In today’s fast-paced world, technology is transforming the way we live, work, and play. At the heart of this transformation is the concept of smart living – a world where connected devices work together seamlessly to simplify our daily routines, increase efficiency, and enhance overall comfort. All of this is possible thanks to Samsung SmartThings, the smart home ecosystem that is helping South Africans experience the future of living right in their homes today.

Smart living isn’t just about flashy gadgets or futuristic innovations. It’s about creating a connected environment where everything works together in harmony. The rise of smart devices has made it easier than ever to enhance the functionality of your home, but managing multiple devices can quickly become overwhelming. That’s where Samsung SmartThings comes in, offering a centralised platform that integrates and automates a wide range of devices – from lights and thermostats to refrigerators and washing machines – making your home smarter, more efficient, and easier to manage.

What is Samsung SmartThings?

Samsung SmartThings is a comprehensive smart home platform that acts as the central hub for your connected devices. By linking up everything from lights and air conditioners to TVs and washing machines, SmartThings enables you to control your home environment with a few taps or voice commands. It’s compatible with a wide array of Samsung and third-party devices.

Whether you want to adjust the temperature, monitor your energy usage, or simply control your lights, SmartThings connects it all in one simple, easy-to-use app. Samsung ensures that your home is equipped for the future with seamless integration across its range of devices – including smartphones, wearables, and TVs.

Professional gamer, tech enthusiast and TV presenter, Grant Hinds, who has had experience with SmartThings as Samsung’s brand partner, had this to say, “SmartThings is more than a smart home platform – it’s a practical ecosystem that adapts to real life. I’ve always believed that tech should simplify, not complicate. What Samsung has done here is take the guesswork out of connected living. Whether you’re managing energy, automating your day, or syncing your lifestyle across devices, it just works. That’s where the power lies – in its quiet efficiency and seamless integration.”

Everyday Smart Home Hacks Using Samsung SmartThings

Samsung SmartThings is designed to simplify and elevate your daily life. Here are some easy-to-implement “hacks” that will take your home to the next level:

• Automate Your Lighting
  Set up motion sensors to automatically turn your lights on and off as you enter or leave a room. No more fumbling for switches in the dark or worrying about leaving the lights on when you head out.
• Create Custom Routines
  Create routines that automatically adjust your home to suit your schedule. For instance, program your thermostat to adjust to the perfect temperature when you wake up or when you return home. You can also set your speakers to play your favourite playlist as soon as you walk in the door or your favourite podcast as you start your day.
• Save Energy
  With SmartThings, you can monitor the energy consumption of your appliances and devices in real-time. Set up appliances to operate during off-peak hours to save on electricity costs, or use SmartThings to receive energy-saving tips and reminders to optimise your usage.
• Improve Home Health and Comfort
  Smart sensors can help you maintain optimal conditions for comfort and health in your home. From controlling air quality with smart air purifiers to adjusting temperature and humidity, SmartThings helps create a healthier, more comfortable living environment.
• Secure Your Home Automatically
  Set up a routine to ensure your doors are locked and security cameras are activated when you leave the house. You can even receive notifications if any unusual activity is detected while you’re away.

Integration with Other Samsung Devices

Samsung’s ecosystem is more than just a group of devices – it’s an integrated experience designed to make life easier. For example, you can control your SmartThings-compatible devices directly from your Galaxy smartphone, giving you control whether you’re at home or away. Want to adjust your home’s thermostat from your Galaxy Watch? With SmartThings, you can do that too. Plus, the Samsung Smart TV can be seamlessly integrated into the SmartThings platform, allowing you to control TV settings or even automate actions based on what’s happening on-screen.

From controlling lighting to checking your home’s energy usage, all of your Samsung devices can work together to create a personalised, connected environment.

Sustainability with SmartThings

SmartThings isn’t just about convenience – it’s also about sustainability. With the ability to monitor and reduce energy consumption, SmartThings empowers users to live in an eco-friendly way. Smart sensors can alert you when energy consumption is higher than usual, and you can adjust your devices to be more energy-efficient. Whether it’s optimising heating and cooling or turning off devices that aren’t being used, SmartThings makes it easier to reduce your carbon footprint and save on energy costs.

Ready to experience the convenience of Smart Living? Discover how Samsung SmartThings can help you transform your home into a smarter, more efficient space today. Go to SmartThings to learn more and click here to download the app.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – 12 October 2022 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced the win of 42 2022 (IDEA 2022).

IDEA is a design awards programme held by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), founded in 1980, to acknowledge achievements in industrial design. This year, IDEA has chosen winners in 20 categories, including Home, Consumer Technology, Digital Interaction and Design Strategy. Key criteria for evaluation also include Design Innovation, Benefit to User, Benefit to Society and more.

