First impressions are generally the ones that ring true, and if ours are anything to go by on two appliances, Samsung could have some real winners.
Two appliances that could be heading to Australian stores this year were shown recently at Samsung’s overseas Forum, this year held in Bali, and while we didn’t get to see them for ourselves when they were launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, it appears the time was right to get up close and personal with a new fridge and washing machine.
The first of these we mentioned briefly when Samsung launched the range earlier in the year at the Las Vegas international technology expo.
Ir’s called the RH22H9020SR, a name that won’t roll off the tongue, but is a prominent part of Samsung’s “Chef Collection,” bringing the “door-in-door” concept that LG once introduced to a whole new level.
When LG first showed it to the world in 2012, the door-in-door concept (which we’ve called “fridgeception” in the past) made it possible to not only show food without opening the fridge all the way, but provide an easy access for drinks without pulling open the entire door.
But while LG’s extra door took up only a small portion of the big door, Samsung’s take on the idea is to turn the entire height of the main door into a showcase, literally showing anyone what’s inside the fridge, and providing some of that quick access if needed.
Playing with the fridge, it’s nice to see instructions on the door handle, with the top part of the handle letting you open the fridge normally, while the bottom half disconnecting from the rest of the door panel and opening it to “showcase” mode, which basically shows everything and lets you access only the food and beverage items that would normally be pressed against the back of the door.
Inside the fridge, everything looks well spaced, and while this model isn’t equipped with the SodaStream functionality of last year’s SRF890SWLS, it still has a power freezing mode, an ice maker for both cubed and crushed ice, and the ability to dispense water.
On the other side of the home is the washing machine, and Samsung’s change to this appliance is to integrate a touchscreen and program the whitegood with a design that feels like it came straight from its smartphones.
The WW9000 looks to be this year’s flagship (if it comes to Australia), and offers up the washing machine controls on a 5 inch touchscreen, allowing you to swipe through menus with different programs on them, change the temperature of cycles, how often they’re rinsed, and even differ the speed of the rotations upon drying.
Specific cycles can be added to your favourites, and sensors inside the washing machine can be engaged for an “auto optimal wash” to get the best wash for the load you’ve thrown in.
Like Samsung’s phones (and even the NX30 camera we checked out), there’s even a dropdown power control bar for quick access to functions like child lock (to lock the door of the washing machines), switching on the light in the drum, and turning on more automatic functionality.
This new washing machine also classes as one of Samsung’s “smart appliances,” and as such can even be monitored or controlled using a smartphone.
Both appliances appear to be very interesting, and hopefully we’ll have more information on them about Australian availability and pricing. For now though, watch this space.
Leigh D. Stark travelled to the Samsung Forum in Bali, Indonesia as a guest of Samsung Australia.
