Whitegoods Help article

Are Samsung Ecobubble washing machines any good?

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Quick Answer

Samsung EcoBubble mixes air into the detergent before the wash to improve penetration at lower temperatures. Samsung’s percentage claims need careful scrutiny – one EcoBubble model’s own running cost figures showed higher annual energy costs than a non-EcoBubble Bosch. Performance varies significantly between models; some earn Best Buy ratings, one earned a Don’t Buy.

Samsung EcoBubble is a washing machine technology that mixes air bubbles into the water and detergent before the wash begins. Samsung claims this gets detergent into fabric 40% faster, allows lower temperatures to achieve good results, and uses 70% less energy at 40°C. Whether those claims stack up in practice is worth examining carefully.

What Do the Percentage Claims Actually Mean?

Percentage figures in appliance marketing are rarely as meaningful as they first appear. The key question with any such claim is: 70% less energy than what? If the baseline being compared against is a much less efficient machine, the figure may be technically accurate but practically misleading. The same applies to “40% faster” – 40% faster than what, and does the time difference matter in real terms?

A straightforward comparison illustrates the issue. At the time of the original testing, a standard Bosch 7kg washing machine claimed to cost approximately £21 per year in energy. If EcoBubble used 70% less energy than that figure, it would cost around £6.30 per year to run. However, the EcoBubble 7kg model’s own specifications showed an annual running cost of around £25 – more than the Bosch without EcoBubble technology.

This does not mean EcoBubble has no value, but it does demonstrate that percentage claims should never be taken at face value without understanding what they are being measured against.

Wash Speed: Is EcoBubble Faster?

The EcoBubble model reviewed did wash 10 minutes faster than the equivalent Bosch WAE24490GB on some cycles – a real but modest difference. However, on the Time Easy Care cycle, the EcoBubble took 20 minutes longer than the same Bosch. Speed advantages appear to apply only to certain programmes, not across the board.

What Did Which? Find?

Of the five EcoBubble models reviewed by Which? at the time of publication, most were reported to wash well and relatively quickly. However, one model performed so poorly on cleaning that Which? gave it a Don’t Buy rating.

Many washing machines without EcoBubble technology also achieve Best Buy status from Which? with excellent cleaning results, which suggests the bubble system is not a transformative advance in washing machine performance. There may be some benefit at low wash temperatures in particular, making it worth considering for households who regularly wash at cool temperatures – but model choice matters significantly, and not all EcoBubble machines perform equally.

EcoBubble models reviewed by Which? at time of publication

WF80F5E5U4W EcoBubble – WF0704W7W EcoBubble – WF1124XAC EcoBubble

The Broader Pattern With Appliance Manufacturer Claims

Manufacturers who also produce consumer electronics tend to rely heavily on headline feature innovations to market washing machines. This approach works well for televisions and smartphones, where new technology can deliver obvious improvements. In washing machines, headline features have a more mixed track record of delivering meaningful real-world benefits. Independently tested cleaning performance and reliability remain more reliable purchase criteria than branded technology claims.

Last reviewed: April 2025. Energy cost figures and Which? ratings quoted are from original publication and may have changed. Always check current independent test results before purchasing.

Discussion

50 Comments

Grouped into 37 comment threads.

Alison 2 replies I have a Samsung Washing machine WF431ABP/XEU at the cost of £1500. I had it for nearly 2 years when the bearings went on it, it had numerous parts replaced under warranty and 8 months later the machine has the same fault. Ive contacted Samsung and they are not bothered as its now out of warranty. So I've wasted £1500 on a washing machine that have latest me 2.5 years IS there anyone I can report them to as im really annoyed

I have a Samsung Washing machine WF431ABP/XEU at the cost of £1500. I had it for nearly 2 years when the bearings went on it, it had numerous parts replaced under warranty and 8 months later the machine has the same fault. Ive contacted Samsung and they are not bothered as its now out of warranty. So I’ve wasted £1500 on a washing machine that have latest me 2.5 years
IS there anyone I can report them to as im really annoyed

PAMELA WILCOCK

Hello Alison. I had problems with the door of my Samsung eco bubble washing machine. I got no joy whatsoever from customer services. In fact I was insulted by one agent who told me I must not clean it regularly? I eventually hunted down and emailed the right guy. I soon received a new door. The guy who came out to change it said it was a common fault in my model? Good luck.

Dan 1 reply Doesn’t the 70% energy saving come from the super eco wash vs 40c cotton wash? Not a comparison of two different washing machines?

Doesn’t the 70% energy saving come from the super eco wash vs 40c cotton wash? Not a comparison of two different washing machines?

