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  • Introduction

  • Front

  • Interior

  • Back

  • Sides

  • Ease of Access

  • Controls

  • Water Dispenser

  • Ice Maker

  • Cleaning

  • Noise

  • Other Features

  • Conclusion

  • Introduction
  • Front
  • Interior
  • Back
  • Sides
  • Ease of Access
  • Controls
  • Water Dispenser
  • Ice Maker
  • Cleaning
  • Noise
  • Other Features
  • Conclusion

Introduction

Front

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The Smart ThinQ's design should be pretty familiar to anyone whose seen a high end LG, since it's built on the same platform as other high-end fridges. The main difference is that color touchscreen on the front, which is one key to apps such as Health Manager, Freshness Tracker and Smart Shopping. The other key is your smartphone, but we'll get to that later.

All controls are based on the touchscreen. Apps can be accessed through a smartphone, however.

The ice dispenser is different from other LG's we've seen, most likely to accommodate that touch screen.

Interior

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The LG Smart ThinQ on display at CES was a prototype based on the LFX31925ST which we tested about a month ago. LG representatives said that the production model Smart ThinQ would be a few inches narrower than the LFX31925ST, whose interior is shown above.

The interior of the CDWT980VSS.

This is the interior of the LFX31925. We expect it to be similar to the Smart ThinQ, but can't know for sure until the final consumer-ready product is released.

Like all LG's higher-end fridges, the Smart ThinQ features an isolated icemaker in the left fridge door. The LFX31925's icemaker is shown above.

Back

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The fridge was against the wall, so we couldn't see the back.

Sides

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The sides of the fridge were gray, just like the LFX31925ST, though its positioning made it impossible to get a picture.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS side views

Ease of Access

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This year's Smart ThinQ improves on the connected fridge that LG debuted last year, adding apps that help you track grocery inventory, order food and pretend that you're managing your diet responsibly. All of these features are available on the fridge's on-board control panel or through an LG smartphone app that will be available for Android and iOS.

The coolest function we tried out in the LG booth was the receipt scanner on the Food Manager app. It uses a smartphone camera and optical character recognition to read a grocery receipt and add items to your grocery inventory, which you can then check from your phone.

Unfortunately, the user has to manually delete items that aren't going in the fridge. It's also up to the user to remove items from inventory once they're used, so the app is only as accurate as the person using it. It's promising technology, but we're still a ways away from a pseudo-sentient fridge that can tell you how many eggs you have left.

Controls

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All controls are based on the touchscreen. Apps can be accessed through a smartphone, however.

Once items are stored in the Food Manager, perishables get put into the Freshness Tracker.

The SmartThinq also features an app called Health Manager. Like a punchline in a Garfield strip, it calculates your BMI and recommends recipes that'll help you get or stay healthy, taking into account chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. If you've got an LG smart oven, the fridge will even send recipes to the oven for preheating and accurate timing. Although we're in Las Vegas, there's no Don Rickles option that'll bombard you with fat jokes if you choose to make chicken parmesan instead of salad.

Finally, there's a family health profile that saves information about food allergies and dietary restrictions, in case you can't remember which one of your kids is allergic to peanuts.

Water Dispenser

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Ice Maker

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Like all LG's higher-end fridges, the Smart ThinQ features an isolated icemaker in the left fridge door. The LFX31925's icemaker is shown above.

Cleaning

Noise

Other Features

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The Smart ThinQ also features a Smart Shopper app that lets you order groceries from your phone or the fridge's screen, and LG's Smart Diagnosis for troubleshooting. When utility companies start debuting smart grid technology, the Smart ThinQ will be ready for it, and can adjust its cycles depending on dynamic electricity costs.

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Conclusion

Energy Efficiency

No word on the Smart ThinQ's energy efficiency. It is Smart Grid capable, however, as soon as power companies roll out compatible technology.

Performance

We'll find out how well the Smart ThinQ fridge performs as soon as we get one in our lab. As it's based on a very similar platform, we suspect that performance will be as good as the LFX31925ST, which was one of the best fridges we've ever tested.

Storage Space

The final design of the Smart ThinQ wasn't on display at CES, but a Samsung rep told us that it would be a few inches narrower than the LFX31925ST.

Usability

The Smart ThinQ features a suite of apps that can shop for food, create a grocery inventory and even suggest recipes based on your weight and what's in the fridge. While they're all a big step forward for smart appliances, these features still rely on a user's input. Sure, you can use your smartphone while you're at the grocery store to check if your milk expired, but that information is useless if your kids didn't manually remove the milk from your inventory list after they finished it earlier in the day.

Smart appliances may represent the next great innovation in technology, but their convenience still depends on user inputs.

Meet the tester

Keith Barry

Keith Barry

Former Editor in Chief, Reviewed Home

@itskeithbarry

Keith was the Editor in Chief of Reviewed's appliance and automotive sites. His work has appeared in publications such as Wired, Car & Driver, and CityLab.

See all of Keith Barry's reviews

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