REASONS TO BUY
Stylish retro look
Available eco mode
REASONS TO AVOID
Dial for timer interface
Uneven heating
Galanz 0.7 Retro Review
This product is great if you value the retro look more than overall performance
Credit: Galanz
By Austin Palmer ⋅ Senior Review Analyst ⋅ March 17, 2022
Contributions From: David Wise
RELATED: The Best Microwaves of 2025
Our Verdict
The Galanz Retro is a great option for anyone who absolutely has to have appliances with a vintage look in their kitchen. Unfortunately, its overall performance in our side-by-side tests didn't make as much of a statement, earning it a lackluster score in our microwave testing results. It isn't the most consistent or even at heating up food. It delivered subpar results in our defrosting metric and isn't as easy to use as some of the more conventional-looking models. All in all, this isn't the appliance we would recommend for most people or anyone shopping for performance over appearance.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The dial interface and the unique appearance set this compact microwave apart from the competition, but it delivered a less than standout performance in our side-by-side tests.
The Galanz Retro definitely has a distinctive look.
Credit: Laura Casner
Heating
Heat Map Test
The Galanz did quite poorly in this test, showing a noticeable hot spot in the center and a ring of overcooked marshmallow, with the very outside edge remaining noticeably cool.
The Galanz didn't impress in our heat map.
Credit: Matt Spencer
Heating Speed Test
The Galanz Retro increased the water temperature by 76°F over 45 seconds, earning it a middle-of-the-road score.
This appliance did about average in our heating speed test.
Credit: Matt Spencer
Leftover Heating
This product did quite well in this test, performing decently above-average.
Credit: Matt Spencer
The Galanz Retro actually did very well in this test, earning it an above-average score. There was only about 10°F of temperature variation throughout the mashed potatoes and sausage and about 15°F for the green beans. Everything could be eaten right out of the microwave, though we felt the mashed potatoes could have been a little warmer.
Soup Heating
The Retro again did decently well, getting the soup to 140°F — more than enough to serve immediately in our minds.
This product continued to do well in this test.
Credit: Matt Spencer
Pizza Heating
The Retro wrapped up this metric with a mediocre performance. We saw wide temperature swings across the slice, with some areas being practically cool to the touch.
However, we found this product lacked pizzazz when it came to pizza.
Credit: Matt Spencer
Frozen Foods
This microwave got off to a poor start with the frozen burrito, with this microwave failing to heat the entire thing to the requisite serving temperature. The edges of the burrito were also about 80°F warmer than the middle. It did about average with the mini-lasasgna, though the right half was a bit on the cooler side. There was about 25°F of variation between the different zones. Fortunately, it did finish off with a strong showing with the Hot Pocket, evenly heating it with only minimal temperature fluctuations between zones.
There was minimal temperature variation across the Hot Pocket.
Credit: Matt Spencer
Defrosting
This microwave beeped once and stopped notifying you to flip the meat over partway through. Just over half the meat was fully defrosted at the end of the 12-minute cycles, with the remaining part fairly easy to break apart. However, the corners were starting to get close to cooking.
Just over half of the meat was successfully defrosted.
Credit: Matt Spencer
Ease of Use
It has decent interior lighting but is limited to the “+30 Seconds” when it comes to quick buttons. It can't be used as a standalone timer and we noticed it doesn't take a ton of force to slide it around on a counter. Fortunately, it did quite well with the popcorn test. It had a decent amount of leftover kernels but we appreciated that none of it tasted burnt.
The dial interface on this model wasn't our favorite.
Credit: Laura Casner
Should You Buy the Galanz Retro?
For most people, the answer is no. The main standout feature of this microwave is its appearance, so unless you are shopping solely for a vintage-looking product. Otherwise, we would suggest a more conventional, comparably-priced model that scored higher overall.
What Other Microwaves Should You Consider?
The Panasonic NN-SN936B is an excellent other option to consider. It earned one of the higher performances overall and is a top-tier appliance — although it is a bit costly. The Toshiba EM131A5C is also a great value option if you don't want to fork over too much cash for good performance.
—Austin Palmer & David Wise
You Might Also Like
