one hundred and twenty standard 240ml can capacity which makes them half the size of a regular-sized fridge. These are here to serve huge families and bachelors who love having people around.

These mini fridges have adjustable shelves for an organized and flexible arrangement for your food. Thus, it can act as an “assistant” to your main fridge or be the main fridge for a small family.

Cube

Cube-sized mini fridges are specifically constructed to be lightweight, compact, noiseless, and energy-efficient to become your personal little friend, providing you with chilled beverages. The companies producing these also come up with several designs and capacities to match your thirst, occupying small and even spaces.

Portable

These mini fridges come in 5 to 15 can capacity and can operate on their in-built battery or directly from a 12V source that is available in most cars. They cannot give you ice-cold beverages like other mini fridges, but they sure can get you cold ones.

Glass door

These mini fridges come in mid-size and cube shapes with mostly LED lights and a digital display to further enhance their look. If you are a person who’s looking for a sleek-looking and elegant mini fridge, a mini fridge with a glass door is the best choice for you. 

Features provided in mini fridges

Automatic and manual defrost

In manual defrost, you just have to manually turn off the compressor, and the ice melts down into a tray which can be emptied later. The main disadvantage of having a manual defrost is that you have to empty the fridge for the time being so things don’t get ruined, but in the case of beverages, just let them stay there.

To get rid of this disadvantage, companies have developed an automatic defrost option where a refrigerator automatically defrosts the compartment without ruining the food content. This saves a lot of time and effort.

Compressor with convection fan

If you use your mini fridge more often or you’re buying a mid-sized mini fridge, we would suggest going for the mini fridges that have a convection fan installed in them with the compressor.

The fan speeds up the cooling process and keeps a constant temperature all around the compartment. For a mid-sized mini fridge, only the compressor is not suitable for keeping a constant temperature, and it varies from shelf to shelf, and for the frequent opening of the door, the temperature falls rapidly. Thus, in both cases, a compressor with a convection fan is the best option for you.

Automatic and manual LED

In a mini fridge with a glass door, an LED light plays a key role in giving it a classy look. Thus, these fridges often come up with manual LED on and off switches so you can turn on or off the light to your liking.

Automatic LED light comes with other mini fridges that need light solely for illuminating the food inside. It turns on as soon as you open the door and turns off when the door is closed. If you are going for a glass door mini fridge for your home, buy one with manual LED control.

Touch and digital display

With everything revolutionizing towards touch control, it was inevitable for it to be introduced in the mini fridges as well. The touch digital display gives you controls for the temperature and manual LED on and off. 

If you are buying a mini fridge with a glass door, we would suggest going for a touch display and LED display controller to give your house and appliances a classy and modern look.

Reversible doors

This is a simple yet very useful feature being introduced in mini fridges. Its usefulness is mostly proved in under-the-counter mini fridges as the design of your cabinets can vary from left to right opening, and you can match your mini fridge to them.

Reversible hinges do reduce the reliability of the door but are greatly compensated by their usefulness as you can set the fridge in any direction feasible for you.

Removable and adjustable shelves

Mostly, the mini fridges come with removable and adjustable shelves so you can have enough options to organize your food the way you want.

Freestanding and height-adjustable

Adjustable stands let you variate the height, so you don’t have an annoying unfitted free space that destroys the symmetry of your surroundings.

Freezer compartment

Mini fridges with freezers are the ones for your dorm as they have enough space and utility to meet the needs of a single person. Mini fridges have small freezer compartments at the top where you can easily store your frozen foods or ice cubes.

FAQs to help you buy the best mini fridge with a glass door!

Are mini-fridges worth it?

The worth of the mini fridge depends on your needs. If you want a fridge for your family and your family is small, or you are a single person living all alone, a mini fridge is completely worth it. They do not take up too much space and have a good size to storage capacity.

Mini fridges come in reasonable capacities as well. If you are a party lover or have a big family that loves chilly drinks, then a mid-sized mini fridge is perfect for holding beverages. You can have an under-the-counter or a glass door mini fridge for you that can meet your need of providing ice-cold beverages at any time of the day.

Mini fridges have glass doors, a touch and LED display controller, manual and automatic defrost, and many other features that make their purchase totally worth it.

Do mini fridges leak water?

Mini fridges can leak water based on two reasons. The first one is due to the natural condensation build-up in the form of pockets throughout the fridge. The second reason is the leakage in the pipes of the fridge’s cooling system, which is troublesome.

Condensation build-up

Mostly, with their tendency to build up frost, mini-fridges can leak a lot of water if you’re not careful. Condensation can build up, especially if the fridge is full since the air will not flow through the fridge as effectively. This condensation can build up in pockets throughout the fridge, thus being the reason for water leakage.

Cooling system leakage

Secondly, mini-fridges work on the process of liquid compression and expansion that is done by a compressor, and the cold liquid absorbs the warmth. Sometimes, there is a leakage in the pipes of this cooling system which can cause fluid leakage. This is costly to repair and is mostly observed by the inability of the fridge to cool.

Are mini-fridges loud?

No, mini fridges are not as loud as your normal-sized fridges. This can be attributed to their compact compressors. These compressors are made for way better efficiency than the normal refrigerators, with fewer moving parts and paths for the liquid. Lesser moving parts mean that less noise is produced, and these mini fridges get their work done nicely without much noise.

Mostly, the noise in these mini fridges is due to the convection fan as it is used for constant and consistent cooling in the compartment because of low-powered compressors. This enhances the efficiency of the refrigerator at the cost of slight noise.

What size mini fridge should I get?

First, analyze your need and the space you are willing to assign to this new appliance. If you are a party lover with congested space; then you might need a mid-sized, around 80 to 90 standard can capacity, the refrigerator that can quench the thirst of around 20 to 25 people for a day or two.

You might have a huge family, and your main fridge might not have additional space for beverages and sweets. This is when you would need to buy yourself a mid-sized mini fridge that has around 120 to 130 standard can capacity. You can set it as an under-the-counter fridge or place it separately.

Wrapping my thoughts on the best mini fridge with glass doors!

We have shared with you the best mini fridges with glass doors with all their features and specifications. From the can holding capacity to many other additional specifications such as reversible hinges, touch control and LED display, and cooling capacity, we have discussed every feature in detail. This article will help you in buying the best mini fridge with a glass door that suits your needs. We hope this article was useful!


Immad Amir
Written by
Immad is a talented home cook and editorial director at Specially Fried. With his culinary expertise, love for gadgets and creative flair, he brings a fresh perspective to the world of food blogging.
Reviewed by

Amelia is the kitchen appliance expert behind Specially Fried. She thoroughly reviews the latest appliances, making sure readers have access to the best appliance insights.

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