Watch CBS News

The best refrigerators of 2024

best-fridges.jpg
Samsung

If you're going to spend money on a new refrigerator, it might as well be one of the best refrigerators of 2024. Keep essentials like your eggs, produce, frozen goods and more fresh with a great refrigerator that won't let you down.

To help you in your search, the shopping experts at CBS Essentials have selected the best refrigerators in 2024. These top-rated refrigerators not only expertly chill food, they can be monitored and controlled via your smartphone and dispense filtered water and multiple kinds of ice. Some of these refrigerators even feature a touchscreen that can send texts and calls, keep track of your groceries, take pictures and suggest recipes.

We've even consulted an appliance expert to answer many of your most commonly asked questions about the kitchen essential. Ready to upgrade to a bigger, better and smarter refrigerator? Check out the best refrigerators of 2024.


Best refrigerators of 2024

Ready for a new refrigerator? All of the refrigerators we picked have a four-star rating or higher and include many positive reviews. And many are on sale now.


Best high-tech fridge: Samsung 29 cu ft. Bespoke 4-door Flex refrigerator with Family Hub

new-samung-fridge-embed.jpg
Samsung

The best thing about this 35 7/8-inch Samsung refrigerator is its massive Family Hub touch screen that's double the size of the brand's original smart refrigerator touch screen.

Samsung's touch screen refrigerators all feature Samsung's Family Hub, with Amazon's Alexa voice assistant built-in. The smart fridge component can connect with, and be used to control your phone, computer, TV, smart doorbell, Nest thermostat and Samsung home appliances. It can share photos, stream music and more. The Family Hub feature lets you see inside your fridge from anywhere (via your connected device), search recipes based on what you have on hand, plan weekly meals and even send cooking instructions to your Samsung smart oven.

The smart tech can also help you save energy thanks to its Samsung's SmartThings Energy tech. The smart program allows you to see and manage your compatible Samsung appliance energy use and offers ways to save energy using AI Energy Mode. The new mode will automatically optimize appliance settings to reduce the amount of energy consumed. 

Why we like the Samsung Bespoke 4-door Flex refrigerator with Family Hub+:

  • This 4.3-star-rated fridge features beverage center with a water dispenser and Samsung's AutoFill water pitcher. 
  • Its dual auto ice maker makes two types of ice -- cubed or ice bites.
  • Samsung Bespoke fridges feature customizable door panels. You can choose from eleven colors and two finishes.
  • This refrigerator comes with a two-year warranty.

Best door-in-door fridge: LG 22.5 cu ft. French door-in-door refrigerator

lg-fridge.jpg
LG via Best Buy

The best thing about this 35.75-inch refrigerator is its door-within-a-door feature. The exterior door offers quick and easy access to food and drinks. It's outfitted with adjustable bins that smoothly glide up and down to fit whatever you want to put in your fridge.

This 4.5-star-rated refrigerator features a flexible drawer that can convert from fridge drawer to freezer drawer with one quick touch. Choose from five temperature settings to fit your family's needs. It includes a water dispenser that can accommodate just about any container size and dispense the exact amount of filtered water sensed by the machine. This refrigerator's ice maker creates standard ice cubes, crushed ice and slow-melting round craft specialty cubes.

The refrigerator typically retails for $3,600, but Best Buy has it on sale for $3,000 right now.

Why we like the LG French door-in-door refrigerator:

  • It offers a door-in-door design that lets you access snacks and drinks without fully opening your fridge.
  • Its flex drawer can be used for frozen foods or converted to a chill drawer for refrigerated food needs. 
  • Its water dispenser can easily accommodate a standard glass or a Stanley cup.
  • This fridge makes trendy craft ice, perfect for cocktails and other drinks that you don't want getting watered down.

Best French-door refrigerator: Bosch 20.5 cu ft. 800 series smart four-door French door refrigerator

bosch-appliances.jpg
Appliances Connection

This 36-inch Bosch refrigerator has two humidity-controlled compartments, a storage bar for flexible cold drink storage, five adjustable tempered glass shelves and three one-gallon door bins. It has an internal water dispenser and an internal ice maker. 

