Philips super automatic coffee machines are a great way to enjoy a fresh cup of coffee with a press of a button. But with so many different models to choose from, it can be difficult to know which one is right for you.
I put together this comprehensive comparison guide to help anyone interested in a Philips super automatic coffee machine.
What to Expect from this Guide
This guide features the following comparisons:
- Philips 1200 vs 2200
- Philips 2200 vs 3200
- Philips 3200 vs 4300
The table of contents above can help you jump to the section you want to read.
Philips Coffee Machine Comparisons
Similar Features in all Philips Super Automatic Coffee Machines
There are several features that are available on all Philips coffee machine models:
Temperature settings: 3
Coffee Strength: 3 to 5 levels depending on the model.
Coffee Volume: 3 settings
Grind settings: 12
Milk Frother: classic steam wand or LatteGo
They also have the same ceramic grinder and water reservoir capacity.
The differences you’ll come across from one model to another will be in:
Model Variation: whether a specific model is available a classic milk frother and LatteGo option
Coffee Customization: some models will for more or less customizations like coffee strength, froth level and coffee volume. And whether or not you can save those customized settings.
Controls: Whether the machine has a screen or buttons only.
Now you understand the basics of Philips super automatics, let’s get into the specifics of each model.
Philips 1200 vs 2200
Philips 1200 is the base model in the Philips coffee machine line of super automatics. It is where it all started, and Philips kept improving on it to create the next models ahead.
Philips 800 vs 1200
SIDE NOTE: Philips 1200 used to be called Philips 800 Series, which is the outdated name for the 1200 model. So if you’re ever wondering about Philips 800 vs 1200 – they’re the same!
The Difference Between Philips 2200 vs 1200
The difference is in the available variations: the 1200 has a classic frother only, while the 2200 is available as a classic wand or LatteGo variation.
Design wise, when these systems first came out, there were two other differences: design and aroma strength. The 1200 was all plastic and did not have aroma strength selection, but as of updating this post (2023), the 1200 now looks identical to the 2200, has the same metal accents and has aroma strength settings.
I highly recommend that you skip the Philips 1200 as I find it no longer relevant. It is the same as the Philips 2200 (classic frother version) at the exact same price (most of the time). So why go for the older version?
Philips 2200 vs 3200
The Main Difference Between Philips 3200 vs 2200
- Coffee drink presets
- Philips 3200 is available in three model variations, Philips 2200 is available in two variations.
Philips 3200 vs 2200 LatteGo Coffee Drink Presets
| Philips 3200 LatteGo Drink Options | Philips 2200 LatteGo Drink Options |
| Espresso, Coffee, Americano, Cappuccino, Latte, Hot Water | Espresso, Coffee, Cappuccino and Hot Water |
Philips 3200 has a Latte preset and an Americano preset which the Philips 2200 does not have.
So how do you make these coffees using the Philips 2200?
To make a Latte on the Philips 2200: Press the Cappuccino button, choose the highest coffee volume then press start. That way, the machine will make more coffee and pull more milk froth to make a longer cup of a latte.
To make an Americano on the Philips 2200: Press x2 Espresso, then when the espresso is ready, press hot water to fill the cup and complete the Americano recipe.
So both models can make the same coffees, it’s just more convenient on the Philips 3200.
LatteGo Milk Froth Adjustment
While both machines have the same LatteGo frother, the Philips 3200 has an option to adjust froth level, but the Philips 2200 does not have this selection.
Philips 3200 vs 2200 Classic Wand Coffee Options
| Philips 3200 Drink Options | Philips 2200 Drink Options |
| Espresso, Espresso Lungo, Coffee, Americano, Hot Water | Espresso, Coffee, Hot Water |
Philips 3200 gives you more presets for black coffee drinks, lungo and Americano, which the Philips 2200 does not have.
The Philips 3200 has one additional variation that has an Iced coffee option, which you can read about below.
Related: Philips 3200 Americano vs Coffee
Philips 3200 vs 3200 LatteGo vs 3200 + Iced Coffee
The Philips 3200 comes in three variations: one with a Classic frother, one with a LatteGo frother , and one with a LatteGo and Iced Coffee option
Philips 3200 with Classic Milk Frother: Since this machine uses a classic steam wand, the presets on it are only espresso, lungo or coffee. There’s also the steam option. You will brew your coffee or espresso shot, then you will manually heat and froth your milk by switching on the steam wand.
Philips 3200 with LatteGo and Iced Coffee: this model has espresso, coffee, cappuccino, latte and iced coffee options. It is missing the ‘Americano’ option that the other LatteGo version has. Scroll down to read and watch a video on how Iced coffee option works.
Philips 3200 with LatteGo: This one replaced the Iced coffee option with an Americano, which is a longer 6 to 8 oz brew of coffee. Everything else is the same.
Philips 3200 vs 4300
The next model up the line is the Philips 4300, let’s compare it to the 3200 model.
Philips 3200 vs 4300 Differences
You can read my full comparison of Philips 4300 vs 3200
The main difference is the control panel design…
The Philips 4300 has a digital screen that will give you more control over your customization. You get to see more options for coffee volume, temperature and milk level if you’re getting a LatteGo version. The screen also gives you detailed messages when you need to clean the system or if it ever runs into an error.
