Superhydrophobic coatings exhibit excellent frost suppression performance. However, it remains unclear whether superhydrophobic ASHPs can maintain such performance during operation, given the complex influences of structural configuration and environmental parameters. In this study, based on a visualization test platform and an enthalpy difference laboratory, the microscopic frosting characteristics and frost suppression performance of superhydrophobic ASHPs were revealed. Furthermore, the frost suppression mechanism and failure modes were clarified through theoretical analysis. The experimental results showed that, compared to those of hydrophilic ASHP, its heating duration increased by 16.00%, while the surface temperature decline rate of the hydrophilic ASHP was approximately 54.84% higher than that of the superhydrophobic one. The condensation droplets remained condensation for extended periods, and detached from the fins on both the inner and outer heat exchangers was identified as the primary reason for its frost suppression performance. The droplets on the outer-row heat exchanger detached solely under the influence of their own gravity. On the inner-row superhydrophobic heat exchanger, droplet detachment was promoted by both gravity and fan-induced drag forces.