The smart home has been one of the main themes at CES over the past decade – and we expect it to be the same at CES 2023 as well. Why? The main reason is that a new smart home standard called Matter has finally arrived – and it promises to be the glue that holds all our new smart home technologies together.
CES 2023 has just kicked off, and here we’ll be rounding up all the latest smart home announcements you should know about. Early headlines include the new Philips Hue-rival from GE Lighting, an AI-powered oven from Samsung, and an LG Artcool air conditioning system that is disguised as wall art.
No doubt there will be a wave of security cameras, robotic vacuum cleaners and more at CES 2023 soon – and we’ll be there to separate the winners from the vaporware. For now though, here’s the best smart home tech we’ve seen so far at this year’s CES. Plus Kohler’s new “shower” system, just because the aromatherapy accessory was a little too quirky to pass up.
Smart devices
Samsung custom AI oven
If there’s one area where we need help from our new AI overlords, it’s cooking – and Samsung’s new Bespoke AI oven promises to be that virtual chef. The oven’s smart camera is able to recognize foods and sear, which means it can recognize up to 80 different foods and recommend cooking settings for each one. Alternatively, the European model can also send you a panicked message that your lasagna is approaching charred territory.
If you use Samsung Health or SmartThings Cooking (which runs in the SmartThings app), this new smart oven also promises to recommend meals based on your workout stats, diet goals, and ingredients you have around the house. Although he may have problems with the current supply of beer, double cream and onions in our fridge. The Bespoke AI Oven is currently available in Europe and will launch in North America in Q3 2023, although pricing is yet to be announced.
4-door Flex fridge made to order by Samsung
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The Internet Fridge has been a CES staple for the last 15 years, and Samsung has just taken that concept to a new and strangely fascinating extreme. The Bespoke Flex Fridge with Family Hub has a 32-inch vertical touchscreen that is twice as large as previous models.
You can use this screen to view or share snaps from your Google Photos library, control SmartThings devices, and create digital shopping lists for Amazon deliveries. Of course, you can also use it to watch TV with 190 free channels (in the US) on Samsung TV Plus. Although the portrait orientation is probably best suited for TikTok videos.
This refrigerator that will rule all will be launched in North America in the first half of 2023, although unfortunately we do not know the price yet. Until then, we’ll have to make do with gluing the iPad to our fridge.
LG ArtCool Gallery Air Conditioner
We’ve already seen IKEA and Sonos build a speaker in wall art, and now LG has used the same trick with a wall-mounted air conditioner. The new ArtCool Gallery has a 27-inch LCD screen that can display any photos selected in the bundled LG ThinQ app. This certainly makes it a bit more attractive than your average metallic rectangle.
While this added technology will likely make the ArtCool Gallery more expensive than your average air conditioner (price is yet to be announced), it promises some compensating savings with its dual inverter compressor, which apparently uses up to 70 percent less power than standard AC products.
More importantly for your sleep, it also operates at a noise level of just 20 decibels. Which is good news, otherwise you’d probably throw a cup of tea at your new humming painting.
Kohler twig
In the future, we won’t be buying capsules just for our coffee makers – if Kohler gets his way, we’ll also be buying them for the Kohler Sprig system, which brings aromatherapy to your existing shower.
The Sprig connects to the shower head and infuses the water with fragrances, oils and other skin-enhancing ingredients via Kohler’s Sprig Shower Capsules. And yes, only Kohler capsules, which will initially be available in six different scents, will work with the system.
Still, if you’re craving a blast of lavender, chamomile, or eucalyptus (along with other skin-friendly ingredients like hyaluronic acid) in your morning shower, Sprig might be something to look out for when it hits store shelves in the first few months of 2023. The system will cost $119 excluding capsules, which will set you back $21 for a six-pack of single-use capsules.
Smart lighting
Dynamic Effects GE Lighting Cync
Nanoleaf Lines and Philips Hue have dominated smart lighting over the past few years, but GE Lighting is creating more and more impressive alternatives. At CES 2023, the company announced some new additions to its Dynamic Effects lineup that look like a tantalizingly affordable way to add color to your study or YouTube channel background.
The four new smart lighting products include Smart Hexagon Panels to replace Nanoleaf equivalents, and Smart Neon-Shape Lights that can be bent or shaped any way you like. GE Lighting has also introduced new Dynamic Effects smart bulbs, which are available in Aline or interior spotlight versions.
These new lights are competitively priced starting at $19.99 (around £17 / AU$30) for A19 Aline bulbs and will be available in the US from March 2023. You also don’t need a bridge or hub to use them as they are instead they are Wi-Fi controlled using the Cync app. But then again, these new products will not support Matter, and GE Lighting will instead introduce support for the standard to some new products in the coming year.
Smart protection
Lockly Flex Touch Pro
Most smart locks require removal and replacement of the existing deadbolt, which is not always convenient or possible. But Lockly’s Flex Touch Pro seems to be a better option for Airbnb tenants or owners – it helps bring a fingerprint reader to an existing lock.
The downside is that you’ll have to install a fairly sturdy case on the inside of the door as that’s where the AA batteries and Flex Touch Pro smarts live. But on the outside of the door, you have a pretty sleek fingerprint reader that can apparently store up to 99 prints.
Since it comes with a Wi-Fi hub, you’ll also be able to remotely grant or deny other people access to your door, as well as check it with Amazon Alexa or Google Home. The Flex Touch Pro will be available in the US from Spring 2023 for $229 (£190 / AU$340).