Three Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) products — a smartphone, a refrigerator and a gaming monitor — were named to Time magazine's Best Inventions of 2026, with the U.S. weekly citing innovations that make daily life easier, from technology that keeps bystanders from seeing a phone screen to a refrigerator that manages food using artificial intelligence.
Time selected the Galaxy S26 Ultra, the Bespoke AI Family Hub refrigerator and the Odyssey G8 gaming monitor in its Best Inventions of 2026 list released on the 15th, according to industry sources on the 16th. The magazine selects products and ideas that have changed daily life each year, judging them on originality, effectiveness and impact.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra, chosen in the consumer electronics category, drew attention for its Privacy Display technology, the first of its kind in the world. The screen appears clear when viewed head-on but makes content difficult to read from the side. Time described the device as "a smartphone focused on privacy." The magazine also praised the ability to set when the feature activates or to apply it only to specific screens, such as notification windows. The phone, released in March, also features Now Nudge, which suggests information based on the user's situation, and a 200-megapixel camera.
The Bespoke AI Family Hub refrigerator was named in the home appliance category. Its core feature is AI Vision technology, which automatically identifies food stored inside using internal cameras. Users can check a list of ingredients through the SmartThings app and use services including expiration date management and customized recipe recommendations. A 32-inch display on the front of the refrigerator can show schedules and weather or play music.
The Odyssey G8, selected in the entertainment and gaming category, is the first gaming monitor to support 6K ultra-high resolution. Users can choose 6K resolution with a 165-hertz refresh rate for games requiring detailed image quality, or 3K resolution with a 330-hertz refresh rate for games where fast screen transitions matter.
Samsung Electronics also placed three products — its Micro RGB TV, The Frame Pro and The Premiere 5 — on Time's Best Inventions list last year.
