In Modern America, almost every household has a microwave oven. Used for cooking, reheating, defrosting main food items while also having the capability to pop popcorn or soften butter. It’s no wonder these kitchen appliances are as ubiquitous as toasters or blenders!
Welcome to our in-depth review and comparison of Samsung and LG countertop microwave ovens. We’ve spent hours researching and compiling information to create this review comparison analyzing important buying factors like ease of use, reliability, size and capacity options, and amount and quality of features.
Two popular microwave brands go head to head, but who will come out on top?
The LG wins this battle. It’s fantastic for reliability, giving you peace of mind you’re making a purchase that can sit in your kitchen doing the dirty jobs for year after year.
Combine that with high power for super fast cooking times and a whole bunch of features including many unique to the brand of LG makes this one an easy choice. Read more here.
Features
A common feature in the line of Samsung microwave ovens is a grill element. Combined with its ceramic plate it offers a useful “all in one” package for getting that crispy surface on pizzas and toast, or making melted cheese that can only come from a high heat that normal microwaves can’t produce.
Samsung microwave ovens have a scratch resistant and easy to clean exterior which makes them beautiful to look at and keeps them looking perfect for years with minimal maintenance.
Other notable features include:
– Wide range of auto cook preset options.
– Dedicated soften and melt functions.
– Auto defrost.
– Turn off clock button.
– Sound on/off button to stop the microwave beeping.
The LG is another heavyweight when it comes to features on its microwaves. You get a whole host of sensor cooking and reheating options which uses a humidity sensor to tell when your food is cooked, no messing around guessing the amount of time needed.
The antibacterial coating on the inside of your microwave is unique to LG and helps improve hygiene in your kitchen. Another novel LG-only feature is the six-pronged turntable which offers more stability then the standard three-pronged which can easily slide off.
Other notable features include:
– Beautiful glass panel input controls.
– Patented Easyclean interior with antibacterial coating.
– Six-pronged turntable for added stability.
– Bright in-microwave LED light.
– Eleven different power levels for low power modes.
Winner: Samsung
Both of these brands are heavyweights when it comes to offering “quality of life” features on their microwave ovens. It’s a close run thing, but Samsung is shading it here. Your viewpoint may be different depending on how you rate the importance of the features that are listed above.
Power and size options
The Samsung line offers decent power of 900W to 1050W and fast cooking times, but nothing that’ll blow your socks off. The capacity of its microwaves are medium sized at 1.1 to 1.4 cubic feet. All of which is very middle of the road, not ideal for those with smaller kitchens or those who want to cook large amounts of food.
LG offers a truly vast range, covering countertop but also over-the-range microwave ovens.
The brand positions itself at the high end of the market, so for your flagship model, you’re looking at 1200W. This power output is as high as non-commercial microwaves will go so you’re getting the fastest cooking times on the market.
Size options cover a wide range too, at 1.1 to 2.2 cubic feet
winner: lg
LG wins this one by a long shot. They offer a wider choice of power and size options, especially at the top end.
The caveat is that neither of these brands is great for small countertop microwaves or those on a budget. If you want a smaller, cheaper microwave oven then this might be a better webpage for you to read.
Ease of use
Samsung microwaves are a joy to look at with their black mirror finish and ceramic interior. They use a simple but neat user interface with keypad buttons that are clear and not too cluttered. Entering what you want is simple and the kitchen timer, sound on/off button and “+30s button” make this microwave a dream to use.
The LG microwaves are all stunning, with a futuristic design, stainless steel exterior, and shiny black window. A variety of different interfaces are available, with choices of keypad or dial. The LG Neochef finishes its cooking with a cute jingle that seems to divide opinion among its users.
The LG has a kind of hidden “+30s button”. Press START when nothing else is entered and it will add 30 seconds. Useful, but you’d only know if you had read the manual (or this webpage!)
Winner: tied
I’m calling this one a draw. Both microwaves are visually stunning with clean, modern, and easy to use interfaces.
Reliability
For such a big name in electronics, it’s surprising to see Samsung has a less than stellar reputation when it comes to reliability of its microwaves. Reports of breakdowns and other issues are higher than you would expect. This should be balanced against the fact that most microwaves have no problems. People who are happy with their appliance will feel no need to talk about it or leave reviews.
LG have a respectable if not glowing reputation for reliability. Reports of breakdowns, faulty parts and other problems are low.
The thing is, at the price point of LG’s range of microwaves, i.e. near the top end, you would expect a near flawless record with the longevity of its microwave ovens.
A good (if imperfect) metric is to check Amazon reviews to aggregate thousands of customers’ experiences, and there are more issues being reported than you may feel comfortable with. This is reflected in average user ratings of around 4.0 whereas some of the top microwaves are around 4.3 or 4.4.
Winner: lg
LG wins here, but by a whisker not a mile. Its higher average reviews and fewer reports of mechanical and technical problems pull it ahead.
Overall
Both these beautiful microwaves are full of awesome features to gush over that’ll make cooking easier than ever.
Given the choice of only one, I’d put my hat in the ring with the LG line. The extra reliability gives you peace of mind and less chasing after repairs and warranties. You also have more options for size and power, especially at the top end of things.
On the other hand, if you want a quality grill function along with your microwave then the Samsung is a great choice. You can check this one out here.
Overall Winner: LG
What Other Brands Make Quality Microwaves?
The LG and Samsung offer great microwave ovens, but as I mentioned, they may not be suitable for everyone. If you’re looking for a cheaper, smaller microwave or one with excellent reliability then read the following.
Best Microwave For Budget
The Toshiba line is my pick for best budget microwave oven. The amount of features combined with surprisingly high power makes it a real “value for money” choice. You can see the latest price and also read more about it here.
Best Microwave For Reliability
If you’re looking for a quality microwave with a stellar record for longevity then look no further than Panasonic. Follow this link to view their most popular model and see price, reviews and other details. Their record for reliability is near spotless, I advise reading a few Amazon reviews to be sure.