Samsung’s product design reflects the company’s changing values and innovative technology. The interactive, region-specific and advanced designs were recognised to be progressive and diverse.

“It is important to provide an optimised experience for changing consumer values and lifestyles,” said Jinsoo Kim, Executive Vice President at Corporate Design Centre in Samsung Electronics. “We will constantly strive to provide sustainable experiences with creative innovations for our customers.”

Bespoke Won Two Golds for its Customisable Designs and User Experiences that fits different lifestyles

• The Bespoke US Kitchen Package (Bespoke US Kitchen Package & Bespoke FDR RF8000B), a home appliance package including refrigerator, oven-range, microwave and dishwasher available in the North America region, was one of two Gold award winners. Based on the Bespoke philosophy that caters to the preference of users, the package provides an integrated design experience that emphasises harmony in the kitchen space.
• The design of the 4-door (French door) refrigerator, newly launched in North America, maximises convenience for consumers as it comes with replaceable door panels that owners can choose according to their preferences and lifestyles. The Beverage Centre, built into the interior to minimise contamination, stores clean and purified water, and the Dual Auto Ice Maker quickly makes Cubed Ice and smaller Ice Bites.

The Bespoke Jet, the cordless stick vacuum with an all-in-one Clean Station, has also won the Gold award for its excellence in design. It offers a unique experience that covers the whole process from cleaning and disposal to storage.

After placing the vacuum on the Clean Station, users can empty the dust bin with a simple press of a button, keeping the home area and air fresh and clean from dust. The all-in-one design of the Bespoke Jet ensures convenience that also looks great to match any living space.

A wide range of Samsung Products Achieved Five Silver Awards and One Bronze Award for their Advanced Designs 

The Galaxy Tab S8, out of the Silver awarded, has been highlighted for its slimmest, lightest, but strongest body yet, combined with the largest 14.6-inch AMOLED display. The expansive display is protected by the Armor Aluminium frame, allowing the device to be scratch-resistant and less prone to bending. The tablet also features a dedicated S Pen charging pad on the back of the device that is seamlessly integrated with the camera housing for a satisfying design experience.

Another Silver winner was the Galaxy Upcycling at Home, a program that gives new life to older Galaxy smartphones by repurposing them into Internet of Things (IoT) devices with a simple software update. Through the SmartThings app, users can repurpose unused smartphones into convenient smart home devices such as a childcare monitor or a pet care. In addition, other Silver awards went to:

• Samsung India Keyboard, which provides an optimised smartphone keyboard experience that supports faster & easier typing in 29 Indian languages.

• Cook Sensor, which helps you cook your favourite food much more easily by connecting the Samsung Induction Cooktop to the SmartThings Kitchen Service.
• Samsung Air Hood, a concept design that combines the functions of hood, air conditioner and air purifier to help improve the cooking environment in the kitchens of Southwest Asia.

The Bronze award was given to the Galaxy Z Flip3 case, which provides a variety of options to customise the phone using a ring or a colourful strap.

Awards, including two Golds, five Silvers, one Bronze and 34 finalists, at the International Design Excellence Awards.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 31 July 2018 – Ushering in a new era of intelligent display, Samsung’s 2018 QLED TV is set to change the television landscape completely. The way people consume content via their television has changed over the past few years, with on-demand and streaming becoming the norm. But until now, the challenge of where to place the TV, how to connect it to other devices and what to do with it when it’s off haven’t been addressed.

The new, 5-star rated and award-winning QLED TV offers an unprecedented viewing experience that delivers complete immersion. With a sleek metal frame and myriad options for installation, from No Gap Wall-mount to an array of stylish stands, the QLED features a One Invisible Connection – this combines the AV and power lines along with the cables of peripheral devices, through the One Connect Box. The One Invisible Connection is an innovative first and comes in a standard 5 meter length power cord, which can be extended by a further 15 metres. The cable is transparent so the connections and cables simply disappear.

Justin Hume, Chief Marketing Officer for Samsung South Africa, says, “Of course, the invisible cabling ensures your TV connections aren’t intrusive on your interior style. We have integrated power and data supply in one cable – this is revolutionary. The additional length – up to 20 metres, lets you have a lot of fun with putting the TV in places unique to your particular lifestyle.”

But that’s not the only ‘invisible’ feature of the QLED. Ambient Mode creates a sense of spatial consistency by enabling the TV screen to seamlessly blend with the wall or space behind it. Instead of a black rectangle when its turned off, the TV can be set up to play music, display information like the weather or news headlines, family photographs, a favourite work of art, or simply the wallpaper.

