Introduction

Front

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The {{product.name}} has a stainless steel finish. On the left of the two fridge doors is an ice and water dispenser, as well as a control panel for the internal temperature and several other features.

The stainless steel front, while attractive when clean, picks up fingerprints very easily, especially when hands are wet or oily. Unless you want water from the front dispenser, getting a cool drink in the summer will definitely leave a mark.

The handles are curved, with flat ends, and are also stainless steel. To open the freezer, the handle has to be lifted slightly up before the drawer will open. They are as easy to grip simultaneously as they are individually, and the doors open with ease both on their own and at the same time.

Water and ice come out of a single dispenser unit in the left fridge door of the {{product.name}}. There's only one lever, and to switch between ice and water, the appropriate button just above the dispenser must be pressed.

Your selection, be it water, crushed ice, or cubed ice, will be displayed on the black control panel via symbols back lit by LED lighting. This control panel, however, is not just the control for ice and water, but for the entire refrigerator. Temperature controls, an energy saver function, even a lock for the ice dispenser for households with small children, all these and more and controlled by this main panel.

Interior

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The interior of the {{product.name}} is bathed in a pale blue glow emitted from LED lights fixed in the top part of both the fridge and freezer. While the light is easy on the eyes and illuminates the interior just as thoroughly as regular bulbs, it may, for instance, take some time to adjust to looking at cheeses that aren't meant to be blue. The pale lighting is a nice complement to the sleek and modern design of the exterior.

The central portion of the refrigerator is made up of five different shelves, three of which are adjustable, and one of which has a retractable portion for storing particularly tall items. There are also two crisper drawers that have their own humidity controls and internal lighting. Beneath those, you can find what Samsung has dubbed the Wide-Open Cool-Select Pantry, a full-width drawer that also has independent controls, and can be set to one of three labeled headings: Deli, Fresh, or Chilled.

Centered between the crisper and Auto Pull-Out Drawers is a slot for the water filter.

The doors of the {{product.name}} are much more straight forward. The right door has a dairy tray, as well as two adjustable drawers.

The left door has three rather oddly shaped shelves which are designed around the ice dispenser chute.

The freezer is accessed using a pull-out drawer, and has three distinct sections. First, there is the lower, deep shelf cut into two parts by a plastic divider. Above that is a second shelf, labeled the Auto Pull-Out Drawer, that can be moved independently of the lower shelf. Finally, on the door of the freezer, at about the same level of the upper shelf, is a tray for smaller items. A section of this tray is called the Pizza Door, and can be lifted up to allow easy storage and access to wide, thin items.

The ice maker is stored in the upper left portion of the fridge. It takes up a fair amount of space, but can also be pulled out from the front to access larger blocks of ice should the amount produced by the door dispenser be inadequate for your needs.

Back

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The rear panel has cables running to the ice maker and water filter, as well as an easy-access panel explicitly labeled for technicians should anything on the unit need to be serviced.

Sides

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The sides are covered in a gray textured finish that blends well with the stainless front, giving the unit a very consistent appearance.

Running Cost

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Our figures are calculated based on an average cost of $0.09 per kW-h. Using that scale, the {{product.name}} would require $68.44 per year to run, high even for large fridges of this type. Though you won't be saving money On your electric bill, keep in mind that the {{product.brand.name}}'s ability to keep produce fresh may save you money in less wasted food.

Power Use Per Cu Ft

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It's possible that all the shelves and compartments keep the air from circulating as efficiently as would be ideal. We found that the {{product.name}} was not the most economical fridge out there, using about 0.13 kW-h per cubic foot of usable space.

Fridge Temperature

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The {{product.name}}'s refrigerator had fairly consistent temperature readings over time, but not throughout the entire compartment. We place data-recording sensors inside the unit at different levels over the course of several days to ensure that temperature is evenly distributed and maintainable. We found that the {{product.name}}'s temperatures fluctuated about one degree over time, which is excellent, but that the lower sensors recorded slightly warmer temperatures. The most ideal data was recorded near the top by the ice maker, but even that was a bit warm. The warmer sections were still low enough as to be manageable, and to compensate, you can simply turn down the temperature to slightly below the recommended manufacturer setting.

