Samsung is working on a smart refrigerator for the new year that includes some interesting ai features, including an internal camera that can identify individual foods and a connected app that can suggest recipes based on what you have in stock. The company plans to introduce the 2024 custom 4-door flexible refrigerator with ai Family Hub+ at CES next year. Users can mirror their Galaxy phones' screen to the 32-inch Family Hub touchscreen, and there are even separate apps for TikTok and YouTube videos.
While neither the internal camera nor the Family Hub app are new (the 2023 model also included an ai-powered camera and could generate recipes), both have been updated with more features. The Samsung Food app (which you can access directly from the refrigerator via Family Hub) can connect to your Samsung Health profile and customize recipes based on your dietary needs. It also includes a “Picture to Recipe” feature (with better ai vision) that can recognize meals and foods from photos and generate recipes. There's also a Customize feature that will adapt recipes for gluten-free, Pescatarian, dairy-free, vegan, fusion, and other dietary preferences.
The refrigerator still has some limitations (Samsung says its Vision ai feature can identify up to 33 foods), so don't expect it to recognize anything. also exotic. Users can manually enter expiration dates on the Family Hub touchscreen, which will post notifications just before individual items expire.
Although Samsung has been releasing smart refrigerators since 2016, this new model appears to be the first to emphasize its ai features over, say, its Internet of Things integrations. Looking back at that first smart refrigerator, it's clear that both smart home and artificial intelligence technology have come a long way. In The edgeIn the 2016 refrigerator review, we noted that the Family Hub apps were slow to load and the touchscreen wasn't great, but the refrigerator did include cameras that let you see what was inside the refrigerator without having to open the door.
Now, Samsung's marketing of the 2024 model suggests that it sees the refrigerator as the centerpiece of Samsung's other ai kitchen products (like its ai oven) and Samsung's broader ecosystem. Also coming next year is Samsung's 2024 model cooktop (called Anyplace Induction Cooktop), which includes a slide-out cooktop so you can place it between your kitchen cabinets. Both the stove and slide-in stove are equipped with seven-inch LCD screens that can be used to view recipes from the Samsung Food app while cooking.
The edge has reached out to Samsung for a release date and pricing information, and will update when we hear back.
