Customer Ratings & Reviews

The Panasonic Model NN-SD69LS is a powerful 1100 watt, 1.3 cu ft. capacity, countertop microwave oven. The rotating glass turntable is a large 12.75”. The approximate dimensions are: Exterior: 21.25” wide x 16.5” deep x 12.0” tall – Interior: 13.875” wide x 14.75” deep x 8.375” tall. The NN-SD69LS is a hefty 43 lbs. Features with dedicated control buttons include 3 level Popcorn setting, Sensor Reheat, Sensor Cook, 10 Power Level settings, Auto Defrost and Keep Warm and Add 30 Seconds. The cooking tray rotates whenever the oven is in operation. Tray rotation cannot be switched off to accommodate large square or rectangular platters or casseroles. The audible, end of cycle beeping alert feature also cannot be switched off. The large, white LED display is bright and easy to read from across the room. None of the function labels on the display and none of the switches are illuminated. Most of the labeling lacks contrast and is not particularly easy to read. The Auto Defrost feature requires determining the weight of the frozen food and using a Conversion Chart and Defrosting Chart to estimate the correct “Auto-Defrost” setting. We found it to be more effort than it was worth. Sensor Cooking and Sensor Reheating rely upon the detection of steam in the oven cavity, produced when food is heated. If the door is opened to actually check the temperature / doneness of the food, the steam vents out and the “Sensor Cooking / Reheating” is defeated and cancelled. We found this feature to be of little to no benefit, as well. Every microwave oven that we have owned or used since the 1970’s has had a digital touchpad for setting cooking time, power levels, timer functions, etc. Many also included additional “feature buttons” or other dedicated function buttons, to augment the numerical touchpad and facilitate the ease of use and convenience of the microwave oven. The Panasonic NN-SD69LS, and several other Panasonic microwave oven models, deviates from that standard. Rather than providing a numeric touchpad, this microwave employs electromechanical buttons for feature/function selection, and an electromechanical rotary dial for setting time intervals for cooking, defrosting, timer, etc. Where a digital touchpad permits direct entry of any digits or combination thereof, the rotary dial application of the NN-SD69LS is more restrictive and more limiting. There is no ability to set intervals in 1 second increments, at all. The minimum time interval which can be utilized is 5 seconds. For setting intervals of less than, and up to 1 minute, the rotary dial advances in 5 second increments. From 1 – 5 minutes, the time accumulates in 10 second increments. From 5 – 10 minutes, the time setting adds 30 second increments. From 10 – 30 minutes (which is the maximum cooking time available) and for timer settings between 10 – 90 minutes, the time increment is 1 minute intervals. If you need to heat something for 1 minute – 35 seconds, or 5 minutes – 15 seconds, or any other combination that does not conform to the fixed time intervals provided by the rotary dial, you will need to abandon such precise time settings. It is apparent that those incrementally longer time intervals are by design intended to reduce the number of full rotations of the rotary dial needed in order to arrive at the desired setting. Nevertheless, you are still required to spin the dial quite a bit, and are restricted to accepting a time setting which may only approximate the setting that is actually needed. Through daily use of microwave ovens, we often ascertain relatively precise cooking settings for certain foods. The ability to set cooking times with greater accuracy and precision is valuable, as it enhances the convenience and ease of use of a microwave oven. With the less granular settings available with the rotary dial, it necessitates adding additional cooking time after a cycle has ended, or using the next longer available interval, and standing close watch over the cooking progress in order to manually shut off the microwave before the food burns or liquid boils over. We find the rotary dial, with its limited and imprecise time interval settings to be a nuisance and inconvenience. That is the very antithesis of why we all own microwave ovens; for convenience and conservation of time and effort. Many Panasonic microwave models offer a beneficial technology which enhances microwave cooking and reheating. Panasonic is one of very few manufacturers who have offered Inverter Technology. Most microwave ovens, including the Panasonic NN-SD69LS, use conventional magnetron (the microwave energy producing component) technology. Conventional magnetrons run only at full power level. When using a “reduced power level”, such as when defrosting, the microwave still runs the magnetron at full power, but cycles the magnetron on and off for varying time intervals. You can see and hear the magnetron cycling in pulses. Resultantly, the food is being exposed to full power microwave radiation during the “on” pulses, and no microwave radiation during the “off” pulses. When set to “50%” power, the conventional magnetron is still producing 100% power through the alternating on and off cycles. The common phenomenon of uneven cooking, burning hot outer edges and cold centers of food, and the need to rearrange or stir the food in order to get a more even cooking result is typical. Inverter microwaves however, modulate the power level of the magnetron. Therefore at the half-power level, the Inverter Magnetron will only emit 50% power, rather than pulsing on and off at 100% power to simulate a lower power level. The application of lower power levels on a continuous basis, results in more evenly cooked food, defrosting without cooked or burned edges, and the ability to keep foods warm until you are ready to serve them. An additional benefit of Inverter technology is that the large and heavy transformer and high-voltage capacitor which power the magnetron are replaced with a more compact and lighter power supply. In fact, while this 1.3 cu ft. NN-SD69LS weighs a substantial 43 lbs., a Panasonic 1.3 cu ft. model with Inverter technology weighs over 15 lbs. less and has slightly reduced external depth. Inverter microwave ovens are typically quieter as well (fan noise, notwithstanding). I can attest from first-hand experience that a Panasonic Inverter Technology microwave oven heats evenly and produces excellent cooking results, particularly at reduced power levels such as those used for reheating and defrosting. The NN-SD69LS does generally perform basic cooking well. Its cooking speed is just as expected from an 1100 watt oven. The Panasonic NN-SD69LS is powerful, at 1100 watts, although in the same price range Panasonic also offers more powerful, 1200 watt and 1250 watt models. The “Easy-Clean” interior of the NN-SD69LS is apparently coated with dark gray epoxy paint. The dark gray color, coupled with an anemic, incandescent interior light makes it a challenge to see the interior well. This is particularly problematic if you are conscientious about keeping the interior clean. Splatters on the interior of the oven cavity (which still occur even with best efforts to always properly cover or wrap food when cooking) are very difficult to see without employing a supplemental light source. While it is true that microwave ovens with white interiors will show every splatter, it is actually much easier to keep the interior clean when you can actually see the dirt. The interior light of the NN-SD69LS is not only lacking in brightness, it is my understanding that the bulb is not user replaceable. Cleaning the interior of fresh splatters requires some scrubbing effort. Cleaning “baked-on” splatters which eluded cleaning due to poor visibility would undoubtedly be a challenge. The 1.3 cu ft. interior is spacious, albeit poorly illuminated and dark. It easily accommodates large dinner plates and most casseroles on the large 12.75” diameter rotating glass tray. The microwave oven is large and relatively heavy. The electromechanical controls, comprised of mechanical buttons and a rotating knob, in lieu of the much more common electronic, touchpad controls may be a “matter of taste”. However, we find the unusual controls to be a nuisance and inconvenient. The inability to select precise cooking/timer settings is limiting, restrictive and inconvenient, at best. Being limited to setting cooking times in 5, 10, 30 and 60 second increments, while spinning a dial for many revolutions, is far less convenient and efficient than using a simple and straightforward numeric touchpad. The lack of Panasonic Inverter Technology on the NN-SD69LS, may also diminish the efficiency, performance level and most importantly, cooking results (even and thorough heating without cold centers, burned edges and the necessity to repeatedly rearrange or stir the food being heated/cooked). Each of the foregoing limitations of the NN-SD69LS when taken by itself, affects the convenience, user-friendliness, efficiency and user-satisfaction associated with this model. Considered together, they suggest considering other models. Other Panasonic models might be better choices. Panasonic offers similarly priced (and even lower priced) microwave oven models with the same 1.3 cu ft. capacity, with the same 1100 watt and even higher powered 1200 and 1250 watt capability, electronic, numeric touchpad controls and Inverter Technology magnetrons. I believe that one of those Panasonic models, particularly with the attributes of touchpad controls and Inverter Technology, might represent a superior choice and value, and will be more satisfactory in terms of convenience, cooking efficiency and results, and user satisfaction.

