Samsung WF457ARGSWR review – CNET

The Good Samsung’s $1,399 WF457ARGSWR washing machine is good at removing stains, it looks nice, and its touchscreen LCD display is simple to use.

The Bad Samsung’s Smart Washer app works decently well, but it’s confusing to setup.

The Bottom Line Get the Samsung WF457ARGSWR for its uncomplicated LCD display and solid stain-removal power.

Visit manufacturer site for details.

Samsung’s $1,399 US-only WF457ARGSWR washing machine is so simple to use that it almost makes me want to do laundry. Almost.

With an intuitive 8-inch LCD screen in lieu of a cluttered multi-dial display, good cleaning performance, nice looks, and a related app that actually adds some value, it’s a washer upgrade worth consideration. Yes, $1,399 is a lot to pay for a single machine, but
Samsung’s WF457ARGSWR might just be the right washer for you
if you’re in the market for a versatile high-end machine.

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A simpler clean

The Samsung WF457ARGSWR isn’t exactly revolutionary when it comes to design or features. You won’t find a built-in sink a la Samsung’s own $1,199 WA52J8700 Activewash or a second smaller washer hidden in the pedestal like the $1,500 LG Twin Wash. Even so, the WF457ARGSWR is a smartly designed machine with distinct appeal.

In other laundry news:

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• This washer is tough on stains, but that’s about it
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• This well-rounded washer offers a little bit of everything

Its white finish — also available in a dark gray, “onyx” finish for an extra 100 bucks — is simple, but it still looks crisp. That’s due in large part to the built-in 8-inch LCD screen replacing any cluttered knobs and buttons on this front load washer’s display.

The LCD panel truly houses every feature and function, from selecting among Normal, Sanitize, Active Wear and the other standard cleaning cycles, to customizing the temperature, spin speed, soil level, and even adding in extras like Prewash, Steam, Extra Rise, or Extra Spin. The standalone power and start/pause buttons are the only non-touchscreen controls you’ll find on this machine.

There’s also an Android and iPhone Samsung Smart Washer app that looks outdated and is confusing to setup, but does allow you to start cleaning cycles either from home or away, wherever your phone has access to the Internet. It’s tedious to get the app up and running because you have to configure Indoor control (on your local Wi-Fi network) and Outdoor control (outside of your local Wi-Fi network) separately.

Setting up Outdoor control is particularly frustrating because you have to register your appliance on Samsungsmartappliance.com using its MAC ID. Since I couldn’t find a MAC ID displayed on my machine, I took to Google to determine how to locate a MAC ID on a Samsung washer. Apparently, the number was already in the Indoor control section of the app from that configuration — but that wasn’t clear at the outset.