If there is one home appliance that is quintessentially boring and yet essential, it would be the refrigerator. Samsung looks to have spruced things up with its new Bespoke Top Mount Freezer Refrigerator line which, judging by its name, places the customer (i.e. you) as the company’s main focus.
Arriving in colour combinations suited to just about every kitchen design, it might look at first glance as if the Bespoke range, launched recently in Malaysia, is nothing more than a slapdash of different colours on the doors.
But beauty is more than skin deep in this situation, as Samsung delivers one of the coolest features ever in a refrigerator: customised cooling performance to suit your lifestyle.
The freezer is located at the top, while the fridge compartment is at the bottom, bearing a classic look that goes against the opposite arrangement that has become popular in recent times.
You are highly recommended to choose a two-colour combination for one very good reason – the door is covered by glass. This solves the problem of finding cheap magnets to attach notes for the household, since you can easily use a whiteboard marker to write an inspirational message, love note, reminder, or important phone numbers, or to update your grocery list!
Wiping away these handwritten messages is as easy as using a whiteboard eraser or a cloth.
The glass finish arrives in Clean Vanilla, Clean White, Clean Black, Clean Pink, Clean Navy, and Clean Peach colours, while the cotta finish comes in PCM White, PCM Charcoal, and PCM Pink shades.
There is an Optimal Fresh+ compartment located at the top of the fridge section that offers a quartet of preset temperature modes to ensure the freshness of your favourite foods. Tests have shown this will help dishes and ingredients remain fresh for twice as long – although in reality, it is likely less than as advertised owing to numerous variables outside of a controlled environment.
Meanwhile, the “Soft Freeze” claims to keep delicate foods fresher for a longer than usual without sacrificing its natural flavour.
With this range, Samsung claims to deliver an all-around cooling feature that monitors the temperature at all times. It circulates cool air evenly via strategically placed vents, ensuring each item on all shelves enjoys optimal temperature.
If you are concerned about the environment, rest easy as Samsung’s SmartThings AI Energy Mode will continuously monitor and save energy proactively. The AI Energy Mode analyses your refrigerator usage pattern over time to reveal estimated power consumption.
Using artificial intelligence, once your estimated electricity bill exceeds its initial preset target, you will be alerted to activate the Saving mode to reduce energy consumption by up to 7%!
For those who bemoan the lack of space in their refrigerators, Samsung’s SpaceMax technology provides up to 20 litres of additional capacity courtesy of a special high-urethane insulation that enables the walls to be far thinner without compromising on energy efficiency.
Finally, a standout feature of the Bespoke range would be embedded Wi-Fi. Yes, your fridge can now be connected to your home network, allowing you to monitor and manage its settings and performance via the SmartThings App.
Why would you need to manage your fridge, you ask? For one, you can activate Rapid Cooling mode at the touch of a button – a useful feature if you are expecting guests and need a dozen cans of your favourite beverage cooled in double time.
Want to change the temperature on the fly? Do so remotely from your office! And, in the event the door is left open, you will also be alerted on your smartphone. Indeed, the SmartThings App lets you detect and diagnose issues before they blow up into something larger.
While there are models in the market that come with a touchscreen LCD display and are powered by Android, those are not priced for the average Joe. Being able to manage your fridge’s temperature on an app with status alerts are, therefore, two very welcome features for the masses.
In fact, this could filter to other brands in the future, like how LED daytime running lights are now the norm in all cars including entry-level models, despite being the preserve of expensive, continental makes a decade ago.
Samsung’s Bespoke Top Mount Freezer Refrigerator will retail for RM3,199 and RM3,399, depending on the mode type with a gross capacity range from 404L to 476L.
This is a decent starter fridge for newlyweds or a small household, and should last you some time with its 20-year compressor warranty – perhaps even until the little ones have grown up and flown the nest.
Edwin Kee dreamt of being a pro-gamer only to have circumstances mould him into a programmer in a past life. He has since moved on to write about consumer electronics and other topics.