Other than the refrigerator, the microwave is probably the most critical appliance in my house. It is not because we always eat quick meals, on the contrary, my wife is an excellent cook that happens to hold down a full time job with a killer commute time every day. Whenever either of us cook a meal we try to make it a big enough batch to last the family at least another dinner – and hopefully last for a couple of lunches as well. Hence the need for a way to heat things up. This particular Panasonic microwave is our third with the same design. It is a great size with plenty of power. No need for anything bigger – after all we are not going to cook a turkey in it. And bigger just would take up too much valuable counter top space. Design-wise, it is an attractive unit. It looks much more premium than equal size and priced competitors. Why have we had three so far? – the first died an untimely death due to operator error by over cooking an item that was meant to be in for seconds but instead was in for minutes. Fortunately, only the microwave burned and not the whole house. The second one is still in operation but has relocated to our camp’s kitchen. Other than a well-used touch pad – more on that in a bit, it still works very well. Basically the difference in appearance between the three “similar” units is limited to the controls. The first of the three had a convention touch pad with the numbers 0 through 9 clearly displayed. Pretty simple. No obvious wear on the touch pad – perhaps due to its untimely death due to fire. The second microwave eliminated the individual numbers and replaced them with “5 min, 1 min, quick 30, 10 sec” buttons, along with other basic controls – intuitive, and pretty easy to get used to. Not quite the case with this third example of basically the same design. As soon as I saw the control panel for this microwave, I was pretty sure I would need to read a microwave user manual for the first time. It has mechanical buttons and a knob, and not a touch pad. That said, after a brief time, basic functions were pretty easy to use. Not sure if my wife feels comfortable with anything other than using the “quick 30” and “start” buttons, but she will get there. The first two microwaves did not have the “Genius Sensor” feature. Personally, I was never a fan of letting the machine think for me – just like preferring a stick shift rather than an automatic transmission (and heaven forbid a CVT!) for any sporty car I have ever driven. We did however experiment with a rice dish preparation. Result was ok, but still needs a little more fine tuning. Getting back to the touch pad vs. new control panel – the second microwave does show significant wear for the following control “buttons” to varying degrees: “start, stop, 1 min, quick 30, 10 sec”, and not so much “5 min” and other function buttons. Perhaps that is the reason Panasonic designed the new microwave control panel and migrated away from the touch panel design. Don’t get me wrong – the second microwave still functions well, it is just those particular “buttons” are showing significant wear. After living with all three of these Panasonic microwaves for many years, I would not hesitate to recommend this microwave and buy a similar one again. This microwave does a good job and looks good doing it. I still have to check to see if the local community college is offering any courses on the use of this latest microwave so we can full advantage of all of its functionality. I have to do the same with my Microsoft Office software.

