I’ve always been sure there were easier ways to get the laundry done. While it’s not the head-to-tail solution I dream of wherein I throw my clothes to the floor at the end of the day and they magically regenerate clean and on hangers in my closet the next, the latest iteration of smart washing machines from LG do alleviate a surprising number of pain points. I tested the Smart Washer with TurboWash® 360° and AI DD® Built-In Intelligence (currently $999, regularly $1299), and its mate, the Smart Electric Dryer with Sensor Dry & Steam Technology (currently $899, regularly $1199). That’s a mouthful, but the important part is that these new models use the LG ThinkQ technology as well as AI DD® Built-In Intelligence.
Well-designed machines
Though most people tuck their washing machines away, you won’t need to do that with this pair. They have sleek, beautifully simple faces on the brushed metal frame. When off, you see the interface as a simple round dial with a black face, and a minimized drawer for the detergent bay on the washer. There are no rounded corners on the machine, everything is sharp mitered edges intersecting circles for the doors and dials. These machines are on the taller side, each standing almost 40 inches tall. Once stacked, they're tall enough you might strain to reach the top dial. If you’re shorter, one benefit of the connectivity of these machines is that, through the app, you can ask the machines to ignore the dial on the dryer, and use the washing machine controls for both machines. When on, the digital interface uses contemporary fonts, colors, and even seasonal pictures in a pretty high resolution. Turning the dial or pressing a button brings the machines to life; otherwise, there are no lights to bother you. Rather than buzzing when a cycle is complete, the machines offer a selection of classical tunes. Once a month or so, you’re sent new tunes and graphics to choose from. For winter, I had an animated snowman greet me and play Vivaldi’s "Winter." While I expected to be bothered by the noise and overall cheeriness, instead I was kind of delighted by a washing machine set that seemed to interact with me.
ThinkQ makes controlling your machines from the couch possible (mostly)
The machines pair seamlessly with ThinkQ, LG’s smart appliance app. It immediately picked up the machines and connected and led me through a two-minute setup. The app will prompt you to remotely turn the machines on and off, and configure your wash or dry cycle and then send that cycle to the machine. What it won’t do is allow you to remotely start the machine, even if the door is closed. You can activate “remote start” for each machine, which would allow you to do so, from the physical control panel, but remote start isn’t a perpetual state: You have to deactivate it to open the door after a cycle, and reactivate if after. Essentially, this means you have to go up to the machines to turn on remote start; once there, you might as well just start the damn thing. This is probably a safety feature, but I wish i could sign a disclaimer that I have neither cats nor children who’d climb inside my machine. My main complaint with the app—and it’s not a deal breaker by any stretch—is that although LG integrates with Google Home and other smart assistants, it doesn’t do so in any way that is particularly helpful. If you’d like to use your machines in automations, you can’t. At most, you’ll see the machines in your smart home dashboard, and that they’re on or off.
A much more efficient process
Remote start aside, streamlined UX is at the heart of these machines, and where it’s clear LG has worked to try and make laundry as painless as possible. This starts with the detergent: Instead of adding pods and sheets or softener to every load, the detergent bay holds about a quart of detergent and softener, and will dispense it automatically. So far, I’ve only had to refill it every few weeks and it’s meant being able to store my drippy bottles away and eliminate use of dryer sheets altogether. There isn’t a reservoir for bleach, which would have made it a perfect trifecta. Once you place laundry in the machine, you can configure a wash and dry to the usual specifications regarding heat, length, level of agitation, dry time, etc, or you can simply activate AI wash, where it simply figures it out for you. While the dryer has occasionally required a little more time, the AI wash has done an admirable job of sensing the load and treating it appropriately. All of this translates to tossing laundry in, hitting one button and walking away.
Reminders that aren't judgmental
Where these machines really shine is when the cycle is over. I have never been a person who consistently moves the laundry as soon as it’s done. I know there are people who, like me, forget about their laundry or ignore it until they need to run another wash. If this is you, LG has you covered on two fronts. First, the app will, after a period of time, send you a non-accusatory or shame-y reminder that clothes don’t benefit from this kind of prolonged wait time, and will continue to remind you. They also offer you the ability to activate KeepFresh, which essentially tosses the laundry around occasionally to, yes, keep it fresh, until you get back to it. KeepFresh works in both the washer and dryer, so your clothes don’t get deeply wrinkled while you wait for motivation. All of that said, KeepFresh doesn't keep going forever, and I missed the quick rinse option that previous machines had. At best, LG has a quick wash, but it is an entire cycle, rather than a short rinse. This was how I previously had solved the problem of leaving laundry in the washer too long.
Steam cycle is one of the best features
In case you do get wrinkles, one of the most fantastic features of this dryer is the steam cycle. I was blown away with how effective it is. If you’re someone who has uses the dryer to get out wrinkles rather than iron, you are going to love this functionality. As a test, I used the most wrinkle-prone laundry I could find—thin cotton cloth napkins, tablecloths and sheets. Ten minutes in a steam cycle and they looked pressed, with no curling corners or creases.
Where smart appliances could go next
I have almost no complaints about these machines—they cleaned very effectively, held an accurate amount of laundry for their size, and efficiently completed washing cycles. Mostly, they made me think about ways smart washing machines could get smarter. At CES this year, Eureka introduced a wash tower where a robot vacuum was integrated into the footprint. At the same time, we’re seeing a new fleet of robot vacuum/mop combos that you actually pipe into your water line so they can fill and empty themselves. The next leap in smartness for these machines might be how they work with other home appliances, and even how they can use that AI to ensure the water from all these devices are safe and offload the gray water to house plants.
Bottom line: it doesn't cost much more to get a smarter machine
These machines are not dramatically more expensive than machines without connectivity or AI. Do you need any of these features? No. You don’t even need a washing machine—people got by before they existed. But I, for one, welcome every single tiny iteration that makes our lives easier.
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