In case you haven’t noticed, Engadget has been expanding our smart home and kitchen coverage. However, we don’t get to test as many fridges as we would like because they are large and difficult to move around. That said, now that Samsung has been putting AI inside its fancy iceboxes for a few years, I wanted to do a long-term review of one of its latest models – the Bespoke AI 4-Door Refrigerator – to see if adding machine learning to an appliance improves its performance. But I quickly discovered that my favorite thing about the fridge isn’t the AI, but an innovative twist on the traditional water pitcher.
Samsung’s beverage center is hidden behind a thin panel on the left side so that the water dispenser doesn’t become an eyesore. (Sam Rutherford for Engadget)
Samsung calls it Beverage Center and it’s actually been around since 2021. It started out as an exclusive feature for the company’s top-of-the-line models, but recently, it’s become so popular that Samsung has started adding it to a wider range of products. Instead of a basic water dispenser on the outside of the fridge (which is obviously kind of an eyesore), Samsung put it behind a thin door. After this, another station was added right next to it, which was big enough to hold a water pitcher which automatically filled every time it was used.
My biggest complaint about traditional water dispensers is that they are very slow. If you’re only filling one glass, it’s no big deal. But if you’re trying to fill water bottles or get water for the whole family before dinner, you’re often forced to stand in front of the fridge for a few minutes, blocking others from getting in and generally getting in the way of people. With the beverage center, you still have the option of filling a glass individually, or you can pull out the entire pitcher, take it to your table and fill everyone’s cup in a hurry like a waiter at a restaurant. Sure, this will only save you a few minutes, but when you’re in a hurry to get dinner ready before your kids get hungry, every second is precious. After all, six o’clock is dinner time – not 6:05 or 6:10.
Samsung’s Beverage Center features a traditional water dispenser and a built-in pitcher that automatically refills after each use. (Sam Rutherford for Engadget)
I would also argue that a pitcher is a bit more elegant than waiting for a weak stream from your water dispenser to fill a cup. But more importantly, because the entire pitcher is housed inside a cold fridge, all the water is cold—not just the first 12 or 16 ounces you usually get from that little spout. Plus, since there’s a strainer basket, you can also use it to make water by adding some fruits or herbs into it. And once again, you never need to fill it manually because when the pitcher is empty, you just put it back in the fridge and the next time you grab it, it’s already full. But don’t just take it from me, there are several threads where other users acknowledge the greatness of Samsung’s Beverage Center.
Samsung’s Beverage Center comes with a built-in pitcher that holds 48 ounces of water and also includes a strainer for making infused water or iced tea. (Sam Rutherford for Engadget)
Of course, this feature is not perfect. Samsung’s pitcher is not dishwasher safe, although that’s no big deal as it’s quick and easy to clean with warm soapy water. The bigger issue is that sometimes I wish the pitcher had more capacity or that Samsung offered the option to upgrade to a larger pitcher. In my experience, 48 ounces is enough for my family of four, but I wouldn’t be surprised if people with larger homes wanted something with more volume.
One nice thing about Samsung’s Beverage Center is that you still get space on the back to keep things in the fridge door. (Sam Rutherford for Engadget)
Honestly, Samsung’s Beverage Center seems like one of those ingenious inventions that makes you wonder why no other company thought of this before. But no one did, and because Samsung holds some patents related to its automatic water pitcher, you probably won’t see a similar feature on any of its competing fridges anytime soon.
As for the rest of the fridge’s components and its AI Vision technology, I’m still testing them, but stay tuned for a full review soon.
