Samsung WF50A8600AV Front-load Washing Machine Review

The Samsung WF50A8600AV features a sleek and compact design. It doesn’t have a back panel, instead placing its controls on the front of the device, which makes it easy to stack it with a matching dryer, if that’s your goal. These digital controls may take some getting used to—they’re a little different than a typical layout, but they are intuitive to use.

To the left of the controls, in a small drawer, you can find the detergent box. Its interior is one of the Microban-treated surfaces.

Opening the door reveals the machine’s spacious 5-cubic-foot drum, which has three narrow fins to help tumble laundry.

The machine also has smart features via the Samsung’s SmartThings platform, which allows for smart assistant integration, remote control, and notifications. If you buy the paired dryer—the Samsung DVE50A8600V—and stack the two, you can control the dryer via the washer’s control panel.

About the Samsung WF50A8600AV

• Dimensions: 38.7" x 27" x 33.5" (H x W x D)
• Capacity: 5.0 cubic feet
• Finishes: Brushed black, ivory
• Cycles: Normal, Heavy Duty, Super Speed, Small Load, Delicates, Steam Whites, Steam Sanitize, Steam Normal, Towels, Bedding, Outdoor, Activewear, Denim, Wool, Colors, Eco Press, Eco Cold, Steam Bulky, Steam Allergen, Power Steam, Power Rinse, Spin Only, Rinse+Spin, Self Clean+
• Cycle options: Five temperature settings, five fill settings, five soil settings
• Special features: MultiControl, Self Clean+, Vibration Reduction Technology+, Swirl+ Drum Interior, CleanGuard antimicrobial technology, AI-powered Smart Dial
• Matching dryer: Samsung DVE50A8600V
• User manual: Samsung WF50A8600AV front-load washer manual

What we like

It has better than average cleaning power, and steam features offer sanitization and wrinkle control

Compared to the average front-load washer, the Samsung WF50A8600AV manages to come out slightly ahead on just about every cycle we tested.

If you were to wash two identical shirts in both the Samsung WF50A8600AV and the average front-loader, over time, your shirt will appear a lot brighter after repeated cycles in the Samsung washer. However, if compared side by side after just one wash it would be difficult to spot any difference of dinginess.

Ultimately, the level of clean offered by the WF50A8600AV leads to a longer lifespan for your clothes.

Additionally, the WF50A8600AV offers a slew of steam features. These can help sanitize particularly dirty loads of laundry by allowing the washer to reach temperatures of 152°F.

Normally in testing, we typically ding washers and dryers for going over 150°F (a temperature hot enough to increase wear and tear by drying fabrics out and causing them to become brittle), but not in a case where steam is involved. Interjecting steam into the equation removes the potential for such damage.

Steam can also help remove wrinkles without needing to break out an ironing board.

It has a large drum that’s nice for bigger families

The Samsung WF50A8600AV has a roomy, 5-cubic-foot drum that those with a lot of laundry will love.

Whereas most washers have a drum with an approximate 4-cubic-foot capacity—meaning it accommodates 20% less laundry per cycle—a larger drum means you can get more laundry done in fewer loads. This can dramatically increase how much you can wash and reduce how often you need to run a cycle.

Cycle time in general is short, and some spin cycles outperform

When it comes to cycle times over all, faster wash cycles are good for several reasons. Doing loads in less time means less time in the laundry room, less wear and tear damage, less energy expenditure, and less time waiting.

It also means getting a complete wash and dry cycle done faster, which can be important for those rare moments where you need to get some laundry washed at the last minute.

On both its Normal and Super Speed Wash cycles, the Samsung WF50A8600AV managed to finish faster than the average washer. Its Normal cycle finished in 49 minutes, and its Super Speed Wash was done in just 26 minutes, both of which finished 4.5 minutes faster than the average washer.

While saving about 5 minutes per cycle isn’t a huge difference for any given wash, that reduction in time, energy, and wear and tear damage will add up the longer you own the machine.

Within a typical load cycle, the Samsung WF50A8600AV’s spin cycles managed to outperform the average front-loader in our lab tests, albeit by small margins.

The spin cycles for Heavy Duty and Super Speed Wash got out 7.1% and 4.7% more water. We also want to call out the Super Speed Wash quick cycle for both outperforming the average quick wash cycle and also finishing in washing a full load in just 26 minutes. That’s five and a half minutes faster than average.

The reason spin cycles are important is because they are significantly more energy efficient when removing water from fabric than your dryer. That means that any slack with a spin cycle is going to make your dryer work overtime and can potentially result in needing to run multiple drying cycles. This leads to wasted time, electricity, and money. All this extra work also reduces the lifespan of your dryer more quickly.

Antimicrobial technology protects high-touch areas

Need more sanitization? Similar to flex drawers in fridges or third racks in dishwashers, antimicrobial coating looks to be a feature making its way into more and more appliances recently.