“We’ve categorically solved the conundrum of where to put the TV. On average, TVs are turned on for only five hours a day, yet they occupy a large space on the wall in the living or TV room. This means TVs hang on the wall just as a black screen for more than 19 hours every day. That’s no longer a problem – Ambient Mode allows you to literally make the TV disappear when it’s not in use,” adds Hume.

With the highly advanced quantum dot technology in play, burn-in won’t ever be an issue. Even if a static image is left on the screen for hours on end, there won’t ever be a shadow of that image when you switch over. Even for gamers who use the TV for a weekend of high action, the QLED is perfect and pausing an intricate image on screen won’t leave a shadow behind. In fact, Samsung is the only company in the world that offers a 10-year burn-in warranty. Additionally Ambient Mode is easy on the energy bills – when activated, the screen brightness automatically adjusts according to the viewing environment to minimise power consumption.

With over a billion colours, coupled with backlighting, the image on screen is larger and clearer than life. The QLED runs an anti-blooming algorithm, which identifies bright areas and dims their boundaries to avoid halo effects, making the picture exceptionally crisp and vivid.

For technophobes, the SmartThings app makes everything easier. The SmartThings cloud is the backbone of the connected ecosystem that offers a single platform for creating more valuable and more unified IoT (Internet of Things) experiences – a single touch-point for your connected world.

“We know that the TV isn’t just a TV anymore – it’s a hub – for entertainment, gaming and even conferencing. Samsung Electronics is leading the change by strengthening the intelligent function of its 2018 QLED TVs with artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things,” says Hume.

Connectivity has also never been easier – with people in mind and that way in which content is consumed, the ease of connecting to a favourite on-demand service, the internet or even for online gaming is enhanced.

With innovations like this, it’s no wonder Samsung has been the leading global TV manufacturer for the past 12 years.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 24 April 2018 – QLED TV is leading the market for extra-large, ultra-high definition TVs. When it comes to the state of the current TV market, it’s clear that consumers are after larger screens, a trend driven by rising income levels and changing consumer expectations. Recent years have seen the standard for what constitutes a large screen TV change. Whereas previously, large screen TVs were classified as measuring 55-inch. Now, that classification has crept up to TVs over 65- or 75- inch in size, with the super large category also now a category in its own right.

Rapid Growth of Large-sized TV Market

While growth in the overall global TV market has plateaued, sales of larger screen TVs 65-inch and over has grown by more than 30 percent in recent years. According to research firm IHS Markit, the market volume of 65-inch and over TVs was 8 million in 2016 and increased to 11.4 million in 2017. This year, market volume is expected to reach 16 million units.

The market for extra-large, or above 75-inch, TVs is expected to experience even more pronounced growth of 47% this year, a key reason why Samsung has made this segment a core focus area. In the first quarter of this year, the company’s global sales of 65-inch and larger TVs increased over 35% year over year. In the same period, sales of Samsung TVs in the South American market spiked nearly four times and the demand for large-sized Samsung TVs almost doubled in Korea.

Almost Half of 75-inch TVs Sold Worldwide Made by Samsung

In 2017, Samsung Electronics maintained its top ranking in the worldwide TV market for the 12th consecutive year, with more than 20% market share last year.

Samsung’s presence is even more noticeable in the fast-growing, large-sized TV market. The company is leading the worldwide market of 65-inch and over TVs, with 31.1% share of total number of units sold and 34.1% share for total sales last year, according to IHS Markit.

The share is even higher for 75-inch and larger TVs, reaching up to 47.4% share based on number of units sold. This means that one out of every two extra-large TVs sold worldwide is a Samsung TV. The popularity of Samsung TVs is particularly noteworthy in Europe and Latin America, where the company holds almost 60% of market share.

For the overall 75-inch and larger TV market, there was almost three times sales growth in the first half of this year, as compared to the same period last year.

Samsung QLED TV has been designed with convenience in mind and reflecting consumer needs with features such as artificial intelligence based on Bixby and SmartThings App, the One Invisible Connection that combines complex connection lines into a single cable, and Ambient mode which enables the TV to depict images and information, even when the TV is off.

“With the very full major sporting events line up this year, including 2018 World Cup Russia and the Asian Games, we expect the demand for large-sized TVs to grow rapidly,” said Samsung’s Mike van Lier, Director Consumer Electronics. “This year, for QLED TVs, we aim to double growth, as well as continue our leadership in the global TV market by driving the ultra-large TV market.”

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 8 March 2018 – Samsung Electronics unveiled its 2018 home entertainment line-up at the company’s First Look in New York event. Samsung highlighted details about its flagship QLED TV models and its expanded line-up of UHD, Premium UHD and Ultra-Large Screen TVs. With ground-breaking design elements, enhanced picture quality and intuitive smart capabilities, Samsung’s 2018 QLED line empowers consumers to enjoy content without distractions – even when viewers are not actively watching.

