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Beko Vs. Samsung French Door Counter Depth Refrigerators (Reviews / Ratings / Prices)

June 11th, 2020 | 4 min. read

By Steve Sheinkopf

Samsung French Door Counter Depth Refrigerator at Yale Appliance in Hanover
 

Shopping for a new refrigerator will be much different today than even last year with more brands and styles than ever.

You have the new Bosch French doors, GE, GE Profile and Café Appliances, LG, Samsung, and Whirlpool brands Jenn-Air, KitchenAid, and Maytag.

You can also buy French door refrigerators in 3 doors, four doors, five doors, and door with drawer configurations.

Beko is a new brand with different features. It adds a freshness story not available in other brands. Yet they also deliberately omit other features like ice dispensers marketed by the others.

In this article, you will read more about this new brand and compare it with Samsung, the technology leader in refrigerators.

New Refrigerator Problems

French-door-counter-depth-refrigerators-at-yale-appliance-in-hanoverFrench Door Counter Depth Refrigerators at Yale Appliance in Hanover

 

Let's say you buy the latest and greatest refrigerator. It's delivered (hopefully efficiently and stress-free). Then, in the act of great faith, you go to your local supermarket and buy tons of food to fill it.

What If That New Refrigerator Doesn't Work?

It's a nightmare scenario (for appliances). Unlike any other appliance, you will lose $250 of food plus the inconvenience of service and replacement.

For those of you who remember GE in the 1980s, this can happen with appliances. GE installed a new yet faulty compressor in all their new larger refrigerators.

It cost them 1 billion dollars. Cost us time, delivery, free upgrades to customers, and reputation.

Now we have 35 appliance service technicians so that we will know problems sooner than the manufacturer, but I am always wary of new anything, but particularly refrigerators.

Beko 

Beko is not new. They are popular in Europe and have manufactured under the Blomberg name in the U.S. for about ten years.

They have interesting refrigerators, stoves, and compact laundry. Their small refrigerators could be the best in the market.

Beko French Door Counter Depth Refrigerator BFFD3624SS - $2,299

Beko Counter Depth Refrigerator

Samsung

Samsung has been making appliances since the late 1960s.

In a very short period, Samsung has become the number 1 selling line of appliances in the US. Amazingly, they surpassed Whirlpool in such a brief period. They design beautiful equipment and are technology forward.

Samsung French Door Counter Depth Refrigerator RF23R6201SR - $1,899

samsung Counter Depth Refrigerator

Let's see how Beko compares against Samsung in the most popular three-door French door counter depth size.

Beko Vs. Samsung French Door Counter Depth Refrigerators

Beko Vs. Samsung Counter Depth Refrigerator

Similarities Between Beko And Samsung Refrigerators

1. Style

First, they are French door and counter depth, so they are similar styles.

2. Dual Evaporators

Both have separate evaporators for the refrigerator and freezer. Separate evaporators mean the warmer moister air of the refrigerator is not trapped in the colder drier freezer.

Along with the air are tastes and odors, so that fresh fish odor in your refrigerator won't be trapped in your ice cream in the freezer.

Have questions? Click here to check out our Learning Center.

8 Important Differences Between Beko And Samsung Refrigerators

1. Ice Makers

Beko Vs. Samsung Ice Makers

Samsung has an ice dispenser for crushed ice, water, and cubes. However, ice makers are the number 1 service calls according to our service statistics.

Somehow, forcing a frozen cube through a warmer refrigerator can cause leaks.

Beko does not offer an ice dispenser but has an internal water dispenser inside the refrigerator.

Beko also has the largest capacity for ice cubes producing 11 pounds of ice in 24 hours versus 6 for Samsung and most other brands.

2. Capacity

Samsung is 23 cubic feet, and Beko is 19.86 cubic feet. However, I saw a video of a Beko shelf being the same size as a GE 28 cubic foot refrigerator shelf.

In this crude, yet interesting experiment, the smaller Beko refrigerator shelf was larger than, the larger Samsung. In terms of usable capacity, they are probably even.

Beko-glass-shelfSamsung over a Beko Counter Depth Refrigerator Glass Shelf at Yale Appliance in Boston.  The smaller Beko has more shelving space.

 

3. Crispers

Samsung has a "Cool Select Pantry." You can choose three temperatures to defrost or chill your food. The air is separate from the refrigerator compartment.

