Samsung, LG present home appliances future at IFA 2022

BERLIN -- South Korea’s leading home appliances makers Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc. are showcasing the future of consumer technology devices at IFA 2022, Europe’s biggest tech show in Berlin.

Messe Berlin, the venue of the trade show, has been crowded since early Thursday morning with buyers from all over the world allowed in for the preview a day before the official opening. The organizer expected the offline event Sept. 2-6 -- held for the first time in two years due to COVID-19 -- to be the largest show ever, attracting about 240,000 visitors as more than 1,900 companies participated.

The exhibition halls of Samsung, the global No. 1 TV maker, and LG, the world’s top home appliances producer, were hot spots for the early visitors, mostly officials from their competitors, during Thursday's preview. 

SAMSUNG’S EXPANDED SMARTTHINGS

Samsung unveiled an expanded vision of its SmartThings, its dynamic appliance and device integration system, as a personalized multi-device experience based on the Internet of things (IoT) platform, but not limited to it. 

The tech giant presented the concept in its exhibition booths, displaying a SmartThings home with seven residential spaces. The showcased home consists of a bedroom, which introduces customized lifestyle modes; a home office, which provides conditions conducive for remote work; and a living room, suitable for leisure activities such as watching movies and playing games.

Visitors can connect various home appliances with SmartThings for diverse activities such as sports including tennis and golf, as well as dancing, in the space.

Samsung also announced its goal to become the world’s top energy-efficient home appliances brand.

“We will introduce high-efficiency refrigerators, washing machines and air conditioners in Europe later this month, which use 10% less power than the highest level of European Energy standards,” said Tanya Weller, marketing director of home appliances at Samsung’s UK unit.

LG TO HOLD THRONE WITH UPGRADABLE ELECTRONICS

LG aims to maintain its throne in the global home appliances industry with its smart home platform ThinQ and upgradable products.

In January, the company said it plans to sell electronics with the capability to incorporate new features based on owners’ usage patterns and habits through ThinQ.

“We have launched 18 products with the upgradability option so far and we are providing about 100 content upgrades,” said Lyu Jae-cheol, president of LG Electronics Home Appliance & Air Solution division.

“Those upgradable appliances significantly increased the number of ThinQ users, while about 50% of upgrade content has been used.”

The company unveiled a new premium refrigerator with an upgradability option. The MoodUP, the newest lineup of LG’s high-end Objet Collection, is equipped with color-changing light-emitting diode (LED) door panels.

Through ThinQ, customers can choose among 170,000 color combinations with 22 color options for the top doors and 19 for the bottom doors, LG said.

The South Korean tech behemoth is expected to see a profit from the service by charging customers for upgrades to electronics such as refrigerators, industry sources said. Tesla Inc., the world’s top electric vehicle manufacturer, has already been making money with such a service.

At the tech fair, LG showcased how ThinQ creates a home appliance ecosystem. When a consumer selects the indoor exercise mode through ThinQ for a workout at home, it will turn on air conditioners and air purifiers while adjusting the brightness of the lights. The customer can also switch on air conditioners or other electronics before arriving home.

“LG ThinQ will provide various scenarios of product connections for customers’ needs, utilizing different IoT devices such as Apple HomeKit, Aqara and Hejhome,” Lyu said.

Write to Shin-Young Park at nyusos@hankyung.com
Jongwoo Cheon edited this article.