De'Longhi AM9
De'longhi
A Microwave Built for the Rhythm of Daily Cooking, Not Just Reheating Leftovers
Most microwaves get judged in the first ten seconds of ownership — how they look on the counter — and then forgotten until something goes wrong. The De'Longhi AM9 in black is a different kind of purchase. It's aimed squarely at people who use their microwave constantly: defrosting the mince you forgot to take out, reheating last night's pasta, steaming vegetables while the hob is busy with something else. Judged purely as a countertop appliance, it's unremarkable to look at. Judged as a tool that has to earn its keep every single day, it's a much more interesting product — and one with a few genuine trade-offs worth understanding before it lands on your counter.
Design and Build: Substance Over Style
The AM9 doesn't try to be a design statement. It's finished entirely in matte black, including the interior cavity, with the only visual break coming from a silver-toned handle and a matching silver ring around the control knob. That restraint works in its favour — it disappears into a modern kitchen rather than fighting with it, and it won't show fingerprints and smudges the way a mirrored or stainless-steel door does.
What you notice quickly, though, is the weight. At just over 15 kilograms empty, this is a noticeably heavier unit than most solo microwaves in its size class, which typically sit several kilograms lighter. That extra mass isn't wasted — it generally signals a sturdier chassis and a more substantial motor and turntable assembly rather than a thin, hollow-feeling shell. The trade-off is practical rather than aesthetic: this isn't a microwave you want to be shuffling around the kitchen or relocating often. Pick its permanent home on the counter once, ideally near a socket, and let it stay there. The power cable itself runs to about a metre, which is on the shorter side, so it's worth checking your intended spot has a socket within easy reach rather than assuming you can tuck the microwave into a far corner and stretch the lead.
The controls are a simple dial-and-button layout rather than a full touchscreen, which keeps the learning curve short but does have one recurring criticism from owners: the text on the buttons can be difficult to read at a glance, particularly for anyone without their reading glasses to hand. It's a minor gripe once you've used the machine a handful of times and learned where things are by feel, but it's honest to flag it upfront rather than let you discover it after unboxing.
Core Performance: What 900 Watts Actually Buys You
Power output is the number everyone fixates on, so it's worth translating it into something useful. At 900 watts, the AM9 sits in the upper-middle tier of domestic solo microwaves — comfortably ahead of budget 700W models that leave you standing over the microwave adding extra minutes, but a step below the 1000W-plus units found in some larger combination ovens.
In real terms, that means:
- Reheating a plate of food (pasta, curry, a portion of last night's dinner) typically lands in the 2–3 minute range rather than the 4-plus minutes you'd spend with a weaker 600–700W unit.
- Cooking from raw — jacket potatoes, frozen ready meals, steamed vegetables — is genuinely viable rather than a fallback, because there's enough power to cook the centre of denser foods without leaving the edges overdone.
- Popcorn and quick snacks finish fast enough that you don't need to hover by the door watching the clock.
The 900W figure sits it in good company against other well-regarded 25-litre solo microwaves on the market, several of which land in the same 900W bracket — so this isn't a machine punching below its class, but it's also not delivering anything unusual for its size. It's the sensible, well-executed middle ground rather than a standout performer at either extreme.
Key Features, Explained in Real Terms
Eight Automatic Programmes
Rather than manually guessing power level and time for every dish, the AM9 includes eight pre-set programmes covering common categories like reheating, defrosting, and cooking fish or vegetables. In practice, this means less mental math at dinnertime — you select the category that matches what's on the plate, and the microwave handles the timing and power curve rather than you setting it by trial and error. This is particularly useful for anyone who's ever ruined a piece of fish by blasting it at full power for too long; the automatic programme is calibrated to be gentler where gentleness matters.
Dedicated Defrost Function
The defrost setting is one of the more quietly valuable features here. It uses a lower, pulsed power level designed to thaw food evenly without starting to cook the outer layer before the centre has defrosted — the classic problem with just running a full-power microwave on frozen meat. For households that regularly forget to move dinner from the freezer to the fridge in the morning, this turns a potential crisis into a ten-minute fix.
31.5cm Rotating Turntable
The turntable diameter is generous enough to accommodate a standard full-size dinner plate without it catching on the cavity walls, which sounds like a small thing until you've owned a microwave where every second plate you own is slightly too big. Even heating depends heavily on the turntable rotating freely, and a properly sized plate matters more to cooking evenness than most people realise — food sitting static in one corner of a cavity heats unevenly regardless of how powerful the magnetron is.
Child Safety Lock
A dedicated child lock disables the control panel, which matters more than it sounds for households with young children who are drawn to buttons and dials at exactly the height of a kitchen counter. It's a control-panel lockout rather than a physical door lock, so it prevents accidental operation rather than physically preventing the door from opening — worth knowing the distinction if child safety around hot food and steam is a serious concern in your home.
