Samsung MC28H5013AS
SAMSUNG
Setting the Scene: Why This Microwave Keeps Turning Up on Shortlists
A microwave that only reheats leftovers is easy to buy and easy to forget. The Samsung MC28H5013AS asks a different question: what if the appliance sitting on your worktop could also roast a chicken, crisp a pizza base, prove bread dough, and turn milk into homemade yoghurt? At 28 litres and backed by three separate power sources — microwave, grill, and convection oven — this is a machine built for people who want one box to do the work of three. Whether that ambition pays off in daily use, and whether it suits your kitchen and your cooking habits, is what the rest of this review sets out to answer honestly.
Design, Build Quality and Everyday Footprint
At 17.5kg, this is a genuinely substantial appliance rather than a lightweight countertop box, and that heft is a fair proxy for build quality — Samsung has clearly engineered it to sit permanently on a worktop rather than get shuffled in and out of a cupboard. The silver plastic exterior keeps things looking clean and modern without pretending to be something it isn't; this is a functional kitchen tool, not a design centrepiece, and it's finished accordingly.
Externally it measures roughly 31cm tall, 51.7cm wide, and 47.5cm deep, so you'll want to measure your worktop or the gap under your cabinets before ordering — this is noticeably larger than a basic solo microwave, precisely because it's carrying a grill element and a convection oven inside the same shell. The 1.2 metre power cable is on the shorter side, which matters if your nearest socket isn't right behind where you plan to place it.
The standout physical feature is the interior. Instead of the painted steel cavity found in most microwaves, Samsung uses a ceramic enamel coating that's noticeably smoother to the touch. In practical terms, that means splattered sauce, melted cheese, and grill grease wipe off in seconds rather than needing to be scrubbed, and the surface resists the rust spotting and scratching that eventually creeps into cheaper enamelled interiors after a couple of years of grill use. One small real-world quirk worth flagging: like most combination microwaves, condensation can appear on the inside of the door glass during and after cooking. That's simply steam from the food meeting a cooler surface — it's normal and not a fault, though it's worth knowing before you see it for the first time and worry something's wrong.
How the Three Cooking Modes Actually Work Together
This is where the MC28H5013AS earns its "combination" name, and it's worth understanding the mechanics rather than just the marketing, because how these modes interact affects what you can actually cook.
| Mode | Output | What It's Physically Doing |
|---|---|---|
| Microwave | 900W | Agitates water molecules in food for fast, even heating — best for reheating, steaming, and quick cooking |
| Grill | 1500W | A dedicated sheathed heating element browns and crisps food from above, like a conventional grill |
| Convection Oven | 2100W, up to 200°C | A separate quartz heating element circulates hot air around the cavity for genuine oven-style baking and roasting |
The important detail here — and one that trips up a lot of buyers before they understand it — is that the grill and the convection oven run on two entirely separate heating elements. That means you can bake and roast using true convection heat without the grill kicking in at all, and you can also combine modes (microwave plus grill, or microwave plus convection) when a recipe calls for it. In practice, this is what lets the appliance credibly replace a second oven for smaller households: convection at up to 200°C is enough headroom for the vast majority of home baking and roasting jobs, from traybakes to a family-sized roast dinner, even if serious high-heat pizza fans might find the ceiling limiting compared to a full-size oven that can push past 220-250°C.
Key Features That Change How You Actually Cook
Thirty Automatic Programmes, Including Fermentation
Rather than leaving you to guess power levels and times, the microwave includes thirty pre-set automatic programmes. The genuinely distinctive one is the fermentation function — a low, steady warmth setting designed for proving bread dough or culturing homemade yoghurt. This is a feature you won't find on most microwaves at this price, and it turns the appliance into something closer to a countertop proving drawer or yoghurt maker on the side, at no extra cost.
Healthy Cooking Presets
A dedicated set of Healthy Cooking menus takes the guesswork out of steaming vegetables, fish, and other lighter meals, automatically judging timing so you're not left eyeballing whether the broccoli has turned to mush. For anyone trying to cook more nutritiously without becoming a recipe-measuring perfectionist, this removes a genuine daily friction point.
Child Safety Lock
A lock function disables the control panel, which matters more than it sounds for households with curious toddlers or young children old enough to reach the counter but not old enough to understand hot glass and rotating turntables.
Defrost Programming
A defrost option calculates timing based on food type and weight, avoiding the classic microwave defrost problem of cooking the edges of a joint of meat while the centre stays frozen solid.
