That is what companies always want us to do right? Spend money needlessly on their higher range products since they cant do anything new.
After your experience without a top water jet, I would not say paying more to get it is needless. It's essential. If you spring some more you can get a model with direct drive and 6 motion and get better wash quality. So nothing is needless here. You are getting what you pay for.
They divide features amongst 10-12 different products and keep price difference of around a few thousand so that a customer is never satisfied with what he got.
You did not give yourself enough time to choose. Brands make products to fit as wide a budget range as possible. That is why so many models with a few features minused here and there. It is up to the buyer to choose whether they can do without features. My view is it's better to have them and not need them than the other way around. Because it's hard to figure these things out.
What features did you get in your expensive washing machine that cannot be put in a lower priced machine? Is AI and mobile app required for washing clothes? More added stuff means more points of failure imo. I want a washing machine to just wash clothes only, not connect to internet and what not.
My front loader is not expensive, it's a base model. Size for one. The sales guy kept pushing the smaller volume model and after some thought, I decided against it. I built models out of cardboard that fit the dimensions of the two drums. Then filled them with laundry and really understood how small and hence useless the smaller one was. But the smaller one was over 5k cheaper and is the main reason salespeople push them. They don't care about your reqs but rather better chances at a sale. Paying more for the larger drum was the right decision and the reason I've always advocated for larger volume LG front loaders. You said the same thing about top loaders. Well, a bigger size costs more and you can see it's not a needless feature.
The app is not required but the reason I recommend the AI machine (non-wifi) is it has a better interface than the base model currently out. Compare them yourself and you find all settings at a glance instead of some hidden. I don't have this problem with my machine. Everything is laid out logically and is easily visible.
The AI features reduce the wash time from the feedback I got from the two owners so far. And it's not LG's top-end model which I don't see any reason to get and these days all come with tinted front doors which I consider a negative. The downside is the touchscreens which all front loaders have these days tend to pack up within 5 years in humid weather. Not as durable as buttons.
You want a washing machine that performs its basic purpose. It's clear your model does not without extra effort and had you listened you'd have got an 8kg with a jetspray and been more satisfied.
Why does it cost more? It's a front loader and LG builds their machines better than Samsung. This is borne out by repairmen.
What Samsung does better is industrial design (looks nicer) and throw in more features. You get features in a Samsung that are not available in similar priced LG's. Whether you need them is up to you.
