At CES this week, Samsung announced its 2023 Bespoke home appliances as part of its newer and smarter premium kitchen tech. Alongside the Bespoke range, Samsung also revealed further fridge updates and welcome sustainability initiatives.
Included in the new Bespoke range are two devices: a fridge and an oven, with one updated to use less energy, and the other to save people whose cooking skills are less refined, shall we say. Outside of the customisable Bespoke range, Samsung has also announced new premium fridges and an update to the Family Hub.
The 2023 Bespoke home appliances range
A new top-mounted fridge kicks off the 2023 Bespoke home appliances range. The key feature of Samsung’s Bespoke line is the customisation of colours and configurations, and the new top-mount refrigerator continues that tradition. It has a minimalist design, with the flat front panel available in glass and cotta metal finishes to suit a range of kitchens. It’s also got some fancy fridge tech in the form of the Optimal Fresh Zone+ and Active Fresh Filter to keep food fresh. The fridge will also have SmartThings Energy’s AI Energy Mode, which optimises compressor speed and defrost cycles based on how you usually use the fridge. It’ll be available in Australia in Q2 2023.
More interestingly, the Bespoke AI Oven will be the first smart oven Samsung has released in Australia, with the company’s smart oven range usually skipping this market. The smart features of the Bespoke AI Oven come into play on two levels: while you’re cooking, and while watching your weight. If the oven is set to cook a “recognised dish”, then it’ll set the cooking mode, temperature, and time the oven recommends to check to see if it’s burning. It has an internal camera and “powerful” AI which power the oven’s Sense Inside feature which can recognise a variety of different dishes and ingredients.
On the weight-watching side, the SmartThings Cooking and Samsung Health apps will be able to analyse your workout stats and diet goals, and use that information (along with its knowledge of what’s in your fridge) to recommend healthy meal options.
Where the “Bespoke” aspect comes in is the door – instead of using a traditional handle, it has a push-to-open door.
Samsung fridge goes to Infinite (and beyond)
Moving away from the Bespoke range to the more traditional Samsung fancy fridges; the Family Hub refrigerators are being updated to new software. The update will give the fridges access to Samsung TV Plus channels, which have previously been restricted to Samsung TVs.
Samsung TV Plus has dedicated music channels, as well as a whole host of ad-supported, free content spread across dozens of channels catering to many interests. When you’re not bopping along to Vevo 90’s throwback video clips, the screen on the fridge has Google Photos integration so it can be used as a digital photo frame. There will also be Picture in Picture functionality, so you can watch a show and monitor your other appliances/read a recipe at the same time. From your fridge.
However, if you want the fanciest fridge, then that’s the new Samsung Infinite Refrigerator, which is a premium, modular unit with choices of a fridge, freezer and/or wine cellar. It has natural materials, simple lines, a ‘Greige’ finish and gold copper edge frame. Features include a premium aluminium interior (which resists scratches, dents and stains), Black Metal Cooling and Tunnel Lighting. The fridge and freezer have a combined capacity of 805 litres, and the wine cellar can hold up to 101 bottles.
The Infinite Refrigerator doesn’t have a handle, instead using an Auto Open Door sensor on its side which uses touch to activate. It’s also got an auto-refilling water jug. The wine cellar connects to the SmartThings app’s new Smart Wine Storage feature, which analyses wine labels and offers suggestions on optimate storage conditions. It can even suggest the perfect wine and food pairings.
More eco-friendly appliances
The announcements weren’t all about fancy fridges and taking the handles off stuff: there was also some good sustainability news. The company has been talking a lot recently about manufacturing small components of various devices out of ocean-bound recycled plastic. But the most interesting Samsung sustainability news was announced alongside the famously sustainable outdoor clothing company Patagonia.
The two companies have developed a new wash cycle called Less Microfiber Cycle. As the name suggests, the cycle is programmed to release as few microfibres into the water as possible, reducing microplastic release by up to 54%. This is important, as microplastics and microfibres have become a real problem for human, animal, and environmental health. Hopefully, Samsung rolls this cycle out to older smart machines as well as the latest 2023 models.
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