Interior Light
A built-in interior light stays on during cooking, letting you actually watch food through the door rather than guessing when something's about to boil over. It's a fixed-brightness light rather than anything adjustable, but its presence at all is a small quality-of-life detail some budget microwaves skip entirely.
Capacity: Sizing It for Your Household
The 25-litre interior capacity puts the AM9 above the compact 17–20 litre microwaves aimed at singles or couples, and into the bracket that suits small-to-medium families or anyone who regularly reheats large portions, casserole dishes, or more than one plate at a time. The internal cavity itself is tall and wide enough to fit a decent-sized casserole dish or a stack of two plates side by side, which is where the extra capacity actually shows up in daily use rather than just on a spec sheet.
Externally, though, the unit is reasonably compact for what it offers inside — it won't dominate a kitchen counter the way some 25-litre-plus combination microwaves do. It's worth double-checking clearance requirements before installation, though: this model needs meaningful breathing room above and to the sides for ventilation, so it isn't a great candidate for a tightly enclosed shelf or a built-in nook unless that space has been specifically designed for a freestanding microwave.
Living With It: Cleaning and Everyday Maintenance
This is where the AM9 quietly does some of its best work. The enamel-coated interior is smooth and non-porous, which means splashes, boil-overs, and general food spatter wipe away with a damp cloth rather than needing to be scrubbed or soaked. Enamel also resists staining and odour absorption better than a bare painted metal interior, so it tends to age better cosmetically over years of daily reheating duty — no lingering ghost smell of last month's fish, no permanent turmeric stain in the corner.
Combined with the black finish, which hides minor marks better than a white or stainless interior, day-to-day maintenance genuinely lives up to the "wipes clean in seconds" promise rather than being a marketing line that falls apart under real use.
Who Should Buy This — and Who Shouldn't
This microwave makes sense if you:
- Cook or reheat food multiple times a day and want a machine that can keep up without hunting for extra minutes on underpowered settings.
- Have a small-to-medium household and need genuine capacity for full plates, casserole dishes, or batch reheating.
- Regularly forget to defrost meat in advance and want a dedicated function that does it properly rather than half-cooking the outside.
- Value low-maintenance cleaning over flashy displays or smart features.
- Have young children in the house and want a basic safety lockout as standard.
Look elsewhere if you:
- You want a combination microwave with a grill or convection function for browning and crisping — this is a solo microwave only, with no grill element.
- Counter space or a built-in cabinet slot is tight; the clearance requirements and overall footprint need genuine breathing room.
- You're regularly moving the microwave between rooms or locations — the weight makes repositioning a two-person job rather than a quick one-handed shuffle.
- You need touchscreen or app-based controls; this is a traditional dial-and-button interface through and through.
How It Stacks Up Against Other Solo Microwaves
Within the 25-litre, 900W solo microwave bracket, the AM9 sits alongside a small cluster of similarly specified competitors from Sharp, Bosch, and Russell Hobbs. Here's how the category typically breaks down:
| Factor | De'Longhi AM9 | Typical 23L Russell Hobbs Solo | Typical 25L Sharp/Bosch Solo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 25L — suits families, batch reheating | 23L — slightly tighter, fine for 1–3 people | 25L — comparable capacity |
| Power | 900W — quick, confident cooking | Often 800W — noticeably slower on dense foods | 900W — comparable performance |
| Interior finish | Enamel — easy-clean, stain-resistant | Usually painted metal — can stain over time | Varies; enamel less common at this tier |
| Build weight | Heavier, sturdier feel | Lighter, easier to move | Comparable weight range |
| Grill/combi function | None — solo only | None — solo only | None — solo only |
| Control style | Dial and buttons | Dial and buttons | Mix of dial and touch depending on model |
The honest takeaway: within this specific bracket, the differences between competing 25-litre, 900W solo microwaves are often smaller than the marketing suggests. Where the AM9 tends to pull ahead is the enamel interior, which several 23-litre and budget competitors skip in favour of standard painted metal. Where it gives ground slightly is the button legibility issue and the extra weight — both minor, but worth knowing if either matters to your specific situation. If you want browning, crisping, or a genuine second cooking method, none of the microwaves in this bracket will satisfy that — you'd need to step up to a combination oven, at a meaningfully higher price and larger footprint.
The Honest Verdict
The De'Longhi AM9 doesn't try to be everything. It has no grill, no combination cooking, no smart connectivity, and its control labels could be printed larger. What it does have is a genuinely solid microwave core: a power output that handles daily cooking and defrosting with confidence, a capacity that suits real family portions rather than single-serve reheating, and an enamel interior that makes the unglamorous chore of cleaning a microwave actually painless. The extra weight is the trade-off for that solid feel, and it's a trade-off worth accepting once the machine is settled into its permanent spot on the counter.
