GE GNE27JSMSS French Door Refrigerator Review

The GE GNE27JSMSS has a lot of features and amenities we really liked. It has a sleek overall design, its main doors close with a satisfying snap, and its freezer drawer slides incredibly smoothly. Inside, we liked the number of customizable storage options it offered, the full-width deli drawer, and the built-in dispensers. The GE GNE27JSMSS also has some decently consistent temperatures.

It did have areas where we thought it was a bit lacking, however. For starters, even when calibrated correctly—something that many users likely won't take the time to do—it will still sometimes wander over the 40°F threshold for safe food storage. Likewise, the freezer also needs to be lowered by a few degrees. We also weren’t the biggest fans of most of the bins and shelves, which were difficult to move around.

About the GE GNE27JSMSS French door fridge

Dimensions: 69.88” x 35.75” x 35.88” (H x W x D) Finish: White, black, slate ($100 extra), stainless steel ($100 extra) Capacity: Fridge capacity is 11.157 cu. ft.; Freezer capacity is 3.45 cu. ft. Dispensers: Internal water dispenser in the fridge, internal ice dispenser in the freezer Other features: Spill-proof shelves, one flexible shelf, 10 moveable bins and shelves, full-width deli drawer, Turbo Cool setting (uses extra energy to quickly restore cool temperatures), Sabbath mode (puts the refrigerator in a timed defrost mode, turns off the controls and dispensers, and ensures the interior lights aren't affected by opening or closing the door), and anti-slam doors

What we like

Very stable temperatures can help reduce premature spoilage

One of the most important aspects of fridge performance is temperature variance. It’s one thing to be able to hit a specific temperature and another to be able to maintain that temperature over time, through defrost cycles and intermittent door opening. You want your fridge to notice and correct any changes in temperature quickly, to ensure your food isn’t getting too warm for preservation.

We found the GNE27JSMSS's refrigerator compartment was able to maintain temperatures within 2 degrees and its freezer maintained a range of about 3 degrees. This means temperatures within the fridge and freezer are both fairly stable, even during defrost cycles. This is important because consistently low temperatures are the best way to ensure the longevity of your food. Temperature changes in the freezer can sometimes exacerbate freezer burn, which leads to food spoiling before it should.

There's a ton of customizable storage options

We loved the fact that the GE GNE27JSMSS has so many customizable storage options. The doors have three bins each that can be removed and reset to different heights. The shelves can be repositioned to one of four different heights, and the left- and right-hand shelves can be positioned independently. On top of that, there’s also a flexible shelf, which can slide its front half underneath its back half to allow taller objects to fit in front of it.

What we don’t like

There's not as much usable storage space as claimed

While the GE GNE27JSMSS does have a decent amount of storage space, it has nowhere near as much as it claims on the packaging. According to GE, the GNE27JSMSS has 18.8 cu. ft. in its fridge and 8.2 cu. ft. in its freezer, but we’d contest both of those numbers. According to our measurements, the fridge’s usable storage capacity is only 11.157 cu. ft., while the freezer’s is 3.45 cu. ft. While it's typical to find a difference, these are fairly large discrepancies, and we’re honestly not sure how GE came up with their numbers—though we have a guess that can account for some of it.

Typically we run into capacity disparity like this when there’s large fixtures built into the fridge with space around them, which manufacturers tend to count as usable capacity but realistically isn’t. For example, the GNE27JSMSS’s water filter has some space between it and the adjacent wall, but it would be difficult to actually store anything in that space. Likewise, we could assume GE counted the ice tray in the freezer, but most users will keep that filled with ice, not groceries.

It runs a little warm, even when calibrated

Most consumers don’t calibrate their refrigerators. Who can blame them? If the instructions say "set the fridge at 37°F and the freezer to 0°F" and you do so, you expect the fridge to comply.

But while the GE GNE27JSMSS didn’t have wildly off-base temperatures, calibrating it to the ideal 37°F will actually result in temperatures that hover over 38°F with a peak of slightly over 40°F. The freezer’s average temperature was 3°F compared to the calibration target of 0°F, hitting a max temp of about 4.7°F.

The USDA recommends you keep your fridge set to below 40°F to keep it out of the danger zone, so we didn’t like that the GNE27JSMSS tiptoed over that threshold during its normal cooling cycle. The freezer’s higher temperature was also problematic, as that temperature range can exacerbate freezer burn, leading to premature food spoilage.

It's a small, easily correctable problem: Just set the thermostat a couple degrees colder. But unfortunately, it's a solution that most consumers probably won't be aware of.

The drawers and bins hitch when you try to move them

A lot of your time with a fridge is spent interacting with the drawers and doors. While we have no qualms about the GE GNE27JSMSS’s doors, its drawers and bins feel cheaply made. Sliding the flex shelves, opening the crisper drawer, or rearranging the bins is not always a smooth process: The flex shelves squeak, the drawers wobble, and the door bins are a bit difficult to remove and replace.

What owners are saying

Across major retailers, the GE GNE27JSMSS is averaging 4.5 out of 5 stars with generally positive reviews. Owners seem to love the internal capacity, overall layout, lighting, and built-in dispensers. Some owners have complained that the drawers don't slide smoothly, that the water dispenser is difficult to use, and that the fridge has a louder humming than they expected.

Warranty

GE offers a one-year limited warranty for both parts and labor. This is the baseline warranty in the industry. Some manufacturers will additionally ensure certain parts for longer periods of time.

Should you buy the GE GNE27JSMSS?

Maybe. The GNE27JSMSS isn't a perfect fridge, but one of its main downsides can be counteracted through simply calibrating it to a slightly lower temperature than GE recommends. The reduced capacity is something inherent to most French door fridges, but even on that scale the GNE27JSMSS has less capacity than average. Overall, it’s not a bad buy, and as long as you calibrate it properly it'll hold those temperatures fairly well. Of course, as is the case for most products that fall short of great, you could also get something that's a bit better for the same money.

If you’re looking for a better GE French door fridge, we’d recommend checking out the GE GNE25JMKES or, if money is no object, the excellent GE Café CFE28TSHSS. If you’re looking for a solid French door around the same price range, we’d recommend checking out the Samsung RF260BEAESR, which is a great value.