As far as reputation and branding are concerned, Samsung’s position as one of the world’s leading tech conglomerates isn’t just for show. Their stalwart push for connected living (also known as the Internet of Things) has led to various developments over the years, and many of them have become cornerstones for modern home devices and technological comforts used all over the world.
Needless to say, our sunny island is no exception, and now, Samsung is making “smart” more affordable with two new Family Hub refrigerators. However, what still remains the same is the series’ core ideal of “embodying the spirit of the modern home”, focusing on the kitchen as the center of activity. After all, it’s where the family gathers, where meals happen, and where everyone ends up at the beginning and end of every day.
So, what’s a Family Hub? It’s essentially an Internet of Things-enabled smart refrigerator that can be used for a wide plethora of household tasks, such as grocery management, tracking the family’s upcoming engagements or even sending messages to your loved ones, all on top of its regular functions.
It accomplishes this via a giant, 21.5-inch touch-screen that comes attached to one of its doors, and the software package even features the voice-controlled assistant Bixby1, which recognises individual voices and provides personalised information for each member of the family.
Here's our quick video overview of Samsung's previous Family Hub before we move on to what's new on this year's models:-
Putting “smart” into the refrigerator
Smart home ecosystems are a centrepiece of modern living, and who says your refrigerator can’t be part of the equation? The handy SmartThings app2 lets you manage all of your home’s compatible smart devices at a moment’s notice, but even if your fingers aren’t available, you can use the aforementioned Bixby’s voice recognition1 aspect to get stuff done - turn on the air-conditioning, start up a laundry run on your Samsung washing machine, take calls, dim the lights and much more. In fact, the handsfree Bluetooth call function3 might just prove to be the most useful, since you can focus on the cooking while checking up on your loved ones at the same time.
A common dilemma in most modern families – planning a meal, especially for those on a calorie-count watch. Well, the Smart Recipe and Meal Planner apps in the Family Hub refrigerator can help to reduce the stress of wondering what to cook by coming up with suggestions on what to make for the week. The Food list feature (from the View Inside app) can also be used to log items or ingredients with expiration dates in the refrigerator so that you’ll receive notifications when they’ve expiring4. Not sure what to do with the food that's left over or about to go bad? Ask the fridge! The Smart Recipe app can suggest mouth-watering recipes to make with those ingredients. It’s a very useful feature that can save you money and more importantly, prevent food wastage - now that’s Smart!
What about when you’re out on your grocery runs and not sure if there’s still milk left in the Family Hub? Start the Family Hub App5 on your smartphone and check your refrigerator’s content via the built-in interior cameras on the View Inside feature. This not only helps curb the tendency to overbuy but also saves you money, reduces food wastage as you do your bit for sustainability. It also allows you to be more efficient in your grocery runs – definitely useful during this current pandemic.
But what about other concerns that might pop up, such as whether you’re keeping the turkey stored at the right temperature? That’s easy - if you’re at home, the Fridge Manager app on the Family Hub itself can be used to check and change the temperature settings via the touchscreen screen, and if you’re out you can review them remotely via the SmartThings app2.
Putting “fun” into the refrigerator
A refrigerator cannot be fun? Samsung disagrees. The Family Hub5 not only allows you to catch up on your favourite Korean dramas by mirroring your Samsung TV6 or Galaxy smartphone7 on the fridge, but also lets you blast your favourite Spotify8 playlists while you whip up dinner in the kitchen.
Additionally, for busy young parents who need to cook and supervise the kids at the same time, Samsung has you covered in that department too - why not keep the young ones entertained while you cook by letting them browse the Web on the touch-screen?
Putting “personalisation” into the refrigerator
Apart from food management, the Samsung Family Hub is also about helping to keep family connected and close. For example, the Calendar app can be used to share everyone’s schedules and appointments - you wouldn’t want your kids to sulk because you forgot about their weekend playdate, or worse still, their birthdays. Other features, such as the Morning Brief app, also provide additional utility where required, reminding you of upcoming tasks and other bits of information the household needs to be aware of while you sip your cup of espresso, like the day’s weather forecast, for example.
If that wasn’t enough, there are the Memo and Whiteboard apps too, which allow family members to share messages, leave notes and even draw pictures if they’d like. These nifty little additions provide a fun and innovative twist on household utility that the entire family will love - dropping a smiley face on a reminder note could very well make someone’s day.
Speaking of smiley faces, the Family Hub also allows you to remember the moments that matter. Sure, it’s still fun to put up your favourite magnets or photos on the refrigerator. But the Family Board allows you to go one step further, giving you the freedom to express your creativity by compiling your precious Kodak moments as a dynamic screensaver – and then have a laugh or two from time to time. Home is where the heart is, after all, and the Family Hub series is Samsung’s way of trying to capture that essence.
For more information about Samsung’s Family Hub refrigerators, visit https://www.samsung.com/sg/refrigerators/all-refrigerators/.
Every purchase of a Family Hub comes with a free9 Samsung POWERbot-E (2-in-1 clean and mop) smart robot vacuum, worth S$599 (model: VR05R5050WK/SP).
Images are for illustrative purposes only.
1Bixby service availability requires Samsung Account login and data connection. Available functions and features may vary by country, region, and language. Not all actions can be completed through voice control. Not all accents, dialects, and expressions are recognised, and actual performance may vary depending on pronunciation, voice level, and the surrounding environment.
2Requires download of SmartThings app on smartphones with phones with Android 6.0 and higher or iOS 10.0 and higher. Internet connection and Samsung account login are required.
3The ability to respond to calls using your voice is available with any smartphone, but making calls using your voice is only available with Samsung Galaxy smartphones. Bixby service availability requires Samsung Account login and data connection. Available functions and features may vary by country, region, and language. Not all actions can be completed through voice control. Not all accents, dialects, and expressions are recognised, and actual performance may vary depending on pronunciation, voice level, and the surrounding environment.
4Expiration dates and storage location data are provided by the USDA and other sources. Adjust the expiration dates based on your food storage preference.
5Requires download of Family Hub™ app on your compatible smartphone.
6Compatible TVs are: 2015-2017 models of Smart TV: J/K/MU6400 series or higher, 2018 models of Smart TV: NU7400 series or higher, 2019 models of Smart TV: Q60R series or higher, 2020 models of Smart TV: Q60T series or higher and Lifestyle TVs (The Frame, The Serif, The Sero). Please check the compatibility information for new TVs on samsung.com.
7Compatible with Samsung Galaxy S6 or later smartphones, running Android 8.1 or higher.
8Account subscription fees may apply.
9While stocks last. T&Cs apply.
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