Samsung 1.2 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave with Power Convection review: a microwave that can cook in more ways than one

For a while now, I’ve had my eye on a new type of microwave that can do more than heat food. These days, some of the best microwaves and, indeed, compact microwaves, have additional capabilities like air frying, grilling, baking, and more. Rather than have four different appliances, you could essentially use one microwave to cook your food in various ways. This is the case with the Samsung 1.2 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave with Power Convection—and I am so glad that I had a chance to test it out.

This large Samsung microwave has a whopping maximum power level of 1650 watts, and can be used as a microwave, convection oven, grill, air fryer, and even as a combination of those functions. While the instruction manual is frustratingly limited, at least the microwave’s app connectivity is easy to use and sends notifications to your phone when your food is ready.

Over the course of two weeks, I tested the various functions of this Samsung microwave so I could provide an in-depth review of how it works and who will benefit from it the most. Keep reading for more information.

Alex Temblador

Alex Temblador has been reviewing household products since 2020. She has tested everything from vacuums to coffee machines, mattresses, gardening tools, hot tubs, and more. Alex reviewed the Samsung 1.2 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave with Power Convection in her 104-year-old home in the Dallas, Texas, area.

Samsung 1.2 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave with Power Convection: Price & availability

At full price, this Samsung microwave is sold for $599 through the Samsung website and Amazon. However, you can find some stores like M&M Appliance and Orville’s Home Appliances that sell it at a discounted price of about $540. It’s currently not available through Best Buy or Home Depot.

The high price tag is probably a result of the fact that the microwave has some smart capabilities and can also be used as a convection oven, grill, and air fryer. It should be noted that you could find a microwave with similar capabilities for about $250. Remember, this is a Samsung product, so it doesn’t surprise me that it costs a little more, due in part to the quality, construction, and the brand name.  

Score: 7/10

Samsung 1.2 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave with Power Convection: Setup

The Samsung 1.2 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave with Power Convection is pretty heavy so be careful when carrying it from your doorstep to your kitchen. After removing it from the packaging, I added the turntable and the glass plate. (The microwave itself is essentially put together.)

Although the buttons, dial, and the screen are different than what I’m used to when it comes to microwaves, I was surprised by how easy it was to figure out. The dial allows you to scroll through the on-screen options and choose a setting (by pressing the dial). If I need to go to a previous screen, I just hit the return button, which looks like an arrow. I quickly set the time without any issues, turned off the child lock, and downloaded the SmartThings app.

Connecting the microwave to my Wi-Fi and the SmartThings app was no hassle at all. The SmartThings app aids users in a few different ways. For one, I can set a cook function and time in the app and send it to the microwave (rather than use the dial to set the cook function). No matter if I set the cook function through the app or on the product itself, the app notifies me throughout the cooking process of different things, such as if I need to turn the meat over or when the cooking process is complete.

What I found odd is that the Samsung instruction manual says that the microwave has Voice Control capability through Bixby, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant. Unfortunately, the instruction manual is severely lacking in instruction (which is ironic) on how to set up the Voice Control. I tried to set it up through Google Assistant and the Amazon Alexa apps on my own. The microwave did not appear when I searched for it in the apps. I even went on the Samsung website for instructions and could not find any information. This is a big drawback in my opinion.

I should also add that the instruction manual doesn’t provide a lot of information on the different cook functions. It doesn’t explain the difference between Power Convection and Convection or what exactly Grill Combi is compared to Convection Combi. There is also no insight into how to best utilize the additional accessories for specific types of foods and cook functions.

Samsung 1.2 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave with Power Convection: Design

I had just tested a 1.1 cu. ft. microwave, so I assumed that the Samsung wouldn’t be much larger, being that it’s 1.2 cu. ft., but I was wrong. When I pulled it out of the box, I immediately realized that it would not fit on my microwave stand. I had to place it on my breakfast table for testing. While the inside of the microwave might be 1.2 cu. ft., the exterior dimensions are quite large. Even though this is a countertop microwave, it looks like something that should be mounted on the wall. Make sure to measure your space before you buy.

This sleek black microwave has a 39-inch power cord and looks more like an oven than a microwave in that the door pulls down like that of an oven. The front screen is a lot easier to see through than other microwaves I’ve tested, which is nice when you’re cooking.

There is a small digital screen at the top of the unit and eight glass touch controls next to it. These glass touch controls feature four preset buttons -- Power Convection, Auto Cook, Microwave, and Air Fry -- and four other buttons -- a pause/start button, child lock button, a return button, and a timer button. A dial allows you to move through the on-screen options and select your choice.

The interior is made of ceramic enamel and features a light and a 15-inch glass turntable that is removable. Samsung also provides a circular metal platter to use for convection cooking and two round grilling racks.

The Samsung 1.2 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave with Power Convection is designed to work in conjunction with the SmartThings app. In terms of design, the app isn’t overwhelming, but rather easy to use. It basically allows you to choose a cooking mode, the power level, and cook time and then sends that information to the microwave.

Verdict: 8/10

Samsung 1.2 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave with Power Convection: Key specs

Samsung 1.2 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave with Power Convection: Performance

This Samsung microwave has quite a lot of modes: power convection, convection, air fry, grill, microwave, grill combi, convection combi, keep warm, and defrost. I tested out each and every function by warming cups of water, defrosting meat, grilling chicken legs and fish, air frying meats and vegetables, and more.

