Steady Increase in Air Conditioner Purchases During Winter, Equipped with Various Functions Like Air Purification, Dehumidification, and Ventilation Beyond Cooling
Samsung Electronics' Wind-Free Air Conditioner Popular for Powerful Air Purification to Capture Fine Dust
Easy Care Feature Added for Simplified Cleaning
A Samsung Electronics model is introducing the 2020 Wind-Free Air Conditioner 'Gallery' and the wall-mounted air conditioner 'Wide'. (Photo by Samsung Electronics)
Consumers using air conditioners even in the middle of winter are increasing. The latest air conditioners include various functions usable in all seasons, such as air purification, ventilation, and dehumidification, in addition to cooling.
Kim Juhan (a pseudonym), an office worker living in Seoul, is one of those who use air conditioners year-round. Kim said, "I bought a Samsung Wind-Free Air Conditioner when I moved this winter and tried the air purification function," adding, "The air purification function is surprisingly powerful, so I don't have a separate air purifier in the living room and use the air conditioner as a substitute for an air purifier."
As air conditioners are recognized as appliances for all seasons, winter air conditioner sales are steadily increasing. According to the home appliance industry, including Samsung Electronics and Electronic Land, consumer purchases of air conditioners in winter increase steadily every year. Electronic Land's air conditioner sales in the first quarter of last year surged 84% compared to the same period the previous year. Sales this winter are also reported to have increased compared to last year.
The desire of consumers to install air conditioners in every room has also grown. According to a consumer survey conducted by Samsung Electronics last year, about 70% of newlywed appliance buyers purchased air conditioners, a significant increase from 48% in 2017. Among air conditioner buyers who purchased one stand-type and one wall-mounted air conditioner each, about 30% responded that they would like to purchase an additional air conditioner.
◆Samsung Electronics Wind-Free Air Conditioner, Indoor Air Care Tailored to the Situation=Samsung Electronics launched the 2020 model Wind-Free Air Conditioner 'Gallery' last month, featuring enhanced indoor air care functions.
The air purification function of the Samsung Wind-Free Air Conditioner Gallery is outstanding. The 2020 Wind-Free Air Conditioner Gallery is equipped with a PM1.0 filter system consisting of ultra-fine and deodorizing filters, and an 'e-HEPA filter' using a fine electric field method that can remove 99.95% of particles as small as 0.3㎛ (micrometers), enabling fast and powerful purification of areas up to 113㎡.
Various purification modes are also installed to allow selection according to the situation. The Wind-Free Air Conditioner Gallery offers three purification modes: Power Purification, Independent Purification, and Wind-Free Purification. Power Purification fully activates all three filters to quickly and powerfully purify large areas. On days with very poor fine dust, after purifying the indoor air with Power Purification mode, a comfortable indoor environment can be maintained by operating only the e-HEPA filter in Independent Purification or only the PM1.0 filter in Wind-Free Purification.
In particular, the Wind-Free Purification unique to the Wind-Free Air Conditioner Gallery is the key to enjoying a fresh indoor environment without worrying about cold drafts even in the cold winter. When using only the air purification function, the outdoor unit does not operate, reducing electricity costs, and using the Wind-Free Purification mode results in electricity bills of only about 20,000 KRW per year even with year-round use.
Filter replacement, a concern for consumers using air purifiers, is also not a problem. The Samsung Wind-Free Air Conditioner features washable filters that can be easily and semi-permanently used by washing with water. Only the deodorizing filter needs to be replaced every three months, allowing the air purification function to be used cleanly at any time, making maintenance costs low.
A Samsung Electronics official emphasized, "Not only on days with severe fine dust but also when indoor air feels stuffy, using the purification function of the Wind-Free Air Conditioner allows indoor air care tailored to the situation, from powerful purification to wind-free purification without cold drafts."
He added, "With the emergence of air conditioners equipped with differentiated air purification functions like the Samsung Wind-Free Air Conditioner Gallery, patterns of air purifier usage have also changed. Instead of moving one air purifier around the house, more households are purifying large living rooms with air conditioners and purchasing air purifiers suitable for each room size to manage the entire home cleanly."
A Samsung Electronics model is introducing the 2020 Wind-Free Air Conditioner 'Gallery', the wall-mounted air conditioner 'Wide', and the Wind-Free Cube air purifier. (Photo by Samsung Electronics)
◆Wind-Free Air Conditioner with Newly Added Easy Care Function for Simple Cleaning=The 2020 Wind-Free Air Conditioner Gallery newly includes the Easy Care function. Easy Care is a technology designed to allow the entire front air conditioner panel to be easily detached without special tools. This enables consumers to directly manage even the internal fan blades.
A function that freezes the heat exchanger before cleaning has also been newly applied. It also features a three-step automatic cleaning and drying function that thoroughly removes remaining moisture every time the air conditioner is turned off.
Additionally, Samsung's artificial intelligence (AI) system Bixby voice recognition function has been expanded this year from stand-type to wall-mounted air conditioners, allowing easy control of the product by voice commands anywhere in the room or living room.
Furthermore, reflecting consumers' demands to install air conditioners in every room, the home multi model that allows installation of one stand-type product and two wall-mounted air conditioners with a single outdoor unit has been expanded.
The Samsung Wind-Free Air Conditioner Gallery has also upgraded the art panel at the bottom of the product, allowing consumers to choose exterior colors to match their preferences and interior design. Consumers can freely select from nine art panel types for the brown and gray main body colors, and a new color featuring a luxurious herringbone pattern has been introduced.
In addition, the Wind-Free Air Conditioner Gallery applies wide Wind-Free cooling that delivers richer cool air, circulator rapid cooling that spreads cool air farther, large-capacity fine purification with a triple filter system plus the e-HEPA filter that quickly purifies large spaces, and various AI functions through Bixby and SmartThings.
The wall-mounted Wind-Free Air Conditioner 'Wide,' released alongside the Gallery, is a product that expands the wide Wind-Free cooling applied to existing stand-type products so that each room can experience the powerful and comfortable cooling unique to Wind-Free Air Conditioners. The wall-mounted product with wide Wind-Free cooling features 21,630 micro holes on an 11% larger Wind-Free panel compared to previous models, delivering richer cool air for comfortable cooling without direct drafts even during heatwaves.
The new wall-mounted air conditioner applies a fan approximately 12% larger in size to cool the entire room faster. It boasts the fastest cooling speed among wall-mounted air conditioners with the same cooling area, reducing the room temperature from 33 degrees to 25 degrees in about 15 minutes.
Although the newly applied fan is larger, the product's exterior width is reduced by about 5 cm, achieving a slim design that completes a more harmonious interior.
Moreover, voice recognition and motion sensors based on Bixby, previously applied only to the Wind-Free Air Conditioner Gallery, have been newly added, making it smarter. The motion sensor function controls the product based on user presence, enabling energy-saving effects, and all AI functions applied to the Wind-Free Air Conditioner Gallery can be implemented, making it more convenient.
Lee Jaehwan, Executive Director of Samsung Electronics' Home Appliance Business Division, said, "Since the first launch of the Samsung Wind-Free Air Conditioner in 2016, it has evolved continuously in cooling performance, purification functions, and design, establishing itself as an essential appliance for all seasons. Through the newly introduced products this year, we will contribute to making living environments more comfortable."
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