5 Samsung SolarCell TV remote features to know about

The Samsung remote has come a long way. As a fan of the company’s TVs for some time, it wasn’t too long ago that I still wielded its sizable, somewhat clunky remote that lacked customization and efficiency. It was filled with far too many buttons, and it certainly didn’t feel at all smart or unique.

As competitors, including Roku, Apple, and Sony, have raced to create remotes that fit modern needs, Samsung has also evolved. The SolarCell remote now boasts many of the key features that have become ubiquitous while setting itself apart by employing a battery that can charge via light.

Here’s all you can do with the Samsung remote.

1 Jump to a popular streaming service

Direct access buttons are convenient

The SolarCell One remote understands you’ve a lot of content to watch from a lot of different streaming services. While older models only had a couple buttons that would lead directly to a specific app, the latest version has four. This remote features respective buttons that will take you to Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+.

Chances are that you are subscribed to at least one or two of these services; if you’re like me, you’ve all three (or a family member has all three). While Tizen OS makes it fairly simple to pull up your apps and find the service of choice with relative speed and ease, having a dedicated button is mighty helpful.

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I did mention there are four buttons, while only offering three of the examples. That’s because Samsung also includes a button that will direct you to Samsung TV Plus, which is the company’s collection of free channels. There isn’t much good content here, and like with so many other so-called “free” channels, it’s populated with ads. I could do without this button.

2 Search for titles

Handy voice assistance

On the top of the remote on the right side is a button with a microphone icon. Pressing this activates the voice control feature of your Samsung TV, via the remote, allowing you to ask questions and find where you want to go.

While Samsung TVs are now only compatible with two virtual assistants in Bixby or Alexa, having lost Google Assistant back to Google, there is still plenty of use for voice control from your remote.

The most convenient use of the voice feature is simply to search for a title. The analog search function on Samsung TV’s isn’t anything particularly special, so using your voice is not just faster and easier, but likely more precise as well. Via the remote, you can also direct the TV to open a specific app, which is the next best thing to have a specific button that takes you to a service.

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As the voice remote connects to your virtual assistant, you can still discuss and request things that are not related to finding the exact show you want to watch, so your remote can serve as a way to rouse your virtual assistant from their slumber.

3 Go home

Helping you get back to the start

Arguably the most important button on any remote, you can return to your home screen by pressing the button at the center of the remote with the icon of a house. It can be very easy to get into the weeds of any given streaming service, moving from the apps home page down a string of genres and categories and “more like this” tunnels until you don’t know where you are anymore or what you’re doing.

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When you’re searching for something, but you don’t know exactly what you want, the home button will get you back to the starting point so you can reset and try searching anew.

4 Watch multiple screens at once

Multi View for the multi-faceted

The SolarCell remote features a button in the top right corner that looks like a pile of folders stacked on top of each other. This button triggers the Multi View functionality, which allows you to put a few different channels and titles on your screen at the same time.

This does come with a bunch of caveats. Only select Samsung TVs allow for this feature, and only a couple higher-end models allow for any more than two sources at once on the same. The only supported apps right now are Samsung TV Plus and YouTube, although you can still connect your mobile phone or content from a USB input or HDMI source.

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Once you have everything you want connected or made available, the handy button on the remote will help you enact this popular feature.

5 Charge it in the light

Keep the battery lasting longer

As the name suggests, the Samsung Solar Cell one remote boasts a solar cell battery that can recharge using light. There’s not so much a button as there is a light panel on the back. When you’re not using the remote, simply leave the panel facing up so that it can take in any light in the room to keep the battery charged.

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This is definitely a convenient feature, but it’s worth remembering that remote batteries don’t exactly die quickly. Remotes don’t tend to require a lot of juice, and replacing batteries isn’t something you will do regularly. Still, it’s a worthy addition to a remote that boasts plenty of important conveniences to help you get to all the content you have to watch.