Just about everything Samsung does has been done before.
The cold controls are of similar design to my mom's '75 Coldspot side-by-side. What I don't see is the "Air Control" that supposedly adjusted the temperature in the freezer section. Maybe that's all the "Convertible" control is. Still, I can't imagine needing to store that much fresh meat in the convertible zone (not that meat is all that upper section is intended for). Isn't that a meat drawer under the clear-front crisper anyway?
Personally, I'd want the extra freezer space, so if I were fridge shopping back when this one was new I'd not have considered it. Besides, the price would have been sky high.
Still it's a rare bird, and Coldspots from this period seem to run forever, and quietly at that. My mom's was still purring along at 33 years old when we replaced it with a larger KitchenAid.