Hisense wants your fridge to plan your meals

It wasn't just laser projector or big-screen TVs for Hisense at CES this year. The company also took time to launch its new Smart Home Hub fridge, which has a big touchscreen in its door to offer easy connectivity and control of its AI meal planning features.

Smart fridges aren't exactly new, but Hisense is trying to leverage AI to make its new model stand out. There are a bunch of big selling points, but the most enticing for me is an automatic meal planner that can consider dietary needs, nutritional goals, and available ingredients to create a weekly meal plan for the whole family.

Meal planning is one of those jobs neither my wife or I wants to own. Every day we ask each other: "What are we doing for dinner?", then talk about how little we want to have to make that choice.

Of course, planning a week's worth of meals at the fridge door could get a bit annoying too, so Hisense has its ConnectLife app available on iOS and Android. If you've been a bit slack on the planning, the app will let you design a dish using AI and the ingredients you have on hand, along with knowing your dietary restrictions and preferences.

You'll also be able to track your food inventory and set expiry date reminders so you don't have to throw out food, though that does sound like a lot of manual work.

The fridge itself also offers a flexible zone that can be used as both fridge and freezer, depending on your need at the time. The temperature can be set between -20°C to +5°C, which is a cool idea I'm interested to see work in practice.

"At Hisense, we are proud to be consistently pushing the boundaries of what's possible in home appliance technology. CES 2025 is an incredible platform to showcase our groundbreaking advancements, and we're thrilled to bring these premium innovations to Australian homes this year. Redefining the kitchen experience with smart, connected and sustainable appliances, Hisense is committed to setting new industry standards and enhancing the way Australians live."

– Chris Kotis, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Hisense Australia.

Pricing and availability

Hisense has confirmed its Smart Hub Refrigerator will be available in Australia, with pricing and availability to be announced later this year.