Samsung Bespoke RF29BB8600AP French-door refrigerator review

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About this Samsung Bespoke RF29BB8600AP refrigerator

• Year released: 2022
• Style: French-door with flex drawer
• Dimensions: 70" x 35.75" x 34.25" (H x W x D)
• Depth: Standard depth (also available in counter-depth)
• Measured capacity: 10.61-cubic-foot refrigerator, 5.28-cubic-foot freezer
• Finishes: White glass, charcoal glass, matte gray glass, Morning Blue glass, clementine glass, pink glass, Sunrise Yellow glass, stainless steel, matte black steel, navy steel, Tuscan steel, emerald green steel
• Special features: Built-in Wi-Fi and smart features via GE's SmartHQ app, LED backlight, fold-under shelf, custom-temp flex drawer, two gallon-sized door bins
• Dispensers: Internal water dispenser and pitcher, ice maker in freezer
• ADA compliant: Yes
• Energy Star rated: Yes
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Samsung SmartThings App; allows for remote control and monitoring of temperature settings
• Future compatibility: The SmartThings app and the functions the app supports are subject to application update policies
• Years of expected life: ~15 years
• Parts availability: Good
• Repairability: Eligible for on-site repair service during the warranty period
• User manual: Samsung Bespoke RF29BB8600AP manual
• Product page: Samsung RF29BB8600AP French-door refrigerator

Like many modern French-door fridges, this Samsung Bespoke refrigerator features a four-door design, with two doors that open to the main fridge compartment, a flex drawer, and a freezer drawer.

The left door features a door-in-door design, which lets you open the door's outer panel to access its beverage center and bins without fully opening the door. Fully opening the door also provides this access, but lets more cold air escape.

Opening both fridge doors fully reveals a standard French-door interior with one full-length shelf, two half-width shelves (one that can fold to be half-depth), and two large crispers. The control panel is on the right wall.

The flex drawer contains two dividers that can be repositioned to further customize its storage space.

The freezer has an internal drawer to help break up the storage. This drawer is mostly dedicated to the freezer’s ice troughs, but it does offer some storage. Underneath is a storage bin separated by a divider down its center.

How we tested the Samsung Bespoke RF29BB8600AP Refrigerator

We have been testing appliances, including refrigerators, for over a decade. We had hundreds of refrigerators come through our former testing lab in Cambridge, MA: Top-freezers, bottom-freezers, side-by-sides, and French-doors.

The RF29BB8600AP underwent a standardized testing process that examined each element of its performance and feature set, from using sensors to ensure its temperature consistency to manually measuring all the available storage space. Read more about how we test refrigerators.

What we like about the Samsung Bespoke RF29BB8600AP refrigerator

It has solid fridge and freezer temperatures

While the main selling point of this fridge is its aesthetics, it's also capable of some impressive performance.

In the fridge compartment, temperatures averaged 36.9°F, which is just about perfect. Over the testing period, these temperatures remained remarkably consistent, only varying by about 2°F at most, and staying well within the appropriate range. During testing, temperatures also didn’t vary from one spot in the fridge to another. This is less than 2°F of variance throughout—meaning you won’t have to worry about warmer or cooler spots within this Samsung Bespoke refrigerator.

For those readers who don’t spend their time in a refrigerator lab like we do, it can be oblique as to why refrigerators need to maintain precise temperatures. In the fridge compartment, you need temperatures to stay between 32°F and 40°F: any colder and items will freeze, and any warmer and food will spoil faster. In the freezer, you need temperatures to hover right around 0°F to ensure proper freezing, and any inconsistencies in the temperature will cause freezer burn.

In the freezer of this Samsung French-door refrigerator, temperatures weren’t as consistent—but they weren’t bad by a long shot. We saw one spike of about 4°F and another that was 2°F, but other than those two instances, temperatures remained steady over the entire week of testing.

Door-in-door storage provides easy access and helps prevent cold air loss

We are fans of Samsung’s door-in-door design, which splits the left-hand door into two parts. Opening both simply opens the door normally, but only opening the external portion gives you access to the fridge’s beverage center, as well as items stored in that door’s bins.

The goal of this design is to provide easier access to some items without needing to open the door fully, because whenever the door is opened, it lets cold air escape. In turn, this makes the fridge work overtime to cool everything back down to the correct levels again.

Using the door-in-door to access items lets less cold air escape, which means temperatures are able to remain more consistent over time without taxing your fridge’s compressor too much.

Its flexible-temperature drawer with extra compartments keeps things organized

Nestled between the fridge and freezer is the Samsung Bespoke refrigerator’s flex drawer. This isolated compartment adapts to your storage needs by providing a third compartment that can be set to a custom temperature.

This allows you to store items at a temperature that may be too warm for most of the items in your normal fridge compartment—set the flex drawer to a perfect 55°F and pop in a few wine bottles for chilling.

You can also crank temperatures down below zero for extra freezer space. This extra freezer space could be a boon for those who rely on frozen foods, as it actually gives this Samsung Bespoke refrigerator more total freezer storage space than the average French-door fridge. With the dedicated freezer and flex drawer combined, you get 5.28 cubic feet of storage, more than the 4.69 cubic feet in the average fridge.

