Samsung Africa Forum 2017: Major products announced for Africa

We’ll look a few major products that will be launching in Africa this year as shared at the Samsung Africa Forum 2017 in Cape Town. Models may vary slightly depending on the region.

QLED TVs – Q7, Q8 and Q9

Samsung Electronics has launched its new QLED Q9, Q8, and Q7 TV series with the conviction that this latest range of TVs will create an entirely new era in home entertainment.

“With the advent of QLED TV, Samsung will provide the most true-to-life on screen images after successfully solving past inconsistencies in the viewing experience and pain points noted by consumers. While we are redefining the fundamental value of TV with this range, we have also placed a strong focus on ensuring that there will be models available to suit the pockets of our emerging market customers,” says Lance Shaun Berger, Business Unit Head – TV/AV at Samsung South Africa.

With picture quality remaining a top priority for consumers around the world, especially as the average TV size continues to increase, Samsung’s 2017 QLED TVs represent yet another leap forward. The new line-up offers dramatically improved colour performance. Displaying DCI-P3 colour space accurately, QLED TVs are capable of reproducing 100% colour volume – another world first for Samsung. This means that the devices can express all colours at any brightness level, with even the subtlest of differences visible at the QLED’s peak luminance – between 1,500 and 2,000 nits.

Colour volume represents colour that can be expressed at varying levels of brightness. For example, a leaf can be perceived as to have many different shades, ranging from yellowish-green to turquoise, depending on the brightness of the light. Samsung’s QLED TV displays are able to capture these subtle differences in colour pertaining to brightness.

“This breakthrough is a result of Samsung’s switch to a new metal Quantum Dot material, making it possible for the TV to express a significantly improved range of colour, with much greater detail compared to conventional TVs,” Berger explains.

The new Quantum dots allow Samsung QLED TV to express deep blacks and rich detail regardless of how light or dark the on screen scene is, or whether the content is played in a brightly lit or darkened room. With its metal alloy Quantum Dot technology, the room no longer needs to be darkened to boost colour performance; which remains regardless of how wide the viewing angle may be.

“We see no reason why African consumers should be excluded from enjoying this ground-breaking new technology, which is why our innovative new QLED TVs have been designed to offer a vision of the future, at a price point that considers our many valued customers across the African continent,” Berger concludes.

MS750 Soundbar

Making use of Samsung’s Proprietary UHQ 32bit Audio Technology and the company’s own audio algorithms to produce perfect ultra-high quality sound, the MS750 Soundbar is able to deliver rich audio that brings each note to life with incredible clarity, providing a powerful home cinema experience.

The all-involving experience created by the MS750 Soundbar is a result of its superior up-firing capabilities and overhead sound system that uses vertical tweeters with upmixing technology. When paired with the Samsung Smart Remote Control, the room’s home audio is powered by the same device as the TV, further simplifying the home entertainment experience.

“The device’s small but robust ‘one body’ means that it can be mounted onto your TV with a single connection; there is no complicated setup and no extra space required,” adds Berger. In addition, this means that the soundbar and TV can be turned on at the same time, by simply connecting the two units with a designated power cable connection. It is the answer to de-cluttering that space around your TV. The wall-mount solution on Samsung’s newest home audio systems has also been improved, with an optional, user-friendly I-shaped bracket connecting the TV directly to the soundbar. This approach simplifies the mounting experience entirely as it requires only one connection to install it to the TV and one hole onto the wall.

The MS750 Soundbar perfectly complements your audio-visual entertainment system at home. Not only is the set-up simplified, with less cables and connections, but it also offers exceptional sound quality of the highest standard. Overall, it is a beautiful piece of technology, which will seamlessly fit into your living space and enhance the overall appearance.

“The MS750 Soundbar is designed for listeners that want a single, simple solution that not only fits their lifestyle, but simultaneously delivers an unparalleled home audio experience,” concludes Berger.

AddWash washing machines

Featuring Samsung’s Eco Bubble™ technology that quickly activates detergent and penetrates laundry fibres to remove stains more effectively, the 9kg and 12kg AddWash™ washing machines allow you to instantly add overlooked laundry items into the washing machine during the wash cycle.

