Unlike the previous years, we haven’t seen many refrigerators at the ongoing all-virtual CES. Nonetheless, what we have seen is far and beyond what has been part of the lifestyle needs in the past.
The trending refrigerators announced at the CES this year are more inclined at growing lifestyle needs of people – be it inspired by COVID-19 or more streamlined home decor requirements. Two marques competing to win consumer hearts with their fridge ideas include South Korean giants LG and Samsung.
While LG’s new smart refrigerators are designed to revolutionize the way we interact with this important appliance in the kitchen; Samsung’s bespoke option is designed to allow consumers to design their appliance according to the kitchen content and lifestyle requirements.
Productive InstaView range for COVID-19 scenario
LG has been at the helm when it comes to transforming the kitchen and in-home lifestyle in general. Over the years, LG refrigerators have modified to meet our demand and also to do a lot more gimmicky and fascinating things. Today, to score well with families, the company has given its door-in-door side-by-side refrigerators a twist with new features on the InstaView line-up.
The new InstaView refrigerators with large glass panel on one door work just like they are trained to do from the yesteryears. Knock twice on the glass panel (reportedly 23-percent larger this time) and it turns from opaque to transparent letting homeowners check inside for items and their quantity – without opening the door. This tech inclusion ensures the door is opened less frequently and so loss of cold air from the fridge is minimized.
Water dispenser and with purifier in the refrigerator is nothing new, but in the InstaView range this time, LG is taking the purification to a new level with UVnano feature. This utilizes ultraviolet LED light to kill 99.9-percent bacteria buildup on dispenser tap.
Another notable feature coming to the InstaView line-up is the inclusion of voice recognition. The fridges are pre-equipped to take a few essential voice commands like “open the refrigerator door,” to automatically open the door without human intervention. Presumably, these hygiene features are going to find a way into other refrigerators and appliances over the course of the year.
Bespoke for you and your home
New to the States, the Bespoke line of Samsung refrigerators have been a crowd puller in South Korea for a while now. The range of refrigerators unveiled for the first time at CES is designed to allow homeowners to mix and match colors, materials, and finishes according to their decor preference.
Propelling a new feature where lines between customized furniture and appliances are blurred, the Bespoke 4-Door Flex refrigerators from Samsung come in eight color options and choice of glass and steel finishes to opt from. These fridges you can design to your personal aesthetic – all of the four doors – have top two sections serving as refrigerator and two on the bottom doubling up as freezer. One of the two sections at the bottom has a temperature controller so it can be used as the refrigerator if need be.
In addition to the customizable option, the Bespoke 4-Door Flex refrigerators have a beverage center comprising auto-filling water pitcher and a more effective in-door water dispenser which, on the lines of LG’s UVnano, comes with ultraviolet light to kill germs.
Another facilitating aspect that I personally believe is going to be inherited in more refrigerators in the coming year is the 4-Door Flex’s dual auto ice-maker which unlike cubed ice, makes ice bites – smaller chunks (not crushed ice) – tailored for cold beverages.