The LG LRFS28XBS is a mid-range standard-depth 36" French door refrigerator. It features a slim in-door ice maker and water dispenser to maximize interior space, along with Wi-Fi connectivity so you can check or change temperature settings through your smartphone. The fridge cabinet features four movable shelves, along with a full-width pantry drawer.
We've tested over 35 refrigerators. We purchase ourselves each unit independently from major retailers, just like you, to keep our reviews free of brand influence. Each refrigerator undergoes the same tests to measure objective metrics such as temperature uniformity, ice making, produce preservation, parts availability, and actual storage capacity, so you can easily compare results.
Our Verdict
The LG LRFS28XBS is a good fridge for day-to-day use. There's enough room in the fridge and freezer compartments for bulk grocery runs and avid home cooks. It also does a fantastic job of maintaining consistent temperatures throughout both cabinets, so you don't have to be too particular when unpacking your groceries. This unit's main weakness is its mediocre produce preservation performance: the air in the fridge cabinet is dry, which wilts fresh produce relatively quickly. While its in-door ice maker and water dispenser are smaller than those of many other alternatives, it's worth pointing out that this system has more failure points than an in-freezer setup.
Main fridge compartment is deep and wide.
In-door ice maker is more compact than more conventional alternatives.
Fridge temperatures are highly uniform.
Exceptionally consistent freezer temperatures.
Deep lower freezer bins.
Dry fridge cabinet environment results in faster wilting for fresh produce.
In-door water and ice dispenser introduces a multitude of potential failure points.
Upper freezer shelf is rather shallow.
The LG LRFS28XBS' produce preservation performance is mediocre. Its single-evaporator design results in cold, dry air being shared across the freezer and fridge cabinet. This generates a low-moisture environment inside the fridge, and produce with a high water content, such as spinach or lettuce, will wilt relatively quickly, even when stored inside the crisper drawers.
Dry fridge cabinet environment results in faster wilting for fresh produce.
The LG LRFS28XBS has an amazingly spacious fridge cabinet. The space is deep and wide, and can be configured in a multitude of ways thanks to its four split shelves. Its in-door ice maker also features a slimmer, more compact design than most conventional in-door systems, and space within its door bins is still sufficient to fit things like milk cartons or condiment jars.
Main fridge compartment is deep and wide.
In-door ice maker is more compact than more conventional alternatives.
The LG LRFS28XBS has a good amount of freezer space. The upper drawer is somewhat shallow, but still generally sufficient for smaller boxes or bags of frozen foods, while the deep lower bins can accommodate bulkier items like trays of frozen lasagna or family-sized packages of fish or chicken.
Deep lower freezer bins.
Upper freezer shelf is rather shallow.
The LG LRFS28XBS' temperature uniformity performance is exceptional. In the fridge, there's very little difference from the top to the bottom shelf, and its bottom-facing vent at the top of the cabinet helps distribute cold air across the door bins, which is traditionally a point of inconsistency with many other fridges. As a result, you can keep temperature-sensitive goods like milk or cream in those areas without worrying about premature spoilage. Freezer temperatures are also highly consistent, so you can place things like ice cream in any part of the fridge without it being a little soft or freezing to a rock-hard consistency.
Fridge temperatures are highly uniform.
Exceptionally consistent freezer temperatures.
The LG LRFS28XBS' ice-making performance is okay. Its in-door ice maker can produce enough ice in a 24-hour period for a small family dinner, but nothing more than that. Its ice bucket also fills fast, so if you plan on serving a lot of drinks for a crowd, you're better off keeping some ice trays on hand, or if needed, buying a bag of ice.
Ice maker production rate is sufficient for smaller gatherings.
In-door ice maker has a low maximum capacity.
Performance Usages
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
This refrigerator is available in two finishes: Stainless Steel (LG LRFS28XBS) and Black Stainless Steel (LG LRFS28XBD). We bought and tested the Stainless Steel model, and for those interested, here's its product label.
Let us know in the comments below if you come across another variant of this refrigerator.
Popular Refrigerator Comparisons
The LG LRFS28XBS is a mid-range French-door refrigerator. It sits in a crowded section of the market, against other comparably priced 36" standard-depth models like the Samsung Bespoke RF30BB6200QL, the Frigidaire FRFN2813AF, and the GE GNE27JYMFS. It pulls ahead of that pack in terms of freezer storage space, with no in-freezer ice maker to take up any real estate. Even with its in-door ice maker, refrigerator space is also very comparable and can accommodate groceries for big families with ease. It also does a better job of maintaining temperatures across both cabinets than those aforementioned models. Its one major weakness is its mediocre produce preservation performance; the dual-evaporator Samsung is superior when it comes to keeping fresh lettuce or celery crisp.
For more recommendations, take a look at the best French door refrigerators, the best refrigerator brands, and our picks for the best refrigerators overall
The LG LRFS28XBS is better than the LG LF30S8210S. The LRFS28XBS's lack of an in-freezer ice maker gives it more room in its freezer compartment, though the in-door setup does present a higher number of potential failure points than the simpler in-freezer setup found in the LF30S8210S. The LF30S8210S' in-freezer system also has a faster ice production rate and a bigger ice tray. That said, the LRFS28XBS still offers more consistent temperatures across its fridge and freezer cabinets.