Michael McKechnie, Director: Digital Appliance Group at Samsung South Africa, says

“The Samsung AddWash™ Front Load Washer is designed around modern needs for speed, efficiency and convenience. You can wash a load in as little as half an hour and you can control your machine using the Smart Control app on a mobile phone.”

Boasting a host of smart new features, the AddWash™ washers deliver touch-of-button intensive stain removal, even in cool water, through specialized Bubble Soak technology; while Samsung’s Steam Wash uses the power of steam released from the bottom of the laundry tub to eliminate stains without pre-treatment.

The cleverly-designed additional AddWash™ door enables you to add laundry items or even top up fabric softener at any stage during the wash cycle; the larger load capacity and a Super Speed wash cycle option enables you to get through your normal washing up to 50% faster. With Eco Wash, Speed Wash, or Silent Wash options and low energy consumption, Samsung’s AddWash™ washing machine is quiet, effective and eco-friendly. What’s more, Self Clean+ technology keeps your washer drum fresh by removing dirt and bacteria without the use of harsh chemicals through a combination of soaking, pulsating and high speed spinning. Smart Check automatic error monitoring helps you diagnose and correct problems, avoiding the need for service call-outs.

TMF Refrigerators: RF7000 and RF9000: 

By separating cooling and freezing, the Samsung RT7000 maintains an optimum humidity level of approximately 70% in the fridge compartment, extending the life of fruit and vegetables – no matter where in the fridge these are stored. At the same time, it uses smart power technology for up to a 42% power saving and offers smart new features such as Power Freeze and Power Cool modes to make ice and chilled drinks faster than ever before. The Space Max-optimised 620L TMF refrigerator helps lock moisture into fresh fruit and vegetables, thus maintaining freshness and taste. Twin Cooling Plus™ not only prevents fridge odours from affecting frozen foods, it also keeps the freezer compartment completely frost-free, prolonging the shelf life and the flavour of its contents and eliminating the need to defrost the freezer. This truly independent cooling system allows you to configure the TMF refrigerator as needed, using Freezer-Fridge, Energy Saving, Vacation, Fridge Max and Mini mode options; where you can turn the freezer into a fridge or turn off the fridge compartment completely when leaving home for a holiday.

“The new Samsung RT7000 and RT6000 are firsts in the TMF category, in that the fridge and freezer sections keep food fresh independently of each-other, using separate airflows. This improves the efficiency of both the fridge and freezer by keeping fruit and vegetables fresher for longer and prevents odours from the fridge from penetrating the freezer,” says Michael McKechnie, Director – Digital Appliances at Samsung South Africa.

Wind-free air conditioners

“The cool and efficient air conditioning capabilities of the AR9500M are ideal for tackling the African heat, while at the same time optimizing your electricity bills. Moreover, the appliance eliminates the usual discomfort associated with air-conditioners, that of having cold wind blowing directly out of the machine,” says Michael McKechnie, Director – Digital Appliances at Samsung South Africa.

The AR9500M is designed to provide customers with ideal room conditions, by maintaining a comfortable temperature while using Wind-Free™ Cooling to gently disperse cold air through 21,000 micro air holes.

The two-step cooling system means that temperatures are initially lowered rapidly in ‘Fast Cooling Mode’, before the system automatically switches to ‘Wind-Free™ Cooling Mode’, which creates ‘still air’ once the desired temperature is reached. This approach can also reduce energy consumption by up to 72%.

Using Samsung’s new Digital Inverter 8-Pole with POWERboost technology™, the AR9500M’s motor generates fewer torque fluctuations. This reduces the overall energy required and shortens the time needed for the compressor to reach its maximum speed (Hertz).

The air-conditioner is Wi-Fi-enabled, meaning that it can be controlled from anywhere, through Samsung’s Smart Home app using a Samsung mobile device. Users can remotely regulate temperature, adjust settings, receive real time updates about performance and daily energy usage, as well as troubleshoot solutions when a repair is necessary.

“In addition to its lower energy consumption and rapid cooling properties, the AR9500M’s unique Triangle Architecture has a wider inlet, allowing more air to be drawn in at once. At the same time, the optimal width and angle of the outlet, extra v-blades and large fan – 22% larger than previous models – ensures that air is cooled and expelled faster, farther and wider, to reach every corner of the room,” McKechnie concludes.

(Press material courtesy of Samsung)