Samsung presents connected world, LG puts customers first at CES

Han Jong-hee, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, speaks during a press conference at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Wednesday. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

By Baek Byung-yeul

LAS VEGAS ― The leaders of Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics offered glimpses into their latest products during press conferences held Wednesday, a day before the start of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

The products being featured at the world's largest trade show for the consumer electronics industry included a charging station that enables a wide range of home appliances to be interconnected and refrigerators that change colors through smartphone apps.

The aim is to continue technological innovations to enhance user convenience and make their products more eco-friendly, they said.

Han Jong-hee, vice chairman of Samsung, shared the company's vision for a more connected world through technology, saying its strategy is to deliver cutting-edge products in our homes, cars and at work.

"We recognize our vision is a big one," the vice chairman, who also heads the company's Device eXperience (DX) Division that supervises home appliances and mobile devices, said.

"It's about solving real challenges today and understanding consumers' future needs and aspirations. It will take time, innovation and cooperation with partners worldwide. But we are committed to achieving it and we are already getting started," the vice chairman added.

Samsung has said it has implemented easier and more intuitive technologies to maximize the connected experience of its devices. To that end, the company said it is seeking to increase interoperability, enabling users to connect more of their devices, whether they are Samsung's or from a partner brand.

As part of such efforts, Samsung unveiled a smart home hub called "SmartThings Station" which lets devices that support the "Matter" smart home standard to connect with each other. Formerly called Project Home Over IP (CHIP), Matter is a royalty-free, standard protocol for home automation.

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"While our goals are ambitious, with smart things, we're already finding new ways to make your devices work better together through our work with industry groups, like HCA (Home Connectivity Alliance) and adapting standards from the Matter protocol, inspiring partnerships, and new creative engineering," Jung Jae-yeon, executive vice president and head of the firm's SmartThings business, said.

Samsung also said it will achieve a 100 percent renewable energy goal and net zero emissions by 2050, and the DX Division will transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2027 and achieve net zero goals by 2030.

Cho Joo-wan, CEO of LG Electronics, speaks during the LG World Premier press conference at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Wednesday. Courtesy of LG Electronics

Cho Joo-wan, CEO of LG Electronics, stressed the company's commitment to continue enhancing user convenience through innovations.

The CEO, who also goes by the English name, William Cho, delivered a speech during the press conference held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

"The start and end of all innovation are our customers, and it is with this innovation that we aim to put a smile on their faces," Cho said in front of around 1,000 reporters, industry officials and visitors.

He cited LG's OLED TV, which marks the 10th anniversary of launch this year. Cho also mentioned the conglomerate's vehicle component solutions (VS) business, which is now on track to become one of LG's future growth engines, and the MoodUP refrigerator that lets customers change the exterior colors with the LG ThinQ app.

To further expand the customer experience, he said LG is actively cooperating with partners to introduce new features. During the conference, he introduced Tom Ryan, president and CEO of Paramount Streaming, as LG is expanding the number of available media content on its smart TV operating system, webOS.

"Pluto TV, the leading free streaming television service, is expanding the integration of LG Channels, adding over 100 channels this quarter globally," Ryan said, adding that the two companies will continue to expand their partnership and broaden their capabilities together in 2023.

Stating that LG is expanding its offerings not only for home purposes but also for vehicle services, Cho added the company is actively diversifying its portfolio which is currently focused on home appliances and TVs.

"While continuing to invest in its core business technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and 6G, LG is expanding its business into electric vehicle charging, digital health and webOS-based content service," he said.

The company is also fostering in-company startups, encouraging its employees to come up with novel ideas. As an example of its company-in-company efforts, LG unveiled some products under the LG Labs project at this year's CES.

The project encompasses products, services and marketing activities based on experimental ideas and creative concepts from both inside and outside the company. Some examples of this concept are Hover Gym muscle training equipment that utilizes LG's motor control technology, and brid.zzz, a sleep care solution that senses brain waves to help customers sleep better.