Over the last few years, refrigerators have become more technical.
You can now see the inside of your fridge from an app on your phone.
Want to make Keurig coffee from your refrigerator? No problem. You can even program it to be ready in the morning.
Refrigerators now have more features that have nothing to do with refrigerating food.
Until now.
The Beko French Door refrigerator makes some bold claims about food freshness and keeping food fresh with some different technology.
They can't make coffee, do not offer interactive touch screens, and you can’t see inside your refrigerator from your supermarket on a phone app.
In this article, you will learn about all their advanced technology from blue lights to electronically charged ion generators.
Then we will show you whether it actually works by testing fruit and vegetables over one month against Samsung, Bosch, Sub-Zero, and Thermador refrigerators.
First, let’s talk about who Beko is.
Beko is a popular European brand based in Turkey. They actively market in 140 different countries, including the US, under the name Blomberg and manufacture other products for companies like Viking and BlueStar.
Now let’s look at the refrigerator and how it keeps food fresh for longer than most brands.
1. Active Blue Light Technology
You will first notice when you look at the refrigerator is the blue lighting in the crisper. They call it Active Blue Light technology.
It emulates outside lighting, essentially tricking the plants into continuing photosynthesis, so they retain their nutrients.
As far fetched as it sounds, sunlight does render blue on the Kelvin scale, so it is plausible.
2. EverFresh+ Crispers
If you look at the crisper itself, you see the four holes, so there is direct airflow from the compressor. The airflow evaporates the moisture and gasses released, preventing premature spoilage.
It's better airflow with a tighter seal.
3. IonGuard
IonGuard is their most unique feature. It is an ion generator activating intermittently sending out negative ions to neutralize the positive ions of odors.
Beko includes IonGuard in most of their better appliances
It may be the most useful in a refrigerator because it eliminates taste crossover, so fresh fish or sticky cheese odors do not overwhelm the rest of your food.
4. Two Evaporators
In terms of air crossover, Beko also has two evaporators, so the freezer and refrigerator air do not blend, resulting in less frost and better-tasting frozen food.
Sub-Zero has made a similar claim for 50 years.
5. Ice Maker
Beko doesn’t have a dispenser in this model, but they do have the best ice maker producing 11 pounds per 24 hours or almost double the competitive brands.
So Beko has an interesting freshness story of Blue Lighting, better crispers, odor control, and two evaporators, but does it work?
All these claims and features are nothing until validated. How did Beko compare against other manufacturers with equally interesting freshness claims?
Let’s take a look.
Week 4
They have a two evaporator system, plus their crispers with humidity control are dubbed the Cool Pantry Plus.
Week 4
Bosch has a new two compressor refrigerator along with an ethylene gas filter. Ethylene gasses are emitted off spoiling foods and can cross-contaminate other foods.
Thermador has its 8,000 built-in with specialized crispers just for fruit.
Then there is Sub-Zero, who pioneered a refrigerator to keep food fresher longer. It has two compressors, and a NASA designed air scrubber, magnetic crispers, and a tight vacuum seal.
So how did Beko maintain food freshness?
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
If we look at the food, Beko was the best of the freestanding refrigerators, including Bosch and Samsung, and almost as good as the built-in Sub-Zero and Thermador for 6-10,000 less.
First, let’s talk about what Beko is missing.
This model has filtered water but not a dispenser. You do have plenty of ice, but you have to reach into the refrigerator.
That may not be a bad thing.
Dispensers on French doors are the number 1 service issue for all appliances because you are technically sending a frozen cube through a warmer refrigerator.
Counter Depth Refrigerator Reliability July 2019-June 2020
| Service QTY | Shipped QTY | Service Ratio | |
| BlueStar | 24 | 26 | 92.31% |
| JennAir | 267 | 431 | 61.95% |
| KitchenAid | 71 | 240 | 29.58% |
| Samsung | 243 | 1035 | 23.48% |
| LG | 7 | 35 | 20.00% |
| Bosch | 128 | 719 | 17.80% |
| Fisher & Paykel | 30 | 179 | 16.67% |
| GE Profile | 19 | 119 | 15.97% |
| GE | 12 | 82 | 14.63% |
| Beko | 2 | 26 | 7.69% |
| Café Appliances | 8 | 87 | 5.26% |
| Grand Total | 811 | 2979 | 27.22% |
So you may not have the convenience, but it should be more reliable. Counter depth French door refrigerators need service the most after professional ranges.
Although it is priced competitively at $2,200, Beko is a bit small at 20 cubic feet versus 22-23 cubic feet for other brands.
At first, we talked about different technical features like Wi-Fi, coffee making, tablet screens, showcase doors, and cameras, allowing you to look inside your fridge (ostensibly so you are not buying that third bottle of ketchup).
Beko has none of those features. You would buy it for its style and ability to keep food fresher for a longer time.
So, if you're looking for a refrigerator without those technical specifications, Beko could be a consideration.
As I write this in the middle of June, you should be worried about the availability of any refrigerator.
There are more out of stock problems with refrigerators than any other appliance.
As we have recommended in other articles, buy the size, features, and then look at the brand. Be flexible.
Have three favorites because two will be out of stock.
Additional Resources
Download the Yale Counter Depth Refrigerator Buying Guide with features, specs, and inside buying tips for regular, pro, and integrated counter depth refrigerators. Well over 580,000 people have read a Yale Guide.
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