The Samsung WF50A8600AV’s CleanGuard antimicrobial technology helps protect high-touch areas, such as the controls, detergent tray, and interior gasket to help reduce the spread of pathogens and keep unwanted smells from developing.

Considering mildewy gaskets were one of the endemic issues of early front-loaders (and everyone’s increased awareness of germs), we’re happy this feature is becoming more commonplace.

Smart features make doing laundry easier

On this Samsung washer, you’ll gain access to the SmartThings app, which allows users to control the device remotely and sends users notifications when a cycle is complete.

One newer feature is Self Clean+, which notifies you every 40 wash cycles that the drum itself needs cleaning. This is important to do regularly to prevent the buildup of smells and maximize the lifespan of the interior gasket.

On the machine itself, rather than the app, the AI-powered Smart Dial learns and recommends your favorite wash cycles based on your past preferences and usage.

It’s easier to load for people with back problems

Samsung also provides risers for its washer and dryers that allow them to be ADA compliant. These enable easier loading for those in wheelchairs or who may otherwise have difficulty stooping down to load the machine.

You can control a matching dryer from this washer when stacked

Once stacked with its matching dryer, the WF50A8600AV enables its MultiControl feature. This allows you to operate the dryer right from your washer when the two are stacked. Considering the controls would otherwise be about six feet high, this is another great accessibility feature.

It operates quietly

Did your old washing machine sound like the Telltale Heart beating audibly through your laundry room walls? Not this one. The Samsung WF50A8600AV’s Vibration Reduction Technology+ ensures quiet operation from wash to spin.

The last washer we reviewed was noisy in a uniquely distracting way, so our team of testers was relieved by the WF50A8600AV’s nearly-silent cycles.

What we don’t like

It’s much less gentle than other washers, but practically speaking, this is negligible

To test how much stress a washer puts on clothes, we use swatches of fabrics called mechanical action strips that have a large hole punched out of the center. After the machine achieves a complete wash, we count the number of threads that were pulled loose from the swatch, to see just how much stress those threads were under.

The average front-load washer pulled about 51 threads free on its normal cycle and about 30 on its delicates cycle. The Samsung WF50A8600AV pulled about 63 threads free on Normal and 56 on Delicates.

This means its normal cycle is about 20% rougher on clothes than average, while its Delicates cycle is 46% rougher than its average equivalent, meaning it is actually less “delicate” than most other washers’ normal cycles.

How significant these results are will depend on how delicate your laundry tends to be. If you don’t tend to use the delicates cycle much, this is a minor issue.

If you rely on your delicates cycle, we recommend looking elsewhere: Both the GE GFW148SSM0WW and Maytag MVWP576KW are significantly more gentle on laundry.

What owners are saying

Owners of the Samsung WF50A8600AV seem to be happy with their purchase overall, awarding it 4.4 out of 5 stars across major retailers.

The most common points of praise in these reviews include the appliance’s aesthetics, quiet operation, large drum, cycle customization options, and antimicrobial coating.

Those who don’t like this washer find it confusing to operate, preferring a traditional cycle-selection dial.

There are also a lot of complaints about the end-of-cycle tune that this machine plays, which “cannot be turned off.” The chime is about 15 seconds long and incredibly loud, so we do see why users would want to skip it. Fortunately, you can: There’s a hidden menu you can access by holding the Options button for 3 seconds that allows you to toggle it off.

Warranty

Samsung features one of the more robust warranties in the industry. The standard warranty is a single year for parts and labor. Samsung goes above and beyond this by additionally guaranteeing the stainless steel tub for up to three years and the digital inverter motor for up to 20 years (providing you purchased the device after July 1, 2022).

Those who purchase the WF50A8600AV (or, really, any Samsung appliance) can feel secure in their investment.

Should you buy the Samsung WF50A8600AV?

Yes—This is one of the best front-loaders you can buy

The Samsung WF50A8600AV is an excellent washer, not for any one aspect specifically, but rather by doing almost everything a little bit better than other washers. It has solid stain-scrubbing power, an effective spin cycle, relatively fast cycle times, a huge wash drum, and a ton of helpful extra features like its antimicrobial coating.

When it comes to downsides, this washer doesn’t have many. Its cycles are much rougher than average, but the degree to which that will affect you will largely depend on your wardrobe.

The only other downside is the WF50A8600AV’s price tag, which currently rings in at just over $1,300. When we initially brought this model in for review, it was available at a sale price of $899. If the former price fits into your budget, and you don’t have many delicates, we think the Samsung WF50A8600AV is a great option that you’ll be happy with.

At that sale price, however, this washer is an absolute steal—if you don’t need to buy your washer immediately, we recommend waiting to see if the WF50A8600AV’s gets discounted this deeply again.

We also recommend checking out the Electrolux ELFW7637AT, which lacks some of the WF50A8600AV’s features but does offer a high-quality clean for a lower price.

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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.