State-of-the-art appliances define Samsung Forum 2017

Gelo Gonzales

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State-of-the-art appliances define Samsung Forum 2017
Lifelike TV visuals, a refrigerator with a built-in smart screen, an air-conditioner that doesn't attempt to blow you away like a typhoon – the annual Samsung forum in Singapore represents the brand's vision of the high-end home

SINGAPORE – Who knew that refrigerators, air-conditioners and washing machines can offer enough innovations that they’d star in their own tech show? Well, Samsung certainly did.

At the Samsung Forum 2017, held at the Marina Bay Sands convention center on Thursday, Feb 16, these appliances were put in the limelight, offering a bag of tricks that certainly set them apart from the typical. 

Are these new tricks particularly practical or necessary? For the most part, one would do alright with the regular versions of these – and those would most likely put less strain on the wallet. But for the hardcore appliance fan, the devices presented at the annual forum offer a glimpse of how the homes of tomorrow just might look like.

Samsung Southeast Asia & Oceania president, Yong Sung Jeon, hosted the opening presentation wherein he gave a rundown of the devices being showcased, posted above. Like many other companies engaged in consumer electronics today, he stressed that the brand is heavily invested in the research and development of smart, connected, and flexible internet-of-things (IoT) products. 

For entertainment, the home of tomorrow will house one of those new “Q series” televisions. These televisions are supposed to offer unprecedented clarity, color, contrast and whatnot – as every year’s set of televisions are wont to do – thanks to Samsung’s eye-widening “Quantum dot” technology, which uses a type of material that’s able to produce a wider color spectrum than most displays.

QLED. The pièce de résistance at the 2017 expo is Samsung's QLED technology. Photo by Gelo Gonzales/Rappler  

Samsung also introduced a one-remote system or an app that allow users to control all sorts of media devices using just one remote control. The remote has a cool voice function too for those who have gotten bored of the old-timey way of pushing buttons.

The TVs also automatically detect devices connected to its ports such as streaming devices or gaming consoles, which appear in an array along the TV’s lower portion. All the TVs that Samsung will be producing this year will be smart TVs, said Jeon. 

Their new refrigerator makes use of Family Hub 2.0, a program that essentially turns the ref into a smart ref. It’s easy to identify which Samsung refs make use of this functionality thanks mainly to a huge, unmissable 21.5-inch LED touch-screen panel on the ref’s right door.

Samsung basically slapped a tablet onto this appliance, giving it some smart functionality such as the ability to scriblle down grocery notes, digital photos (as opposed to the old-timey way of magnetizing them on the fridge), and receive messages from other devices. And like many tablets, it has a camera, found inside, which allows a user to see what’s inside without opening the door. A user can also label the items using the exterior touchscreen panel. 

FRIDGE-TABLET HYBRID. The brand's top-of-the-line refs will have a huge tablet-like device slapped on its door. Photo by Gelo Gonzales/Rappler

Modern laundry, aircon

For the modern home’s laundry area, Samsung offers the Flexwash laundry system, whose main innovation is its integration of “2 washers and 1 dryer in one system,” describes Sung. It’s supposed to cut down laundry time in half as it allows users to dry clothes in the same chamber for washing, removing the need to transfer clothes. On the top of the machine is a smaller top loader made for items that need extra care. 

FLEXWASH SYSTEM. Samsung's new washing machine speeds things up just a little bit by combining washing and drying abilities in one chamber – negating the need for transfers. Photo by Gelo Gonzales/Rappler

Samsung’s “Wind-Free” airconditioning system now has a new wall-mounted version in addition to last year’s floor-standing system. Its name indicates its biggest innovation: it keeps rooms cool and maintains the desired temperature without the the use of a direct cold wind you find in most other aircons. It’s also said to be 72% more energy efficient than the average unit today. 

Last but not the least, they showcased their latest POWERbot vacuum cleaner, the VR7000 – slimmer than previous versions and is able to clean hard-to-reach corners that conventional vacuum cleaners miss. Like many of the aforementioned appliances, the vacuum cleaner is accompanied with an app that allows one to control it remotely. 

These home appliances represent Samsung’s idealized version of the modern home with state-of-the-art features. As one might expect from products that try to push for innovation, one can expect that the price tags for these products to be higher than average as well. 

But if the Samsung innovations showcased at the forum prove to be actually useful and essential, these new features will hopefully trickle down to more devices and more homes down the line, making the price more palatable for the general consumer. As it stands, they represent the brand’s idea of what the IoT-powered home looks like. – Rappler.com

Excited for these new gadgets and appliances? Check out our home and living coupons section for the best deals.

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Gelo Gonzales

Gelo Gonzales is Rappler’s technology editor. He covers consumer electronics, social media, emerging tech, and video games.