Capacity: What 28 Litres and a 32cm Turntable Really Mean
Interior capacity numbers are abstract until you translate them into what actually fits. Internally, the cavity measures roughly 23.5cm high, 35.8cm wide, and 32.7cm deep, with a 32cm rotating turntable. That's large enough to comfortably fit a whole chicken, a family-sized casserole dish, or a 12-inch pizza — genuinely useful headroom compared with the compact 17-20 litre microwaves that dominate the budget end of the market and struggle to fit anything wider than a dinner plate. If your household regularly cooks for four or more, or you want to use the convection function for actual meals rather than just reheating single portions, this extra internal volume is one of the most practically important numbers on the spec sheet — arguably more important day to day than any of the wattage figures.
Everyday Usability: The Learning Curve Is Real, But Short
Electronic control panels with thirty programmes inevitably look busier than a simple dial-and-timer microwave, and that's the most consistent piece of feedback from people who've lived with this appliance: the sheer number of buttons and options can feel intimidating in the first week. The good news is that this settles quickly. Owners who've spent time with the printed guide or the quick-start instructions consistently report that the layout becomes intuitive once you've used the main functions a handful of times — the complexity is front-loaded into the unboxing experience, not into daily use once you've settled on your two or three go-to programmes.
Two small real-world details worth knowing before your first cook: the appliance ships with a turntable, its support ring, and two trivets of differing heights (useful for adjusting food position under the grill), but it does not include a separate oven tray, so if a recipe specifically calls for a flat baking tray you may want to source one separately. And because this is a genuine combination appliance with a grill and convection element, it needs the same ventilation clearance as you'd give any oven — don't push it flush against a wall or cabinet.
Who This Microwave Is For
- Families who cook proper meals, not just reheat them — the 28L capacity and 200°C convection genuinely support baking and roasting for four-plus people.
- Households wanting to reduce reliance on a second oven — the combination of grill and true convection heat can absorb a meaningful share of everyday oven duties.
- Home bakers and bread enthusiasts — the fermentation function is a rare and genuinely useful inclusion for proving dough.
- Anyone who dislikes scrubbing a microwave interior — the ceramic enamel coating is a real time-saver on cleaning day.
- Households with young children — the child lock adds a practical layer of safety that basic microwaves often skip.
Who Should Look Elsewhere
- Anyone who only wants to reheat and defrost — if grilling, baking, and dough proving hold zero appeal, you're paying for capability you'll never touch; a simple solo microwave will do the reheating job for less money and less counter space.
- Very tight kitchen counters — at over half a metre wide and nearly 50cm deep, this needs real worktop real estate; measure twice before buying.
- Anyone wanting one-touch simplicity above all else — if a big dial and two buttons is your idea of the perfect kitchen appliance, thirty programmes will feel like overkill rather than a bonus.
- Serious high-heat baking, such as fast-roasting pizza — a 200°C convection ceiling is genuinely useful for everyday cooking but falls short of the higher temperatures a dedicated oven or pizza-focused appliance can reach.
How It Compares to the Alternatives
Combination microwaves like this one sit in a distinct middle ground between two more familiar appliance categories, and understanding where it sits helps clarify whether it's the right purchase.
| Basic Solo Microwave | Samsung MC28H5013AS (Combi) | Full-Size Second Oven | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooking modes | Microwave only | Microwave, grill, and true convection | Full oven, often with grill |
| Typical capacity | 17-20L | 28L | 50L+ |
| Baking/roasting ability | None | Yes, up to 200°C | Yes, typically higher temperatures |
| Counter space required | Small | Moderate to large | None (built-in or freestanding separately) |
| Specialist functions | Rare | Dough proving, yoghurt fermentation, healthy cooking presets | Varies widely |
| Typical price bracket | Budget | Mid-range | Higher upfront cost, plus installation for built-in models |
Against a basic solo microwave, the case for spending more here is straightforward if you actually want to bake, roast, or grill: you're not just buying a bigger reheating box, you're buying genuine additional cooking capability that a solo model simply cannot offer. Against a full second oven, the comparison flips — this won't match the capacity or top-end temperature of a proper built-in oven, but it also doesn't need installation, doesn't add to your kitchen's fixed costs, and can be unplugged and moved if you relocate. For anyone in a flat, a smaller household, or simply looking to reduce how often the main oven gets switched on for small jobs, that trade-off is a compelling one.
Strengths and Weaknesses, Honestly
The strongest case for this microwave is versatility paired with genuine build substance — at 17.5kg it doesn't feel flimsy, and the ceramic enamel interior means the convenience of easy cleaning doesn't disappear after a year of grill splatter the way it does on painted cavities. The fermentation function is a standout inclusion that most competitors at this price simply don't offer, and the 28L capacity with its wide turntable means you're not limited to reheating single portions — this is an appliance that can credibly cook a family meal from scratch. The three-year parts and labour guarantee also stands out in a category where many rivals only offer twelve months, giving meaningfully longer peace of mind on an appliance that's doing three jobs' worth of work.
