Samsung expands 'AI lifestyle,' LG targets Europe with 'B2B AI Home'

Beyond functional competition, energy efficiency and space utilization…two solutions targeting Europe

At IFA 2026 held in Berlin, Germany, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics discussed the same AI but approached the market in completely different ways. While Chinese companies occupied nearly half of the exhibition space with volume and technology offensives, the two domestic companies shifted their focus from simple product competition to AI ecosystem building, energy efficiency, and space design competition. In particular, both companies presented a future where AI manages users' daily lives on their behalf, but Samsung Electronics differentiated itself with a consumer experience and content-focused strategy, while LG Electronics led with a B2B and platform-focused strategy.

The most distinctive feature of Samsung Electronics at this IFA was how it operated its exhibition space.

Market observers noted that Samsung Electronics operated outside the Messe Berlin exhibition hall in a separate space, but in reality, it operated two exhibition spaces in parallel.

Samsung Electronics set up an exclusive exhibition hall at Humboldt Carré and operated it from September 2 to 6, and held the 'Samsung Creator Hub' at Messe Berlin IFA Palais from September 4 to 8.

During the media days, it delivered strategic messages to distributors, journalists, and B2B customers, and during the main event, it adopted a dual strategy of presenting experiential content aimed at creators and general visitors.

The key pillar Samsung Electronics put forward was 'AI Companion.' The exhibition, composed of three areas—entertainment, home, and care—demonstrated a structure where AI connects TVs, home appliances, and mobile devices to support decision-making throughout daily life.

In particular, the fact that Samsung TV Plus's monthly active users (MAU) surpassed 100 million is a symbolic indicator showing that home appliance companies are evolving beyond hardware into media platform operators.

In terms of products, efficiency and convenience in daily life were emphasized.

The Bespoke AI washer achieved 70% additional savings compared to the A-grade energy efficiency class, the highest European standard, and the built-in dishwasher presented 20% additional savings performance.

Furthermore, the Family Hub refrigerator equipped with an 'AI Vision' camera recognizes food ingredients and serves as a smart home hub that comprehensively manages energy consumption.

The technology that particularly caught industry attention was 'AI Hybrid Cooling.'

This approach combines a thermoelectric element based on Peltier semiconductor technology with the existing compressor cooling system to optimize cooling performance depending on the situation.

This demonstrates that the expansion of AI appliances can create new component supply chain demand beyond simple software competition.

LG Electronics chose the opposite strategy.

It maintained a large-scale exhibition hall of 3,745㎡ within Messe Berlin, but configured approximately 46% of the entire space as a dedicated consultation area for business partners.

Converted to area, this amounts to approximately 1,723㎡. It focused on business expansion targeting construction companies, distributors, and commercial customers rather than general consumers.

LG reorganized AI Home into a three-stage structure of products, space, and services.

It built an ecosystem centered on AI appliances, AI Home hub 'ThinQ ON,' and AI Home platform 'ThinQ,' and unveiled for the first time at this event the autonomous AI agent 'ThinQ Claw.'

Its characteristic is that it learns users' lifestyle patterns and proactively proposes and executes necessary features.

It emphasized an AI agent-centered smart home experience, such as adjusting heating and cooling to match arrival times or recommending meal plans by analyzing schedules and eating habits.

The area LG particularly focused on was B2B expansion.

It put 'ThinQ Pro,' targeting commercial spaces, and home energy management systems (HEMS) to the forefront.

Based on the platform of Athom, acquired in 2024, the strategy is to connect over 50,000 IoT devices and comprehensively manage energy flow.

This is interpreted as a move to expand influence beyond AI appliance competition into smart building and energy management markets.

In terms of energy efficiency, LG presented more aggressive figures.

The washer achieved 70% additional savings compared to A-grade, the same as Samsung, but the dishwasher presented 30% additional savings performance and the refrigerator 35% additional savings performance.

It also revealed a strategy to respond to strengthening energy regulations in the European market by expanding the highest-tier technology, previously applied only to premium products, to general product lines.

Ultimately, what Samsung and LG demonstrated at IFA 2026 had in common was not 'AI' but 'lifestyle optimization.'

By moving away from product specification competition and focusing on energy cost reduction, space efficiency, and AI-based life automation, the direction was the same.

However, while Samsung Electronics concentrated on building a personal-centered AI ecosystem connecting mobile devices and home appliances, LG Electronics placed greater emphasis on platform and B2B market expansion, showing a difference.

In a situation where Chinese companies are expanding their presence through large-scale exhibitions and aggressive technology disclosures, Samsung and LG chose technology completion and platform competitiveness instead of scale competition.

IFA 2026 was a stage that revealed the difference in philosophy between the two companies in viewing the AI era, and a venue that demonstrated that the global home appliance industry is shifting from product-centered competition to service and ecosystem competition.