Haier shows off smarter home appliances at CES 2016

Haier puts its well-received Smart Window refrigerator on display, along with an app-controlled washing machine.

Haier is betting on smart home appliances this year and is showing off all its connected home appliances at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Digital Trends took a look and reported on the company's new offerings. This year, Haier displayed smart refrigerators, air conditioners and washing machines. An app can be used to adjust the refrigerator's temperature and enable its smart window, which changes from opaque to translucent once it detects the presence of a person. This allows the user to see through the door to see the unit's contents.

The smart refrigerator was already announced as early as 2014, and received more press coverage at the IFA conference in Berlin last fall.

Haier's new washing machine is also app-enabled, enabling the user to start the washing process at a set time and be notified when detergent stock is low.

According to Digital Trends, Haier showed off "small space living" appliances, which are also called "European-style" by those living in apartments. This move makes sense given the company's home market is China where most people live in apartments and space is limited. In the more extreme example of Hong Kong, conserving space is essential. These kinds of constraints could inhibit people from adopting smart home products.

Digital Trends compares Haier to "nearly every other home appliance maker," indicating an industry push into smart home products. This is no doubt true, as more expensive, premium products typically mean larger profit margins.

However, China companies have been especially keen on supplying products for the Internet of Things, realizing the market's untapped potential. In fact, this has been a cornerstone of Xiaomi's business strategy as it looks for revenue streams outside smartphones, which hitherto have been the company's bread and butter but are now known for razor-thin margins.

Appliances have not been a big draw for smaller smart home product manufacturers since they are more complicated to produce. Xiaomi makes a smart air filter, but that does not have much appeal in Western markets. It could be that 2016 is the year smart appliances start making some headway.