7 Best Convertible Refrigerators Buyer’s Guide & Reviews!

Would it not be an incredible idea to use the entire refrigerator as a fridge instead of having dedicated space for a freezer that we rarely use?

Alternatively, should it not be perfect for converting the fridge into a freezer to maintain the freshness of our food items when we go on a short vacation?

It is a possibility today with the introduction of convertible refrigerators that allow you to both the things mentioned above and much more.

Best Convertible Refrigerator

1. Samsung 324L 2-star Inverter Frost Free Double Door Refrigerator – RT34M5538S8/HL

Samsung is the pathfinder when it comes to manufacturing convertible refrigerators. These appliances come with superb features that allow you to use the fridge as a freezer and vice versa.

• Capacity – 324 litres
• Star Rating – 2-Star
• Compressor – Digital Inverter Compressor
• Convertible – 5-in-1 convertible refrigerator

Until 2019, this refrigerator had a 3-star rating, but BEE decided to drop its ratings by one level in all the 2020 models. Thus, it has a 2-star rating. However, it is equivalent to a 2019 3-star model.

This refrigerator is a 5-in-1 convertible appliance that can work in five different modes, depending on your cooling demands.

The Normal mode is the default mode with the standard fridge and freezer compartment. The seasonal mode allows you to switch off the freezer and use the fridge compartment alone because you might not need ice during the winter months.

At the same time, you do not use the fridge when you embark on a vacation. The vacation mode enables you to shift your food items to the freezer and let it function while switching off the fridge portion.

The Extra fridge provides the option to use the entire refrigerator as a fridge, thereby increasing the storage space. The Home Alone feature enables you to switch off the fridge area and use the freezer as a refrigerator. You end up saving power in every mode.

Besides the 5-in-1 modes, this refrigerator works as a regular appliance. The digital inverter compressor adjusts its functioning speed according to your demands, thereby saving power.

One of the highlights of this appliance is that it connects to your domestic inverter, whereby you can use the refrigerator during power cuts.

There is no need for an external stabiliser, as the in-built stabiliser can protect the appliance from voltage fluctuations. The door alarm is an innovative feature where the refrigerator alerts you when the door is not closed correctly.

This refrigerator comes with a unique twin cooling feature where the freezer and the fridge portions have independent cooling mechanisms.

The Power Freeze option allows you to make ice 31% faster than the other appliances. Similarly, the Power Cool feature blows cold air 31% faster to cool the fridge compartment quickly. Some of the exciting features include a movable ice maker, a big bottle guard, a toughened glass shelves.

Pros

• The 5-in-1 convertible feature is the highlight.
• Digital inverter compressor saves power.
• Ample storage in the freezer and fridge compartments
• Excellent performance

Cons

• The door has only one big bottle shelf.

2. Whirlpool 340L 3-Star Inverter Frost Free Double Door Refrigerator – Intellifresh INV CNV 355 3S

Though Samsung is the first manufacturer to introduce the convertible refrigerators, other manufacturers like Whirlpool have followed suit. This model is a 5-in1 model similar to the Samsung model discussed above in many ways.

• Capacity – 340 litres
• Star Rating – 3-star
• Compressor – Intellisense Inverter compressor
• Convertible – 5-in-1 convertible refrigerator

Convertible refrigerators are the most popular today with many people preferring them to the standard models. This appliance offers five different modes powered by Adaptive Intelligence.

The All-season mode saves you power by allowing you to switch off the freezer mode and use the fridge compartment alone. The chef mode allows optimum temperature settings to save 23% energy.

The dessert mode ensures that the freezer gets more cooling power to enable the making of dessert items like fruit shakes and ice creams. The Party mode speeds up the cooling in both the fridge and freezer compartments to meet your catering demands.

The Deep Freeze mode is the ideal one to have when you embark on a vacation.

The Whirlpool appliance uses adaptive intelligence and adjusts the inverter speed, accordingly, depending on the load, weather conditions, and your usage patterns.

The Zeolite technology prevents excessive ripening of fruits and vegetables and ensuring garden-like freshness for 15 days. Microblock technology uses a unique anti-microbial additive to prevent up to 99% bacterial growth.

The Freshflow Air Towers with flexi vents ensure uniform distribution of air and thereby, long-lasting freshness.

