Description
The Sharp SMD2470ASY is a microwave drawer, which is a different appliance from anything else on this page. Instead of a door that swings out at chest height, the cavity pulls out downward like a drawer, installed under a counter, in an island or beneath a wall oven. Sharp lists a 24 inch width, 1.2 cubic feet of capacity, sensor cook, automatic defrost, a clock and an interior light.
The format solves real problems. Loading from above is easier than reaching into a cavity at eye level, there is no hot door swinging into a walkway, and a drawer under an island counter is reachable by someone seated or by a wheelchair user in a way that an over the range unit never is. It also frees the wall above the cooktop entirely, which allows a proper range hood to be fitted rather than a microwave doing double duty.
A Note on the Category and the Listing
This product is listed on the site under countertop microwave ovens, but it is not a countertop appliance. It is a built-in drawer that requires a cabinet cutout and cannot be used freestanding. That is a categorization issue in the catalog rather than anything about the appliance, and it is flagged here so nobody buys it expecting to unbox it and plug it in.
The listing also contradicts itself on power. The product title and the “Energy Use” field both give 950 watts, while the written description and the “Wattage” field give 1000 watts. Sharp does not resolve the difference. The title figure of 950 watts is the more conservative reading and is what appears on the model designation, but anyone comparing this against another oven on wattage alone should treat the difference as unresolved in the source data.
Installation, Cutout and Clearance
This is the section that matters most on a drawer microwave, because installation is not optional. Sharp publishes the appliance dimensions as 23 7/8 inches wide, 15 7/8 inches high and 23 1/64 inches deep, and the required cutout as 22 1/8 inches wide, 15 9/16 inches high and 23 1/2 inches deep. The product weight is given as 74 pounds.
Those cutout numbers are the specification to work to, and they need to be checked against the cabinet before anything is ordered. A flush mount kit is sold separately for installations where the drawer front is to sit level with the surrounding cabinetry rather than proud of it. That is an additional purchase and an additional decision, not something that arrives in the box.
The listing specifies 120 volts and lists the cooking mode as electric, so this is a plug in appliance rather than a hardwired one, and the outlet has to be positioned within the cabinet where the drawer will sit. No amperage figure, dedicated circuit requirement or ventilation clearance figure is published. At 74 pounds, being fitted into a cabinet at counter height and carrying a moving drawer mechanism, this is an installation for a qualified installer working from Sharp’s printed instructions, not a self install job.
Highlights
- 24 inch built-in microwave drawer with a 1.2 cubic foot cavity.
- Sharp states the cavity holds a 9 by 13 inch dish.
- Easy Touch automatic drawer system with hands free close.
- Concealed control panel that opens to a 45 degree angle.
- Sensor cook, automatic defrost, clock and interior light.
- Cutout dimensions published as 22 1/8 by 15 9/16 by 23 1/2 inches.
- Stainless steel finish, 120 volt operation, 74 pounds.
- Average rating of 4.4 out of 5 across nearly 1,000 ratings.
Things To Consider
The “Product Dimensions” field in the listing reads 9 by 15 by 8 inches, which is impossible for a 24 inch, 1.2 cubic foot appliance weighing 74 pounds. That field is corrupt and should be disregarded entirely in favor of the dimensions given in the feature bullets, which are internally consistent with the cutout figures.
The wattage contradiction described above is unresolved. The listing also gives the “Form Factor” as “Stand Alone” while the “Installation Type” is “Built-In”, which cannot both be true.
Drawer microwaves carry a mechanical cost that door microwaves do not. The motorized drawer is a moving assembly that can fail, and the appliance is harder and more expensive to service once built into cabinetry. Anyone who wants the space saving without the mechanism should compare a conventional built-in such as the GE PEB7227ANDD, or the Bosch HMD8451UC drawer as a direct alternative in the same format.
Because the drawer opens upward into the room, whatever is inside is exposed to the room when it opens. That is easier for loading and less contained for steam, which rises straight out rather than being held behind a door. Cabinets directly above a drawer microwave will see that steam.
Finally, this model has been listed since 2015, which is a long production run. That means parts availability is good but also that the technology is not current. Sensor cook is present but there is no Wi-Fi, no convection and no air fry. Buyers who want combination cooking will not find it here and should compare the GE four in one countertop model, accepting that it is a plug in appliance rather than a built-in one.
The 1.2 cubic foot capacity is also worth putting in context. Sharp states it holds a 9 by 13 inch dish, which is the common casserole size, but a drawer cavity is shallower in height than a conventional one because it has to fit under a counter. Tall items are the constraint here, not wide ones.
Who It Suits and Who Should Look Elsewhere
This is the right appliance for a kitchen being renovated, where the cabinetry can be built around it, and particularly for an island installation or an accessible kitchen where a drawer at counter height is far easier to use than a microwave mounted above a cooktop. Freeing the wall above the range for a real hood is a significant secondary benefit.
It is the wrong appliance for anyone who cannot commit to a cabinet cutout, an installer and a possible flush mount kit. Renters and anyone wanting a plug in solution should look at the countertop microwave oven range instead, and households that would rather combine the microwave with cooktop ventilation should compare the over the range microwave options.