In a little over a year and a half of normal use in a three person household the inner paint is peeling leaving a corner full of rust.

I was in search of a new microwave due to the fact our old microwave was really old. I received this one and it has some good features but could have been better. Pros: Our old microwave was white and matched our other appliances, and I was cautiously optimistic that this one would. My wife was pleasantly surprised with this stainless steel. I have a teenage son that is very active, and you can tell when he has used the microwave. His fingerprints are all over it, with this cabinet its simply wipe away. I also love the interior of this unit, it is easy to clean and maintain. Any splatter you have from items you place in it are a lot easier to clean than our old one. The dimensions of this microwave was slightly bigger than our old one, and I was concerned it would not fit into our cabinet space that we have built into our cabinets, but it fits really well and actually looks aesthetically better than the older one. This Panasonic microwave is very quiet. Our old one sounded like a Mack truck in comparison. You can barely hear when it is in use. This microwave heats WAY better than our old one, in the operating manual Panasonic gives you a heads up that if you have an older unit that this (I assume all newer microwaves) heats quicker. It does. And that is a plus when you are concerned about cooking time and cost to operate. Sensor cooking is amazing. There are 10 pre-programmed settings on this Panasonic microwave that are far better than our older unit. And when you choose which is best for the food you are preparing, the sensor heats it to just the right temperature. It also has a setting for popcorn that (3 settings) that it uses to cook/pop based on the serving size of the bag. Good features. Cons: Our older microwave had a key pad with numbers, this does not. It does have several buttons for sensor cooking. I guess with time this may work out okay, but it would have received 5 stars if it had a numbered keypad as opposed to the dial. Even though the outside is bigger, the inside is definitely smaller than our older microwave. Overall, this is a nice microwave that I would recommend.