This high-tech refrigerator can be remotely monitored and controlled with the Bosch Home Connect app. Using the app you can control your refrigerator's temperature, adjust its lighting and run diagnostics.

It's on sale now at Appliances Connection for $3,419 (regularly $4,199).

Why we like the Bosch 800 series refrigerator:

  • This smart fridge can notify your phone should you accidentally leave your refrigerator door open for an extended time.
  • Its FreshProtect feature absorbs naturally occurring ethylene to slow ripening, so produce can stay fresher longer.
  • It has recessed handles for a sleek look.

Best budget refrigerator for small spaces: Frigidaire 7.5 cu ft. refrigerator

frigidaire-walmart-refrigerator-198-deal.jpg
Walmart

If you're looking for a small, budget fridge for the dorm, office or garage, it's hard to beat this price on this 7.5 cu ft. Frigidare model with a premium-looking platinum finish. You might be surprised to learn that it sells for less than $200.

At this price, you're not getting any fancy features -- it's not Wi-Fi enabled, it doesn't have a tablet or window built into the door and there's no craft ice maker. It will, however, keep your food cold and your frozen food frozen. It features drip-resistant shelves and a full-width pull out drawer. Simple dial-based controls let you easily adjust its interior temperature.

While it is on the small size, it's larger and roomier than the typical mini-fridge. It's a good refrigerator for accommodating one to two people, and our top budget refrigerator pick in 2024.

Get this 4.2-star-rated fridge at Walmart for $198.


What to consider before buying a refrigerator

Appliance expert and repair tech Renae DuHaime told CBS Essentials that when purchasing a refrigerator (or any major home appliance) you need to consider the size of your space. "The first thing you'll want to do is measure and take a photo of the space it will be occupying," they explained. "Having the photo to reference when you're shopping helps to be able to visualize whether the fridge will work in the space–for example, if there is a wall on one side of the space that would prevent the door from being opened in a certain direction."

DuHaime told CBS Essentials that you should familiarize yourself with popular refrigerator styles. "Most residential refrigerators come in one of five different styles," they said. "Each style has its own space restrictions that you'll want to take into consideration. For example, unlike a top-mount refrigerator (which has a smaller freezer compartment), a side-by-side refrigerator has an equal amount of space in both the fresh food compartment and the freezer compartment. 

However, that space is mostly vertical, meaning the respective compartments are usually very narrow.  If you often cook meals or baked goods that take up a lot of horizontal space in the fridge (or if you're like me, and you have a tendency to put the entire box in the fridge when you order pizza), a side-by-side fridge wouldn't work very well for you."

How to shop for a refrigerator like an appliance expert

Want to shop for a refrigerator like an expert? "The best advice I can give when looking at a specific refrigerator brand is to visit their website," DuHaime shared. "A brand's website can tell you a lot about what it might be like to own an appliance made by that brand. 

Does their website have customer service easily accessible, or is it difficult to figure out how to get in contact with them? Can you look up a PDF version of their appliance manuals easily, or are they nowhere to be found? Do they offer extra advice on how to get the best out of their products, or does their website focus more on sales? This can all make a big difference in the kind of support you'll receive from that brand should your appliance ever have an issue that you need resolved."

When should I replace my refrigerator?

It might be time to upgrade or replace your old refrigerator with one of the best refrigerators in 2024. There are a variety of new refrigerators on the market that are equipped with the latest in refrigerator tech, and they're all on sale now. But if your old refrigerator doesn't seem to be causing any issues, how will you know when it's time to replace it?

The United States Department of Energy recommends replacing your refrigerator every 12 years. You may be able to get a rebate for upgrading to a new, energy-efficient refrigerator. Of course, you can always replace or upgrade your refrigerator today. Especially if you aren't happy with your current refrigerator brand or model. 


View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.