AmazonBasics Microwave 0.7 Review

This is one of the smallest products that we have tested, making it a great option for cramped kitchens. However, it only has a 10" turntable, limiting what will fit inside, but we think it's a great bargain option if you are OK with that.

Performance Comparison

If you are shopping for a bargain appliance, then this is a great choice.

Credit: Laura Casner

Heating

Our first metric looked at how quickly and evenly the AmazonBasics 0.7 heated up food, using both a variety of food, a heat map, and a controlled volume of water. It did decently well, scoring well in most of the tests.

This microwave did about average in our heat map test, with the inner and center parts of the marshmallow fluff getting fully cooked and blackened. The outer ring was only lightly browned with large sections of completely uncooked fluff.

It continued its middle-of-the-road results in our speed test, raising the temperature of the small beaker of water by 70.1°F after 45 seconds of heating.

This model did an average job in our speed heating test.

Credit: Laura Casner

The AmazonBasics 0.7 did much better with the plate of leftovers, heating up the green beans, sausage, and potatoes all to the proper serving temperature. The sausage did come out about 35°F than the potatoes and the green beans but we found it to be more than good enough for serving.

All three types of food were warm enough to eat after the heating cycle, though the sausage was a bit warmer than the veggies.

Credit: Laura Casner

It continued its solid performance into the next test, heating up the soup to the correct serving temperature when heated following the instructions. Unfortunately, the performance of this product dropped a bit with our last test, delivering somewhat lackluster results when reheating two slices of pizza.

We weren't too impressed with the performance of this microwave when it came to reheating pizza.

Credit: Laura Casner

Both slices were just barely warmed, with the centers a little cooler than the outside.

One side of the lasagna was quite a bit cooler than the middle and other side.

Credit: Laura Casner

Frozen Foods

The relative performance of the AmazonBasics 0.7 improved going into our next metric, scoring quite above average. We used Hot Pockets, frozen burritos, and an individual serving of mini-lasagna as our test items, heating them up following the manufacturers' instructions and then using a set of thermometers to measure the temperature in various zones to see how evenly each item was heated by the microwave.

The AmazonBasics 0.7 did a fantastic job with both the frozen burrito and the Hot Pocket but faltered a bit with the miniature lasagna. The Hot Pocket only had an average temperature variation of 3°F between the left, right, and center regions. The burrito heated up a little more unevenly but not by much, only showing a discrepancy of around 7°F.

Again, there was one side that was much cooler than the center and the other side.

Credit: Laura Casner

The lasagna showed a bit more of a temperature change across the different areas, with an average temperature difference of 21°F. It also failed to heat the lasagna to a suitable serving temperature when following the directions and had some very extreme differences, with the largest being 44°F.

Just a bit more than half of the turkey was successfully defrosted.

Credit: Laura Casner

Defrosting

After all of the pre-prepared frozen foods, we moved on to rating and ranking how the AmazonBasics 0.7 did at defrosting a 1 lb. square of frozen ground turkey This microwave's performance dropped just a little bit but still did well above average.

We liked that this product does notify you to flip the meat halfway through cooking but only a little more than half of the meat was completely defrosted — about 9.5 ounces. The remainder was still quite frozen, to the point where we felt that it needed to go back in the microwave for a bit longer before we could break it up enough to go to the stovetop.

This microwave gives you the option to integrate with your smart home.

Credit: Laura Casner

Ease of Use

Our fourth and final metric evaluated how convenient and easy to use the AmazonBasics 0.7 and all the other microwaves are to use. We awarded points based on the preset functions and quick features, as well as the amount of light and how resistant to movement each product is on smooth countertops. The AmazonBasics 0.7 finished out with another above average performance.

This product does have a +30 seconds button but you do need to press it twice to get the microwave to actually start. It has decent lighting and doesn't slide around on the counter at all but you do need to have the Echo/Alexa set up properly to use many of the quick functions.

Very few kernels remained unpopped when we used the popcorn button.

Credit: Laura Casner

However, we did find the preset functions to work very well, with the popcorn button leaving behind very few unpopped kernels and didn't burn any.

If you are searching for a compact microwave on a budget, then this is a great option.

Credit: Laura Casner

Value

This microwave held its own against models that cost significantly more, making it a great bargain option and one we highly recommend if you are shopping on a budget.

Conclusion