Samsung Unveils New RF-Harvesting Eco Remote and Feature-Packed TVs

When it comes to sustainable product packaging, Samsung’s eco-packaging boxes, which can be converted into a variety of slick small-scale furniture items, remain among the most innovative in the CE space. The updated 2022 Samsung Eco Remote announced today for CES 2022 is no exception:  Made of recycled materials, the TV controller eschews a lithium-ion battery in favor of RF harvesting, which literally extracts energy from WiFi router radio waves. As with last year’s model, it also uses solar power. The new remote relieves users of the hassle of buying new batteries (and finding ways to recycle old ones).  While the original Eco Remote came only in black, like seemingly every other TV remote on the market, the 2022 Eco Remote is also available in white. If users ever lose their remote, they can use the new voice control feature that 2022 Samsung TVs have in their programming.  

Art can be displayed on the new 2022 Frame TV, which has an anti-reflective display and makes the screen look like a painting. Sizes range from 32 inches to 85 inches and the TV has a quantum dot display that is also used in the Neo QLED TV. Consumers will have access to Samsung’s wide selection of art, including non-fungible token (NFT) art, through a new art store UX. The Frame TV comes with anti-glare and anti-reflection due to a matte film on the screen. This feature makes any artwork displayed on screen seem like a physical painting because of the matte film, which reduces light reflection as well. 

The MicroLED TV is formed by 24.9 million micro-sized LEDs and offers a 10 percent wider color variety. This new model has a bezel-free design to help the TV blend into a home’s décor. Samsung has decided to add more size options in addition to the 99- and 110-inch premade models, and also unveiled the preconfigured 89-inch model. All models use Dolby ATMOS and an Object Tracking Sound Pro feature to match the audio movements onscreen. 

Samsung also made some pre-CES announcements around updated TVs. The 2022 Neo QLED TV 8K and 4K models have been redesigned to have object tracking sound, object depth enhancement, and an eye comfort mode. Object tracking sound moves with the subject on the TV, so if, say, a motorcycle drives across the screen, its sound sweep across the screen with it. Picture quality has been improved with object depth enhancement, which identifies and then increases definition on subjects that happen to be in the background. For those who are sensitive to light, eye comfort mode reduces the blue light cast from the screen and adjusts the brightness based on the time of day. This mode helps reduce the strain that blue light can cause on viewers’ eyes. Samsung also permitted users to customize and personalize their device with ambient mode. When the TV is in ambient mode consumers can choose to display an NFT or a picture of their choice. 

Streaming is widely used by consumers every day, so Samsung incorporated new features such as  Multiview, Zoom and Watch Together mode. Multiview grants users the ability to display up to four screens at once and also adjust the size of each screen. Gamers can use this feature to watch a game walkthrough while simultaneously playing their current game without having to switch between programs. Zoom mode permits anyone to zoom in on specific areas on the screen, which is handy if, say, there’s a map in the game, but it’s hard to read on-screen. With Zoom mode, users will be able to zoom  in to see the details they need. There is also a Gaming Hub that will have consoles and cloud games always preloaded and ready to play to save time instead of waiting for the console to power on. Watch Together mode syncs up any 2022 Samsung TVs with each other, allowing users to have online viewing parties and watch content together no matter where in the world they are located. To use this feature, users need to connect a camera from one of their smart devices to the Samsung TV.  

So far, Samsung’s CES TV announcements focus heavily on both sustainability and user convenience features, which should go a long way to helping homebound consumers feel better about spending more time in front of screens at home.