A microwave with an air fryer and convection promises to replace three appliances with one box: reheat last night’s dal, bake a birthday cake and crisp a tray of fries with a spoon of oil. In a small Indian kitchen, that promise is hard to ignore.
It mostly holds up, with one caveat: the air-fry part is the compromise, because a 28 to 30 L cavity can’t crisp as fast as a small basket. So the real question is not only which model to buy, but whether you should buy a combo at all. We do that maths right below the quick answer.
What actually matters when buying
Check what the air-fry mode actually is. IFB is the only brand here that documents a fan and a 200 C setting for its Air Fry mode. LG and Haier ship a dedicated air-fry pan or tray but don’t document a fan or temperature, and LG’s mode runs as an auto-cook menu: you pick the dish and the weight. Older “diet fry” and “healthy fry” modes are low-oil recipe programmes. A documented fan mode, or at least an air-fry tray in the box, is what the premium should buy you.
Capacity is about tray area, not litres. A 30 L oven fits a larger cake tin and a whole chicken on a rotisserie, but crisping works only in a single layer, so the tray size limits a batch more than the cavity does. For a family of four making snacks, 28 L is enough; 30 L earns its place if you roast or bake big.
Plan the counter, not just the cabinet size. Our four picks are about 51 to 54 cm wide and 44 to 51 cm deep. Leave the ventilation gap the manual asks for, keep the top clear, and make sure the door can swing fully open. Use a properly rated wall socket rather than an extension board, because these ovens draw 1,950 to 2,500 W in convection mode.
Read the warranty for the magnetron. The magnetron is the part that makes a microwave a microwave, and it is the expensive repair. Some brands give it nothing beyond the basic one-year warranty; others cover it for three to five years.
All four picks have 900 W of microwave output, so reheating speed isn’t a reason to choose one over another.
Quick answer
- Our pick: IFB 30BRC4, around Rs 19,500. A fan-driven Air Fry mode, 30 L, a motorised rotisserie and a Magic Tawa, with the best owner ratings of any combo you can buy today. Mind the width: 54 cm.
- Best value: IFB 28SC5, Rs 15,800 to Rs 16,800 when in stock. The same Air Fry system in a 28 L oven, without the rotisserie. The downside: it’s out of stock on Amazon and IFB right now.
- 30 L for less: Haier HIL3001ARSB, around Rs 17,500. An air-fry tray, a crispy plate and a rotisserie for about Rs 2,000 less than the IFB. Watch for: the deepest body of the four and the highest share of one-star ratings.
- Premium pick: LG MJEN286UFWF, around Rs 24,000. An Air Fry menu and pan, Wi-Fi recipes and 10 years of cover on its heater. The cost: about Rs 4,500 more than the IFB.
In this guide
- Combo or a separate air fryer: the maths
- IFB 30BRC4
- IFB 28SC5
- Haier HIL3001ARSB
- LG MJEN286UFWF
- Check the model code before you pay
- Other models we considered
- FAQ
- Which one should you buy?
| Model | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| IFB 30BRC4 | Rs 19,500 | 30 L, fan Air Fry, rotisserie |
| IFB 28SC5 | Rs 15,800–16,800 | Same Air Fry for less; out of stock now |
| Haier HIL3001ARSB | Rs 17,500 | 30 L with air-fry tray, for less |
| LG MJEN286UFWF | Rs 24,000 | Air Fry pan, Wi-Fi recipes |
Combo or a separate air fryer: the maths
Before choosing a combo, price the alternative. A widely bought Panasonic 20 L solo microwave costs about Rs 7,100 on Amazon, and a Philips 4.2 L basket air fryer about Rs 4,700. Together that is roughly Rs 11,800. A Midea 20 L solo and a Pigeon Healthifry come to about Rs 7,400.
Set against the Panasonic and Philips pair, the IFB 28SC5 costs around Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 more, the Haier about Rs 5,700 more, our pick the 30BRC4 about Rs 7,700 more, and the LG about Rs 12,200 more.
What does that extra money buy? Proper convection baking and grilling: cakes, pizza, cookies and paneer tikka in a full-size cavity, which no 4 L basket fryer can match. You also save a counter spot and a socket.
What do you give up? Crisping speed. A basket fryer blows hot air over food in a drawer about a seventh the size of a 30 L cavity, so it heats up and browns faster. With two appliances you can also reheat rice while the fries cook.
Our rule: if you mostly want crisp snacks and already own a microwave, buy a basket air fryer and stop there. If you are buying your first oven, want to bake, or have room for only one appliance, a combo is worth the premium. And under Rs 15,000, there’s no combo we’d recommend today; buy the pair instead.