Freezer Temperature

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The freezer temperature fluctuated slightly over time, almost four degrees, but at it's highest, the temperature reached just over 4 degrees Fahrenheit. This means that your food will be quite thoroughly frozen

Vegetable Drawer

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The crisper drawers in the {{product.name}} are very well made. Over three days, our tests indicate an average moisture loss of 0.13 grams per hour. Produce placed in these drawers will stay fresh for longer than in most other fridges of any type.

Power Loss

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To simulate what would happen if the power goes out, we unplug the refrigerators after gathering all the data we need. The sensors are left in the freezer compartments for 36 hours after that point, measuring the internal temperature of the freezers to see how well the cold is contained. Everything that we placed in the {{product.name}} was still thoroughly frozen by the end of our 36-hour power loss test.

Freezing Performance

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While the {{product.name}} is a fairly large machine, the freezer itself is very self-contained. Despite that fact, though, it took room-temperature items 1 hour and 52 minutes to freeze, a fairly long time for a higher-end fridge like this one.

Usable Space

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Unlike manufacturer specs, our measurements take into space taken up by objects that prevent food storage, such as shelves and drawers. As such, we found that the {{product.name}} had 10.78 cubic feet of usable space in its refrigerator. This number covers the available space on all the shelves and drawers in the main section, as well as the five shelves and the dairy tray on the two doors.

Since the three shelves on the left door are oddly shaped to accommodate the ice dispenser, items placed here would likely have to be smaller or oddly shaped to curve with the design.

The shelves on the right, however, are of a more standard shape.

The pullout freezer in the {{product.name}} is designed to provide deep, spacious storage. Combining space in the upper shelf, the lower drawer, and the small tray on the inside of the door, we found the freezer to have a total of 4.68 cubic feet of storage space.

Below are the manufacturers own figures for capacity, and our own measurements for usable capacity. The manufacturers figures do not take account of the shelves, drawers and other removable features, but our measurements do account for the space these take up.

Ease of Access

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The numerous shelves offer ample storage while still remaining organized enough to keep food in sight. Shelves are easy to adjust, and the drawers move like well-oiled machines. The freezer is also easy to manage, sliding in and out with a smoothness not usually found on cheaper models.

Controls

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All the controls, with the exception of the crisper drawer humidity, are placed above the water dispenser on the outside of the left door. Everything is clearly labeled, and LED backlit images will indicate when things are on and working. Temperature adjustments aren't the most intuitive, but easy to use once understood.

Water Dispenser

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The water and ice come out of the same dispenser, and is very simple to grasp. The opening is large enough to rest a glass, and the single level combined with the clear buttons above the spout indicating water and ice settings make getting the type of liquid that you want as easy as floating across a pool.

The filter is very easy to change. Simply turn it in the labeled direction, and pull out. It may dribble a bit the first few times until you're used to the angle needed to prevent spilling, but is otherwise one of the easiest water filters to access and change that we've seen.

Ice Maker

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The ice maker is stored in the upper left portion of the fridge. It takes up a fair amount of space, but can also be pulled out from the front to access larger blocks of ice should the amount produced by the door dispenser be inadequate for your needs.

Cleaning

Noise

Conclusion

Energy Efficiency

This fridge will cost you in the long run. It had a rather substantial yearly operating cost, as well as a higher-than-average rate of energy consumption per cubic foot of usable space. If energy costs in your neighborhood are rather high and saving money in the long term is your biggest concern, then you may want to consider a more efficient model.

Performance

A fridge this expensive may be expected to have perfect temperature consistency. Unfortunately, the {{product.name}} didn't; while the temperatures didn't really fluctuate over time, gradual increases in warmth at certain points in the fridge mean you'll have to be very conscious about where you store your perishables. On the other hand, the {{product.name}} had incredibly good results for moisture retention in the crisper drawers. Fruits and vegetables will have a good home in this fridge...until they get eaten, anyway.

Storage Space

The {{product.name}} couldn't exactly be described as cavernous. There is enough space in both the fridge and freezer to accommodate any tastes, and all but the largest of families shouldn't have any trouble storing their favorite snacks. But there are other models out there that may not look as fancy yet have more room for storage overall.

Usability

Despite all its fancy features and numerous shelves, the {{product.name}} is surprisingly user-friendly. Nearly silent, clearly marked controls, and drawers that run like they're rolling in butter make for smooth functionality. This is a fridge that will definitely take care of you.