For anyone shopping specifically for a no-frills, dependable solo microwave that will get heavy daily use — reheating, defrosting, and the occasional from-scratch dish — the AM9 is a sound, low-risk choice. If a grill function, touchscreen controls, or ultra-lightweight portability are non-negotiable for you, this isn't the right model, and that's fine — it was never trying to be. But as a workhorse for the kitchen counter that just gets on with the job every day, it delivers exactly what it promises.
What People Say
151 commentsBought 1 to replace an older Model that broke down
My last 25 ltr Delonghi had a Grill & Convection Oven, but broke down completely on Sat the 10th May '25. And when I saw that Argos offered to do 'Next Day delivery' I chose them. However, after getting to the 'pay screen' I was told that it couldn't be delivered until the 12th May, so all I had to eat on the 11th was Cheese, with Cider.
And after I unpacked it, to cook a meal on Monday the 12th, I found out that the Hub B didn't 'Rotate the glass Turntable' at all. So I removed the T/table and found that Hub B was stuck it seems and I couldn't move it with my hand. But after it had warmed up it seemed to work, however since then it is still not rotating as and when it pleases.
So I resorted to pressing down on the turntable and with 2 hands twisted it back & forth to loosen the Hub and that seems to work, but I found nothing in the Instructions that explains this fault. Perhaps I can get a new one, along with 2 more 'Microwave Cover Sets' @ £5 because the page said that they were both 25cm in diameter but one is smaller hence why I haven't used them yet.
But it's annoying that Argos are so slack in their 'details' that they feel secure in mis describing any products in this way, and can get away with it because there's no one looking over their shoulders these days. Not even sure they allow complaints to be submitted directly to them on their website?
Delonghi quality
Bought to replace a similar model from Delonghi so was familiar with the controls. Very simple to operate, buttons are sturdy and the dial has a nice solid movement - no bubbling plastic covering or wobbly fits where dirt could accumulate. Nice matt finish and good quality appearance. Is a little heavier than anticipated so be careful removing from the box! Interior is of a good size and volume maximised, enamel has few seams so hopefully there will be little danger of corrosion from steam ( reason I'm replacing, last one was the powder-coated finish inside which flaked and caused rust) cooks evenly and quickly, not too noisy, alarm beep not one of those shrill repeating ones, lol. Going by the cooking performance, I have confidence in the other cooking functions (fractional powers settings, defrost, reheat). It also has a good elevation from the counter top so there seems far less steam build up inside due to improved ventilation.recommended for day-to-day use and, unless you NEED a convection function, better value than the next model up
Excellent large capacity microwave
We have had this item now for a month. It replaced a different large capacity microwave / grill. We had got used to having a large capacity microwave, allowing us to cook / defrost / reheat larger items without worrying about the size. We found this De'Longhi unit available on Argos' website and noted that the turntable was the same size as our previous one. The controls are pleasingly easy to use, with all the functionality we need. This one does not have a grill function, but given that we did not tend to use that on our old microwave and now that we have a separate air fryer, we would be even less likely to need it!, that was not an issue. In fact, the grill was a bit of a chore, given that it made the top of the internal part of our old unit more difficult to clean in the event of food ending up there, given that the element for the old unit was also there! The 900 watt capacity matches our old unit and gives very quick results on all functions. We are very happy with our De'Longhi for all the reasons given here.
A tractor might be quieter
I bought this to replace an old microwave and gosh as soon as i started it i felt in a middle of a workshop. The cover’s shaking, the turning plate squeaking and best of all the noise has reached 70db at some stage. It felt like you had a tractor in the kitchen. I believe the manufacturers or retailers should clearly display the noise level on microwaves same as they do for the energy consumption. it was a good looking appliance but with very loud mouth so i immediately returned it thanks to Argos good return policy.
Not recommended unless your eyesight is perfect.
Quite tinny. Buttons are very hard to see unless lighting is very good. Didn’t realise you are supposed to have 12” clearance above the appliance. We haven’t. Don’t remember Argos website mentioning this - it’s in the instructions though. We will keep the microwave as it’s reasonably priced but it’s not as good as our previous De Longhi one. Another gripe is that you have to press three buttons and turn dial just to cook a bowl of porridge. Our old one was turn the dial to 2 minutes and press go. It was easy.
Love it!
This replaced a very old, small and delapidated manual microwave and it's like coming from a clapped out old banger to a Rolls Royce.
It looks stylish, is very solid and well built, and very easy to use. I like that I can just simply press the start button for increments of 30 seconds and it goes.
I have very large dinner plates and it accommodates them with ease.
I have only had it a fortnight so can't comment on long-term durability.
I am very happy to recommend this microwave.
