Samsung has a smart fridge in the works for the new year that includes some interesting AI features, including an internal camera that can identify individual food items and a connected app that can suggest recipes based what you have in stock. The company plans to unveil the 2024 Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator with AI Family Hub+ at CES next year. Users can mirror the display of their Galaxy phones to the 32-inch Family Hub touchscreen, and there are even separate apps for TikTok and YouTube videos.
While neither the internal camera or the Family Hub app are new (the 2023 model also included an AI-powered camera and could generate recipes), both have been upgraded with more features. The Samsung Food app (which you can access directly on the fridge via the Family Hub) can connect to your Samsung Health profile and tailor recipes based on your dietary needs. It also includes an “Image to Recipe” feature (with better Vision AI) that can recognize meals and food items from photographs and generate recipes. There’s also a Personalize feature that will tailor recipes for gluten-free, pescatarian, dairy-free, vegan, fusion and other dietary preferences.
The fridge still has some limitations (Samsung says its Vision AI feature can identify up to 33 food items), so don’t expect it to recognize anything too exotic. Users can manually enter expiration dates on the Family Hub touchscreen, which will post notifications just before individual items expire.
Although Samsung has been releasing smart fridges since 2016, this new model appears to be the first to emphasize its AI features over, say, its Internet of Things integrations. Looking back at that first smart fridge, it’s clear that both smart home and AI technology has come a long way. In The Verge’s review of the 2016 fridge, we noted that the Family Hub apps were slow to load and the touchscreen wasn’t great, but the fridge did include cameras that let you see what’s inside the fridge without having to open the door.
Now, Samsung’s marketing of the 2024 model suggests it sees the fridge as the centerpiece to Samsung’s other AI kitchen products (like its AI oven) and the wider Samsung ecosystem. Also coming up next year is the 2024 model of Samsung’s cooktop (called the Anyplace Induction Cooktop), which includes a slide-in range so you can fit it between your kitchen cabinets. Both the cooktop and the slide-in range are equipped with seven-inch LCD screens which can be used to view recipes from the Samsung Food app as you cook.
The Verge has reached out to Samsung for a release date and pricing info, and will update when we hear back.
