• 2 min read
GE shrinks its viral Opal ice maker by 30%
GE Profile’s new Opal Mini lineup cuts the Opal nugget ice maker down by 30%, starting at $279 and adding new colors this fall.
Image: Mashable
GE Profile has launched a smaller version of its viral Opal Nugget Ice Maker, trimming the machine down for kitchens where counter space matters as much as chewable ice. Announced July 14, the new Opal Mini Nugget Ice Maker is 30 percent smaller than the Opal Ultra, cutting two inches from both its height and width.
At a GE Profile press event in New York City, André Zdanow, executive director of Small Appliances, FirstBuild, and CoCreate at GE Appliances, said a smaller Opal had been one of the most common customer requests.
“The Opal Mini lineup delivers the same craveable nugget ice customers know and love — now in a more compact design, with meaningful performance improvements, easier maintenance, and new finishes.”
Opal Mini price and specs
The lineup includes three models:
Recommended reading
Xiaomi puts 24GHz radar in a bathroom ceiling heater
- Opal Mini: $279 to $299
- Opal Mini Pro: $379
- Opal Mini Pro+: $399
The base Opal Mini uses a top-fill water reservoir, replacing the side tank design to keep the footprint smaller. The Mini Pro and Mini Pro+ add a large-capacity side tank alongside the top-fill reservoir to reduce refills.
GE says the Opal Mini can make up to 36 pounds of ice per day and store up to two pounds at a time. That is less than the Opal Ultra’s three-pound capacity, but Zdanow told Mashable it is enough for two people to fill a 40-ounce Stanley cup at the same time.
The Mini Pro models also support GE’s SmartHQ app, which lets users schedule ice production and control a color-changing light inside the ice bin.
Colors and availability
At launch, the Opal Mini comes in stone grey, charcoal grey, steel grey, and stainless steel. GE says more finishes are coming this fall: peony pink, moss green, and moonstone blue, likely in October.
As of July 14:
- Opal Mini in stone grey ($299) is available on geappliances.com and other retailers as stock arrives
- Opal Mini in charcoal grey ($279) is available on geappliances.com and exclusively at Walmart
- Opal Mini Pro in steel grey and Mini Pro+ in stainless steel are available on geappliances.com and at select retailers as they receive stock
Frontier Editor
Dan is our resident futurist, covering electric mobility, space exploration, and the smart home. He's interested in atoms just as much as bits. Whether it's a new battery chemistry, a reusable rocket, or a protocol that finally makes IoT devices talk to each other, Dan breaks down the engineering that pushes humanity forward.
via Mashable
