With screen fatigue at an all-time high, the prospect of a smart home with even more screens may sound counterintuitive – but I think Samsung is on to something with its new ‘screens everywhere’ approach to smart devices.
At its global launch event on April 3, Samsung showcased a host of new smart devices, including some with a new seven-inch LCD AI display to “realize the idea of screens everywhere.”
At first I was somewhat in disbelief; As someone who struggles with phone addiction and spends most of their time looking at screens, I’m not thrilled with the idea of filling my home with even more screens.
However, as I walked around the demo room and talked to the Samsung representatives, the idea started to come around to me – and here’s why.
Hands-free at home
Our phones, our tablets and now even our watches have become a lifeline to the outside world, our main source of entertainment and our oracle of information. More than just a way to help us navigate the outside world, over the past fifteen years they have also become a mainstay of the way we operate at home.
So how will built-in device displays change this dynamic? Samsung’s screens in devices can show the map of your home and connected devices, as well as provide useful information about devices and even energy consumption. Larger displays like the Family Hub used in some Samsung refrigerators also offer entertainment services, recipe books and family planners, and can even offer the ability to easily share content directly from compatible phones.
I spoke to Tanya Weller, Marketing Director for Samsung Home Appliances in the UK, to get her thoughts on why displays are a big part of Samsung’s home strategy.
“By creating small hubs in other places, you can be freer in your home and access information everywhere. It is also more of a shared experience,” she explains. “It’s also about ease of use; When you walk through the kitchen, you don’t want to have your phone in your hand all the time. Hopefully you’ll leave it aside.’
While Weller says a hands-free home experience wasn’t the goal of Samsung’s “screens everywhere” approach, which focuses more on convenience, efficiency and information, she sees this as a natural and positive byproduct.
“I think reducing time on small screens is a good idea. When I think about my personal life, it’s crazy; I ask my son not to use his phone and use his Xbox instead because at least he talks to people there,” she notes with a laugh. “It sounds awful, but I think we’re now in an era where screens are a big part of our lives.”
Screens are unavoidable
It wasn’t until I got home from my trip to Paris for Samsung’s Bespoke AI event that I realized how that experience could work. With bundles of laundry in my arms, I staggered around my apartment while also trying to text my mother to let her know I had arrived home safely, while also turning on my lights.
With one of Samsung’s smart washing machines, I was able to not only use Bixby to open the appliance door for me, but also control my smart home, communicate with my loved ones, and multitask much more efficiently, without my phone in hand.
While gadgets like the Rabbit R1 and the Humane AI Pin promise a less screen-filled mobile device market, other types of devices are starting to become more screen-driven, and it’s a trend I doubt we’ll break any time soon.
In Samsung’s case, I’m starting to see the justification for more screens in devices; there’s useful information they can display, it’s easier to walk around your home without being glued to your phone, and it eliminates the need for expensive single-purpose devices like the best smart displays.
Furthermore, given Samsung’s broader approach to powering Bixby with generative AI and what appears to be a move to improve the SmartThings experience while negating the need for purpose-built smart speakers and displays, the ‘ screens everywhere’ approach has a lasting future. .