Andy Trigg (Whitegoodshelp)

Hello Dan. The 70% claim is for all of the eco-bubble washing machines. They say that by injecting bubbles it makes washing at lower temperatures more efficient. But as I pointed out in my review, I quickly found a rivaldwashing machine that did not have eco-bubble technology, and it use less energy than the Samsung eco-bubble. It could be that the claims are related to the super eco-wash, but it is the eco-bubble system that is taking the credit.

David McIntosh 1 reply I am a local independent engineer with many many yrs experience in this field of work. What I have found from the last number of yrs is the number of serious issues with Samsung washing machines breaking down esp the eco bubble they are just packing in by the dozen and the after sales service is just totally non existent from Samsung with people turning to my self to see if I could possibly sort the machine out which I have to say I end up not been able to repair in the end my self. These machines are not even getting as old as five yrs in the home with out having to have some kind of repair work done on them or they anyway . My self I’m now very reluctant to look at a Samsung machine if it’s a break down because I know I will nine times out of ten not be able to carry out a repair due the seriousness of the issue. I don’t like having to send this kind of email but it’s most definitely getting a lot worse.

I am a local independent engineer with many many yrs experience in this field of work. What I have found from the last number of yrs is the number of serious issues with Samsung washing machines breaking down esp the eco bubble they are just packing in by the dozen and the after sales service is just totally non existent from Samsung with people turning to my self to see if I could possibly sort the machine out which I have to say I end up not been able to repair in the end my self. These machines are not even getting as old as five yrs in the home with out having to have some kind of repair work done on them or they anyway . My self I’m now very reluctant to look at a Samsung machine if it’s a break down because I know I will nine times out of ten not be able to carry out a repair due the seriousness of the issue. I don’t like having to send this kind of email but it’s most definitely getting a lot worse.

Valerie 1 reply Hello, So would you not recommend the latest Samsung WW80TA046AE ecobubble? (I won't be using this function anyway). I want a basic machine that washes well and doesn't cost a lot to run. Even some Miele have issues with rinsing and are expensive to run according to Which?

Hello,

So would you not recommend the latest Samsung WW80TA046AE ecobubble? (I won’t be using this function anyway). I want a basic machine that washes well and doesn’t cost a lot to run.

Even some Miele have issues with rinsing and are expensive to run according to Which?

Andy Trigg (Whitegoodshelp)

Likely replying to Valerie

Hello Valerie. I would check the Which? review on the latest Samsung WW80TA046AE ecobubble if they have reviewed it. Personally I don’t really rate the white goods made by any of the brown goods manufacturers. This is because I feel that they concentrate too much on fancy features, catchy tunes and unique innovations that sound good but in reality don’t seem to offer any substantial advance. Also they all have to rely on third party engineers and companies to carry out their in guarantee work instead of having their own engineers.

All of these companies make excellent brown goods and have fantastic reputations. I have no idea why they would even want to bother getting into the white goods market which is totally different. I would prefer them to concentrate on making better quality appliances than the competition, that are more reliable and more repairable.

They seem to think that the constant innovation, which works well in brown goods should work equally well in white goods but I believe the white goods trade is completely different. In the brown goods industry when you are making TVs, DVD players, and sound systems rtc. people are constantly tempted to upgrade to get newer and better and innovative features. This just does not work in washing machines and other white goods. People do not get rid of the washing machine that works perfectly all right because a new one has come out with novel features. When it comes to white goods people want good value for money and reliability and longevity. Any brand that aspires to this gets my vote.

Russ Bart 1 reply We purchased a Samsung Eco Bubble which suffered the (what appears to be) standard problem of stopping in mid program at bout 3 years. Samsung have been no help. What upsets me with the likes of Which is they wax lyrical about all these items but no back up with if they actually carry on working. We have just received an estimate for £273 which is rubbish for a 3 year old machine. Look up customer reviews on these machines and not from the likes of Which or currys or AO etc as they are all from new items.

We purchased a Samsung Eco Bubble which suffered the (what appears to be) standard problem of stopping in mid program at bout 3 years. Samsung have been no help. What upsets me with the likes of Which is they wax lyrical about all these items but no back up with if they actually carry on working. We have just received an estimate for £273 which is rubbish for a 3 year old machine.
Look up customer reviews on these machines and not from the likes of Which or currys or AO etc
as they are all from new items.

