The Breville the Smooth Wave is a high-end countertop microwave. It stands out from other microwaves for its dial and bigger LED screen, which can make its controls easier to use, and its soft-closing door. Its controls include sensor cooking modes, where the microwave detects steam to calculate cooking time. Its cooking chamber is on the small side compared with similarly-priced microwaves like the Panasonic NN-SN975S, so keep that in mind if you often reheat or defrost in bigger containers.
Our Verdict
The 1200-watt Breville the Smooth Wave can heat food quickly at maximum power. Some microwaves with a similar advertised wattage have a faster heating rate, like the LG LMC0975ST, but it won't matter much unless speed is your only priority.
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Bigger LED screen.
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Mute function and sensor modes.
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Quieter soft-close door.
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Not quite as fast as some microwaves.
Compared To Other Microwaves
The Breville Smooth Wave microwave is a high-end inverter microwave. While some 1200-watt microwaves can heat food faster, it has features you might like, including a sensor cooking function that detects steam and determines when your food is hot. It has a premium appearance, with an all-stainless steel body and an LED screen that displays which program or mode you've selected, so you don't have to refer to the manual as often. You can choose from different chimes or mute the controls entirely.
The Panasonic NN-CD87KS has similar controls, with a dial and screen, but it's a pricier model that doubles as an air fryer and oven.
If you're looking for a recommendation, check out the best microwaves and the best over-the-range microwaves.
Test Results
It has a medium-sized cooking chamber. The light inside provides fantastic visibility into the chamber when it's running.
This microwave's controls differ slightly from most other microwaves. The LED screen displays which cooking mode or program you're using and changes color when the microwave is running. You can mute the controls or choose between different feedback: regular beeping and lower-pitched chimes. It has a 'soft close' feature that makes closing the door much quieter.
The screen will go into standby mode (with only the clock displayed) when you open the door or 5 minutes after the end of a cycle, which is good news if you're annoyed by someone leaving a few seconds on the microwave clock. You can switch off the turntable rotation, which is recommended for bigger square dishes that may not have room to rotate.
The 'Smart Reheat' and 'Smart Defrost' functions use a sensor to detect steam and automatically adjust the cooking time. There are also a few 'Shortcut' buttons that are only accessible when you open the microwave door. There are 'Melt Chocolate,' 'Soften Butter,' 'Beverage,' 'Pizza,' and 'Bacon' modes. You can save a 'Favorite' program. However, it doesn't have a kitchen timer feature, so keep that in mind if you use your microwave's timer even when you're not microwaving. Also, the microwave's fan keeps running after the cooking cycle finishes, which isn't explained in the manual.
Microwaves all perform similarly when heating food in shallow dishes. The evenness of heating depends on what you're warming up (liquidy foods heat more evenly), where you place it, and how much steam is in the microwave. You can read more about our investigations into microwave performance here.
Like with shallow dishes, microwaves all perform similarly for heating food in deeper containers. Evenness depends on what you're heating, your specific container, and where you place it. You can read more about our investigations into microwave performance here.