Firstly the installation:
As with any normal washing machine, removing the rear transport bolts, putting a hose on and pushing out the overflow was simple, apart from the bolts were very very stiff and needed a good socket set (which I have) to remove, and then pry out the plastic with a lot of force.
Setting the level is as expected, on a very uneven floor. This was like any other machine, and telling me about a piece of Styrofoam underneath with a note attached to tape, making it easy to lift one end up and remove was welcomed.
Ease of use:
The instructions leave a lot to be desired. There is a lot of repeated text which seems unecessary, but overall I managed to follow it. After you get to know the symbols it is fairly straightforward, just that initial question you have over everything that's a pain for the first 30 minutes, until it becomes normal. (I've never had a washer dryer combo so it was all new). I was surprised by the lack of in-between settings, for instance, the spin setting goes from 1400,1200,800,600. Not sure why they missed 1000 out. This is what I used to use on my last Beko, to keep the noise and vibrations down. However, on this machine I found that I could have it on 1400 and not worry about an unbalanced load throwing the machine around and it being really noisy. In fact the motor doesn't make any sound at all. The only sound you get is rotational noise and the sound of water splashing around. It's like when you hear an electric car.... very surprisingly quiet.
The functions:
I found these to be a little limited, but not to the point where I would worry about it. For instance, there is no "Dark colours" setting which I used on my last machine for 8 years. I found that "synthetics" or just "Wash and Dry 5kg" was pretty much the same, except for the drying.
There is a Home Whiz app which you can put on your phone and use Blutooth to tell the washing machine what to do, and even download extra wash programs. I downloaded "Towels" and "Lingerie" but found you can only download one at a time, you cannot store them in the machine's memory. You could then select this from the dial or the phone. I found the app a little bit of a novelty to be honest and will likely never use again, since it's so many more steps and buttons to press than just walking up to the machine and turning a dial. I'm also a little concerned about the whole account set up and data that it shares... why does it need to know my location? Very dubious.
The drying:
This exceeded my expectations, since others have said machine drying isn't that great. I have so far washed sheets, towels, lots of clothes and tried out the various drying cycles, of which there are around 5. You can either set a timer between 30 /60 mins and 90 mins
or press the button for hanger dry and hanger dry Plus. I have only had to set it to a max of 60 mins to get a full load dry, including towels, which normally take all day to dry even in a hot sun. And not only are they dry, they are very soft, as if I put lots of fabric conditioner in. They even smell nicer than ever, probably because the bacteria has been steamed away. This is a happy side effect of using steam to dry. I would warn to take stuff out of the machine as soon as it's done though, because leaving sheets in there for a while made them go very wrinkly, and I put back in for another 30 mins to get that out as it wasn't good. It's handy having a beeping sound like an alarm on a mobile, to let you know the machine is done.
Summary:
On the whole, very impressed, and the looks of this machine is very classy, even against much more expensive machines. The smoked glass door is very nice and glossy, however is a dust magnet, so be sure to clean with a microfibre cloth.