On the other side of the ledger, the control panel's thirty programmes create a genuine, if short-lived, learning curve, and anyone allergic to reading an instruction manual before first use may find the first week more fiddly than expected. The 200°C convection ceiling, while entirely adequate for the overwhelming majority of home baking and roasting, will frustrate anyone chasing very high-heat results like a fast-blistered pizza crust. The short 1.2 metre cable is a minor but real practical constraint depending on your kitchen's socket placement, and the unit's overall size demands a genuine commitment of counter space that smaller kitchens may not have to spare.
The Final Verdict
The Samsung MC28H5013AS earns its keep by doing something a huge number of microwaves only claim to do: genuinely reducing how often you need to turn on a full-size oven. The combination of true convection heat, a proper grill element, generous 28L capacity, and the unusual inclusion of a fermentation function for bread and yoghurt make this a legitimately capable secondary cooking appliance rather than a glorified reheating box. Add in an interior that's meaningfully easier to keep clean over years of use and a three-year guarantee that beats the industry-standard twelve months, and the case for buying strengthens further.
Buy this if you regularly cook proper meals for a household of three or more, want to bake or roast without firing up a full oven for small jobs, or you've been curious about proving your own bread and making yoghurt at home. Look elsewhere if your kitchen counter is tight on space, if all you really need is a box that reheats last night's dinner, or if very high-temperature baking is central to how you cook. For the audience it's actually built for — busy, food-focused households wanting real oven-style flexibility without a second built-in oven — this is a genuinely easy microwave to recommend.
What People Say
154 commentsVersatile combination oven
Bought this as we wanted a microwave and this offred more functions for a reasonable price, it was on offer.
Its a good 900 watt mwave. The grill and convection oven work well. The combi feature means microwaved food can come out browned and crisp. The convection oven heats up quickly and tell you when it has reached temperature.
The lower mwave energy settings are easy to select for combination cooking.
It's quite big and and has a lot of button. Having said that basic functions are two clicks. The timer is very easy to set whether for 10 seconds or 20 minutes.
We are in the process of refitting our kitchen and have no oven. The Ninja just developed a fault so this Samsung oven is coming in very useful.
It takes a bit of trial and error, we have successfully cooked pizza (from scratch) the baked potatoes are well cooked with a crisp skin. The roast potatoes are work in progress,
Combination Microwave Oven
I bought this to replace a similar Hitachi combination microwave. The product is very good and does what it's advertised to do. Some reviews I read before purchase pointed out that condensation forms between the door glass. I found this to be true but my experience is that this resolved after a week or so of moderate use. One negative point is that the maximum cooking temp on the convection option is only 200 degrees, so you do have to consider adding cooking time for some foods. (my previous combi had a 230 degree upper temperature, so my 4* rating is a personal rating on my expectation/preference, not a rating of the item purchased.) Other than that, it's a very good product and cooking results have so far been excellent. I'd recommend this item.
Looks and Cooks great!
Bought this combination microwave in early August 2025 in the Big Red sale for a great price. Microwaves evenly and seems to match the 1000w oven it replaced. Not tried the convection or grill function yet but it does have a powerful grill element and decent oven power. Has a quirky eco function which turns the clock off to power save mode when not in use. Has the usual reheat and defrost functions as well as variable microwave power. Comes with two wire grill racks, one low level, one high. It’s heavier than our last combi model and look’s very slick and contemporary. Very happy with the purchase so far.
Good value
This is a nice looking large capacity combination microwave. My only negative is that the controls are all touch buttons.
It would be so helpful if they were illuminated when in use. They have low sensitivity in my opinion requiring more than one push,
I like the interior, a change from stainless steel, easy to wipe clean.
I have oven cooked pizza, roast chicken, baked potatoes with great success.The usual microwave facility is great if it were not for the touch control feature being a little awkward. Maybe in time we will adapt to the required pressure required to operate the buttons first time.
everything is perfect
I bought this Samsung microwave from Argos and I’m really happy with my purchase. The delivery was very fast and it arrived on the same day I placed the order. Initially, there was a very small issue, which I reported, and they quickly replaced it with a new one without any hassle.
We’ve been using it for a while now, and it has been very helpful for both me and my spouse in daily cooking and household tasks. The quality is excellent and it’s very easy to use. Overall, I’m very satisfied with both the product and Argos’ customer service, and I would definitely recommend it.
Good combi oven but uncertain about guarantee
I like this combi oven, faorly good quality, easy to use and versatile. The reason why it dropped a star was because the Argos website offered a 3 year guarantee but the paper guarantee in the box was for 12 months only. I tried to register an extended guarantee on the Samsung websute and was unable to do so. I rang Argos amd explained the issue and they said it was a 3 year guarantee but have sent me no notification of this which leaves me a little insecure. What a faff with no concrete resolution.
