Samsung brings AI Oven, bigger display for fridges, and a new SmartThings home command centre
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Samsung brings AI Oven, bigger display for fridges, and a new SmartThings home command centre
CES 2023 saw Samsung launching an oven that tells you what’s good to eat, new fridges with even bigger displays than before, and a command centre hub for your smart home. Here are the details on each of these new home appliances.
Samsung Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator with Family Hub+
If you liked the Samsung Family Hub display and interface on your Samsung smart fridge, the brand now has a version that comes with an even bigger display – differentiated by calling it the Hub+.
Samsung Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator with Family Hub+ has a 32-inch, bezel-less Full HD resolution (1080p) screen that’s almost twice the size of the old models. The increased size comes with an improved dashboard, more convenience for SmartThings controls, and an improved Samsung TV Plus with more than 190 free channels (if you’re in the U.S. and South Korea).
The bigger screen also now supports picture-in-picture (PiP) so you can multi-task off the panel – like checking on other smart kitchen appliances while getting your chef’s hat on.
Samsung Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator with Family Hub+ launches in the U.S. and South Korea in H1 2023, before going to other markets like East and West Asia, Latin America, and Europe. Local pricing and availability to be confirmed.
Samsung Bespoke Side-by-Side Refrigerator and Top-Mounted Freezer Refrigerator
If you don’t need an overly-fancy fridge, Samsung also has a minimalist alternative that follows its Bespoke home appliances’ design language. The Samsung Bespoke Side-by-Side Refrigerator offers glass and stainless steel finishes, and a wide range of door colours (options vary by region).
A key feature is Auto Open Door, where you tap to release the recessed door handle. Other fringe features include an internal Beverage Centre that lets you get to the Plumbing Water Dispenser and AutoFill Water Pitcher with Infuser effortlessly. The Dual Auto ice Maker offers icecubes or “Ice Bites” – the latter is Samsung’s proprietary, trademarked pebble ice.
If you’re shopping for a freezer, the new Top-Mounted Freezer Refrigerator offers Optimal Fresh Zone+ and Active Fresh Filter technologies that eliminates bacteria and keeps groceries green. Like other Bespoke products, it also comes in multiple colours.
Samsung Bespoke Side-by-Side Refrigerator retails in the U.S. from Q1 2023, while the Top-Mounted Freezer Refrigerator retails first in Thailand in March 2023. Both cold storage will get a global launch after. Pricing and availability date to be advised.
Samsung Bespoke AI Oven
Even your baking needs can get artificial intelligence treatment now. Samsung has a new Bespoke AI Oven that not only comes with has Bespoke colourways, but also a bunch of AI-assisted software to optimise meals based on your dietary preferences.
The Bespoke AI Oven has AI Pro Cooking, which monitors food it recognises and provides recommended settings. It even warns users if the food is about to be overcooked or burnt. The feature relies on an internal camera, AI, and Sense Inside (food recognition and burn detection algorithm). AI Pro Cooking supports up to 80 dishes and ingredients.
The oven is also compatible with Samsung’s SmartThings smart home ecosystem, allowing users to pair the oven with Samsung Health to track diet goals better and reference the food against a user’s workout regime. The oven also recommends meal options based on the ingredients available at home.
Samsung Bespoke AI Oven is currently available in Europe, with a U.S. launch coming in Q3 2023. No news on local pricing or availability.
Samsung SmartThings Station, a smart home hub
To tie Samsung’s smart home ecosystem together, the Korean electronics brand also launched the SmartThings Station.
Samsung SmartThings Station doubles up as a smart home hub and fast-charging pad for smaller devices. It houses your home routines into a single device, allowing users to onboard compatible smart home appliances and devices and automate them with a single press.
It sounds almost magical, but the SmartThings Station actually requires configuration via the SmartThings mobile app (Android, iOS), and it’s entirely up to the user’s imagination to fully take advantage of it. For example, you can set a sleep routine, and it prepares your smart home for slumber by dimming lights, turning off appliances, and adjusting temperature. Another example is setting a routine for to turn off all your appliances and kickstart your security system when you leave the house.
Samsung Galaxy mobile phone owners get the added benefit of having pop-up message when setting up SmartThings Station for the first time, while other phone owners can onboard the command centre via QR code. The single button on the home hub offers short-press, long-press, and double-press activations, with the extra benefit of starting routines via SmartThings mobile app if you’re not at home.
Also integrated into SmartThings Station is the asset-tracking SmartThings Find for locating misplaced devices. By double-pressing the button, it rings your nearby phone.
Finally, its fast-charging pad is a 15W wireless charging is more for convenience – you can drop your mobile device onto the Station and go about your house, without having to hunt down another cable in a different room.
SmartThings Station will begin retailing in U.S. from February 2023 onwards in Black and White colourways. The device is slated for launch in South Korea as well, with no further information on its pricing or local availability as of writing.
