What quenches your thirst on a sweltering summer afternoon? A glass of chilled water from your refrigerator!
It keeps your food, fruits and vegetables fresh for long! No wonder, a refrigerator is the staple of modern Indian kitchen today.
Keeping pace with the unprecedented demand of refrigerators in India, manufacturers are continuously innovating to bring the latest technology and cutting-edge features that help improve its utility and performance in the long run.
So if you are planning to buy a new refrigerator, you will be overwhelmed choosing from a plethora of modern refrigerators, powered by advanced technology and tons of interesting features.
Not sure which refrigerator should you buy? Today, we will review all the trending and latest refrigerator technologies in India that will help you make a wise choice and have the best value for your money.
Types of Refrigerators in India
Let us first understand different types of refrigerators you can consider buying in India. This will help you review various technologies better and choose the right refrigerator based on your household needs.
A. Mini Refrigerator:
This is the smallest refrigerator, ranging in volume from 50 to 100 litres. It is portable, compact and cheaper, but lacks in volume. It is not suitable for bigger families.
B. Single Door Refrigerator:
A single door refrigerator is the most widely used refrigerators in the households, varying in capacity of 150 to 250 litres. It is ideal for a small or nuclear family.
C. Double Door Refrigerator:
The traditional double door refrigerator features two doors – the smaller top door functioning as the freezer and the larger bottom door as a normal refrigerator. The capacity ranges from 250 litres and above and is usually considered more energy efficient.
D. French Door Refrigerator:
These are typically the biggest varieties and most versatile, featuring three or more doors. French door refrigerators are most suitable for larger families with varied food categories and preferences.
E. Side-by-Side Refrigerator:
In this model, the refrigerator opens side by side in two halves – the larger half as the refrigerator and the narrower half as the freezer. It also comes with smart features like built-in ice & water dispenser, interface panel for external users, etc.
F. Bottom-Mounted Refrigerator:
This is similar to two-door refrigerator but here, the freezer is placed at the bottom. It is ideal for families that use frozen food in lesser quantities.
Now that you know the classification of refrigerators in India, let’s get into understanding the latest refrigerator technologies you should eye for when buying a fridge for your home.
Latest Refrigerator Technologies in India 2021
Discussed here are the advanced technologies you will come across when buying a refrigerator in India:
1. Uniform Cooling Technology
In conventional single-door refrigerators, you would experience inconsistent cooling. That means the fridge essentially cools near the freezer to aid in ice-making. The other areas do not cool uniformly.
But today, technology has changed radically. Modern refrigerators cool evenly from top to bottom, keeping your fruits, vegetables, cooked and frozen food fresh for long.
The fridges have strategically-located multiple air vents that ensure the appliance remains cool uniformly throughout.
There are refrigerators that have meticulously-designed cooling vents below each shelf, while others feature cutting-edge door cooling technology.
To maintain consistent cooling and temperature inside, some fridges come with 360-degree airflow. Some use “dual fans” to cool the freezer and fridge segments distinctly.
Technologies like “Ice Beam Door” that minimizes the temperature gap between the inner compartments and door of the fridge. This can help cool the refrigerator 35x faster than traditional systems.
2. Digital Inverter Compressor
Needless to say, the compressor is a refrigerator’s most integral component, facilitating efficient cooling. When the refrigerator is switched on, it works rigorously to cool the temperature inside. Once it reaches a pre-set temperature, the compressor switches off.
As the temperature rises, it will switch on again and aid in cooling. The procedure continues throughout the appliance’s lifespan.
However, a disadvantage of conventional compressor system is they operate continuously at a single speed. This causes it to consume more power.
Additionally, when the compressor restarts every time, it experiences a surge in power. This causes it to consumer more electricity.
Thankfully, modern refrigerators have taken the compressor technology to the next level by introducing the concept of digital inverter.
