Samsung DV8750 Dryer review: Blockbuster power is stymied by tricky controls

You're sure to notice this Samsung dryer's stylish looks, but its fantastic speed and drying power are what really sets the machine apart. The $1,199 DV8750 model zips through wet laundry with astonishing quickness. It's packed with tons of extras, too. An onboard Wi-Fi radio provides mobile app control and remote monitoring. The dryer has plenty of special cycles and steam modes as well.

7.7

Samsung DV8750 Dryer

The Good

Samsung's DV8750 is a clothes drying powerhouse. It's packed with plenty of cycle options and steam modes. Its modern design is distinctive. It has Wi-Fi onboard and connects to an app for remote control and monitoring.

The Bad

Its controls are confusing to operate. The dryer's smart system failed to link with phones other than a Samsung.

The Bottom Line

Get this Samsung dryer for power and looks -- not for its flaky smart abilities and confusing controls.

While it has lots going for it, the DV8750 has a few problems. Its angled control panel may be attractive, but it's tough to see at a distance. The 7.4 cubic foot capacity drum inside this machine is far from roomy. Also, I could only get the appliance's smart features to work with a Samsung phone. Consider this model if you must own a distinctively styled dryer with power galore -- and if you already have a Samsung phone. 

Otherwise the $649 Samsung DV7750 is a better deal. It isn't as eye-catching and lacks smarts, but it's much easier to use and almost as powerful. And for bigger loads plus speed and style, check out the $1,100 Kenmore 69133.

A modern appearance

The black stainless steel version of the Samsung DV8750 is an imposing sight. Its chassis is chiseled from darkly painted steel with just a hint of silver on one edge of its door. Like its cousin the DV7750, the door is large. It covers almost all of the dryer's front face, in fact. The door is very wide too and longer than what you'll find on most other laundry appliances . This plus the door's huge tinted glass window make the machine appear bigger than it really is.

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The dryer actually has a standard size drum (7.4 cubic feet), common to all but the most expensive home appliances, such as the undeniably massive $1,400 Maytag MEDB955FC (9.2 cubic feet). Neither can it match the drum capacity of the $1,100 Kenmore 69133 (8.8 cubic feet).

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Tricky controls

Instead of a vertical back-mounted panel, Samsung embedded this dryer's controls directly in its top surface. Angled upwards from front to back, this top section has a gentle slope. It gives the DV8750 a sleek, sophisticated shape that stands out from a sea of boring laundry boxes.

Unfortunately, the shallow angle also makes the controls and the panel's small LED screen difficult to see at a distance. Likewise unless you're standing directly over the dryer, its buttons' tiny text is tricky to read. Compounding the issue is the lack of a cycle knob, a simple but more sensible interface. Instead you're confronted with a confusing expanse of touch-sensitive keys.

If the panel were closer to the front of the machine it would be less of a headache to operate. With the controls close to the dryer's back edge, you have to extend your arm fully to reach them. A similar dryer, the LG DLEY 1701V, has a panel that's front and center. Of course its minuscule keys aren't much fun to use either.

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Choose your cycle

If you often separate your laundry, the Samsung DV8750 has you covered. The dryer offers a wide variety of special cycles to target specific fabrics and tasks. Thirteen in all, they include cycle programs for delicates, heavy duty, perm press, bedding and so forth. In the mix are multiple steam modes too, such as "refresh," "wrinkle away" and "steam sanitize."

The refresh cycle processes small loads (one to four dry items) to remove lingering odors. Use the wrinkle away mode to smooth creases in two to three dry items at once. Steam sanitize takes standard size loads of wet laundry and hits them with hot water vapor to destroy germs lurking within.

Smarts just for Samsung?

Like a growing number of new home appliances, the Samsung DV8750 offers advanced smart capabilities. Thanks to an integrated Wi-Fi radio, you can link the dryer to your home wireless network. Once connected, you should in theory be able to monitor and control the dryer with compatible phones .

In testing though, I could only get an older Samsung Galaxy S7  to talk to the dryer properly. Other phones failed to operate with Samsung's Smart Home mobile application altogether. Specifically we tried an iPhone 8 , Pixel 2 XL  and Pixel XL . None could complete the app's setup process, despite many attempts.

That said, through the Galaxy S7 I had complete control over the appliance. I could choose, start and pause cycles. I was also able to see the dryer's status plus view the time left in running loads.

Loads of drying power

A wild design isn't this Samsung dryer's only distinctive attribute. The DV8750 powered through wet loads with breathtaking speed. In fact, it now qualifies as the most powerful dryer we've tested to date and one of the swiftest.

For the record our tests are designed to measure how much water a dryer removes from wet loads and the time it takes to complete the task. We also eliminate variables such as environmental conditions and test materials. For each test we selected the dryer's normal cycle (meant for "most fabrics including cottons and linens" as described by the manual) and chose its medium temperature setting.

The $1,199 DV8750 dryer barreled through our test loads, completing them in an average time of 38 minutes. That's the second shortest time from any dryer we've seen so far. It's also much shorter than our current dryer cycle average of 45 minutes. One other machine matched this pace, the $1,100 Kenmore 69133 (38 minutes).

To compare, the fastest dryer we've tested is the $649 Samsung DV7750 (37 minutes), even more impressive considering its low price. LG's $1,000 DLEY 1701V demonstrated a hair above average cycle speed here. The slowest dryer we've gotten our hands on happens to be GE's $899 GTD81ESSJWS (67 minutes).

Cycle speed isn't the whole story. We also measure each dryer's water evaporation rate. This number encapsulates the raw power of an appliance. Specifically it describes the weight of water removed from wet fabric over time.

While the DV8750 was slightly slower than its budget cousin the Samsung DV7750, it proved to have more muscle. It managed to wick away an average of 0.148 pound per minute during its short test cycles. This showing is the highest a dryer has notched to date. On the other hand, the DV7750 may be faster but pulled slightly less moisture from its loads (0.143 pound per minute).

Kenmore's 69133 dryer came in right behind both appliances (0.139 pound per minute). These dryers are also the current top three in terms of sheer power of evaporation.

Buy something more practical

I admire Samsung's effort to push dryer design into the 21st century. The $1,199 Samsung DV8750 is no doubt lovely to look at. Able to blow the doors off most competing dryers, the machine is a laundry powerhouse too. While not as beautiful as LG's $1,000 DLEY 1701V, it's faster and much more powerful.

Still, this Samsung dryer's controls are annoying to operate. Its smart features appear to only work with Samsung Galaxy  phones as well, though it's possible that will be fixed by a software update. That's why I recommend you buy the $649 Samsung DV7750 instead. It has the same 7.4 cubic foot capacity, similar performance and lots of cycles to choose from. If massive loads are a priority, go with the $1,100 Kenmore 69133 dryer. It's bigger, similarly good looking and has lots of power too.