IFB 30BRC4: Our pick
The 30BRC4 is the combo we would buy for most homes because its air-fry mode is the real thing on paper: IFB’s Air Fry drives hot air at 200 C with a fan. Around that you get everything else you want from a convection microwave: a 30 L cavity and a motorised rotisserie for tandoori chicken. IFB includes high and low racks plus its Magic Tawa, a crisping plate for anything you want browned underneath.
Owners rate it 4.6 out of 5 from 156 ratings on Amazon, the best score among the combos in stock, with only 6% one-star ratings. IFB covers the magnetron and cavity for three years.
Two things to know. It is 54 cm wide, the widest here, so measure your counter. And check the model code: IFB’s 30BRC2 has no Air Fry mode, and owners report the 30BRC3 doesn’t either. You want the one ending in 4.
At around Rs 19,500, it is about Rs 2,000 more than the Haier and about Rs 3,000 more than the 28SC5. The extra over the 28SC5 buys the rotisserie, the Magic Tawa and 2 L more space. If you will never roast a chicken, save the money.
IFB 28SC5: The best value when you can find it
This is the smart money buy. The 28SC5 uses the same Air Fry system as the 30BRC4: hot air up to 200 C, a fan, and twin glass-tube heaters at the top for browning, in a 28 L cavity. It is also by far the most-reviewed oven in this guide, at 4.4 out of 5 from more than 5,600 ratings on Amazon India.
What you give up is the rotisserie and the Magic Tawa. You still get high and low racks and a baking plate, which cover cakes, pizza and air-fried snacks. Warranty is the same as the bigger IFB: one year on the oven and three on the magnetron and cavity.
One owner complaint is worth knowing about: the display doesn’t make it obvious which mode you are in, so keep the manual handy for the first week.
The problem is stock. It sold out on both Amazon and IFB’s own store during the festival sale. If it comes back at Rs 15,800 to Rs 16,800, it is the one to grab.
Haier HIL3001ARSB: 30 L for less
The Haier gets you the 30 L, air-fry and rotisserie combination for about Rs 2,000 less than the IFB. On paper it is generously equipped. The box has a dedicated air-fry tray, a crispy plate, a high rack and a rotisserie rod, and it bakes up to 230 C, a little hotter than the IFB 30BRC4’s 200 C ceiling. Haier also adds four years of magnetron cover after the first year, the longest of our four picks.
Look past that, though, and it is the riskier buy. Owner ratings are 4.0 from a small base of 55, and 15% are one-star, the highest share among our picks. One owner says cooking times don’t match Haier’s chart, so expect a little trial and error.
Check the fit too. Plan for 52 x 33 x 51 cm, not the smaller size shown on Amazon. That makes it the deepest of our four picks, and at 2,500 W in convection mode it is the one that most needs its own wall socket.
Choose it if 30 L and the rotisserie matter and the IFB is over budget. Otherwise, the IFB is the safer Rs 2,000.
Haier HIL3001ARSB on Amazon India
LG MJEN286UFWF: The premium pick
LG’s latest MJEN286 ovens add an Air Fry menu and an Air Fry pan in the box. Earlier versions, including the MJEN286UBW still on sale, had only Diet Fry, a low-oil auto-programme. The new mode is still an auto-cook programme: you pick from about 60 preset dishes and a weight, and there’s no air-fry temperature to set. The box also has high and low racks and a metal tray, and you get Wi-Fi scan-to-cook recipes on your phone. LG covers its charcoal lighting heater for 10 years (parts only). The manual shows a motorised rotisserie, but LG’s box list leaves out the rotisserie bar, so confirm it’s included before you pay.
The 28 L cavity sits in a body 51 cm wide and 49 cm deep: about 3 cm narrower than the IFB 30BRC4 but 5 cm deeper, so it suits a narrow gap rather than a shallow counter.
So why isn’t it our pick? Price. At around Rs 24,000 it costs about Rs 4,500 more than the IFB 30BRC4, which has a bigger cavity and a better-documented air-fry system. The UFWF’s door glass is tinted rather than clear, and a couple of owners of LG’s charcoal ovens say a dark door makes food hard to see. Its twin, the MJEN286UGWF, has clear glass and is otherwise identical, but today it sells only on LG’s store, for about Rs 26,000.
Choose the LG if you want Wi-Fi recipes, a body narrower than the IFB 30BRC4 and 10 years of parts cover on the heater, or if LG has the better service centre near you. Otherwise the IFB gives you more for less.
