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Home / News / Samsung’s bringing its geeky fridges to the UK

Internet-connected fridges? C’mon man – aren’t these a little bit 2013?

We know that smart refrigerators have become a kind of symbol for the directionless inanity and pointlessness of many connected home products, but Samsung’s new Family Hub is a bit different.

How?

 Well, for starters it’s actually for sale in the UK, rather than being some trade show proof of concept, or restricted to certain countries where fridges rather than fireplaces are the true domestic hearths (yes, we mean the USA).

Secondly, it’s loaded with smart features.

I’m listening…

The one we most like? There’s a trio of cameras inside that take a snapshot of the fridge’s contents every time anybody closes the door. You can then access said snapshot on your phone via the Samsung Smart Home app, no matter where you are, giving you a real-time update on how many eggs you’ve got left, or if your flatmate has pilfered your last can of overpriced craft IPA.

The app also lets you track sell by dates on your food, although you’ll have to enter those manually.

Fair enough. But why is this called the “Family Hub”? It’s an icebox, not a computer.

Isn’t it both? And the name comes from the fact that its 21.5in full HD touchscreen and internet savviness opens up a whole plethora of functions of which your average cooler can only dream.

The screen can display notes, photos and a calendar to which any member of your household can post. It’ll also show off recipes from celebrated cooking man Michel Roux Jr and a bunch of partner websites, and it’ll even keep you entertained – there are built-in speakers which can play web radio music (or output it to a Bluetooth speaker), and if you own a recent Samsung smart TV you can mirror whatever’s on its screen on the fridge’s panel.

OK, let’s say you’ve convinced me. How much do I have to part with to get one of these in my kitchen?

Hope you’re sitting down. Samsung’s multi-door model is a cool (no pun intended) £4,500 and the fridge-freezer model is £3,000.

Well, whoever said a smart home was a cheap home?

Buy the Family Hub fridge freezer here from Samsung

About

Tech journalism's answer to The Littlest Hobo, I've written for a host of titles and lived in three different countries in my 15 years-plus as a freelancer. But I've always come back home to Stuff eventually, where I specialise in writing about cameras, streaming services and being tragically addicted to Destiny.