This microwave is a tad larger and more powerful than the one it is replacing at 1100 Watts versus 900 Watts. So it did take a little getting used to which power level and the amount of time to use for different foods. The dial used to select the cooking time also had a learning curve as the increments change depending how much time is already on the clock. For example, under 1 minute the increments are 5 seconds, from 1-5 minutes it’s 10 seconds, from 5-10 minutes it’s 30 seconds and after that the increment is 1 minute up to 90 minutes, max. This makes selecting the cooking time a bit imprecise and also makes setting the clock a bit cumbersome if the power goes out because you have to scroll through every minute, though thankfully it’s only a 12-hour display. You can also use the “add 30 seconds” button to select the time or add more time during heating. I was most interested in the one-touch reheating and cooking function as it eschews the need to manually select a power level and time for your food; instead it uses sensors to track the moisture and humidity of your food to determine when it’s hot enough to be considered reheated or cooked. However, this also means that it won’t work with very dry foods like bread or pastries, and the manual recommends against this mode for raw/uncooked foods, beverages (like tea), and frozen foods. I tried this mode on a variety of foods including leftover cooked vegetables, mashed potatoes, and steak pulled straight from the fridge. The unit runs for an un-predetermined amount of time, as it’ll only stop once the sensors detect enough steam/moisture, however, it will count down the last 30 seconds before it’s done. Using this setting, the potatoes and vegetables came out great, piping hot and ready to serve in just a few minutes. The steak on the other hand, came out well-done rather than the originally cooked done-ness of medium. You are able to select, however, to increase or decrease the cooking time when using the sensor by 10 or by 20%. You do have to make this change each time though, as it won’t remember for next time that you prefer to reheat at 20% less time. The only thing with that mode is since you don’t know how long the reheating cycle will take, you just have to wait around until the unit beeps or starts the end of cycle countdown. The one-touch cook button allows you to select by number from 10 different pre-set common food types like frozen pizza, rice, and pasta. The "sensor cook" numeric key is printed on the sticker on the inside edge of the door for quick reference, but the manual provides both the key and further instruction on how to utilize each setting. Again, you won’t know how long the cook time will be in advance, but you can adjust the time by the same 10 or 20% up or down. There’s also an auto-defrost button that only requires that you enter the food weight, up to 6.6 lbs or 3 kg (the units are only able to be set/changed when the microwave is plugged in). You do have to convert ounces to the decimal portion of a pound though when entering the weight. The auto-defrost worked fine for a 1 lb block of frozen ground beef that I was defrosting for chili, but depending on the thickness, it may not defrost throughout all at once, so I had to remove the outer defrosted meat from the block and let it rest to thaw completely after running the defrost cycle. Other foods you may have to turn/flip part way through, based on the weight of the food, and the microwave will pause and beep once to alert you when it’s time to do so. The multi-stage cooking options are interesting as it lets you set up to three different stages for cooking, including a delayed start, cooking for different periods of time at different power levels, keep warm, and resting time, so for example, if you want to heat something on high for 3 minutes, rest for 5 minutes, and then heat again at 50% power for another minute you can choose all those settings upfront before hitting start, and it will run those settings back-to-back. Overall, the microwave performed to my expectations in efficiently heating my food evenly. After using it a bunch we got better at selecting the amount of time and power needed to reheat/cook our food without overcooking it. It’s also fairly easy to clean the interior, though we always use a microwave safe cover over food to prevent splatter. It has a couple of cool features like the multi-stage cooking and sensor modes, but the one thing I would have liked better would be if the dial for selecting time and weight was a numeric keypad instead, and maybe some backlighting for the controls because they can be hard to read even in normal lighting but is near impossible with the lights off.

I have a lot of moist inside the microwave in the morning from using it last night. Something is wrong.

