Both of these are among the brands New Zealand installers fit most, and you can’t go far wrong with either one. Mitsubishi Electric and Fujitsu, now sold under the General Airstage name, split on two things. Mitsubishi Electric has HyperCore, a range rated for full heating in hard frosts. Fujitsu has the longer warranty: six years parts and labour when an accredited installer fits it, against five from Mitsubishi Electric. Past that, it comes down to apps, service and which models suit your rooms.
How do Mitsubishi Electric and Fujitsu compare?
| Mitsubishi Electric | Fujitsu / General Airstage | |
|---|---|---|
| NZ distributor | Black Diamond Technologies, locally owned, the only NZ distributor | GENERAL HVAC Solutions New Zealand, Lower Hutt |
| NZ warranty | 5 years parts and labour; controllers and accessories 1 year | 6 years parts and labour with an Accredited Installer (Wi-Fi adaptor and ducted controller included), 5 years otherwise |
| Installers who fit it | 317 of 1,020 NZ installer websites | 191 of 1,020 NZ installer websites |
| Cold-climate model | HyperCore | No named range |
| Phone app | Mitsubishi Wi-Fi Control | myanywAiR Next |
| Quietest published indoor level | 18 dBA (AP Series, 2.5 kW, lowest fan, heat mode) | Not stated; Super Quiet Mode on wall units |
| How you buy it | Through installers; a postcode search finds a local specialist | Through Accredited Installers for six years’ cover, or other installers |
The installer counts come from a read of 1,020 New Zealand installer websites in October 2026. Find a Mitsubishi Electric installer or a Fujitsu and General installer near you.
Is Mitsubishi Electric or Fujitsu better in a hard frost?
If your town gets regular frosts, this is the biggest difference between the two brands.
Mitsubishi Electric’s HyperCore models are rated to hold full heating capacity down to -15°C and to keep heating to -25°C. HyperCore comes on the LN Black Diamond wall unit (2.5 to 5 kW) and the KW RapidHeat floor console. On the energy rating register, a 2.5 kW LN wall unit paired with the HyperCore outdoor unit lists 4.8 kW of heating at 2°C, against 4.1 kW for the same indoor unit on a standard outdoor unit.
General doesn’t sell a named cold-climate range here. Its Lifestyle wall units do have a 10°C heat setting, which stops an empty room dropping lower while you’re away. Handy for a holiday home in Naseby or a spare room. It’s a different job from keeping a lounge warm at -10°C.
For any two models, the fair test is the energy label. It shows heating output at 7°C and at 2°C, and where winters often drop below 7°C, the 2°C number shouldn’t fall far short of the 7°C one. In Alexandra, Cromwell or Fairlie, get a HyperCore quote and a General quote for the same room, then put the labels side by side.
→ Related: Best heat pumps for cold NZ climates
Which warranty covers more, Mitsubishi Electric or Fujitsu?
On paper, General’s six years beats five. Two catches decide whether you actually get it:
- The installer. Six-year cover needs a General Airstage Accredited Installer. Otherwise it’s five, the same as Mitsubishi Electric.
- The extras. General’s six years also covers its Wi-Fi Adaptor II and ducted controller. Mitsubishi Electric covers the controllers, accessories and peripherals it supplies for one year, so ask where an add-on Wi-Fi Interface falls.
Corrosion is where Mitsubishi Electric has an edge. Neither warranty treats rust from sea air as a defect, but Mitsubishi Electric covers corrosion damage on parts its distributor has protected through its own approved Nyalic coating service. General’s wall units come with a “blue fin” coating on the outdoor coil to resist coastal corrosion, though corrosion from the weather is still excluded on its card.
One more difference: Mitsubishi Electric pays repair travel only within a 100 km round trip of an authorised repair company. General excludes travel outside the area its agents normally service. Rural owners should ask about both.
Which app is better, Mitsubishi Wi-Fi Control or myanywAiR?
They suit different households.
Mitsubishi Wi-Fi Control is the family-and-bach app. Set a minimum temperature for a child’s bedroom and the unit turns itself on if the room drops below it. Control units at several addresses from one login, group them, and use Alexa or Google Home. Most models need the Wi-Fi Interface added; the EF Designer has it built in.
myanywAiR Next is the busy-household app. Geofencing switches the heat pump on as your phone nears home, filter reminders pop up based on use, and you can share access with as many family members as you like. It needs the anywAiR Wi-Fi Adaptor II, which plugs straight into Lifestyle units; other ranges need a licensed installer and an extra cable. A paid PLUS tier adds usage history and a failsafe off timer. Our smart heat pump guide covers whether app control is worth it.
Which is easier to get serviced?
Mitsubishi Electric has the bigger installer base, named on 317 of the 1,020 sites counted, against 191 for Fujitsu or General. Warranty repairs go to an authorised repair company, found with a postcode search. A yearly service is the minimum for a home system.
General runs a manufacturer service team, General Assist, with trained technicians in Auckland and Christchurch and service agents in Wellington, Hamilton and other centres. If you’re near one of those cities, you may get the brand’s own technician. Our servicing guide has the full routine.
→ Related: Common heat pump problems and what causes them
Which brand has more models to choose from?
For wall units, Mitsubishi Electric has four home series: GS Standard, AP, EF Designer and LN Black Diamond. General has two, Lifestyle and Comfort, each from 2.0 to 9.5 kW.
For several rooms off one outdoor unit, Mitsubishi Electric’s OmniCore covers two to eight rooms. General’s multi systems take two to five indoor units, from 21 indoor models in six styles. Both sell floor consoles, cassettes and ducted systems.
Watch the model numbers when comparing quotes. In a Mitsubishi Electric code like MSZ-AP25, the 25 means 2.5 kW of cooling. In a General code it doesn’t: an ASTG09 is also 2.5 kW.
Who should buy Mitsubishi Electric?
- you live with hard frosts and want full heating rated to -15°C
- you want a minimum-temperature rule for children’s bedrooms, or one app across two homes
- you need more than five rooms on one outdoor unit
- you’d like the widest pool of installers to choose from
Who should buy Fujitsu or General?
- an accredited installer near you can give you six years parts and labour
- you want the Wi-Fi adaptor and ducted controller inside that same warranty
- geofencing and shared family access matter more to you than temperature rules
- you live near Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington or Hamilton and like the idea of a manufacturer service team
There’s more on each in our Mitsubishi Electric guide and Fujitsu and General Airstage guide, and every main brand is compared in best heat pump brands in NZ.