The Samsung RS27T5200SR is a midrange side-by-side standard-depth 36-inch refrigerator. Its cooling system is relatively conventional for a unit in this price bracket, with an inverter-controlled compressor and an in-freezer evaporator. As far as features go, there's a combination filtered water and ice dispenser in the freezer door, as well as a low-profile in-door ice bucket.
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Our Verdict
The Samsung RS27T5200SR is decent for everyday usage. The refrigerator cabinet is impressively large and should be able to accommodate larger casserole dishes, multiple meal-prep containers, or bulky items like a whole turkey. Unfortunately, it's got a few weaknesses too. Produce preservation performance is well behind the curve, causing delicate greens to wilt relatively quickly. Its temperature uniformity performance also isn't anything to write home about: while temperatures are fairly consistent across shelves, barring the top one, the door bins are quite a bit warmer, and shouldn't be used for any temperature-sensitive foodstuffs.
High storage capacity in fridge cabinet.
Deep freezer cabinet.
Temperatures at the top of the fridge cabinet are high, especially the door bins.
Low moisture retention in crisper drawers causes delicate produce to wilt prematurely.
The Samsung RS27T5200SR's produce preservation performance is middling. The main refrigerator cabinet is a very dry environment and the crisper drawers do a poor job of sealing in ambient humidity. This can cause greens like lettuce or spinach to dry out and lose their crunch, becoming noticeably softer and beginning to wilt within a matter of days.
Low moisture retention in crisper drawers causes delicate produce to wilt prematurely.
The Samsung RS27T5200SR has amazing refrigerator capacity. The fridge cabinet can hold an impressive amount of items for a side-by-side unit, with a footprint just about big enough to fit larger casserole dishes or multiple meal prep containers side-by-side. Similarly, the door bins have enough space to fit bigger items like milk jugs and cartons or even multi-packs of glass bottles.
High storage capacity in fridge cabinet.
Large door bins.
The Samsung RS27T5200SR is a fantastic option for storing frozen food. Space isn't an issue, with a deep and relatively wide freezer cabinet for a side-by-side model. While you won't be able to fit large pizza boxes lying flat, the space is quite deep, so you shouldn't have too much trouble fitting these sorts of items if you put them on their side. Its in-door ice maker and ice bucket also free up space in the upper reaches of the cabinet.
Deep freezer cabinet.
In-door ice maker saves space.
The Samsung RS27T5200SR's temperature uniformity is decent. Freezer temperatures are fairly consistent for the most part: items placed in the upper and middle shelves will be chilled to a similar degree. That said, the lowest shelf is a few degrees warmer than the rest of the cabinet, so more temperature-sensitive items like ice cream will be a little softer than if they'd been placed elsewhere. Temperature uniformity in the fridge is more of a low point. In this section, the upper regions of the cabinet are a few degrees warmer than the rest. Worse yet, the upper door bin is drastically warmer than that, so you should really avoid placing things like sour cream or yogurt in those upper reaches.
Temperatures are consistent within upper and middle sections of the freezer.
Temperatures at the top of the fridge cabinet are high, especially the door bins.
Temperatures in lower sections of the freezer are slightly higher than the rest of the cabinet.
The Samsung RS27T5200SR's ice-making performance is okay. Its ice bucket can hold a little under three and a half pounds of ice cubes at max capacity, and it can fill that bucket more than halfway within the span of 24 hours. In real-world terms, that means this fridge's ice maker is capable of making ice for drinks at a small family dinner in a pinch, but even when filled to the brim, it won't hold enough cubed ice for drinks at a big backyard barbecue or a cocktail party. Consider a countertop ice maker or simply filling a container with ice well in advance if you're the type to host bigger bashes often.
Ice bucket holds enough ice for smaller gatherings.
Ice production rate is insufficient for impromptu larger parties.
Performance Usages
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
This fridge is available in two color variants with different model codes.
| Model Code | Color |
|---|---|
| RS27T5200SR | Stainless Steel |
| RS27T5200SG | Black Stainless Steel |
We tested the RS27T5200SR model in Stainless Steel, and for those interested, here's the product label.
If you come across another variant of this fridge, please let us know in the comments so that we can update our review.
Popular Refrigerator Comparisons
The Samsung RS27T5200SR is a mid-range side-by-side refrigerator. Its closest analogue, in price, size, and comparability of features, would be the Whirlpool WRS588FIHZ, another standard-depth 36-inch side-by-side. They have similarly designed in-freezer ice makers that save on freezer space, combination water and ice dispensers with ice crushing capability, and similar interior layouts, though the Samsung is lacking one shelf compared to the Whirlpool. In terms of actual usability, the Samsung has slightly shallower fridge and freezer cabinets: while you lose out in terms of space, this also makes it easier to access items at the rear of either compartment. In any case, the Samsung model offers impressive capacity for a side-by-side unit, which also happens to be its main selling point. Other units, like the KitchenAid KRSC703HPS and Frigidaire FRSS2623AS, provide vastly superior temperature consistency and produce preservation performance.
