Samsung is swapping out its old remotes for a new, environmentally-friendly clicker with each of its new 2021 Neo QLED TVs.
The remote is solar-powered and has an energy-efficient circuit design that doesn’t require you to ever change the batteries, or connect it to the wall to recharge.
According to Samsung, that’s going to prevent millions of batteries from ending up in landfills over the course of the TVs’ lives - as well as reduce the carbon emissions it takes to create the batteries in the first place.
Samsung says each remote lasts two years, and is made with 28% recycled plastic (around 31g).
Saving the planet, one QLED TV at a time
The new eco-friendly remote is just one part of Samsung's new eco-conscious strategy: it's also reducing the amount of ink it uses on the sides of its TV boxes and says those boxes can be repurposed into other household items like a cat house, or toys for kids.
Samsung predicts this could save around 200,000 boxes per year from entering the landfill and, to us, looks like it will provide families additional entertainment in the same vein of Nintendo's Labo projects.
While these might seem like rather minor changes, Samsung holds the top spot as the world's highest-selling TV manufacturer so worldwide the impact of reducing the ink on its packaging or using solar-powered remotes is pretty major.
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