Verdict
A combined washer dryer, the Samsung Bespoke AI Laundry Combo WD53DBA900HZA1 is the ultimate in convenience.
It’s a large, powerful washing machine when you need it to be, dealing well with tough stains. For drying, the large drum and low running costs, make it efficient. With the option to take washing from dirty to dry all in one go, this is a great choice for those short on space. I found the control panel a little overwhelming at first, but once used to it, appreciated the number of cycles available and the wide range of cleaning options.
Pros
- Low running costs
- Large capacity
- Excellent stain removal
Cons
- Control panel a little overwhelming at first
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TypeThis is a combined washer dryer, so you can wash clothes and dry them in one go for the ultimate in convenience. -
CapacityThere’s a large 5.3 cu. ft. drum, so you don’t have to sacrifice capacity for convenience.
Introduction
If you want a large washing machine and tumble dryer but don’t have space for separate machines, the Samsung Bespoke AI Laundry Combo WD53DBA900HZA1 could well fit the bill.
Combining both functions into one machine, this laundry combo machine can wash and dry clothes in one go and can clean and dry a load of washing in just 98 minutes. That makes this a great machine of convenience, too.
Design and Features
- Large drum
- Comprehensive control panel
- Compatible with SmartThings
A front-loaded machine, the Samsung Bespoke AI Laundry Combo WD53DBA900HZA1 doesn’t compromise on load capacity, with a large 5.3 cu. ft. drum. That makes this the largest washer-dryer available, bigger even than the LG 5.0 cu. ft. Washer Dryer Combo WM6998HBA. In fact, it’s not much less than the largest capacity of a freestanding washing machine.
A large door at the front provides easy access to the drum, so it’s quick and convenient to load and unload washing into this machine.
At the bottom of the unit is a removable panel, which houses the tanks for cleaning fluids. There’s a choice to use one for detergent and one for fabric conditioner, or to use both for detergent, increasing the number of washes you can make before having to reload.
Automatic dispensers are very useful, particularly on a machine built for convenience, such as the WD53DBA900HZA1: you can mostly just load in the washing, hit go and come back to clean, dry laundry.
At the top of the machine is a separate panel, which hides the lint filter and manual bleach dispenser.
As this machine is not vented, water is sent directly out of the waste water pipe.
The lint filter should be removed and cleaned at the end of a drying cycle, the same as for a regular tumble dryer. There’s also a secondary heat exchanger filter behind the lint filter, which should be cleaned with the provided brush.
As the Samsung WD53DBA900HZA1 uses a heat pump for drying, it can run from a standard 120V outlet, so it’s a matter of plugging it in, hooking up water and the drainage hose and turning the machine on.
On first power-up, the washer-dryer runs through a quick calibration phase, and then it’s ready to go, usable via the large touchscreen control panel.
On first use, the WD53DBA900HZA1’s 7-inch colour LCD control panel can seem a little overwhelming, with a screen full of options. However, the benefit of this system is that all of the numerous wash and dry cycles are available, and are explained on-screen.
There are also apps available on the washing machine, including Spotify, YouTube and Ring. I’m not sure how useful they are to have, but they’re there if they sound like your kind of thing.
As well as the standard wash programmes, this machine has steam to help remove stains and refresh clothes, plus modes for bedding, towels, wool and more. Drying can be layered on top of wash cycles for a complete cycle, and there are dedicated drying modes, too.
Cleverly, the washing machine door will open automatically at the end of a drying cycle, helping keep clothes fresh.
As with a lot of Samsung’s recent appliances, the WD53DBA900HZA1 is compatible with SmartThings, which gives remote control and monitoring of a wash cycle. It’s a nice feature to have; it’s often convenient to get a ping when a cycle has finished, so that washing can be unloaded and folded immediately.
Performance
- Excellent stain removal
- Low running costs
- Gentle drying
The Samsung WD53DBA900HZA1 did well across all of my washing tests. Running the Normal cycle with washing and drying turned on, the machine completed the test with an overall measured cost of $0.43 for the cycle; that’s cheaper than a dry-only cycle on many vented tumble dryers.
My clothes came out 2.67% lighter than they went in, with some fabric lost as lint to the filter. That’s not a bad result at all.
To test maximum wash performance, I used the Heavy Duty wash cycle, which I estimated cost $0.32. That’s in-line with much of the competition. My clothes were 42.67% heavier than when they went in, due to water retention; again, that’s about standard for a machine of this size.
Stain removal was excellent. I used a stain strip, which was made up of the following stains (left to right): red wine, cooking oil, ketchup, gravy and orange juice. At the end of the clean, the stain strip was largely clean of mess, with just a few ketchup particles that could be brushed off or removed with a secondary wash. That’s excellent performance.
As the Samsung Bespoke AI Laundry Combo WD53DBA900HZA1’s tumble dryer component uses a heat pump, it’s super-efficient to run. Running it on a set of wet clothes, the entire cycle cost just $0.27, which is the cheapest that I’ve seen on any tumble dryer.
My clothes had all of the moisture removed and were back to their original weight with no additional loss.
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Should you buy it?
You want quality washing and drying in one unit
A combined washer and dryer, this machine has low running costs, excellent drying performance and is brilliant at removing stains.
You have space for separates
If you have a laundry room (or just more space), separate units will give you more flexibility with the option for more washing capacity.
Final Thoughts
If you have the space for separates, you’ll be able to get bigger machines and handle larger loads of laundry and drying, with the added ability to dry one load while washing another. However, for those after the ultimate convenience or who don’t have the space for separates, the Samsung Bespoke AI Laundry Combo WD53DBA900HZA1 doesn’t compromise on either its wash or dry features.
How we test
Unlike other sites, we test every washer dryer we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
We test compatibility with the main smart systems (HomeKit, Alexa, Google Assistant, SmartThings, IFTTT and more) to see how easy each machine is to remote control. Smart washing machines only.
We test each machine with the same stains to see which ones are best at cleaning.
We test with the same sets of clothes for each machine, run through a cycle on our test washing machine, so we can compare energy costs and drying performance between tumble dryers
FAQs
No, the water extracted from clothes goes out of the drain pipe.
Yes, it is compatible with Samsung SmartThings.
