Best Refrigerators in Singapore – Which Fridge Should You Choose?

Refrigerators are pricey, but a must-have in every modern kitchen. A basic top-mount fridge costs at least $500, while larger ones with more features can cost up to more than $5000.

While you may be tempted to go for a cheap refrigerator brand, it pays to invest in a good one from a reputable one to serve your household. If you choose well, your fridge may last you for up to a decade.

The usual considerations when buying a fridge are size, door configuration and price.

Whether you’re looking for a Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Samsung, LG or Hitachi fridge, here are our top 7.

Top 7 refrigerators in Singapore for every budget (2018)

Refrigerator	Capacity	Size	Type	Price
Samsung Fridge RT22FARAD	234L	W555 x H1545 x D637	2-door top freezer	$502
Hitachi Fridge R-H310P7MS	260 L	W600 x H1552 x D663	2-door top freezer	$588
Panasonic Fridge NR-BX468XSS1	450 L	W685 x H1764 x D698	2- door bottom freezer	$929
Mitsubishi Fridge MR-V45EG-ST-P	430 L	W635 x H1788 x D693	3-door top freezer	$1,099
Samsung Fridge RT35K553ASL	362 L	W675x H1715 x D668	2-door top freezer	$1,349
LG Fridge GS-X6011NS	668L	W912 x H1790 x D738	2-door side-by-side	$3,799
Hitachi Fridge R-X670GS	525L	W825 x H1833 x D728	6-door bottom freezer	$5,499

Samsung refrigerator RT22FARAD 2-door fridge ($502)

If your kitchen space isn’t that big, the Samsung RT22FARAD model is a great option. The fridge door can be opened fully at a 90 degree angle, which helps if you just have a small corner to tuck the fridge in. It also comes with a MoistFresh Zone with a perfect-fit design that provides for a tightly sealed drawer, which helps in regulating humidity to keep fruits and vegetables fresh.

The fridge is effortless to open, thanks to a button in the handle that you can push in order to open the fridge effortlessly. Recently the trend for fridges (if there is one) seems to be gearing towards a full-flat angular look, and this fridge boasts such a design at a low price.

Image credit: Samsung

Hitachi refrigerator R-H310P7MS 2-Door fridge ($588)

A new model that has just been launched in 2018, the Hitachi R-H310P7MS 2-door fridge is a basic refrigerator model (260L) that has inverter dual sensing control, which measures temperatures and humidity to manage cooling and heating efficiently. The ice tray is of the movable twist type and it has received 2 ticks for energy rating.

Image credit: Hitachi

Panasonic refrigerator NR-BX468XSS1 bottom freezer fridge ($929)

The Panasonic NR-BX468XSS1 is a mid-sized fridge (450L) with a bottom freezer. Bottom freezers are great if you store many things in the freezer, as it provides full visibility. This prevents food from being hidden (and forgotten), which often happens for top freezers.

This model boasts Prime Freeze technology which freezes food to just -3ºC instead of the usual -18ºC to -20ºC. The food is frozen only enough to keep it fresh without turning them rock hard and affecting their flavour and texture. Defrosting is also unnecessary. Quite a handy thing if you’re the last-minute kind.

AgClean tech inactivates bacterial and mould with silver while the ECONAVI feature helps the fridge regulate its internal temperature based on how often the fridge door is opened and the level of light and temperature in the room.

Its Intelligent Inverter Control helps the refrigerator to save even more energy by varying the power according to the situation. In the day when the fridge is opened and closed more frequently, more power is supplied. In the night, this is reversed.

Image credit: Panasonic

Mitsubishi refrigerator MR-V45EG-ST-P 3-door fridge ($1,099)

The Mitsubishi MR-V45EG-ST-P is a mid-sized 3-door fridge with Multi Airflow Cooling System. Typically, doors are the warmest parts while the back of the fridge near the cooling components are the coldest. The technology distributes cool air evenly to all parts of the fridge so that even the items stored at the doors are just as cold. The freezer is at the top, while the bottom two doors open up to the refrigerator.

The fridge has another great feature: the LED-based Vitamin Factory. It is a world’s first technology that uses the science of photosynthesis to keep the Vitamin C locked into vegetables so they remain fresh and nutritious.

Image credit: Mitsubishi

Samsung refrigerator RT53K6257SL – 2-door fridge ($1,349)

The Samsung RT53K6257SL is a 530L fridge that has the Twin Cooling Plus independent cooling system that maintains optimal temperature and humidity up to 70% throughout the fridge compared to the 30% of conventional top-mount freezers, which seals in the freshness of the food.

The other advantage of the independent cooling system is that it separates the airflow within, preventing smells in the fridge from mingling with food in the freezer and spoiling their taste.