Andy 1 reply Our experience has left me with a resounding 'NO!'. I can't complain about the cleanliness of the clothes as the machine has consistently produced clean clothes (which you expect from any washing machine, I suppose) but we bought our 8kg ecobubble about 2 and half years ago. The one thing that swayed our decision to go with Samsung and not Bosch was the 5 year warranty that Samsung were offering. Within a month the machine got louder and louder, making a banging noise on every cycle. Then a squeaking/grinding noise. They sent a couple of repair men out and they replaced a faulty drum. The grinding noise went but the banging didn't. It got a bit quieter and we put up with it. Recently it have become very loud again. We now have a 5E code so when I went to empty and clean the filter I noticed 2 screws say inside the cover and the whole filter housing moves freely ( which I think is the reason for some of the problems. For unknown reasons it appears we didn't register the washing within 28 days of purchase so they have informed us that the 5 year warranty is null and void and its out of the 2 year warranty. I feel frustrated because we have always had Bosch appliances in the past and they have always lasted at least 5 years. It was the warranty that swayed us not the reputation of build quality. I'll not be buying Samsung again and I'll also be making sure I register my warranties in the future. Moral of the story is don't buy Samsung if they don't have a 5 year warranty offer, and make sure you register it

Our experience has left me with a resounding ‘NO!’.
I can’t complain about the cleanliness of the clothes as the machine has consistently produced clean clothes (which you expect from any washing machine, I suppose) but we bought our 8kg ecobubble about 2 and half years ago. The one thing that swayed our decision to go with Samsung and not Bosch was the 5 year warranty that Samsung were offering. Within a month the machine got louder and louder, making a banging noise on every cycle. Then a squeaking/grinding noise. They sent a couple of repair men out and they replaced a faulty drum. The grinding noise went but the banging didn’t. It got a bit quieter and we put up with it. Recently it have become very loud again.
We now have a 5E code so when I went to empty and clean the filter I noticed 2 screws say inside the cover and the whole filter housing moves freely ( which I think is the reason for some of the problems.
For unknown reasons it appears we didn’t register the washing within 28 days of purchase so they have informed us that the 5 year warranty is null and void and its out of the 2 year warranty.
I feel frustrated because we have always had Bosch appliances in the past and they have always lasted at least 5 years. It was the warranty that swayed us not the reputation of build quality.
I’ll not be buying Samsung again and I’ll also be making sure I register my warranties in the future.
Moral of the story is don’t buy Samsung if they don’t have a 5 year warranty offer, and make sure you register it

Andy Trigg (Whitegoodshelp)

Likely replying to Andy

Hello Andy. It sounds like you could have a claim against the retailer under the sale of goods act if you’ve only used the machine normaly and looked after it and it has only lasted 2 and a half years (Even if out of guarantee you may not have to pay for repair)

Regarding the extended warranty, to be fair that’s not brand specific as the same would have happened whatever brand or even product you bought. If you didn’t register the extra warranty you don’t get it. However, this has always struck me as disingenuous because the extra warranties are clearly built into the price of the product. They seem to rely on a certain percentage of people forgetting to register and are usually very happy when people find themselves without the cover simply on a technicality – which is a very poor customer attitude.

Ahad Miah 1 reply I had just bought a brand new Samsung WF80F5E0w4w and it failed from the start with water not draining and coming with Error code 5E. I never bought Samsung WM before but seeing their 5-year guarantee persuaded me to buy on-line. However dealing with Samsung customer service which is based in Manila and through Currys was a pain. I won't buy one again after this experience and would go back to Bosch.

I had just bought a brand new Samsung WF80F5E0w4w and it failed from the start with water not draining and coming with Error code 5E.

I never bought Samsung WM before but seeing their 5-year guarantee persuaded me to buy on-line. However dealing with Samsung customer service which is based in Manila and through Currys was a pain. I won’t buy one again after this experience and would go back to Bosch.

Andy Trigg (Whitegoodshelp)

Likely replying to Ahad Miah

Hello Ahad, to be fair, if a brand new washing machine won’t empty the water the odds are more likely that it’s an installation fault or something in a pocket has got stuck in the pump than it being faulty. However, it is of course possible for it to be genuinely faulty, which would be annoying. Funnily enough I’ve just published a new article on how many faults on brand new washing machines turn out to be installation or user faults so it might be worth reading through it Is the washing machine actually faulty?

If it is the washing machine is at fault then within the first 30 days you are definitely entitled to a full refund.

michelle 1 reply My Eco bubble 7 kg has broke I called up to be told it's just over 2 years and no warranty I said I registered online for the 5 year one and it doesn't apply as I registered it in a different country I said I purchased it in UK so I said well the bolts have snapped off the motter which attached to drum and this just doesn't happen so must be fault with machin I am now having to pay 120 for there engeneir to fix will never buy from them again very disappointed in this as I paid a lot of money for machin

My Eco bubble 7 kg has broke I called up to be told it’s just over 2 years and no warranty I said I registered online for the 5 year one and it doesn’t apply as I registered it in a different country I said I purchased it in UK so I said well the bolts have snapped off the motter which attached to drum and this just doesn’t happen so must be fault with machin I am now having to pay 120 for there engeneir to fix will never buy from them again very disappointed in this as I paid a lot of money for machin

