Samsung's conference at CES was one of its more understated product launches —with the tone set by a classy nod to the company's Note7 recall at the beginning — but there were still a raft of new devices on show.
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The South Korean company devoted most of the time to its new TVs, and boasted it's been the number one TV seller globally for the eleventh year in a row. This year's models are branded QLED, Samsung's new name for its Quantum Dot technology. A new metal shell has been added around the dots, which allows for brighter picture without colour bleed, and a wider colour gamut.
Side by side you can immediately see the difference in the newer panels, and last year's panels already produced incredible pictures. Viewing angles have been improved too, with colour looking fantastic no matter where you're sitting in a room. All the TVs announced were 4K, with High Dynamic Range.
To make the TVs easier to mount, Samsung has created a single optical cable that links to a breakout box with four HDMI inputs, which you can hide away in a cupboard or entertainment centre. Also available is a new "No Gap Mount" — designed to keep the TV as close to the wall as possible. The new mount allows you to move and adjust the screen slightly after it is attached, just in case you don't get the mount exactly level. Such a simple idea, but much needed. There's even new Lifestyle Mounts, designed to look like a picture frame, so your TV can masquerade as a work of art when not in use.
The universal remote that comes with TVs, the Samsung One Remote, has been improved to feature more voice commands. The Smart Hub TV software and Smart View app have also had makeovers, featuring a clean white background and bright tiles for services like Netflix and Youtube.
And to finish off the home theatre experience, Samsung have a new soundbar, the Sound+ — a five-channel soundbar with a built in woofer — for those that just want good audio without teeth-shattering bass. I was skeptical about this one, but testing it at the booth I found the bass was fine.
The highlight for me was the H7, Samsung's latest multiroom speaker. Samsung's existing multi-room speakers sound excellent and are very easy to use. The H7 continues that in a beautifully retro, clean design. The giant knobs and smooth lines are reminiscent of an old Braun radio.
Finally, an update to Samsung Blu-ray players features the ability to stream 4K movies to the Samsung Smart Hub app for phones.
In home appliances Samsung unveiled a smart washer and a smart dryer, both featuring two components. The FlexWash has a large front loader and a smaller top loader that can be used independently. The top loader is designed for smaller loads, so you can wash whites separate from colours or wash delicate items on a lower power. The FlexDry is set out the same way, with the top compartment for small loads or delicate items.
And because both are internet-enabled you can start, stop or monitor any cycle of from your smartphone.
Smart Fridges will never die, but in 2017 they might finally be useful. Samsung's new fridge features the Family Hub 2.0 — kind of like a built-in tablet on your fridge door. The hub can display calendars, create shopping lists, or can even search your fridge for items and then suggest recipes based on the food inside.
The screen supports profiles, so you can change the information displayed depending on who's using it. Spotify has come to the fridge, and it's voice activated — letting you quickly set a timer or ask the fridge to read out a recipe while you're cooking — taking on Amazon's Alexa and Google Home.
Finishing off, Samsung announced four new laptops, a tiny little Notebook 9 running Windows 10, two Chromebooks which can run full Android apps, and a gigantic, beefy gaming laptop called the Notebook Odyssey. Unfortunately, none of these products will be coming to Australia. It's a shame, the little Chromebooks were gorgeous.
The author travelled to CES in Las Vegas as a guest of Samsung.