This refrigerator connects to the home inverter to ensure that it functions 24×7 even during power cuts. Some of the other features include the provision of honeycomb moisture lock crisper cover to maintain the freshness of vegetables and fruits. Similarly, the freshonizer reduces oxidation and sustains the freshness.

Pros

• Excellent cooling performance
• The 5-in-1 feature is an innovative one.
• Makes the least noise

Cons

• No provision available to lock the fridge

3. LG 308L 2-Star Inverter Linear Frost-Free Double Door Refrigerator – GL-T322RPZU

LG maintains a fierce business rivalry with Samsung. When Samsung has come up with a convertible refrigerator, LG should follow suit with its model. This convertible refrigerator might not have the same features as the Samsung model, but it does come with exciting features.

• Capacity – 308 litres
• Star Rating – 2-star
• Compressor – Linear inverter
• Convertible – Dual fridge

LG has always aimed for excellence in delivering customer satisfaction. This refrigerator model is not different as it comes with revolutionary concepts like convertibility and door cooling features.

The highlight of this refrigerator is the convertible feature where you have the option of using the appliance in two modes. One is the standard mode with the regular freezer and the fridge compartments.

The other option is to combine the freezer and fridge portions into one appliance by switching off the freezer and using it as a fridge, as well.

Vegetarians love this mode because they do not use the freezer for anything other than making ice. They can switch over to this mode in winters and make optimum use of refrigerator space.

LG offers the fastest time for the conversion to take place from one mode to another. A one-touch option allows you to switch to the fridge mode within an hour.

This LG refrigerator comes with an inverter linear compressor that can keep your food fresh for up to 14 days. This technology delivers precise temperature control and helps to reduce internal temperature fluctuations.

Thus, you save up to 51% energy while the refrigerator makes 25% less noise.

The door cooling technology is an innovative one, as it helps maintain the cooling even when the door is frequently opened and closed. The door shelves are large enough to hold adequate 2L bottles.

The toughened glass shelves are capable of bearing the weight of heavy utensils, thereby enhancing its utility. The adjustable shelves allow you to create additional space to store more food items when necessary.

The Moist-n-Fresh feature keeps your vegetables fresh as it comes with a lattice-patterned box cover to maintain optimum moisture.

Pros

• The convertible option is an excellent one.
• The dual vents help in keeping the refrigerator fresh.
• A door alarm feature is a useful option.

Cons

• There is no light in the freezer portion.
• The vegetable and fruit basket cover does not bear the weight of heavy fruits like watermelons

4. Whirlpool 292L 3-Star Inverter Frost-free Double Door Refrigerator – Intellifresh INV CNV 305 3S

Whirlpool is gaining ground and proving to be an ideal competitor to the reputed Indian manufacturers like LG and Samsung. This convertible refrigerator is one of the better models from Whirlpool.

• Capacity – 292 litres
• Energy Rating – 3-Star
• Inverter – Intellisense Inverter Compressor
• Convertible – Yes

Whirlpool has introduced the concept of Adaptive Intelligence that analyses data continuously to ensure optimum cooling. The data includes the load factor, weather conditions, and usage patterns.

The Intellisense Inverter Compressor uses this data to vary its speeds, thereby reducing energy consumption and ensuring superior performances.

This Whirlpool refrigerator is similar to the Samsung 5-in-1 convertible appliance in many respects. It features an All-season mode where you switch off the freezer and use the fridge compartment alone.

The Chef mode allows you to save up to 23% power, thereby enhancing the efficiency. You can improve the freezer’s cooling performance in the dessert mode to prepare ice creams faster. Similarly, enhancing the entire appliance’s cooling performance allows it to perform better in the party mode.

The Deep Freeze Mode enables you to shut off the fridge and shift all your food items to the freezer, especially when you embark on a short vacation.

This appliance guarantees garden-like freshness for up to 15 days because the advanced Zeolite Technology prevents excess ripening of vegetables and fruits.

The Microblock technology eliminates bacterial contamination by 99%, whereas Freshflow Air Tower feature with flexi vents ensures uniform cooling throughout the fridge.

The Freshonizer and honeycomb moisture lock crisper cover help to keep out the odour and moisture out, thereby sustaining the freshness of the contents. The compatibility with the home inverter system enhances the overall value of this refrigerator.

