Samsung Family Hub 2.0 debuts on new smart refridgerators

Building upon Family Hub 1.0, Samsung unveiled an update to its next-gen refrigerator technology during CES 2017. The new tech is called Family Hub 2.0, and it’ll debut on ten of Samsung’s new 2017 refrigerators.

Hub 2.0 promises to be more user friendly and has improved food management. Using internal cameras, the fridge can help you determine which foods need to be replaced. You can also snap pictures and add items to a shopping list, then order groceries, in the app.

Hub 2.0 also acts as a family communication device. Thanks to its 21.5-inch LED touch screen, you can share pictures, bulletin board items, calendars events and even write memos.

As with anything smart home related these days, Hub 2.0 features support for voice commands, so users can ask it the weather, time, add items to shopping lists, order groceries and much more. Samsung is also working with partners like Grubhub, Glympse, Ring, Spotify and more to add new functionality.

Do you need a smart fridge?

Do you really need a smart fridge? Yes and No. There’s no need for a lot of the gadgets we have in our homes, but this is certainly cool. Samsung knew it had to get people to change how they interact with the refrigerator, a typically pretty boring appliance. After analyzing how and where families do most of their interaction, Samsung found the family fridge to the perfect gathering place. After all, it’s where families go to eat, to cook, and in a lot of cases, to entertain.

In some respects, it’s kind of like Samsung stuck a giant tablet/computer on the front of a fridge, though, which isn’t really all that exciting. Ultimately, I think adoption of this technology will rely on affordability. If it’s just a marginal price difference, you’ll see more of this type of tech soon. After all, making your home smart becomes costly after a while. We’ll try to seek Family Hub 2.0 out on the CES 2017 show floor to get a closer look.