It’s hard to get excited over a microwave. Most everyone needs one, and they’re usually bought to replace another one that’s old or broken. The humble appliance has changed little in the last few decades - it’s changed styles, become more compact, and cooked more efficiently, but no matter how a manufacturer cuts it, it’s still a microwave. Panasonic’s latest microwave does little to rock the proven formula besides eschewing the traditional number pad for a rotary dial, angling to add a touch of professional appearance to the old kitchen food-zapper. I’m pleased to report that, yes, it’s a microwave, and a good one at that, so long as you’re willing to take a week or two to keep the manual handy and read the instructions. - Setup & Appearance This is a much larger microwave than I expected - it barely fits on the dedicated shelf in my kitchen and dwarfs the previous 1.1 cubic foot unit I had previously. It sits slightly shorter than other microwaves so most of the the additional heft comes from depth - it’s about 17 inches deep without the cord protector, 18.5 with. Note that the heavy gauge power cord goes straight into the socket rather than at a 90-degree angle, so it will need an additional inch or so to not bend the cord at a damaging angle. The microwave should fit fine on most countertops and small fridges, but use in a dedicated cubby may be tricky as Panasonic recommends a 4 inch clearance minimum on all sides for venting. This Panasonic microwave has a clean, minimalist aesthetic that leans more professional or commercial than residential thanks to the dial as its primary control. It is definitely a step up from other microwaves and the white LED display is easy to read from across the room. The black and stainless front is a match for most modern kitchens, though the sides and top are a silver-grey color that oddly stands out more against off-color countertops or cabinets. - In Use The interior of the microwave has a cooking space approximately 14 inches wide, 14 inches deep, and 8 inches tall. The glass platter is about 12 and a half inches in diameter, making it plenty for medium to large size casserole containers. The interior is clean and lined with what appears to be a nonstick finish on all corners, making splatter cleanup a breeze. At 1100 watts, the Panasonic microwave is on par with similar microwaves in its size class, but I find it cooks slightly quicker and much more evenly than the budget microwave I had previously. During cooking, the heating element and exhaust fan are both noticeably quieter than older microwave models I’ve used. Being a programmable microwave, cooking times and powers can be set at the start of the cooking cycle by setting power, setting cook time, then pressing power again to set the next power that should be used to cook before entering the time, and repeating as needed. I found it somewhat useful for recipes that call for cooking stages, or simply running a defrost cycle for certain foods then transitioning straight into cooking, but these are rare occurrences since most cycle changes involve removing, shifting, or reseating the food before the next stage begins. Further, second and subsequent stages are limited to power level 8, making this mode’s versatility even more limited. Otherwise, this is a microwave through and through. Set your power if you need to, set your time or just hit “+ Quick 30” a couple times, and you’re on your way. You could use it like this for many years, but this model has a few convenience features that aim to take what little guesswork still exists in microwave cooking out of the equation. - Auto Defrost & Sensor Cooking Coming from an older microwave, automatic defrosting takes some time to get used to. The routine will set the microwave for what seems to be an uncomfortably long cooking time, but the defrost program works very well to rapidly, safely thaw meats and leftovers. The microwave beeps when the food should be turned over, rearranged, or broken up, which facilitates even defrosting. I found auto-defrost to be one of the best features of the microwave as I always had trouble getting traditional microwaves to defrost food without inadvertently overcooking it, yet I had little trouble here. Be mindful of the weight measurement you enter as this has a significant impact on effectiveness. Sensor cooking is an interesting feature that I did not have in previous microwaves. Ten different foods can be auto-cooked using this method, ranging from baked potatoes to stews, vegetables, fish, and casseroles. The microwave will go through pre-determined cooking cycles until it detects the appropriate amount of steam coming from your food and then finish on a standard timed cycle. The instruction manual details the preparation steps and any user action needed mid-cooking, again signified by a beep when the time comes. Sensor cooking is an imprecise science as preferences for doneness vary, but this is easily addressed on the microwave with “More” and “Less” buttons, which will add or remove 10% of cooking time up to 20% in either direction. I find the microwave errs on the side of slightly less done, particularly with larger portions, so this is a handy adjustment to have available when cooking begins. - User Interface My issues with the microwave are ones that will go away after overcoming the learning curve of the dial and the various auto-cook functions. The biggest problem I have is that the buttons and dial are simply unresponsive to fast, rapid inputs - I need to consciously slow down as I press the “power” button repeatedly to drop power levels as rapid presses will not register quickly. The same issue plagues the dial - fast spins will reach your target time slower than if you gently rotate the dial. What’s worrisome is that the dial is at the same time very sensitive to register notches, resulting in at least one instance where I accidentally changed sensor cooking recipes as I tried to start. The stepping of the dial to set cook times overall makes sense, stepping in 5-second increments up to 1:00, 10-second increments up to 5:00, 30-second increments up to 10:00, and minute increments thereafter, but I’ve come across a few odd times where a frozen food needs 65 or 75 seconds, requiring a 35 or 45 second setting with a “+30” addition. The only other issue I have is that the microwave’s beeps are a little too quiet, which was originally a welcome change from the loud, wailing noise my last microwave made, but it’s hard to hear the sensor cooking notifications over the sound of the exhaust fan unless you are standing near the microwave when time expires. There’s no volume adjustment available, which would have been a nice touch. - Bottom Line Needless to say I didn’t expect something as ubiquitous as a microwave to have a learning curve, but it doesn’t take terribly long to adjust. I wouldn’t recommend this to someone who isn’t willing to read a manual to learn how to use a microwave’s features, but to all others the small learning curve is worth the few days’ investment for a clean design and smooth, quiet cooking. It is a little pricier than similar models at this size and output power, but design is a premium feature in modern appliances that will either make or break your kitchen ensemble. Above all else it’s a food-zapper, and a solid one at that, so the Panasonic 1.3 Cubic Foot Microwave with Sensor Cooking comes recommended!