Andy Trigg (Whitegoodshelp)

Likely replying to michelle

Hello Michelle. If you believe the fault is one that should not have happened – especially after only 2 years you don’t even need it to be under any guarantee to try and get redress. But if you are no longer in the UK it may be very different. In the UK we can claim compensation (usually a free repair) for up to 5 or 6 years after purchase if we can show that an appliance hasn’t lasted a reasonable time or had an inherent fault. If something like the support brackets for the motor have come off and you have only used it normally you might have a case. Read the following Out of guarantee even by a long time doesn’t always mean you should pay

Amanda 1 reply Not had my eco bubble 24 hours and I am on the phone booking engineer . 3 out of the 5 washes done have got a sock trapped between to door and rubber mid wash so the sock is soacking and I'm getting a residue left in machine. Samsung suggest I may like to put my washing in a net. I find this unacceptable and have not seen any where on sales pitch that you will need to purchase washing nets . I have suggested they take machine away so I can go back to my original choice of a Miele,

Not had my eco bubble 24 hours and I am on the phone booking engineer . 3 out of the 5 washes done have got a sock trapped between to door and rubber mid wash so the sock is soacking and I’m getting a residue left in machine. Samsung suggest I may like to put my washing in a net. I find this unacceptable and have not seen any where on sales pitch that you will need to purchase washing nets . I have suggested they take machine away so I can go back to my original choice of a Miele,

Andy Trigg (Whitegoodshelp)

Likely replying to Amanda

Hello Amanda. The door glass in a washing machine is usually designed to keep the clothes away from this area but if socks are by any chance very small children’s or baby socks I would recommend putting them in a washing net as they can be difficult to stop from getting under the door glass. At the very least I would always place them in the back of the drum first to try and keep them away from the front.

Also, make sure you are not overloading the machine which would cause the laundry to just turn in one big lump and some small items could slip under the door glass. It’s always possible for a small item to slip under there and get stuck but this should be a rare occasion if loaded properly. If you are loading it properly and still having problems you would probably be better complaining to the retailer.

Chris 1 reply what a nightmare!! I'm having so much trouble getting my Samsung 12kg machine repaired. It broke down two weeks ago,the drum started to jolt and wasn't turning or spinning,domestic and general sent out an engineer to fix it,he told me it needed a new motor and pcb contro but I was told the next day that it couldn't be fixed as the parts were too expensive,so i decided to ring Samsung myself,the operator was a nightmare as she couldn't understand me,she gave me a number for a service centre who could come out and fix it as the motor has a 10 year warranty,after I rung the number but the number didn't exist,I then rung back and she gave me 2 more numbers,I proceeded to ring them but to my disbelief 1 number was our local sainsburys supermarket and the other was a local mobile phone shop,that same day I decided to ring the company know how(currys) who sent an engineer out yesterday he told me that it definitely was the motor and pcb control he then went to see if he could get prices for replacements and to his shock he found out the pcb control was obsolete and no longer available,the engineer told me not to give up and to go to sale of goods act to get advice,how can a machine be just 2 1/2 years old and can no longer buy parts to fix it! Does anyone have any advice on this or on SOGA?

what a nightmare!! I’m having so much trouble getting my Samsung 12kg machine repaired.
It broke down two weeks ago,the drum started to jolt and wasn’t turning or spinning,domestic and general sent out an engineer to fix it,he told me it needed a new motor and pcb contro but I was told the next day that it couldn’t be fixed as the parts were too expensive,so i decided to ring Samsung myself,the operator was a nightmare as she couldn’t understand me,she gave me a number for a service centre who could come out and fix it as the motor has a 10 year warranty,after I rung the number but the number didn’t exist,I then rung back and she gave me 2 more numbers,I proceeded to ring them but to my disbelief 1 number was our local sainsburys supermarket and the other was a local mobile phone shop,that same day I decided to ring the company know how(currys) who sent an engineer out yesterday he told me that it definitely was the motor and pcb control he then went to see if he could get prices for replacements and to his shock he found out the pcb control was obsolete and no longer available,the engineer told me not to give up and to go to sale of goods act to get advice,how can a machine be just 2 1/2 years old and can no longer buy parts to fix it! Does anyone have any advice on this or on SOGA?

Andy Trigg (Whitegoodshelp)

Likely replying to Chris

Hello Chris, this is why I personally wouldn’t buy any of the brown goods manufacturers white goods appliances. Your only option now is to pressure the retailer you bought it from under the Sale of Goods Act as it clearly hasn’t lasted a reasonable time. I have plenty of consumer articles if you check here – All my articles tagged with Consumer issues related to white goods appliances

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