South Korean outfit Samsung has unveiled a suite of smart home appliances that combine elegant design and functionality, writes Izwan Ismail.
A TOTALLY new smart-tech experience. That’s what Samsung promises as it showcased an exciting lineup of new innovative products for the Southeast Asia market at the recent Samsung SEA Forum 2017 in Singapore.
The products include home entertainment and household appliances, which seek to transform what used to be a hectic chore into a simple tap on the phone screen to get things done around the house.
User should be able to get hold of some of the products when they become available beginning the second quarter of the year.
SMART REFRIGERATOR
The new Samsung Family Hub 2.0 refrigerator is designed to be more than just a cold storage for food and drinks.
According to Samsung Malaysia’s corporate marketing director Elaine Soh, the refrigerator allows family members to interact and “communicate” with each other and the users. For example, users can determine which food items need to be replenished through the built-in cameras and View Inside app.
“You can see the things inside the refrigerator. The non-available items can then be added to the shopping list feature, and conveniently ordered through online sites and mobile applications,” she said.
The refrigerator has a 21.5-inch LED touch-screen screen serving as an interactive board. It features recipe readout and enlarged text to make it easier for users to multitask in the kitchen, and allows access to recipe content from countries all around the world.
In terms of family communication, family members can create their own profile using avatars or their personal pictures.
With LED screen, family members, through their profile and the Family Hub app on their smartphone, can share photos, access updated calendars, handwrite memos in real time and post memos from anywhere.
SUPER HD TV
Samsung also showcased a new line of smart TV called the QLED TV.
“Television has become part of today’s lifestyle and part of the decoration in the modern living room,” says Soh.
The new range of QLED TVs comprises the Q7, Q8 and Q9 models. The series, which add new metal material to nano-sized semiconductor quantum dots, are said to deliver better mix of light and colour currently available in display technology.
The new QLED TV addresses several consumer pain points that can be found in many of today’s displays, including brightness levels, lifespan, colour range, details and viewing angles.
To add on to the TV performance, Samsung offers a clutter-free MS650 soundbar, which is its first soundbar that embeds a subwoofer directly into the primary unit to deliver a powerful home cinema sound on premium TVs like QLED.
LAUNDRY 2.0
In the home laundry space, Samsung’s new innovation will cheer up many homemakers.
The FlexWash washer-dryer integrates two washers and a dryer into one appliance. The unit boasts new laundry technologies and features, including the AddWash Door that enables users to add more clothes during the washing.
The main front loader can either be an AddWash washing machine or dryer, offering consumers the flexibility to start the dry cycle without moving clothes, while the smaller top loader takes care of delicate items that require extra care.
Meanwhile, in the bedroom and living room, the Wind-Free AR9500M air conditioner gives a comfortable level of coolness without the unpleasant feeling of direct cold wind. The unit disperses cool air through 21,000 micro holes at speeds slower than 0.15m/s1, and creates ideal climates for deep and restful sleep.
Samsung also unveiled the latest addition to its line of Powerbot vacuum cleaners — the VR7000. Sporting a new slimmer design and enhanced features, the VR7000 ensures a more thorough clean, covering hard-to-reach corners and edges that hand-operated vacuum cleaners frequently miss.