The Samsung Bespoke RF30BB6200QL is slightly better for everyday use than the LG LRFS28XBS. The Samsung's dual-evaporator cooling system allows it to keep fresh produce crisp for longer. While its in-freezer ice maker reduces freezer storage space versus the LG, it also presents fewer failure points and can produce more ice in the same amount of time. That said, it's worth pointing out that LG's service network has a broader reach than that of Samsung, making it easier to get in touch with an authorized service technician depending on where you are in the country.
The LG LRFS28XBS is a better French-door fridge than the GE GNE27JYMFS. The LG has more space inside its fridge and freezer, and maintains marginally more consistent temperatures across both cabinets. That said, the GE uses an ejector-style ice maker in its freezer, which presents noticeably fewer failure points than the LG's in-door twist tray ice maker. GE's network of authorized service providers is also more robust than that of LG, making it easier to get in touch with a repair technician.
Test Results
The LG LRFS28XBS has an amazingly large refrigerator compartment. This isn't overly surprising, since this is a 36" standard-depth refrigerator, but it does still feature some additional perks beyond just size. It features four individual shelves, which can be moved as needed, all the better to fit taller items or stack meal-prep containers.
Its ice-making system also takes up less space than most conventional in-door ice makers, such as the one found on the GE Profile PVD28BYNFS, and results in similar interior capacity to fridges without in-fridge ice makers. Similarly, the slimmer ice maker design cuts down less on door bin space, so the doors are still big enough to accommodate larger condiment jars or full-size juice cartons.
The LG LRFS28XBS has a good amount of freezer storage space. It features an easy-open sliding mechanism to facilitate access. In terms of storage, the lower bin can easily accommodate bigger boxed items and features a divider to help keep things organized.
Oddly, while this unit doesn't come with an in-freezer ice maker, it still ships with an ice tray, which you can remove for a bit of extra space on the shallower top drawer.
Like other LG refrigerators in the same price bracket, this unit uses a relatively conventional single-evaporator/single inverter compressor cooling system. In broad terms, a single-evaporator design is mechanically simple and minimizes potential failure points, but comes with a compromise. Cold air, from the in-freezer evaporator, is low in moisture to inhibit frost buildup. This dry air is shared with the fridge cabinet, resulting in a low-moisture environment that wilts fresh produce faster.
An inverter compressor helps improve power efficiency compared to a simpler fixed-speed compressor, as the component can run at a lower speed to maintain the temperature inside the fridge, rather than cycling on and off. On the downside, inverter control boards can fail over time and can be costly to replace.
This unit features an in-door ice maker with a twist tray design. While this makes for a more convenient means of getting ice, it's definitely a compromise in terms of potential reliability. In-door ice makers require through-door water lines, which can wear as the door opens and closes. There's also a need for additional insulation to keep the temperature in the ice maker compartment below freezing, which can degrade and slow ice formation.
A twist-tray ice maker is simple and compact, but tends to be less robust than ejector ice makers (the other style you'll encounter in most household fridges). Their flexible plastic ice mold can become brittle from below-zero temperatures and repeated mechanical stress, and may crack or break.
There's an ice and water dispenser on the left door, along with an external control panel. The control panel allows you to select cubed or crushed ice, check its water filter and Wi-Fi connectivity status, or change the fridge and freezer temperatures. Beyond that, you can also enable its Ice Plus feature, which is meant to lower freezer temperatures and increase the in-door ice maker's production rate. There's also its Smart Grid system, which is meant to reduce its energy usage during peak hours. As per the manufacturer, however, enabling the latter "requires support from your local utility provider."
Authorized service coverage is very robust in major US metropolitan areas, although it becomes more limited in rural states.
This refrigerator provides excellent temperature uniformity overall. Temperatures are remarkably consistent from the top to the bottom of the refrigerator, and you don't need to be picky when unpacking temperature-sensitive foods like milk or cream. The LRFS28XBS also uses the same door-cooling vent found on many other newer LG fridges, which directs cold air down the front of the compartment and toward the door bins.
This unit does a fantastic job of maintaining consistent temperatures in its freezer compartment. You can place your groceries in any section of the freezer, without having to worry about overly cold or slightly warm spots.
This unit's produce preservation performance is mediocre. Humidity in the fridge compartment is quite low, likely as a result of this unit's single-evaporator cooling system, as dry cold air is shared across both the freezer and fridge compartments. Produce stored outside the crisper drawers will lose moisture quickly as a result.
The crisper drawers do seal in a fair amount of moisture, and will help keep produce stored inside fresher for longer. That said, performance is still far from class-leading in this respect, with higher-end single-evaporator units such as the Bosch 500 Series B36FD52SNS doing better.
This unit's in-fridge ice maker has an okay ice production rate. Starting from empty, it can produce enough ice for drinks at a small family dinner, but you'll run out fast if you're slinging drinks for a bigger crowd.
It's slower than the in-freezer system found in the otherwise similar LG LF30S8210S; generally speaking, in-fridge systems can't produce ice as fast due to the slightly less consistent temperatures inside the ice maker compartment.
