Samsung has unveiled a new washer-dryer combo designed to help get through laundry day a little more quickly. Along with the main front-loading compartments for washing and drying, the FlexWash + FlexDry laundry system, as the company calls it, boasts smaller separate compartments on top, for washing small loads and drying your delicates simultaneously.
The main attraction on the FlexWash side of the equation is the front-loader, which can handle most of the dirty work with a capacity of five cubic feet (142 liters). Above that sits a new section that can hold an extra cubic foot (28 liters) for smaller loads like socks and undies. The two compartments are completely separate, so they can run side-by-side with different settings.
With built-in proprietary systems, Samsung claims the FlexWash can halve wash times down to 30 minutes per cycle, foam up the detergent with water and air to give garments a "deep clean," and reduce vibration and the resulting noise.
Samsung has dabbled in smaller, additional compartments in its washing machines before: a couple of years ago we saw models with a built-in sink up top for spot-scrubbing, but FlexWash sounds like a more automatic version of that. Competitor LG has its own Twin Wash system, adding an optional drawer-like compartment below an existing washer, but that requires a fair bit of setup to integrate its hoses and drainage with that of the main machine. With everything built into the one unit, FlexWash seems a little more streamlined, and only requires one water line to fill both compartments.
There's also a smaller compartment for drying items too fragile for the harsh heat of a conventional dryer. Rather than hanging your frilly unmentionables around the house, they can be laid out flat in the top-loading Delicate Rack and dried with a gentle flow of warm air, adjustable from room temperature up to 95º F (35º C).
The whole unit is IoT-enabled, meaning it can be connected to the Samsung Smart Home app and controlled and monitored from a user's Android or iOS device.
Samsung is presenting the FlexWash + FlexDry at CES 2017 this week.
Source: Samsung