It has five conversion modes. The most interesting ones are the Freezer-Fridge Mode which lets you convert the freezer into a fridge and the Vacation Mode which allows you to switch off the fridge compartment if you’re away on holiday.

It also has a great design feature, the Easy Slide shelf. The shelves within can be pulled out so you can get to the things stored behind without taking out the items in front. Apart from easy access, this also makes organising and storing your food much more convenient.

Samsung backs up the tech in this fridge with a 10-year warranty, which speaks of its durability.

Image credit: Samsung

LG refrigerator GS-X6011NS side-by-side fridge ($3,799)

With the price tag in the high $3000, we have just stepped into the premium category with LG’s Noble Steel Fridge. This LG side-by-side refrigerator has got all the bells and whistles, and then some.

You know how you’re always telling the kiddos to think before they open the fridge because every time you leave the fridge door open you’re wasting energy? Well, this refrigerator solves the problem with its InstaView feature. Tap twice on the fridge door and all its contents are illuminated courtesy of a mirrored glass panel. Thanks to this, up to 42% less cold air is lost and everything stays colder.

This model has an added energy-saving feature – Inverter Linear Compressor – which will save you up to 32% of energy. Another tech it boasts is the Smart ThinQ. With it, you can control and diagnose your fridge with your smart phone. Its HygieneFRESH+™ has a 5-step air filter that removes almost all the bacteria and bad odours.

With a fridge this size at 601L, you will have no trouble storing food for entertaining guests. To help you be the hostess with the mostest, this model even has an ice and water dispenser.

Image credit: LG

Hitachi refrigerator R-X670GS multi-door fridge ($5,499)

And if you need something totally out of the world, the 722L Hitachi R-X670GS is a new model that comes with six multi-doors, or french doors. This is good because you can open one part of the fridge without affecting the other food stored elsewhere.

This particular model has six doors with a vegetable compartment and a vacuum compartment that reduces oxidation to keep fish, meat, dairy and processed products fresh.

Hitachi also has a Frost Recycling Cooling technology where the chilled air from the frost that develops is channelled to the refrigerator and vegetable compartments to cool them instead of being discarded. This recycling of cool air saves energy.

Further saving energy is the Eco Intelligent Control. Choose the Save Mode to lower the cooling power or the Trip Mode for when you’re on vacation to save even more energy. The 3 ticks this fridge has for energy savings is well deserved.

Image credit: Hitachi

How to choose a refrigerator for your family

Size of refrigerator

The size of a refrigerator is usually measured in litres. If you are just living alone or with a spouse, you can go for a very basic refrigerator that’s around 240L in size. However, if you are a family of 4-5 and cook frequently, you may want to go for a larger fridge that is 600L and above. Note that there is a difference between gross capacity and nett capacity. The sizes in this article are gross numbers.

Configurations of fridge doors

• Top freezer refrigerator: Also known as the top-mount fridge, this is one of the more popular types in Singapore as they are affordable and energy-efficient. 

• Bottom freezer refrigerator: Bottom freezer types of fridges gives you more visibility of the things you store in the freezer, which benefits people who use the freezer portion heavily. 

• Side-by-side refrigerator: The door for the freezer and for the fresh food compartment are adjoining. With equal space for the fridge and the freezer, this type of fridge is great for families who require a large freezer space. The downside is that the refrigerator may not fit large platters and the overall width of the refrigerator tends to take up a lot of space as well.

• French door refrigerator: The 2 doors open up to a wide fridge section above and the freezer can be accessed by pulling out the lower drawer. This type of fridge is gaining popularity among large families as the double-door refrigerator at the top offers more storage space.

Price of refrigerators

While each brand sets their own pricing, you will find that electronic stores or online platforms offer discounts and freebies, so do your research.

For electronics and appliances, the Big 4 chains are the go-to places: Harvey Norman, Courts, Best Denki and Gain City. If you buy on the Harvey Norman online store, they waive the GST for some items and immediately, you pay less than elsewhere.

Then, there are the mid-size stores like Audio House, Mega Discount Store and Parisilk, where items can be slightly cheaper than the Big 4. For instance, at Mega Discount Store, the Panasonic fridge costs $939. Harvey Norman is selling the same model at $1,030.

Then there are online options like Lazada and Qoo10. But while they offer cheap prices, they don’t offer in-store guarantees, vouchers and special gifts like brick-and-mortar stores.

Refrigerator technologies

Each brand is known for patented technologies that help to keep your food fresh in the refrigerator. For instance, Panasonic has the ECONAVI, and LG has the HygieneFresh+.

If you’re tech-savvy, you may want a smart refrigerator like the LG Noble Steel, where you can connect it to your smartphone. Some refrigerators can even track expiry dates and tell you when it is running low on food.

Which brand of refrigerator will you buy? Share it with us in the comments below!