Pros

• The 5-in-1 convertible feature is a revolutionary one.
• Maintains excellent freshness of vegetables and fruits
• Incredible performance

Cons

• No inbuilt stabiliser

5. LG 260L 3-Star Inverter Linear Frost-free Double Door Refrigerator – GL-T292RASN

LG refrigerators are some of the most popular models in India because of their high-quality features and their customer-friendliness. Besides, this refrigerator is convertible. It helps to save energy while enhancing the utility factor.

• Capacity – 260 litres, suitable for the average Indian family
• Energy Rating – 3-star rating
• Compressor – Inverter Linear compressor
• Convertible – Yes

LG refrigerators come with linear cooling technology that can keep the food fresh for up to 14 days. With this technology, there is a reduction in the temperature gap between the various portions of the appliance. It helps to sustain the freshness for up to 14 days comfortably.

The Inverter linear compressor is an innovative feature that delivers precise temperature control, thereby helping to reduce internal temperature fluctuations. Thus, it saves up to 51% energy and reduces noise by 25%. Such refrigerators last for extended periods, even up to 20 years.

LG has developed a unique cooling technology, Door Cooling, to provide uniform airflow and to cool to the front portion of the fridge. Thus it enhances overall cooling even if you open the door frequently.

This refrigerator connects to the home inverter, whereby the appliance works 24×7, even in times of power cuts. The smart diagnosis feature is another highlight of this appliance. It helps to diagnose any problem and resolve them quickly.

The most significant highlight of this refrigerator is the convertible nature of the appliance. This feature allows you to switch off the freezer and use the entire refrigerator as a fridge compartment, thereby enhancing storage space and saving power.

This LG refrigerator comes with other exciting features like adequate storage space for 2-litre bottles. The unique lattice-type fruit/vegetable box cover maintains the freshness by preventing excess moisture from forming on the vegetables and fruits.

Pros

• Excellent cooling performance
• Smart diagnosis is an incredible feature
• The convertible feature saves power while enhancing storage space.

Cons

• The refrigerator’s sides tend to become hot.

6. Whirlpool 265L 3-Star Inverter Frost-free Double Door Refrigerator – Intellifresh INV CNV 278 3S

BEE has decided to revise the 2019 star ratings by reducing it by one level in 2020. Therefore, this Whirlpool refrigerator ranks as a 3-star appliance, whereas it is equivalent to a 4-star rating as per the 2019 standards. Nevertheless, the performance of this refrigerator is something that makes it stand out among the crowd.

• Capacity – 265 litres, ideal for the average Indian family of three to four persons
• Energy Rating – 3-star
• Compressor – Intellisense Inverter Compressor
• Convertible – 5-in-1

Whirlpool introduces Intellifresh technology in this convertible freezer. It comprises five modes that ensure better consumer experience while saving power at the same time.

The All-Season mode is useful for all because it eliminates the use of the freezer and entails the usage of the entire appliance like a fridge. Therefore, you have higher storage while saving power.

The Chef mode is a variant of the All-season mode as it does not make use of the freezer compartment at all, thereby saving 23% energy. The Dessert Mode is the ideal one for preparing ice creams quickly, as you concentrate more on the freezer compartment.

The Party mode is similar, but it involves focusing more power throughout the appliance to enhance cooling.

The Deep Freeze is the best for saving energy, as it entails shutting down the fridge compartment entirely. You shift your food items to the freezer box to ensure the freshness of the food items, especially if you go on short vacations.

The Intellisense Inverter technology adapts to your changing demands and weather conditions to decide the compressor working speed. Thus, it saves considerable power. Besides, this compressor is capable of working on your home inverter, whereby you can access your fridge 24×7, even during power cuts.

Besides the convertible nature, this Whirlpool refrigerator comes with different technologies like Zeolite technology to prevent excessive ripening of fruits.

Microblock technology does not allow bacteria contamination to maintain absolute hygiene. The Freshflow Air Tower feature ensures uniform cooling throughout the refrigerator.

Other features include the provision of honeycomb moisture lock crisper cover and Freshonizer to maintain the freshness of vegetables and fruits stored in the vegetable box.

Pros

• Incredible inverter compressor that saves power
• Excellent convertibility to suit your demands
• Overall fantastic performance

Cons

• Does not feature an inbuilt stabiliser
• The width of the fridge is less, thereby reducing storage space.

Convertible Refrigerator Buying Guide

No one needs any introduction to refrigerators. You have these appliances coming in various sizes starting with the mini-fridges to the large French door refrigerators with three or even more doors.

