The top-loading compartment on the FlexWash unit is designed to wash smaller bundles of laundry or handle clothes that require different settings than the main load. The top compartment on the FlexDry machine can handle delicate clothing with a lay-flat rack and gentle heated-air system.

The new laundry machines represent an aspect of Samsung's business that doesn't get as much glitzy coverage as its other offerings, such as TVs and phones -- unless its washers are exploding in people's homes, of course.