Nice basic microwave
Bought this to replace my broken all singing all dancing microwave. Wanted a simpler one as I didn’t use all of the functions on my previous one. Very easy to use. Select heat setting, set time using the dial and start! What could be easier. Big enough inside to accommodate average sized dinner plates and my 2 litre jug. Has a handy 30 sec preset button for warming up and a clear large red time display on the front….and it fits nicely where my last one was 😁 Very happy with product!
Proven Quality and reliability
My previous microwave was a Delonghi combi which I had for fourteen years, it still worked but was making some odd sounds when not being used. Why would I choose any other make than Delonghi after their product giving me such good service for so many years! I chose just to have the microwave rather than the combi this time as I rarely used the grill previously and being ceramic is so easy to clean. Very simple to use as well, delighted with the product!
Yup, it’s a microwave. Nice and simple.
Does what you want from a microwave. Makes your food hot. Nice solid handle on the front for opening and closing the door. Nice loud beep when it’s done. Got a button you can quickly whack to set it going for 30 seconds a pop. You can do a little twizzle on the dial to set the time nice and quickly. No notes, all good. The proof will be in the pudding if it lasts another 20 years like the last one did so come back in 2045 and I’ll let you know.
Enamel interior, hopefully rust-free
Haven’t used it much yet but I like the enamel interior as it’s easy to wipe clean and the painted ones usually rust in my experience. Its big - turntable is ample for large dinner plates which is handy. Controls seem really simply and straightforward. Deducted just the one star because it’s a bit of a beast and isn’t particularly quiet. That’s fine for me in my current house but would have been an issue if living open plan as I was previously.
Good Microwave
As others have mentioned, nice microwave. It was bigger than expected (you have been warned!) so be careful and measure if you only have a small space to use, it’s very retro looking, if you like that kind of thing. Basic model and deal what it says on the tin. Controls are a bit fiddly and the instructions didn’t explain what each symbol is for, so was left search for the answer on Google. Overall, good value for money and a decent cook.
Good value, good quality and uncomplicated
We wanted a microwave that had limited features, as we rarely, if ever, used the various additional programmes of our previous model.
We wanted a decent size, we didn’t necessarily want a turntable but this didn’t matter and we wanted ease of use.
This model, from a name with a good reputation, fits the requirement perfectly.
So far, we have found that setting the power and time is not logical, but we are getting used to it.
Perfect for a family
I purchased the Delonghi 900W Enamel Cavity Solo Microwave AM9 - Black from Argos for £110/-. Works well, warms up food quickly, and a large plate fits in easily. Sleek handle. Beeps thrice for a minute once the food is warm. Functions for pizza, etc are available just by turning the dial just follow the instructions in the given manual. It's been a few months now since I have been using it regularly and have no issues.
Great Features
I am happy with this product. It has excellent features, such as the ability to choose and set the power watts. But if you want a simple function, you can still put it on one power setting and just press the timer from seconds to minutes according to the requirements. Easy, swift dial helps to choose the power and time. So it is suitable for both those who want a simple function and those who want customised settings.
Useful and good value
We did research and this got good reviews and was good value for money. Personally, I find the writing above the buttons practically impossible to read, dark grey writing on a black appliance is madness, but using a torch initially and then getting used to the controls I no longer need to read them, but I am sure I am not the first to have this issue! The microwave itself works perfectly.
Solo Microwave
This microwave oven is of very good quality. It has many functions and I have tried them all. They all work great. I have had microwave ovens of different brands, but this is one of the best. It has a large capacity. If you need to heat food, you can do it twice as fast as in other microwave ovens. I am very satisfied and I recommend this oven to others as well
Excellent
Our old microwave decided to turn rusty almost overnight, so that was the end of that!
Hence the purchase of this ceramic interior design.
It's doing an excellent job, as expected, and a quick wipe down is all it needs. So easy!
The handle on the door is now saving my finger nails from snapping, which happened quite a few times on the old push button too!
Great microwave.
Brought the microwave about a month ago now and still works great had no issues at all. We had to buy a new 1 as our old microwave broke and we couldn't find the same 1 as we had before and when we saw this 1 it was the best 1 we could find 900w and 25ltr. Just as easy to use if not the same as old 1 aswell so we've not had to adjust much on timings.
Huge!
Our old microwave was rusting badly which gave us the perfect excuse to dump it and get a bigger, better one. I had no idea how much bigger and better it would be! Very easy to use although you will need the booklet to remind you which of the auto functions does what as they just come up as A1, A2 etc. The enamel interior is so easy to clean too.
Delonghi Microwave
Disappointed is the word that springs to mind.
Sure, it works but the switches and controls leave a bit to be desired. The black background makes it hard to read the switch legends. The rotary control has dual functionality including switching between heating modes and setting times. The later should be simpler than Delonghi have made it.