In between, you have the single-door, double-door, and the side-by-side refrigerators. There are variants like the bottom-mounted freezer compartments, as well.

Technology has improved over the years where you can interchange the functions of the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment, depending on your requirements.

Such an arrangement has given birth to a new category of refrigerators known as ‘Convertible Refrigerators.’

Let us discuss the concept of convertible refrigerators, see how it evolved and understand its working in this buying guide.

Convertible Refrigerators – The History behind it

Today, convertible refrigerators are the toast of the town. Almost all the reputed manufactures like Samsung, LG, and Haier manufacture and market convertible refrigerators as innovative products.

Yes, innovative they are, but the credit of introducing this revolutionary concept goes to Samsung.

Samsung introduced convertible fridges around two years back when they come up with an impressive idea of interchanging the uses of the fridge and freezer compartment to suit the immediate needs of the consumer.

They named it the 5-in-1 convertible refrigerator. Haier and LG followed soon after with their versions of this module. We shall discuss these three products in detail to understand its working.

The Convertible Refrigerators – How does the idea work?

Everyone knows that a refrigerator comprises of two compartments, the fridge part, and the freezer portion.

The fridge is the primary component of a refrigerator where the temperature is maintained in the range of 2⁰C to 5⁰C.

The freezer is the smaller compartment of the two, where the temperature is maintained between -15⁰C and -23⁰C.

The idea behind the convertible refrigerator is to control these two compartments and use them interchangeably, depending on the user’s specific requirements.

For example, this technology allows you to switch off the freezer entirely and use the entire refrigerator as a fridge. Similarly, you can also switch off the fridge portion and use either a part of the appliance or the whole machine as a freezer.

The trick lies in having separate sets of fans and evaporators, one for the fridge and another for the freezer. As you have two distinct hardware, it becomes possible to control them independently.

Activating the conversion process is easy. The convertible refrigerators come with a simple push-button type arrangement that one can use to switch between the two different modes.

However, one should note that the switchover does not happen instantaneously. LG convertible refrigerators take around one hour for the conversion, whereas the pioneer in this field, Samsung takes about a couple of hours.

We shall discuss the different types of convertible refrigerator technologies, depending on the brand.

Samsung – 5-in-1 Convertible Refrigerator

As the name suggests, this Samsung refrigerator comes in five different modes that you can activate at any time, depending on your preferences.

Samsung 3-in-1 Convertible Refrigerator

The name 3-in-1 is a misnomer because this convertible refrigerator has only two modes, the Normal Mode, and the Extra Fridge Mode.

We have explained the significance of these two modes in the above section. In all other parameters, these fridges are similar to convertible refrigerators from different brands like Whirlpool and LG, to name a few.

LG – Dual Fridge

Business rivalry makes LG come up with competitive products to match those offered by Samsung. The Dual Fridge is an attempt in this direction.

However, this refrigerator does not match up to the versatility shown by Samsung 5-in-1 convertible models. Nevertheless, the LG model scores over the Samsung offering by ensuring a faster conversion time between mode switching.

LG Dual Fridge is similar to the Samsung 3-in-1 convertible refrigerator that comes in two modes, the normal mode, and the freezer converted to a fridge to increase storage space.

While Samsung enhances space by nearly 88%, the LG Dual Fridge enhances space up to 40%.

LG Dual Fridge takes around one hour for converting from one mode to the other, whereas the Samsung model takes two hours.

Haier 8-in-1 Convertible Refrigerator

Haier is one of the reputed international consumer appliances manufacturers who has introduced an 8-in-1 convertible refrigerator that has three modes more than what Samsung offers in its flagship model.

Whirlpool 5-in-1 Convertible Refrigerator

Many Indian homemakers prefer Whirlpool appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines. Whirlpool has introduced various smart systems in their refrigerator models, one of which is the Intellifresh technology. The 5-in-1 convertible appliance features the following modes.

Though Samsung is the pioneer in this field and has introduced one of the best products in the category, LG convertible refrigerators take the least time for conversion from one mode to the other.

We round off this discussion by stating that the convertible nature of the fridge is an additional feature. All these refrigerators can perform their standard functions by default.

People who love to experiment with their appliances can purchase the convertible refrigerators, depending on their requirements. This technology has proved to be a revolutionary concept.