LG MJEN286UFWF on Amazon India
Check the model code before you pay
Similar names hide different ovens, and listings sit side by side on Amazon:
- IFB 30BRC4 has Air Fry. The look-alike 30BRC2 does not, and owners report the 30BRC3 doesn’t either.
- LG MJEN286UFWF and MJEN286UGWF have the Air Fry menu and pan. The older MJEN286UBW, still listed at about Rs 20,000, has only Diet Fry.
- LG MJ2887BIUM is a charcoal convection oven with Diet Fry, not Air Fry.
Other models we considered
LG MJ2887BIUM, around Rs 16,500. A 28 L LG convection oven for about Rs 7,500 less than the MJEN286UFWF, but its Diet Fry is a low-oil programme rather than an Air Fry mode. Buy it as an LG convection microwave, not as an air fryer.
Godrej GME 725 CF1 PZ, around Rs 13,500 when available. A 25 L oven whose “healthy air fry” is a low-oil recipe mode rather than a fan air-fry, with a striking warranty offer: five years comprehensive on purchases from April 2026, if you register within 15 days. Godrej’s own page also mentions a one-year warranty, so confirm the terms before paying. It’s out of stock on Amazon right now.
Morphy Richards 23CGAD, around Rs 13,000. The cheapest in-stock oven here whose maker documents an air-fryer mode, with a two-year warranty, though Morphy Richards doesn’t describe a fan or temperature for it. Ratings are a lukewarm 3.5 from only 50 buyers, which keeps it off our main list.
Midea and Samsung. Midea’s new 24 L and 28 L ovens are very cheap, from about Rs 9,000, and are sold “with Air Fry”. Midea India has no product page or manual for them, and the listing describes only an Express Fry preset menu, so the air-fry mode is unverified; early reviews also include faulty units. Samsung’s only current convection model with Slim Fry, the 32 L MC32B7382QC, costs about Rs 36,700 on Samsung’s store and isn’t sold on Amazon India.
FAQ
Is a microwave with an air fryer worth it? Yes, if you’ll also bake and grill. A combo costs Rs 4,000 to Rs 12,200 more than a solo microwave plus a basket fryer, and that buys a full-size convection oven. The maths is above.
Does the air-fry mode crisp like a real air fryer? Not quite. The oven’s cavity is much bigger than a fryer’s basket, so it takes longer to heat up and brown, and it needs food spread in a single layer. Expect it to behave like fan-oven roasting on a tray: slower than a basket, with food turned partway through. We haven’t seen a careful side-by-side test of these ovens against a basket fryer.
What is the difference between Diet Fry, Air Fry and Slim Fry? They are brand names. LG’s Diet Fry is a low-oil auto-cook programme, and its new models add an Air Fry menu and an air-fry pan. IFB’s Air Fry uses a fan at 200 C. Samsung’s Slim Fry combines the grill with hot-air circulation. Look for a documented hot-air mode or a supplied air-fry tray, not the name.
Can I use the metal racks in microwave mode? No. Racks, tawas and air-fry trays are for convection, grill and air-fry modes only. Keep them out of microwave and combination modes, and use glass, ceramic or microwave-safe plastic there.
Will air frying in a microwave raise my electricity bill? Barely. At 1,950 to 2,500 W, a 20-minute convection session uses at most 0.65 to 0.83 units, about Rs 5 to Rs 7 at Rs 8 per unit, and the heater cycles on and off, so the real figure is lower. A 1,500 W basket fryer over the same 20 minutes uses at most about Rs 4.
Which part of the warranty matters most? The magnetron’s. Haier adds four years of magnetron cover after the first year, IFB covers the magnetron and cavity for three years, and LG’s long warranty applies to the charcoal heater, not the magnetron. Keep your invoice and register the product if the brand asks you to.
Which one should you buy?
Buy the IFB 30BRC4. It is the most convincing all-in-one oven you can order right now: a fan-driven Air Fry mode, 30 L, a rotisserie and the best owner ratings of the in-stock picks.
If the IFB 28SC5 is back in stock and you don’t need a rotisserie, save about Rs 3,000 and buy that instead. Pick the Haier HIL3001ARSB only if you want 30 L for less and can live with patchier reviews. Pick the LG MJEN286UFWF if Wi-Fi recipes and the 10-year heater cover are worth Rs 4,500 to you.
And if what you really want is crisp samosas and fries several times a week, skip the combo. A basket air fryer next to the microwave you already own will do that job better for a fraction of the price.
Last updated: October 2026