Learning
Just used this once. Shocked to the core that I had to print off approx 44 pages of instructions before I could use it. I have to leave a torch beside it to read the writing on the machine and find what I want from the numerous possibiities. Bought it online through Argos (all satisfactory} except I did not appreciate how complicated a machine it is with too many options for me to use or get the hang of..My husband is almost 91 and I am 89. I did manage to reheat a cup of coffee succesfully!
Great features
Purchased 1 month ago, this is not just a microwave but a combination oven of microwave and grill and conventional oven. My understanding is it can be used to cook a wide variety of foods quickly. For example pastries and pizza can be heated in 4-5 minutes and still keep a crispy taste. Also it's a lot more energy efficient than a conventional oven and has decent amount of cooking space for larger items.
Downside is taking time to read instructions to get full use and cook items correctly.
Good Combination Microwave
Bought this as a replacement for the same model which was getting to the end of its life. The old one was black, so wasn’t sure about the silver, but I actually like it. It’s more grey than shiny silver, which I prefer. It works well, is much quieter than the old one and seems to heat things more quickly. It’s a really easy microwave to use and I like having the convection oven, to save putting on the “real” oven. If you want a combination microwave, you can’t go wrong with this one.
Easy to use
Went for a well known make. Glad I did. Combination microwave and oven. Lots of easy to use features. Quite small but big enough inside for large dishes. Love that I can remove the turntable to get extra space. Would prefer a full manual to read rather than scanning for an online one but most appliances are like that now. Not managed to work out how to register the guarantee but hoping it will be ok if I just keep the receipt. Argos very quick and easy to click and collect.
Great size and very versatile
I bought this about a month ago and I’m so pleased with its versatility. I love that I can use it as a normal oven along with all its other settings. I also like that it’s big enough that a family sized dish can go inside it. For its price you get a lot for your money. I dropped it one star because there’s no instruction manual. But on the plus side my son in-law was so taken with its size and versatility that, as a house warming gift, I have bought them one too.
Great looking combi micro
This is the second oven of this make. I love being able to stop the turntable when I need to use a an oblong or square tray or dish in the oven. Have used the option for rising dough very successfully. Easy to clean. Grill and microwave combi is very useful. Don’t find the grill alone that efficient but that applies to other makes of combi ovens I have used. All in all I’mvery satisfied with product and would definitely recommend
Poor quality control
I bought 2 and both had enamel missing bottom left corner. It was a manufacturing fault. I did not even use them. Not Argos' fault. They were great and took them back and refunded.
I phoned Samsung for the second one and were not helpful at all. I am still in shock that Samsung have such appealing quality control. I bought a different brand 3rd time around. It was great.i am not sure if I can trust Samsung now.
Worth the Money,
Have used this product for over a month now. Cooks as expected on all settings. Browns food nicely. Personally love the stainless steel look, Instructions easy to work out even if you don't read the manual. Only downside is time setting buttons are rather stiff so you have to press harder that expected with the handle the something if you need a longer cook. Overall happy with purchase.
Simple to use does everything and more!
It does everything I need and more. Simple to operate, I have only used the microwave and convection oven features so far without reading the manual! (I am an electrical engineer) Seeing the superb way it is built at the price. I would recommend it to anyone, but to fully READ the manual first for everyday use, and its auto programs. Fairly priced, best on the market for its functions.
Versatile
This replaced an earlier model on insurance cover, works a treat with an updated button facia which is what let it down before. I microwave all veg to cut down on condensation in our Victorian building so it is a must have for us. Does the job and more being a combination oven. More versatile than an air fryer but you do need to experiment with the combinations to get used to it.
Brilliant buy
I bought a new microwave after my old one died and this Samsung 28L 900W Combination Microwave is brilliant it has exceeded my expectations.
And just to be clear, I’m not writing this glowing review because of the chance to win a prize I’m pretty sure Argos don’t really hand out those £100 vouchers 😂 regardless, I’m a genuinely happy customer.
Buy with confidence
Samsung smart oven.
Having decided to buy a new microwave, i wanted something a bit more powerful.So i decided to buy a 900 w model. i perused over many, and finally decided to buy the samsung SMART OVEN, purely for its versatility. The quality of the build is good,, and the name SAMSUNG, has become popular. I would recommend it as a good all rounder, you won't be disappointed.
Great features
Bought this 2 weeks ago and have found it surpasses my last Samsung model. Great features like proving bread and a grill function. It has 2 metal stands to accommodate more than one plate at a time. Well built with handle integrated into the frame of the oven which means it won’t break off like the last model I had. Overall very happy with this purchase
Samsung Combi Oven
Purchased the Samsung Combi oven 2 weeks ago.
Ordering and collection was so easy using my Argos card. The menu display was very simple and the convection and grill functions were intuitive.The oven was so easy to set up and it has proved to be an excellent replacement purchase and at such a good price. All in all, a great investment.Many thanks A1+++