“Our 2018 line-up of televisions are truly our most innovative and sophisticated yet, designed for today’s consumer who is mindful of the aesthetics of their space,” said Mike van Lier, Samsung Director Consumer Electronics. “We are excited for consumers to experience our new TV line-up and features that offer more freedom to decide where and how the TV can be best enjoyed within the home.”

Samsung’s 2018 line-up features new innovations that enrich the lives of consumers by reimagining how TV integrates into the living room, how consumers enjoy their content and how they interact with their devices.

Highlights of the 2018 line-up include:

Ambient Mode

Ambient mode provides useful information throughout the day – even when consumers aren’t actively watching movies and TV. It can play music as well as display news headlines, traffic reports and weather updates. For wall-mounted TVs, Ambient Mode can mimic the pattern on the wall behind the TV to create an astonishing visual effect in which the TV blends seamlessly into the wall.

One Invisible Connection*

The new One Invisible Connection is one slim cable that combines both consumer’s power and AV data to the TV. Available up to 15 meters, it frees consumers from having to place their TV near data or power outlets.

Smart TV, Featuring Bixby

The QLED line’s smart capabilities offer revolutionary ways to set up the TV and find content. Effortless Login uses the new SmartThings app* to drastically reduce the time it takes to set up a new TV. The new Universal Guide enables consumers to navigate across supporting streaming services and live TV through one intuitive menu. And with Samsung’s intelligence platform, Bixby** consumers can use voice commands to bring up their favourite shows and control compatible devices.

Direct Full Array

The Q8F and Q9F QLED TVs deliver stunning images with pristine contrast through Direct Full Array (DFA) technology. Direct Full Array uses a panel with zones of smartly controlled backlighting that adjust automatically to deliver deep blacks and pure whites.

Audio Line-up

Samsung offers four new audio products that offer clear and immersive sound tailored to the different ways that individual consumers set up and use their home theatre systems.

• HW-K950: With front-firing, up-firing and new side-firing speakers, the HW-K950 Dolby Atmos sound bar creates an extraordinary cinematic experience that delivers 7.1.4 surround sound.
• HW-N650: Designed for gamers, the HW-N650 sound bar features Acoustic Beam Technology that puts consumers at the centre of the action.
• HW-NW700: The HW-NW700 sound bar features a wall-mounted design that perfectly complements QLED TVs so that they both blend beautifully into any home environment.
• VL550: The VL550 includes a unique metal dial that consumers can attach to any metallic surface and use to control music with the sound of their voice.

Samsung 2018 TV Line Details***

In response to rising consumer demand Samsung is reinforcing its commitment to ultra-large screen televisions. The 2018 Samsung TV line features 9 series across the QLED TV, Premium UHD, UHD and Ultra-Large Screen display range, available in a variety of sizes. Models in the 2018 line-up feature both flat and curved display options.

• QLED TV: Models in the 2018 QLED TV line-up include – Q9F (65”, 75”, 88”), Q8F (55”, 65”, 75”), Q7C (55”, 65”), Q7F (55”, 65”, 75”) and Q6F (49”, 55”, 65”, 75”, 82”). The QLED TVs feature enhanced colour and contrast, HDR10+ compatibility, Ambient Mode, Smart TV enhancements with Bixby Voice, One Remote Control and the One Invisible Connection.****
• Premium UHD: Models in the 2018 Premium UHD TV line-up include NU8500 and NU8000. The Premium UHD TVs include features such as dynamic crystal colour, HDR10+ compatibility, clean cable solutions and Smart TV enhancements with Bixby Voice and One Remote Control.
• UHD: Models in the 2018 UHD TV line-up include NU7100 (75”, 65”, 55”, 50”, 43”, 40″) and NU7300 (65”, 55″). These UHD TVs include features such as 4K UHD and HDR picture capabilities, clean cable solutions, slim design and Smart TV capabilities.

*SmartThings is available on iOS and Android-powered devices..

** Bixby service ability may vary by country or carrier. Voice Command recognises English (US), Mandarin Chinese and Korean. Not all accents, dialects and expressions are recognised. The list of features that can be controlled by voice commands via Bixby will continue to expand. Mobile functionality compatible with Samsung Galaxy 8 series or higher with Bixby function. Samsung Account log-in and data network (wifi or internet connection) required to fully operate Bixby features..

***The product line, details and availability vary depending on the region..

****One Invisible Connection applies to Q7 and higher models except Q8F. One Remote Control applies to NU7400 and higher models..