The largest home appliance and IT exhibition in Europe, IFA 2025, is set to open on the 5th (local time) in Berlin, Germany. Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics have proposed similar yet different strategies to target the European market, one of their largest sales regions. While Samsung Electronics emphasized connectivity within a broad framework of artificial intelligence (AI) home, LG Electronics thoroughly focused on real demand tailored to the tastes of conservative European market consumers.
AI appliances have been one of the core themes of IFA for the past few years. Following the trend that started with smart homes, the two companies showcased various technologies last year, such as ultra-personalization through generative AI and conversational appliance interfaces. However, some have raised concerns that AI appliances represent 'supply without demand' in the conservative European consumer market, noting that the importance of AI in consumer choices of appliances is low. This year at IFA, the two companies' strategies in response to the European market diverged.
◇ Samsung questions, 'What's the benefit of consolidation of devices?' and finds answers through 'utility scenarios'
"Honestly, there was a question internally, 'We know it's great to consolidate AI devices, but specifically, what benefit does that provide to consumers?'"
On the 4th (local time), a company official met during Samsung Electronics' pre-exhibition tour said. After such concerns, Samsung Electronics promoted the utility generated by consolidation beyond just the slogan of 'device consolidation' at this year's IFA.
The exhibition itself was designed to allow users to directly experience how the consolidation of AI devices makes everyday life more valuable. For example, upon returning home, the TV summarizes the status of the home at a glance and informs users of missed household chores. If the appliance usage frequency decreases at a parent's house located far away, it sends a notification to the children to check in, and if a pet is left alone at home and barks, the robot vacuum approaches to video call family members about the situation.
Due to this, Samsung Electronics emphasized the concept that 'the home learns from me' at this exhibition. The connected AI devices autonomously understand users' habits and preferences, recommending better living solutions without the user needing to input information separately. Park Jeong-mi, vice president of Samsung Electronics' Global Marketing Division, said, "In the past, we focused on the 'consolidation' itself between devices, but now we are concentrating on showing what actual benefits users can gain through that consolidation." She added, "Now that we have the underlying technology, we will continue to ponder what more useful and necessary scenarios we can provide to users."
To properly implement these utility scenarios throughout the home, Samsung Electronics is focusing on ensuring a consistent user experience regardless of device type. Heo Tae-young, head of Samsung Electronics' CX Offering Group, said, "For example, it's essential to provide an uninterrupted user experience to the extent that you feel 'the function that only worked on a smartphone now works the same on a refrigerator.' This is the core of Samsung's AI home," adding, "To this end, we plan to apply a unified user interface (UI) to as many appliances as possible by the end of this year."
◇ LG Electronics focuses on 'essential AI products for now, not the future'
LG Electronics defined this year's IFA exhibition theme as 'products that perfectly fit the European market right now, rather than distant futures.' This signifies a shift towards focusing on real demand, in contrast to previous years when Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics promoted futuristic appliances.
At this year's IFA, LG Electronics showcased a total of 25 European-specific AI appliances. They redesigned and re-engineered major appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators tailored to the European market. An LG Electronics official noted, "Europe has more space constraints than (Asia or the U.S.), so there is a high preference for slim and highly efficient appliances that fit perfectly into the available space," explaining, "We maximized storage space and energy efficiency."
They also redesigned built-in kitchen appliances, where European heavyweights like Miele and Bosch are strong, in a more localized manner. At this IFA, LG Electronics unveiled built-in kitchen appliances that blend seamlessly with home interiors. Additionally, they equipped kitchen appliances with tablets that, when photos are uploaded, provide recipe suggestions through AI.
Overall product user experience and energy efficiency have also been improved. An LG Electronics official stated, "Energy costs are rising in major European markets like Germany and France, and consumer burden is also increasing," adding, "The LG appliances released this time are designed to achieve up to 30% savings compared to local European products, focusing on maximizing energy efficiency."
Emphasis was also placed on the competitiveness of AI components from a hardware perspective as well as software. The newly released washing and drying machine series learn users' living patterns, controlling components like the direct drive (DD) motor in an optimized manner. This expands the scope of AI benefits to not only product performance but also durability, lifespan, and efficiency.