What Does The Smart Family Companion App Look Like

The 3 Best Smart Fridges of 2021

Keep your food and drinks cold the intelligent way

Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links.

Smart fridges incorporate Wi-Fi connectivity into a refrigerator, allowing for additional features like voice control via Alexa or Google Assistant. A smart fridge might be able to let you know if someone left the door open, perform diagnostics, or keep track of the groceries inside. No longer just a humble icebox to keep your food cold and make ice, the next generation smart fridge also can act as a virtual assistant, control your smart home, and some fridges even can brew your morning cup of coffee. Although these technical marvels are often at a higher price-point than traditional fridges, they are worth it for the convenience they can bring. If you're in the market for a smart fridge, here are some of the best.

The Rundown

The LG LRFDS3016D looks to improve on the home refrigerator in all of the best ways.

Adopting the SmartThinQ technology that works in the company's televisions, this fridge is plenty smart.

The Bosch 800 Series has a lot to offer, with a clean design and user-friendly features.

French Door-in-Door Refrigerator with Craft Ice

What We Like

Includes Craft ice maker
Tons of space
Smart organization and design features

What We Don't Like

Limited smart home features

The LG LRFDS3016D looks to improve on the home refrigerator in all of the best ways. The French door style fridge has the freezer drawer on the bottom and uses that design in clever ways. Rather than use too much space on an icemaker, LG has designed a low-profile ice system known as the Slim Spaceplus, which puts the icemaker in a small area of the door tucked behind shelves. Speaking of ice, this fridge makes craft ice so you can channel your inner bartender and impress family and friends with your skills.

This LG refrigerator has 30 cubic feet of usable space, and there's plenty of room to fill up this fridge with large shopping trips to save you more work later. The door-in-door feature has adjustable bins that move up and down, so you can quickly fit whatever you need. There is also an ice and water dispenser that can fit almost any bottle size and dispense exact ounces of water.

In terms of smart features, this fridge has smart learning to analyze usage and habits to try to anticipate what the fridge needs to do, like adjusting temperature, ice, or other needs. You can also take advantage of LG's ThinQ app, which will provide you with maintenance information and usage reports, letting you know how your device is running and alerting you to any issues. This fridge has so much space and some cool extra perks, which makes it an easy selection for our best overall smart refrigerator.

What We Like

Excellent app integration
InstaView feature
Door-in-Door feature allows for quick grabbing of popular items

What We Don't Like

Not a huge amount of storage space

If you're a tech-savvy individual with an appreciation for smart appliances, you'll enjoy the convenience and features you get with the LG InstaView refrigerator. Adopting the SmartThinQ technology that works in the company's televisions, this fridge is plenty smart. With the downloadable app, smart functions can be utilized to control different settings. Leave the door open accidentally? The app will notify you. Want to monitor the contents of your fridge? You can do that too. There's also voice support for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can order food from Peapod or add to a shopping list you've already got going.

Tech-savvy touches aren't the only highlight of this refrigerator. Its beautiful stainless steel design fits in well with any stylish kitchen. Once it's in place, drawer dividers make it easy to organize contents. Inside, you'll find four SpillProtector tempered glass shelves, three fixed shelves, and four split shelves.

The real highlight of this fridge isn't its smarts or its storage, though. Without a doubt, it's the InstaView feature. The door-in-door panel provides quick access to contents without letting cold air out. Just knock twice and store your favorite items in this space for quick access.

Bosch 800 Series

What We Like

FarmFresh System reduces food waste
Internal water dispenser
Clean design

What We Don't Like

Less storage space than some other fridges

The Bosch 800 Series has a lot to offer, with a clean design and user friendly features. While only measuring in at 21 cubic feet of storage space, Bosch has made some excellent design choices to get the most out of what is there. An internal water dispenser provides more room in the door, while also keeping the exterior design free from buttons or gadgets. Storage options like the flex bar, removable shelves, and bins provide choice in configurations to best suit your individual needs. The door bins can fit gallon containers, which are real space hogs in other fridges.

This fridge uses the Home Connect app, which provides the ability to monitor and adjust temperatures, change the lighting, and run diagnostics. The smart system also will alert you when a door is left open, potentially saving your fridge full of groceries. The app is easy and intuitive for users. Another big feature of the Bosch 800 series is the FarmFresh System, which uses a combination of temperature and humidity control, MultiAirFlow system, AirFresh filter, and FreshProtect technologies to keep certain foods in a drawer extra fresh for longer periods.

Final Verdict

With loads of storage, Craft Ice, and LG's ThinQ app, the LG LRFDS3016D is the best smart fridge available.

About our Trusted Experts

Erika Rawes has been writing professionally for more than a decade, and she's spent the last five years writing about consumer technology. Erika has reviewed roughly 125 gadgets, including computers, peripherals, A/V equipment, mobile devices, and smart home gadgets. Erika currently writes for Digital Trends and Lifewire.

As an experienced tech journalist with a passion for smart home technology, Katie Dundas has tested plenty of smart home kitchen appliances and smart home hubs. She knows quite a bit about smart home tech and enjoys the convenience of using it in her own home.

FAQ

What does a smart refrigerator do?

A smart refrigerator does all of the same things a regular refrigerator does, but also includes extra features because the appliance is connected to Wi-Fi. This connectivity can provide features like temperature controls, refrigerator status, and alerts about the door being left open. Some fridges, like Samsung's Family Hub fridge, have a screen on the front to provide even more features like entertainment, organization, and recipes.

How much does a smart fridge cost?

The average smart fridge tends to range in cost from around $2,000 to $5,000, some smart fridges can be as expensive as $10,000.

How do Smart fridges connect to the Internet?

Most smart fridges communicate using Wi-Fi and a companion app. Many smart fridges also use popular voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant.

What to Look For in a Smart Fridge

Storage

How much food you routinely keep on hand will dictate how big of a fridge you need. After all, overfilling a refrigerator can restrict airflow and limit cooling efficiency, resulting in improper storage of foods and ultimately more waste. If, for example, you have a large family and you cook a lot, you can find a smart fridge with up to 30 cubic feet of storage.

Connectivity

A smart fridge, by definition, comes equipped with Wi-Fi, but some fridges are smarter than others. Check the connectivity options for your specific fridge, as some support Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. The ecosystem you're tied into will narrow down your choices.

Design

How many times have you forgotten about the leftovers in the fridge simply because they were tucked out of sight behind the milk cartons? The design and layout of a fridge are crucial for efficiency and usability, so consider features like inner door space, designated produce drawers, and tiered freezer drawers.

Thanks for letting us know!