The Samsung T9000 refrigerator, which debuted at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show, prompted plenty of double takes from passers-by with its uniquely symmetrical four-door facade. Samsung calls it the next evolution in refrigerator design and hopes to appeal to busy home entertainers who might value its versatility. The T9000 will be available in late Spring 2013 for $4,000.
Through decades of refrigerator testing at Consumer Reports, we've watched the face of this appliance morph from one-door (the original ice box with interior freezer compartment) to two-door (top-freezers, followed by bottom-freezers and side-by-sides) to three-door (the popular French-door style) to, finally, the four-door (with a middle compartment between the freezer and fresh-food sections). Technically speaking, though, that middle compartment on most four-door fridges is a drawer, making the T9000 one of the first truly four-door models to hit the U.S. market.
Here's how it works. The top half of the T9000 contains a claimed 19.4 cubic feet of fresh-food storage behind traditional French-doors The lower right compartment adds another 6.1 cubic feet of storage that can either be used for fresh food or as a freezer. It's matched by a lower left freezer-only cavity. The beauty, says Samsung, is in the flexibility of the lower right cavity, which might be used for kids snacks, as a prep zone for a special meal, or additional freezer space. The handles of all four compartments are recessed into the doors, giving the T9000 a clean, seamless look.
In terms of performance, the T9000 features Samsung's Triple Cooling system, with two compressors, three evaporators, and various sensors designed to keep food fresh by maintaining even humidity levels. The refrigerator also has an LCD display with assorted apps that could help keep your household run smoothly. For example, the Evernote app lets you share photos, videos, recipes, and more with family and friends.
We'll let you know how the Samsung T9000 performs when we get it into our refrigerator labs for testing. In the meantime, check our Ratings of nearly 250 models, already in more configurations than you probably thought possible.
