Pros
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Near-perfect temperatures
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Through-the-door dispenser
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Smart connectivity
Cons
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Less storage space than average
Bosch brand appliances generally respect subtle touches, and the B36CD50SNS is no different. At a glance, the average viewer may not notice much of a difference between the B36CD50SNS and any other French-door refrigerator. But, Bosch has engineered the counter-depth B36CD50SNS to sit flush when installed, hides the fridge's hinges and feet, and offers a stainless steel interior. You don't typically see these design flourishes, and they definitely add to the fridge’s overall aesthetic.
Everything about this fridge seems deliberate and thoughtful, from its fingerprint-resistant exterior to how its replaceable filter takes up a minimum of space, to its gorgeous and responsive touch controls.
Unfortunately, Bosch overlooked two minor yet standard details that we would expect to see in a high-end fridge: shelf spill capture and build quality of interior crisper and deli drawers.
As far as performance, the crispers did well in our tests; as for usability, there seems to be some lacking care as they feel like they’re made of cheap plastic and don’t slide particularly well.
About the Bosch B36CD50SNS refrigerator
The B36CD50SNS has a stainless steel back wall, which gives the fridge an interesting, high-class, industrial vibe.
- Dimensions: 69.5" x 35.63" x 31.13" (H x W x D)
- Measured capacity: 10.68-cubic-foot refrigerator compartment, 3.82-cubic-foot freezer compartment
- Finishes: Stainless steel (fingerprint resistant)
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Dispensers: Through-the-door filtered water and crescent/crushed ice
- User manual: Bosch B36CD50SNS refrigerator manual
What we like
When it comes to temperature, it performs like a pro
The Bosch B36CD50SNS's touch controls sit at the top center of the fridge and activate with a light touch.
While it may not seem like it at first glance, fridges actually have a pretty hard job to do. They need to maintain a steady, narrow band of temperatures—8°F to be precise. If temperatures fall below 32°F, food in the fridge can freeze; anything above 40°F will let bacteria proliferate much more rapidly. Keep in mind you’ll be opening the door every so often, which lets cold air escape.
Despite these strictures, Bosch B36CD50SNS offers rock-solid temperature control; its average temperature measures at 38°F and varies by less than 1°F in either direction.
Its freezer temperatures also tested near perfect, maintaining a temperature just below 0°F and never wavering by more than a fraction of a degree. Stable freezer temperatures like this are important, because inconsistency is what leads to freezer burn.
It's enabled with Bosch Home Connect
Bosch has enabled this fridge with its trademark Home Connect platform, which allows you to remotely monitor and control your fridge from your smartphone or tablet.
You can use the app to regulate the fridge’s temperatures, adjust its lighting, or run diagnostics. One of Home Connect's more useful features is its ability to send you a push notification if your fridge door isn't quite closed. If you’ve ever gone down for a midnight snack, only to see a sliver of light on your kitchen floor from an unexpectedly ajar fridge door, you already know the value of this feature.
The ice and water dispenser is next level
It looks like a typical through-the-door dispenser, but there's some interesting innovations underneath. For starters, Bosch ensures you'll never go without ice with its brand new QuickIcePro system, even when demand is high. Bosch says this system can churn out about 40 glasses worth of ice—or about 12 pounds—every day. We tested this feature in our lab, and found it was able to keep up with the promised pace. At this rate, the B36CD50SNS should produce more than enough for daily use and should even accommodate larger gatherings.
The filtered water dispenser also has some tricks up its sleeve: It can remember the size of your most commonly used glasses or vessels, allowing for fast, hands-free fill-ups without any spillage. That's in addition to reducing water-borne sediments by up to 99.9%.
Note: In one test on the cubed ice setting, we found after a few hours it started dispensing crushed ice instead of full cubes. We have since retested on a new fridge (same model) and were unable to replicate this behavior: The B36CD50SNS produced cubed ice every 36 minutes for 8 hours with no anomalies.
What we don’t like
There is less storage space for food than we expect
The freezer drawer has about 3.82 cubic feet of usable storage space, which is enough for most users.
The average French-door refrigerator has 11.19 cubic feet of storage space in its fridge compartment and 4.69 cubic feet in its freezer. Bosch's B36CD50SNS compares with 10.68 cubic feet in the fridge and 3.82 cubic feet in the freezer.
To help provide a sense of scale, this Bosch is short on space that's equal to one half the size of a bulk bag of gas station ice in volume, and about 80% of one ice bag in the freezer.
This is definitely not a dealbreaker unless capacity is one of your main concerns. If you're interested in other, more spacious options, check out the LG LRMVS3006S, another high-end option.
What owners are saying
The B36CD50SNS's door bins can be reslotted to just about any height.
Owners of this fridge are generally positive, awarding it an average of 4.4 out of 5 stars across major retailers.
Positive reviews focus on its sleek design, how its interior maximizes usable space, and customizability.
Negative reviews focus around different usability hardships. Several reviewers found the deli drawer to be too shallow for their storage needs. Others found the bins didn’t have tall enough walls, leading some products to tip over if the door was opened too quickly. While both complaints had several users posting about it, we didn’t run into either issue during our testing.
Warranty
Bosch’s warranty covers this fridge for up to one year for parts and service. This is the baseline warranty offered in this product category. Some manufacturers, like Samsung or LG offer up to ten years of coverage on select parts.
Should you buy the Bosch B36CD50SNS fridge?
Yes.
This fridge has just about every feature you could want and absolutely impeccable performance. Compared to other fridges we’ve reviewed, it’s currently coming in at #2 and is one of the best refrigerators that we've ever tested.
If you want a few other options to consider, our #1 fridge, the Frigidaire Gallery FG4H2272UF, is roughly the same (hefty) price and has a built-in flex drawer. The LG LRMVS3006S has many of the same features and similar performance, but can also make spherical ice cubes.
Related content
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The Best French-door Refrigerators Under $2,000 of 2023
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Meet the testers
Mark Brezinski works on the Home Team, reviewing refrigerators, minifridges, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, air purifiers, and fans.
Jonathan Chan currently serves as the Lab Manager at Reviewed. If you clean with it, it's likely that Jon oversees its testing. Since joining the Reviewed in 2012, Jon has helped launch the company's efforts in reviewing laptops, vacuums, and outdoor gear. He thinks he's a pretty big deal. In the pursuit of data, he's plunged his hands into freezing cold water, consented to be literally dragged through the mud, and watched paint dry. Jon demands you have a nice day.
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