In digital inverter technology, the compressor will not switch off, nor does it operate at full speed. It will sense the external weather conditions, the inside temperature and the load inside the fridge to adjust the speed automatically.
The compressor will work at a higher speed only when the appliance demands so and will run slowly when the requirements are lower. This causes the appliance to save more power.
Another interesting feature is its noiselessness. Since the inverter compressor does not switch off and on frequently, it causes lesser noise than traditional compressors.
Digital inverter technology also increases lifespan of the fridge by up to 3 times.
3. Advanced Power Backup Technology
One of the major drawbacks with conventional refrigerators is it consumes more energy and cannot be connected to an inverter. In such cases, a power cut for several hours can cause the food to become stale.
To address this challenge, refrigerator manufactures have introduced the concept of “smart connect technology.” It automatically connects the fridge to your home inverter during a power failure. This helps keep your food healthy and fresh for long.
There are some smart refrigerators that work on solar energy, generated by solar panels. This will not only continue to power your refrigerator during power failures, but also help save more electricity.
Top refrigerator brands in India also feature “Cooling Gel” which gets released in the air like a cool gas. Even during power cut, the cool gel will circulate inside the fridge, keeping it cool for a longer time.
Certain models feature cooling gel technology that helps the food remain frozen for several hours and keeps the freezer cold even with no electricity.
Refrigerator manufacturers are continuously innovating and have pioneered the concept of “Cool Wall” within the refrigerator. The wall is intelligently designed and retains the cooling for several hours during power cut.
“Cool Pack” is another technology that uses cool gel to keep your food, fruits and vegetables inside the fridge chilled for around 12 hours during power failures.
Insulated Capillary technology, used in some refrigerators today, surrounds the capillary around the doors with super cold gas when opened. This can help the freezer retain cold temperature up to -26 degree Celsius and retain the cooling for up to 12 hours during power cuts.
Another refrigerator model features a diamond shape at the inner edges that help slow the process of ice melting due to power outage. This enables the refrigerator to retain cooling for longer periods.
4. Fastest Ice Making Technology
Imagine there is a party at home and you run short of ice! Would your guests wait for hours for the ice to set? It is so embarrassing, right?
Therefore, when you buy a refrigerator, evaluate its ice making capability. Many modern refrigerators today feature fastest ice making technology that helps maintain chilled temperature inside the freezer. This allows the ice to set fast in a jiffy.
Some models feature 1-hour icing technology that will automatically reduce the freezer temperature down to -5 degree Celsius in only 60 minutes. This will give you instant ice.
5. Active Fresh Technology
Do fruits and vegetables in your old refrigerator get ripe and spoiled over time? It is time to buy a new one that features active fresh technology. Most good-quality refrigerators come with this technology that keeps your fruits and vegetables fresh and crisp for weeks.
They have spacious storage zone, with the bottom drawer designed to store your vegetables and a top fruit crisper for your fresh fruits. This prevents food odours to get mixed up.
Most refrigerators today also come with anti-microbial additive that prevents growth of 99% bacteria, keeping the food fresh and in good quality for long.
Zeolite technology is another advanced feature you will come across when buying a refrigerator. It prevents the fruits and veggies from excessive ripening and keeps them fresh and crisper for a longer time.
6. Brighter Illumination
Modern refrigerators use powerful LED lighting technology to improve the illumination inside the fridge. These are durable and more energy-efficient than traditional refrigerator lighting.
Most refrigerators have motion-sensing lighting than switches on automatically right when they sense activity inside the fridge.
Furthermore, LED lights emit reduced heat than ordinary bulbs and can help keep the food immune from temperature changes due to the lighting arrangement.
Conclusion:
In this review, we have discussed the latest refrigerator technologies you should keep in mind before buying a new fridge for your family.
Buying a refrigerator is a hefty investment, especially if you are eyeing a good one for your home. Make sure it has all the features to render efficient cooling and keep the food bacteria-free, fresh and crisp for a longer time. Hope this review will help you have the best value for your money.