Samsung-Cool-Select-PantrySamsung Cool Select Pantry drawer on a Samsung Counter Depth Refrigerator

 

Beko has what they call "Active Fresh Blue Light": It simulates photosynthesis extending the life of your fruit and vegetables.

EverFresh + is similar to Samsung's "Cool Select Pantry" with precise humidity control. They have sealed crispers with four direct access points for refrigerator air.

Beko-Ever-Fresh-Crisper-DrawersBeko EverFresh + Crisper Drawers

 

The drawer environment evaporates moisture and ethylene gasses from the other compartments.

4. Wi-Fi

You can control the temperature on your refrigerator and freezer from an app on your phone with Samsung. Beko does not have WIFI at this point in their refrigerator.

5. Odor Removal

Up until now, Sub-Zero had an air scrubber or some filtration in your refrigeration.

Odors carry positive Ions. Beko has IonGuard generating negative Ions to neutralize these smells and keep food fresher.

Beko-Ion-Guard-Technology-RefrigeratorsBeko Counter Depth Refrigerator IonGuard Technology

 

6. Quiet

Finally, a manufacturer publishes noise levels (DB) for an appliance other than a dishwasher. Beko has an extra quiet "Inverter" compressor. It's 44 DB.

Oddly enough, 44 is the minimum standard of quiet for a dishwasher. In a refrigerator, that is extremely quiet.

7. Price

There is a $400 difference. Both have packages rebates. However, the price fluctuates with Samsung, especially during promotions around major holidays.

You should be mindful of prices as it will be a $200-600 difference during the year.

8. Reliability

Most Reliable French Door Counter Depth Refrigerators for 2020

  Service Qty Shipped Qty Service Ratio
BlueStar 23 36 63.89%
Jenn-Air 308 595 51.76%
KitchenAid 103 239 43.10%
Whirlpool 6 17 35.29%
Bosch Appliances 135 422 31.99%
LG Electronics 10 46 21.74%
Samsung 248 1220 20.33%
Fisher & Paykel 31 192 16.55%
GE Profile 9 59 15.25%
GE Appliances 5 35 14.29%
Café Appliances 2 41 4.87%
Grand Total 916 2932 31.24%

French door refrigerators, in general, have one of the highest rates of repair.

It's not major system failures, but technical problems with the icemaker. Beko is missing in this comparison as we just started selling it four months ago.

It will be interesting to see if the lack of a dispenser greatly improves reliability.

Beko Vs. Samsung French Door Refrigerators: Key Takeaways

samsung-kitchen-package-at-yale-appliance-in-hanover-1Samsung French Door Counter Depth Refrigerator at Yale Appliance in Hanover

 

This was more of a refrigerator technology tour than actual comparison. Both have different yet compelling features.

Samsung will be less expensive, and it will have a dispenser. You will love a dispenser but be prepared for the inevitable service call.

Beko has technology around keeping food fresh. With "Active Blue Light" and EverFresh+, they actively attempt to keep food fresher for a longer time.

What will be interesting is the reliability of Beko without the icemaker.

Both have their merits, depending on what you prefer.

Have questions? Click here to check out our Learning Center.

Additional Resources

Want some more information about counter depth refrigerators? Get the Yale Appliance Counter Depth Buying Guide with features, specs, and detailed profiles of the major brands. Well over 630,000 people have read a Yale Guide.

 

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Steve Sheinkopf

Steve Sheinkopf is the third-generation CEO of Yale Appliance and a lifelong Bostonian. He has over 38 years of experience in the appliance industry, and he is a trusted source of information for consumers on how to buy and repair appliances.

Steve has also been featured in numerous publications, including the New York Times, Consumer Reports, The Boston Globe, Bloomberg Radio, the New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Entrepreneur, for his knowledge of how to buy appliances and appliance repair.

Steve is passionate about helping consumers find the best appliances for their needs, and he is always happy to answer questions and provide advice. He is a valuable resource for consumers who are looking for information on appliance buying, repair, and maintenance.

Despite being the worst goalie in history, Steve is a fan of the Bruins and college hockey, loves to read, and is a Peloton biker. The love of his life is his daughter, Sophie.

A Note About Pricing

Pricing on this blog is for reference only and may include time sensitive rebates. We make every attempt to provide accurate pricing at time of publishing. Please call the stores for most accurate price.