No surprise, Samsung is spending CES making a big appliance play, and front and center to the company’s strategy is the second generation of its Family Hub refrigerator line. A few hours after LG announced its own version of the appliance complete with a built-in Alexa voice functionality.
This time out, the company is bringing the functionality to a wide range of different fridge configurations, including two-, three- and four-door models, so users looking for the functionality aren’t stuck with a single model.
The primary unit features a 21.5-inch LED touchscreen that serves a digital bulletin board for handwritten memos, grocery purchasing through MasterCard and instant recipes via AllRecipes. There’s also built in media streaming courtesy of partnerships with iHeartRadio and Spotify.
Version 2.0 features voice commands for some Echo-like functionality like checking the weather and time, though Samsung looks to be working in-house for this one – no big surprise, given that the company is said to be building a custom AI offering for its line of Galaxy products. If it succeeds, it shouldn’t be too long before it arrives on the company’s connected home appliances.
As with LG, the company clearly sees these appliances as method for setting the groundwork for its own play in the fully connected smart home space.
Pricing and availability is still forthcoming.