An extra 0.59 cubic feet of space may not seem like a lot, but it’s actually two full-size bowling balls’-worth.

Its customizable aesthetic can fit in every kitchen

One of the main reasons to buy into the Bespoke line of appliances is that it’s a lower-priced option for a customized look.

Other custom fridges, from brands like True Residential and Dacor, can cost over $9,000.

Even though the interchangeable panels are sold separately—$149 for the bottom panel, $49 for the middle drawer, and $99 each for the two top panels—this fridge is still many thousands cheaper than the custom alternatives out there.

Currently, the Samsung Bespoke refrigerator line-up consists of seven color options in glass finish and five colors in steel finish. This means there’s a total of 343 combinations in glass, 125 combinations in steel, and if you don’t mind mixing and matching the two finishes, 1,331 combinations in total.

That’s significantly more choice than traditional fridges, which typically offer between two and six options.

What we don’t like

Customization costs extra and may not be readily available

If you want to take advantage of the Bespoke custom panels, which is, after all, a major selling point of the the RF29BB8600AP, they’ll add an additional cost on top of the purchase price.

Again, while Samsung’s Bespoke custom panels are a relatively inexpensive way to get a custom look, that doesn’t mean they’re cheap: You’re still spending an additional $500 on pure aesthetics.

Should you desire a particular color, it may not always be available and replacements may be impossible to find if one is ever damaged.

Carbon footprint for the Samsung RF29BB8600AP Bespoke refrigerator

Energy efficiency

The Samsung RF29BB8600AP has an annual energy consumption rating of ~685 kWh/year (~$82/year based on U.S. average rates). This places it favourably among large capacity fridges when benchmarked against peers.

It is Energy-Star certified as meeting (or exceeding) the energy-efficiency requirements for its category.

Materials used

The RF29BB8600AP is manufactured with the R-600a low-GWP (global-warming-potential) hydrocarbon refrigerant—which lowers direct refrigerant-emission impact compared to older high-GWP systems with CFC/HCFC/HFC refrigerants. Samsung reports use of recycled plastics (ABS with ~10% recycled), and FSC-certified packaging—all positive signals for environmental impact.

Samsung has extensive sustainability initiatives and goals regarding production, distribution, use, and recycling of its appliances.

Data and privacy

If your appliance has a smart component, connects to the internet, or features a companion app, chances are it's collecting a wide range of information about you, including your habits and lifestyle. If your gadget has a camera—a robot vacuum, for instance—it may even be mapping your home. Scary, huh? Different companies have varying privacy policies and handle the data they collect in different ways.

This fridge is equipped with Wi-Fi and connects to the Samsung SmartThings app. SmartThings’ U.S. Privacy Notice states that connected devices, including appliances, “may obtain information about you … through SmartThings products and services” such as “connected devices, apps and software that you connect to SmartThings.”

The general Samsung Privacy Policy indicates that personal data is collected, used, shared, and stored for various purposes including service provision, analytics, marketing and legal compliance. SmartThings documentation also notes you can “erase your device’s data” in some instances.

Since this model is not equipped with a full Samsung Family Hub screen, it is not vulnerable to the greater security risks posed by a digital interface on appliances. Still, it is wise to review what data the SmartThings app is collecting and what permissions it asks for.

You can access the SmartThings Privacy Notice and Samsung’s full Privacy Policy.

Warranty

Samsung offers one of the better warranties in the appliance space. While one year is the industry-standard, Samsung’s warranty covers five years parts and labor on the sealed refrigeration system only (compressor, evaporator, condenser, drier, connecting tubing), and ten years parts and five years labor on Digital Inverter Compressor.

Samsung also offers Samsung Care+ extended warranty for those looking for extra coverage beyond the initial warranty.

Accessories and add-ons to consider

Complete the kitchen suite

What owners are saying about the Samsung RF29BB8600AP Bespoke refrigerator

Owners generally love their Samsung fridge, awarding it an average of 4.4 to 4.7 out of 5 stars across major retailers.

Those who love this fridge are first and foremost fans of its appearance: Almost every positive review gushes about how beautiful the fridge looks in their kitchen.

The negative reviews generally cite customer service issues and the need for repairs within the first one to three years of ownership, which may be covered by warranty but create headaches nonetheless.

Should you buy the Samsung RF29BB8600AP?

Yes—You can't find this combination of excellent performance and unique aesthetics elsewhere

Looking at its different test scores, it is difficult to come up with any salient criticism for this Samsung Bespoke refrigerator aside from its price. It has near-perfect fridge temperatures, its freezer performance is solid, and it comes outfitted with internal water and ice dispensers, a door-in-door design, and a flex drawer. It has a lot to love, and that's before you start diving into its appearance customization options.

Keep in mind that you are paying a premium for its customizable look. If the customization isn’t a deciding factor, you can find similarly good performance and features in a less expensive model such as the Hisense HRM260N6TSE, which also has a flex drawer and excellent temperature performance.