Test Results
The Samsung RS27T5200SR offers excellent capacity in its fridge compartment. It's similar in width and depth to that of the Whirlpool WRS588FIHZ, which is a good thing, as that model offers a substantial amount of capacity for a side-by-side. It does, however, have one less shelf than the Whirlpool; that can be a blessing or a curse depending on whether or not you find yourself sticking taller items like narrow-necked bottles in the fridge more often than you'd stow away flatter items like casserole dishes. The Samsung model does actually offer a more spacious top shelf than the Whirlpool, with no water filter to get in the way. Similarly, the crisper drawers also don't have quite as much space, though they can still accommodate fairly large amounts of produce like oranges and apples.
The door bins are where the Samsung pulls clearly ahead, with deeper, wider bins that can more easily fit things like milk cartons or jugs, multi-packs of glass bottles, or full-sized condiment containers.
The freezer storage capacity is superb. The cabinet is marginally narrower and a few inches less deep than that of the aforementioned Whirlpool WRS588FIHZ. While that does translate into less space for larger boxed items like value-sized packs of burgers, chicken, or fish, that can be a boon from a usability perspective, since you won't have to stretch as far to reach items you've tucked away at the back.
Again, like the Whirlpool, the Samsung saves on space in the freezer by moving its ice maker and ice bucket inside the freezer door.
This fridge has an inverter-controlled compressor and a single evaporator in its freezer. The on-paper benefits of an inverter compressor that can modulate its speed on demand are lower overall energy consumption, since the compressor won't have to cycle on and off constantly to maintain a setpoint, and more stable temperature regulation, for the same reason.
This refrigerator's ice maker has a twist-tray design. It has a nearly identical design to the Whirlpool WRS588FIHZ, with the ice maker and ice bucket built into the freezer door rather than the cabinet to save space. As a twist-tray model, you can expect a shorter overall operating life than an ejector-style unit. Twist-tray models work how they sound, with a motor twisting their ice mold to force ice out of it. This mold can be rendered brittle and crack due to the freezing ambient temperatures and constant mechanical stress. Conversely, ejector-style models use a more robust metal mold heated by a separate element to release the ice inside; this generally tends to be a more durable design in the long run.
Make sure to empty the ice bucket before powering off the fridge for any prolonged period of time. Ice in the bucket will melt, pour out of the dispenser, and wet your floors.
The Samsung RS27T5200SR has a combination filtered water and ice dispenser built into its freezer door. There's no built-in light when triggering the dispenser itself, which can make it a bit of a gamble to fill a glass in the dead of night in an unlit kitchen.
The ice dispenser also has an ice crushing function. "Crushing" is a strong word; however, as ice comes out still fairly intact. You'll want to use a blender if you want truly powdered or crushed ice for a drink.
The Samsung RS27T5200SR's temperature uniformity performance is only acceptable. The top shelf trends warmer than the bottom ones by a fairly noticeable margin, so you're better off placing items like sour cream or butter closer to the bottom of the cabinet.
Even the coolest middle and lower door bins are about as warm as the top shelf, so you'll either want to turn down the fridge temperature if you find items going off sooner than expected, or simply use the bins for items like condiments or shelf-stable drinks like soda.
Temperature uniformity in the freezer is good. Temperatures occasionally drop below the set baseline to accelerate the ice-making process, a quirk this model shares with other Samsung units like the Samsung Bespoke RF30BB6200QL. These fluctuations don't occur often and aren't of a big enough magnitude to impact frozen food, thankfully.
That said, the lowest section of the freezer is a few degrees warmer than the rest of the cabinet, so if you prefer your sweet treats to be on the harder side, avoid placing items like ice cream down there.
This fridge's produce preservation performance is only passable. The main cabinet maintains very little in the way of moisture, and since the crisper drawers have poor sealing, they don't retain humidity very well. As a result, delicate greens like lettuce, spinach, or celery will lose their moisture, causing them to begin wilting and softening within a matter of days.
The Samsung RS27T5200SR's 24-hour ice production rate is adequate. Under two and a half pounds of ice is enough for a small get-together of three to four people, but that's about it. Expect having to go out and buy ice or to begin filling the ice bucket and a separate container with ice a few days in advance for larger gatherings.
