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LG's newest fridges turn translucent when you knock

LG's new "InstaView" refrigerators turn translucent when you knock on the door.

Ry Crist Senior Editor / Reviews - Labs
Originally hailing from Troy, Ohio, Ry Crist is a writer, a text-based adventure connoisseur, a lover of terrible movies and an enthusiastic yet mediocre cook. A CNET editor since 2013, Ry's beats include smart home tech, lighting, appliances, broadband and home networking.
Expertise Smart home technology and wireless connectivity Credentials
  • 10 years product testing experience with the CNET Home team
Ry Crist
2 min read
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Knock twice on that right door, and it'll turn translucent to show you the groceries inside.

LG

Want to know what's in the fridge? With the newest models from LG, you won't even need to open the door.

They're called "InstaView" refrigerators -- they're French door models with translucent panels over the right fridge door. Give that panel a double knock, and the tinted glass will fade translucent, allowing you to see inside without letting the cold air out. The four-door model seen here will sell for a cool $4,500 when it arrives on retail floors, though you'll also be able to buy a three-door model without the extra drawer for $4,300.

All InstaView models come with a black stainless steel finish and also with LG's Door-in-Door feature, which lets you push a button on the door handle to open the door's front panel. That lets you access the in-door shelves without actually opening the fridge.

LG

LG makes a lot of other Door-in-Door fridges, including models that look virtually identical to these new ones. An equally-sized, black stainless steel four-door model without the InstaView feature retails for $4,200, so you're looking at a $300 upcharge for that translucent door.

As for see-through fridges themselves, they've been in the works for a while now. We spotted our first one, a motion-sensing model from Haier, at the 2015 IFA appliances trade show in Berlin, Germany. Then, at CES 2016 in January, LG debuted its "Signature" refrigerator, a luxury model with the same knock-to-see-inside trick seen here. That fridge is still yet to debut, though we expect to see it sometime before the end of this year.

LG's InstaView fridges are expected to arrive at retail this fall. Both the three- and four-door models will come in both standard-depth and -counter-depth varieties. Expect a full review just as soon as we can get one into our fridge testing lab.