GE Opal 2.0 Nugget Ice Maker — Sonic Ice at Home

The bin is insulated but not refrigerated, so unused ice slowly melts back into the reservoir to be re-frozen. Plan to make ice within a few hours of when you'll use it. The schedule feature in SmartHQ is built specifically to handle this.

Quieter than most countertop ice makers but not silent. Most owners describe it as a gentle compressor hum plus an occasional ice-drop clatter when nuggets land in the bin. Fine for a kitchen, audible from the next room over.

Yes. The unit alerts you to descale every few months in normal water; in hard-water areas it can need it sooner, sometimes every 10 to 14 days. GE sells a descaling kit, or white vinegar works for the rinse cycle.

The Ultra has a larger 1-gallon reservoir, a clearer ice basket window, and an upgraded compressor. The 2.0 covered here is the more affordable mainstream model and produces the same nugget texture; the upgrade is mostly about capacity and refill cadence.