Samsung Series 9 DV90T8240SX Review
A smart and gentle tumble dryer
Verdict
A smart tumble dryer, the Samsung Series 9 DV90T8240SX is also very cheap to run.
Pros
- Very easy to use
- Excellent app
- Low power usage
- Clever drying rack
Cons
- Second filter is fiddly to clean
Availability
- UKRRP: £899.99
Key Features
- Drying capacityThis tumble dryer has a 9kg drum, although some drying loads must be run at lower capacities.
- App controlThis tumble dryer works with the Samsung SmartThings app, which gets you more drying programmes and also gives you Alexa and Google Assistant control
Introduction
The Samsung Series 9 DV90T8240SX is a tumble dryer built to be simple to use, efficient and flexible, and it manages to hit all of these goals with ease. One of the cheapest tumble dryers to run, this model is also exceptionally gentle with clothes.
With one of the best smart apps in the business, plus a clever drying rack for shoes and delicates, this is one of the best tumble dryers that you can buy.
Design and features – The Samsung Series 9 DV90T8240SX is super-easy to use and comes with some very smart features
- Stylish front panel makes this easy to use
- Excellent smart app integration
- Clever drying rack
Available in silver or white, the Samsung Series 9 DV90T8240SX follows the same design cues as the WW9800T washing machine. Rather than a clustered and confusing control panel, Samsung has a simple control dial and an LCD screen that displays the programme you’ve selected in English.
This tumble dryer is all about making things easy, so the programmes are named for the type of load you want to run, such as Cottons and Mixed Loads. For each programme, you can select the level of drying required. L2 should do for most loads (cupboard dry), but L3 gets things even dryer.
As well as the standard drying modes, there are some special options for different types of clothes, including Wool, Bedding and a Hygiene Refresh to sanitise clothes and kill bacteria. Just check the manual for the maximum capacity for each type of load, as only the Cotton and Mixed Loads settings are designed to work at the maximum 9kg.
As well as using the control panel, you can hook the Samsung Series 9 DV90T8240SX up to Wi-Fi and use the Samsung SmartThings app. For safety, you can’t remote start the machine unless the door is shut and the remote control option is selected, but SmartThings lets you send a drying programme to the tumble dryer in all cases and it will always show you the current drying status.
The app is handy, since it explains what the drying programmes do in more detail, as well as providing a few more specialist options.
If you have a SmartThings washing machine, you can link it to the tumble dryer, automatically selecting the best drying programme based on the washing programme you’ve run – that’s smart home at its best.
Via SmartThings you can use Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to control the tumble dryer and receive status updates. It’s useful for knowing how much time is left, but that’s about it.
Build quality is what I’ve come to expect from Samsung. There’s a large door for loading, and a handy light inside, so you can see what you’re doing: it’s certainly useful for making sure that you haven’t missed any socks.
The stand-out feature is the optional drying rack that clips into the drum and provides a flat shelf that doesn’t move. You can use this to tumble dry very delicate items or even for drying shoes. It’s something that I haven’t seen before, but could be potentially very useful.
You can hook up the Samsung Series 9 DV90T8240SX to your drain to automatically send water out, or there’s a water tank that pulls out the front, which should be emptied after every load. It’s very easy to fully empty, then you should clean it with detergent.
There are two filters in this machine, too, with reminders of when to clean them. The first sits inside the door and is easy to lift out. The second is under the flap at the front, and slides out.
The latter is a little more fiddly to clean properly, although there’s a handy brush for this job, which sticks to the front of the machine with a rubber sucker.
Performance – The Samsung Series 9 DV90T8240SX is gentle and power-efficient
- Very low running costs
- Dries effectively
- Very gentle on clothes
As you’d expect, this is a heat-pump tumble dryer, built to be exceptionally efficient. While drying times can be slower (on average, you’re looking at around 3hrs 40mins), the sensor inside will adjust the timer and stop the machine sooner once all water has been extracted.
To start with, I used the Cotton Dry option on L2. Here, the tumble dryer used just 0.487kWh of power for the cycle. Impressively, the clothes came out at the same weight as their original dry weight. This machine certainly earns its A+++ rating.
It’s normal for clothes to lose weight in a tumble dryer, losing fibres and blocking the filters. On checking the Samsung’s main filter, I found a lot less clogging than usual. This shows that this tumble dryer is exceptionally gentle.
If you need clothes faster, there’s a Quick Dry 35’ for 1kg of clothes or Super Speed (around an hour) for 3kg of clothes.
To get a level playing field between tumble dryers, I use the energy label figure to work out the average cost per full 9kg load. Here, that works out at just 0.19p.
Next, to assess annual running costs, I first work out the total amount of drying done in the UK per year, assuming 160 loads at high usage (6kg loads, a total of 960kg per year), medium usage (4.5kg loads, 720kg per year) and low usage (3kg loads, 480kg per year).
Assuming the Samsung Series 9 DV90T8240SX is used to full capacity, the number of drying loads per year is less than 160; with high use, the total amount of washing could be done in 106.67 loads. In essence, the larger the tumble dryer, the fewer the number of loads required if used to the max.
Here, then, we get running costs per year of £20.37 (high), £15.28 (medium) and £10.19 (low). That’s exceptionally low costs – and the Samsung Series 9 DV90T8240SX costs even less to run than the excellent Hoover H-DRY 500 ND H10A2TCBER-80, despite the Hoover having a larger 10kg drum that requires fewer loads per year.
Conclusion
The Samsung Series 9 DV90T8240SX certainly isn’t cheap to buy, but that money gets you an exceptional tumble dryer. It’s super-cheap to run, offers an excellent app, a clever drying rack and one of the easiest-to-use interfaces. If you want the best, this is it, but if you want something a bit cheaper, check out my guide to the best tumble dryers.
Best Offers
Should you buy it?
If you’re after the best performance, the lowest running costs and want a tumble dryer that’s gentle on your clothes, then this model is for you. It’s also a great choice if you want something easy to use. If you’re after smart features, then this is also an excellent choice, linking with Samsung washing machines so that the tumble dryer offers the best programme automatically.
If you’re on a budget then the Samsung Series 9 DV90T8240SX isn’t the right choice for you – it’s one of the most expensive tumble dryers on the market.
Verdict
It’s one of the more expensive tumble dryers around, but the Samsung Series 9 DV90T8240SX is also one of the best. Offering super-low running costs and gentle treatment of clothes, performance is exceptional. It even delivers for smart features, connecting to Samsung SmartThings.
FAQs
This tumble dryer has a 9kg drum.
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Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
