Samsung and LG Electronics Compete in 'AI Home Appliances' Following Washing Dryer and OLED TV

Samsung Electronics Promotes 'Bespoke AI Combo' Sales, Emphasizing 'AI Appliances = Samsung'
Jo Joo-wan: "The Origin of AI Appliances is LG UP Appliances"

Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics engaged in a tense exchange at their shareholders' meetings over market shares of all-in-one washer-dryers and OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) TVs.

On the morning of the 26th, Cho Joo-wan, CEO of LG Electronics, attended the regular shareholders' meeting held at the LG Twin Towers in Yeouido, Seoul, and told reporters, "The origin of AI home appliances is the UP home appliances we created." This was interpreted as a response to Samsung Electronics' recent active promotion of sales of its all-in-one washer-dryer 'Bespoke AI Combo,' spreading the formula 'AI home appliances = Samsung.'

LG Electronics CEO Cho Joo-wan is explaining the mid- to long-term strategic direction to shareholders at the 22nd Annual General Meeting held on the 26th at LG Twin Towers in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by LG Electronics

LG Electronics also began pre-orders for the 'LG Tromm Objet Collection Wash Combo' on the 13th and plans to start sequential deliveries from the 8th of next month.

CEO Cho said, "Everyone knows that LG Electronics holds product competitiveness in washing machines," and added, "Looking at market share and price premiums, customers are willingly paying a premium to us." He continued, "Regarding washer-dryers, rather than focusing on better functions or specs from the customer's perspective, we discussed communicating more concretely about providing customers with a superior experience."

Regarding AI, CEO Cho said, "We should observe the evolution process to see whether AI will truly help daily life, understand my behavior, and even comprehend my emotions," adding, "The empathy process will gradually be integrated into our products and evolve to be helpful in daily life." Earlier this year at CES 2024 held in Las Vegas, USA, LG Electronics redefined AI as 'empathic intelligence.' On the same day at the shareholders' meeting, LG Electronics also showcased the AI robot 'Smart Home AI Agent' unveiled at CES 2024.

Samsung Electronics Bespoke AI Combo. Photo by Samsung Electronics

The shareholders' meeting also included mentions of the OLED TV market share. Park Hyung-se, President of LG Electronics' HE Business Division, responded to a shareholder's question about the differentiation strategy of the OLED TV business by saying, "Our competitor (Samsung Electronics) disparaged our OLED for 10 years, saying they wouldn't enter the market, but eventually they did, and we see this as an opportunity." This was interpreted as a move to counter Samsung Electronics' re-entry into the OLED TV market last year after 10 years and its significant expansion of the product lineup this year.

Park added, "With the competitor's entry, all companies are now diving into OLED, which greatly helps market expansion," and said, "We will do our best to maintain over 50% market share by maintaining product competitiveness superiority."

LG OLED TV. Photo by LG Electronics

Earlier, when Yong Seok-woo, President of Samsung Electronics' Visual Display Business Division, stated at a new TV product launch event that "In the ultra-large OLED segment of 77 inches and above, we have already surpassed the competitor (LG Electronics) in market share," LG Electronics reacted strongly.

The rivalry between the two companies is expected to continue for the time being. At the regular shareholders' meeting held on the 20th, Samsung Electronics highlighted its AI competitiveness while announcing its business strategy. Han Jong-hee, Vice Chairman and Head of Samsung Electronics' Device Experience (DX) Division, emphasized, "The company possesses the world's best on-device AI capabilities," and said, "In the future, you will experience changes and innovations created by generative AI and on-device AI across all Samsung products and services."

He also said, "We will expand AI application across mobile products such as smartphones, wearables, and extended reality (XR), and upgrade general home appliances to intelligent home appliances by enhancing AI-based picture and sound quality and expanding highly personalized content for next-generation screen experiences."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.