Works great, has a different design than the usual which I liked, its fairly easy to use and it's a decent size it doesn't take excessive countertop space and the price wasn't bad.

I looked on Good Housekeeping's site and several others like I always do prior to purchasing an appliance. I was flabbergasted when I found a microwave by Panasonic rated in the top five of best microwaves for 2020. I need an even heating of my food and this gives me that. It's quiet, easy to operate not alone of buttons and it really looks sexy. Traveled well drove from Texas to Washington State and it functions well.

This is definitely a nice counter top microwave. The stainless is a nice touch, helps match with the rest of the household appliances now a days. Sleek design, 10 auto cook menu with sensor cooking, dial knob with push to start and 1100 watts of cooking power. All in all a nice microwave that does what it was meant to do.

My new stainless steel Panasonic 1.3 cubic foot Microwave oven with sensor cooking is an easy to use marvel. The 1100 watt power means less cooking time, and the easy to use directive push in buttons make directive procedures simple to access. I must admit that I was puzzled at first, but after a few readings of the enclosed directions and some testing, I was mastering it all. The interior cooking area is larger, the stainless steel oven exterior is easy to clean, and the oven fits nicely on the kitchen counter where my smaller previous microwave oven was placed. I can't say enough about how much I like my purchase. The oven is affordable too. Best Buy is BEST!!!!

Sleek, modern design. I like the dial knob control, nice change from buttons, gives it a vintage feel. The dark, easy-clean interior is also a plus. This one is a nice mid-size that will fit a dinner plate—most other microwaves I looked at were either too small or gigantic. I bought this to replace a 12 year old stainless Emerson, so I hoping this is one will last as well. Also seems to heat up faster than my previous 1250w.

My main complaint is that the door open button is very stiff and shows fingerprints. The top and sides are also just painted grey instead of black or stainless, so it's a bit ugly. It took a bit of time to get used to the knob instead of a number panel. It appears to heat/cook things reasonably evenly.

I absolutely love the control panel on this microwave! Straightforward and very easy to use. Sleet design, heats evenly.

Had a Panasonic previously and loved the way it was designed. Works very well and is very simple to use. Has alot of features that others did not. I would recommend this microwave to anyone.

The best and convenient and good size and reasonable price microwave the color and the perfect design i love it

the shipping for this product was wonderful and I got it within 4 days I'm still reviewing all the info for this microwave. Food definitely gets hoter faster and so far the controls are easy to use. I'm not done exploring all of my options but what I see so far I like I't better than my old one

The Panasonic microwave is a good product. Easy to use and clean. Heats your food quickly and evenly. Looks nice and goes well with my other stainless appliances. I would definitely recommend the purchase of this product.

Best buy I have bought so far. There are 12 people using this Microwave . and works great.

Purchased this microwave a couple months ago as a replacement for an older one we had that was being temperamental about operating. So far, very pleased with this microwave. Adequate size, good power, excellent price point. Just have to get used to the "dial" for time and other settings but not hard to get used to. Will see you it holds up with time.