The Xbox Series X mini fridge is funny, but don't buy it

What started as a meme eventually became a reality.

The Xbox Series X was memed on by the internet for looking like a fridge. Riding on that wave of virality, Microsoft made a full-sized Xbox Series X refrigerator for Snoop Dogg as well as a second for a contest winner.

From there, Xbox’s Aaron Greenberg made a commitment, saying that if Xbox won a “Best of Tweets” competition on Twitter against Skittles, then Microsoft would go forward with mini fridge production. Lo and behold, Xbox did win the poll and Greenberg kept his promise.

Now the $99.99 Xbox Series X mini fridge is here. But how does it stack up to the hype? Well, it’s undoubtedly a very cool item to place in your room, but beyond that, I would manage your expectations.

Replica

First off, the Xbox mini fridge size is much larger than an Xbox Series X console by a wide margin, sitting at a 1.5:1 scale. The mini fridge also has the same button placements, too. However, on the mini fridge, they have additional functionality. The sync button at the bottom right corner turns on the LED at the top right corner where the Xbox logo power button would be on the console.

Real USB

A USB port sits below the sync button on both the Xbox mini fridge and the console. Surprisingly, the USB port on the mini fridge works, too! So if you need to charge a device, you can definitely use the port on the mini fridge, provided that the fridge is turned on. The eject button on the mini fridge doesn’t eject any discs, obviously, but it turns on the green LED at the top — which is a feature I wish the actual Series X console had.

The Fridge

Two dividers separate the inside into three separate parts, with the top section being the smallest. You can fit up to four regular 4.5-inch tall 12 fl oz soda cans vertically into the middle and bottom sections of the mini fridge. If you want to fit these cans into the top section, you will have to lay them down horizontally. Only two 12 fl oz soda cans will fit in this way.

Unfortunately, taller cans won’t fit in nearly as nicely. Anything that’s taller than the standard 12 fl oz soda cans are just barely unable to make the cut to squeeze inside vertically, forcing you to place them horizontally. These include drinks like the 8.4 fl oz Red Bull cans and Milkis Soft Soda cans.

Luckily, the dividers are removable, so you can take them out to make room for taller items if wanted. 16 fl oz Red Bull cans and 8-inch plastic water bottles can fit vertically using this method. However, anything even marginally taller than that will not fit. My Mountain Dew Code Red 20 fl oz plastic bottle sits at just slightly 8 inches tall, and it was unable to fit in vertically. If you want to accommodate taller plastic soda bottles and long-neck beer bottles, you can remove all the dividers for a single compartment to store your drinks in.

There are two small shelves on the mini fridge door to store even tinier items. The issue is that you will have to place them horizontally. If they are placed vertically, then the items will impede the door’s ability to close. These shelves are able to fit some candy bars to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Runs loud

Here’s the dealbreaker: the Xbox Series X mini fridge is incredibly loud. People joke about how the PlayStation 4 Pro sounds like a jet engine when it runs. Well, the Xbox mini fridge makes Sony’s last-generation console sound like a pipsqueak in comparison. The mini fridge doesn’t use cooling refrigerant like refrigerators usually do and instead uses thermoelectric cooling via a fan instead. The benefit to this is that dangerous or toxic chemicals aren’t involved and it helps drive down the overall price point.

With thermoelectric cooling, the fan is constantly pulling warm air out of the mini fridge in order to keep the internal temperature low. This is what causes the fridge to emit its annoying loud noise. Its manufacturer, Ukonic, has also confirmed that the fan is designed to continuously run and never turn off.

There are two settings: max and eco. The idea behind the eco setting is that it saves energy and reduces the fan’s speed. However, from my observations, eco mode doesn’t even make an audible difference in the fan’s noise. It does cool your items down to 36 degrees Fahrenheit below your external room temperature.

The instructions advise you to intermittently turn off your mini fridge since it’s not designed for continuous use. As such, I wouldn’t recommend storing perishable items as they can spoil if the internal temperature isn’t properly controlled. If you’re in close proximity to it, it’s probably best to turn the mini fridge off at night when you’re sleeping so the fan doesn’t bother you.

Novelty

There are some personal disappointments as well: the inside of the mini fridge doesn’t light up when it’s opened. I was also hoping that opening the door would play a cool Xbox boot-up sound. Although maybe the latter is too much to ask for.

The Xbox Series X mini fridge is a novelty item. This might not be for you if you want more out of your appliances. Sitting at $99.99, you get what you pay for. It’s certainly not the best mini fridge available out there — but if you keep your expectations in check, it’s a no-brainer for any die-hard Xbox fans. That’s assuming you can get one. They immediately sold out everywhere. Sellers on eBay and other places are flipping them for marked-up prices. I wouldn’t recommend paying more than MSRP.