The present study investigated the effects of microwave (90 and 160 W) and combined microwave‐convective (90 W–55 °C, 90 W–65 °C, 90 W–75 °C, 160 W–55 °C, 160 W–65 °C and 160 W–75 °C) drying techniques on the drying kinetics, color parameters (L∗, a∗, b∗, C, α° and Δe), total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant capacity (ATC) of pomelo samples. The drying data were fitted to 10 typically used thin‐layer drying models to select a suitable model for drying of pomelo. Comparing the statistical parameters of applied models, the Diffusion Approach, Midilli et al., and Page models were found to be the best‐fitting models in describing drying kinetics of the pomelo samples. It was observed that the drying temperature and/or microwave power changed significantly the all color parameters, TPC, and ATC. The combined microwave‐convective drying resulted in shorter drying times with higher drying rates and high‐quality dried pomelo samples. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: A significant improvement in the quality retention of combined microwave‐convective drying of pomelo slices was achieved. This piece of work will provide a novel method to produce microwave‐convective‐dried pomelo fruits with a significantly improved product quality. A practical implication is that drying of pomelo slices with an optimum condition by combined microwave‐convective process can be used to get a high‐quality product with a higher ATC, TPC, and color.