Testing the Samsung 1.2 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave with Power Convection was a great experience and there are a lot of things about it that I loved. In terms of wattage, it’s different than other microwaves. For instance, the max wattage for the microwave function is 900W, but it’s 1600W for grilling and 1650W for convection. Of course, with the microwave function you can adjust the power level. No matter the function I used, this microwave had a dB rating of 65.

Let’s start with the easiest functions. Keep Warm is as it sounds: it keeps the food warm before serving it. When I pressed this function, I could choose the amount of time I wanted the food kept warm at 150 degrees. The Defrost button offers preset defrost options for Meat, Poultry, Fish, or Breads/Cakes. It only gives you a weight defrost option (there is no time defrost option), so you’ll need to know how much something weights to properly set the correct defrost time.  

When you press the Microwave button, the Samsung product allows you to set the time by minutes and seconds with the dial. Again, this is a fairly easy function to use, and I thought it did a great job at heating various foods and mugs of water in the microwave setting. 

This Samsung microwave does a great job with air frying. The food is as crispy as I'd hoped, especially when I placed the food on the grilling racks. When I pressed the Air Fry button, I was able to choose the temperature of the air fryer and the cook time.

The Grill feature is different in that you can only choose the cook time and not a temperature. I loved how the Grill function made the skin of chicken legs crispy, and yet retained the moistness of the meat. The asparagus I cooked on the Grill feature was similarly tasty.

Does the grill function on this microwave produce the same effect as an actual grill? Of course not. In my opinion, a grill provides more caramelization, charred flavors, and grill lines. The Grill feature on this Samsung microwave produces similar results as the Air Fry function and I know this because I cooked the same meal – chicken legs and asparagus – on the Air Fry function too. Honestly, I didn’t notice any difference in taste, dryness versus juiciness, or cook time between the Grill and Air Fry functions.

That said, I felt like it took much longer to air fry and grill food with this microwave than it does when I use my own air fryer or grill. For instance, it took 30 minutes to air fry or grill the chicken legs so that they were safe to eat. I can completely cook chicken legs in my regular air fryer in about 20-22 minutes (depending on their size). Most grills I've tested cook chicken legs and vegetables between 15-20 minutes. If you can’t have a grill for whatever reason, this Samsung microwave is a good alternative, however, I’ve tested some indoor grills that can mimic outdoor grills much better than this product. 

I should also mention that there is a Grill Combi function. It uses the Grill function and the Microwave function at the same time. Unfortunately, I don’t know exactly the benefit of this except to say that it’s better to use for something like sausage that isn’t going to take as long to cook as say chicken or steak would.

The Convection feature basically functions as your baking option because it evenly distributes heat. In fact, you’ll set the temperature like you would an oven. I used it to cook a can of biscuits, and it worked phenomenally. I think this is my favorite function of the microwave. It cooked the biscuits two minutes quicker than it would haven taken if I'd used an oven. 

Power Convection is the same feature, but it adds more speed to the bake time. Convection Combi bakes and roasts foods quickly by combining the microwave and the convection oven. It adjusts the power level down to 70 percent and asks that you set the temperature and the cook time. 

I preferred to use the Convection feature over the Power Convection and Convection Combi, only because I felt like it wasn’t that different from using my oven. For me, there was more guesswork in terms of time and temperature with Power Convection and Convection Combi and I’m not well practiced in using either of these functions. It’ll likely take some experimentation to get used to Power Convection and Convection Combi features. 

This microwave has a range of other functions too. For instance, I could add or reduce the cook time while the microwave was cooking by turning the dial. You can also save your favorite custom cook times and functions, especially those you know that you’ll want to use in the future. 

As far as cleaning goes, I loved that this unit had a Deodorize function, which essentially removes the odors inside the unit. This function actually works pretty well, though if you keep the microwave clean, you won’t have to use the Deodorize function often. While the glass plate and turntable are dishwasher safe, I found myself cleaning the inside of the microwave with a wet rag and light amounts of dish soap often.

Score: 7/10

Samsung 1.2 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave with Power Convection: User reviews

The Samsung 1.2 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave with Power Convection is a new product from Samsung, and at the time of writing, there are currently no user reviews on any site.

Should you buy the Samsung 1.2 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave with Power Convection?

Buy it if...

 Don’t buy it if…  

How does the Samsung 1.2 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave with Power Convection compare?

If you want a microwave with multiple cooking features, such as air frying, broiling, and baking, but don’t want something as large as this Samsung, consider the Toshiba ML2-TC10SAIT. It’s considerably more compact and while it has a lower wattage, at least it comes with multiple accessories and is about half the price of the Samsung.

The Panasonic HomeChef is a similarly-priced alternative in that has the ability to microwave, air fry, broil, and convection. Unlike the Samsung, it can’t grill, but at least the buttons will feel a bit more familiar to folks and it won’t take up as much counterspace.

While the Samsung 1.2 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave with Power Convection is supposed to have Voice Control features, I couldn’t figure it out. That said, I was able to set up and use the Alexa Voice Control features with the Sharp SMC1169KS 1.1 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave. While the Sharp isn’t able to air fry or grill, at least it’s a solid microwave with all the smart features you could want and doesn’t take up too much counter space. 

How I tested the Samsung 1.2 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave with Power Convection

I tested the Samsung 1.2 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave with Power Convection for two weeks. Testing involved cooking a variety of meals from salmon to sausage, chicken, and biscuits by using the product's various functions -- air frying, defrosting, grilling, convection, microwave, and more. I also explored the microwave's cleaning procedures and smart capabilities. 

See more about how we test.

• First reviewed: September 2024