【Jin Seo】

Every struggling twenty-something in New York learns one thing fast: Your crappy apartment in the bad part of town is Jin Seonever going to have a dishwasher. There simply isn't enough space in your place (or money in your bank account) to support such a luxury.

Now, there may finally be some relief for those living on a tight budget who also want the convenience of having a dishwasher.

The tankless water heater company Heatworks is teaming up with Frog Design, an industrial engineering company based in Brooklyn, New York, to introduce the Tetra — a connected countertop dishwasher.

The unit itself is about the size of a microwave, and the design is nice enough that you'd probably want to show it off to people who visit your home. The dishwashing system only uses half a gallon of water (loaded by hand) and takes about 10 minutes to complete a full cycle.

It's the perfect size for a couple or especially a bachelor (such as myself) who only uses a few dishes at a time. The demo unit we saw on display at CES 2018 held two plates, two cups, and two bowls with plenty of room to spare.

You can also rearrange the different organizers inside the dishwasher depending on your needs. So, for example, if you needed to wash 10 plates, you could simply line the inside organizers with only plate holders. Then, you'd just run a cycle as normal.

The device itself is very easy to operate. You start by filling the bottom compartment with water and dishwashing detergent. Then you load in your rubber organizers and dishes, making sure that none of the nozzles or sprayers are covered (as you would with a traditional dishwasher). Then, once the cycle is complete, you drain the dirty water. You can also control the water pressure, cycles, and start time through the companion app.

But the real kicker here is the price: The device plugs into any wall outlet and costs only $299, much less than half the price of a normal dishwasher. Heatworks says the Tetra will be available in the U.S. this December.

We're definitely excited to test this appliance, so be sure to check back for more info later this year. In the meantime, check out our ongoing CES coverage for all the best from this year's convention.