Philips 4300 LatteGo vs 3200 LatteGo Drink Option
| Philips 4300 LatteGo Drink Options | Philips 3200 LatteGo Drink Options |
| Espresso, Coffee, Americano, Cappuccino, Latte, Cafe au Lait, Caffe Crema, Ristretto | Espresso, Coffee, Americano, Cappuccino, Latte |
Let’s say you opt for either model with the LatteGo frother, what preset coffee drinks will you get out of each model?
Drink Presets on the Philips 4300 and Philips 3200 are somewhat similar. The 4300 model might use some different names for a recipe (Coffee Lungo vs Caffe Crema… both are a Lungo, just named differently) [Read about Philips 4300 Drink Options]
The Philips 4300 LatteGo model features buttons for: espresso, coffee, Americano, Cappuccino, Latte, Cafe au Lait and then there’s the More Drinks button, which will take you to a menu that pops up on the display and gives you additional selection: Caffe Crema, Ristretto, Hot Water and Hot Froth.
Philips 3200 LatteGo has two milk options: Cappuccino or Latte.
The extra option that you get on the Philips 4300 is Cafe Au Lait, which is coffee with hot milk. The hot froth option is not available on the Philips 3200, too.
Philips 4300 vs Philips 3200 Classic Milk Frother Drink Option
| Philips 4300 Drink Options | Philips 3200 Drink Options |
| Espresso, coffee, Americano, Caffe Crema, Ristretto | Espresso, Lungo, Coffee, Americano |
The classic milk frother models have about the same drink presets. The Philips 4300 has Ristretto, which is a shorter espresso shot, and Caffe Crema, which is basically a Lungo.
Philips 4300 Profiles
The one thing that the Philips 4300 model has that is NOT available on the 3200 is Profiles. With the Philips 4300, you get to save recipes under 2 profiles. Selecting a certain profile will recall saved recipes and presets for said profile.
Philips 4300 vs 3200 Coffee Strength
Last, but certainly not least, the Philips 4300 offers 5 coffee strength settings while the 3200 has only 3 settings.
Philips 3200 vs 4300 Similarities
Milk Frother options: Classic frother and LatteGo
Same design in terms of dimensions, conical burr grinder, front-loading water tank and drip tray.
Philips 1200 vs 3200
If I compare the entry model and the mid-range model of Philips coffee machine models, what would be the difference?
Philips 1200 vs 3200 milk Frother Options
- The 1200 model is only available with a steam wand
- 3200 model is available in a steam wand or LatteGo option.
Philips 1200 vs 3200 Drink Presets
- 1200 model has espresso, coffee and hot water option
- 3200 presets depend on whether you get the steam wand or LatteGo version. The steam wand version has: Espresso, Espresso Lungo, Coffee, Americano, Hot Water and Steam. The LatteGo version has Espresso, Coffee, Americano, Cappuccino, Latte, Hot Water. The third 3200 has Iced Coffee option instead of Americano.
So overall, the 3200 model has more model variations and more presets, giving you more options to choose from. The 1200 is pretty basic.
DeLonghi Magnifica vs Philips Coffee Machine
This is one of the most requested comparisons, because Philips and DeLonghi are head to head when it comes to fully automatic espresso and coffee machines.
I have detailed comparisons for each of these:
- DeLonghi Magnifica Evo vs Philips 3200
- DeLonghi Magnifica Evo vs Philips 4300
- DeLonghi Magnifica Evo vs Philips 2200
But if you want a quick comparison of these models, read below…
DeLonghi Magnifica Evo vs Philips 3200
Coffee Drink Presets
- Philips 3200: Espresso, Lungo, Coffee, Americano, Hot Water
- DeLonghi Magnifica Evo: Espresso, Coffee, Long, Americano, Over Ice
Over Ice is the difference here, but if you want to get that from the Philips 3200, you can buy the Iced Coffee version.
What Iced Coffee, or Over Ice selection does is brew coffee at lower temperature so it doesn’t melt the ice right away. It does not brew COLD coffee, the coffee still comes out hot, but at a lower temperature. This works the same on both machines.
Control Panel and Settings
The control panel on the DeLonghi Magnifica Evo is much nicer and more modern looking than that on Philips machines.
Although it looks like it’s a display screen, it’s not. It’s touch buttons with icons for each coffee drink, which I find to be quite helpful for someone who mixes up the names of coffee drinks.
Philips 3200 has simple touch buttons with the names of each coffee drink.
DeLonghi Magnifica Evo vs Philips 3200 Design
Philips 3200 is available in full plastic exterior. While Magnifica Evo is also made of plastic exterior, it uses a mixture of black and silver plastic, which makes it more modern looking.
Although some people don’t prefer the look of ‘fake metal’ or plastic that replicates stainless steel or chrome in look, I personally find that it gives the machine a nice modern touch.
Price and Value
Philips 3200 and DeLonghi Magnifica Evo are quite comparable in terms of price and value (at the time of writing, at least). Especially when comparing the Magnifica Evo to Philips 3200 with Iced coffee function.
Which To Pick?
Honestly, these two coffee machines are almost the same in terms of value and function. Personally, if I’m going to pay the same for either, I would go for the Magnifica Evo based on its design. It’s newer and more modern than the Philips 3200.
DeLonghi Magnifica Evo vs Philips 2200
Let’s say you wanted to save a bit more money and ‘downgrade’ to a Philips 2200, what would be the difference between it and the DeLonghi Magnifica Evo?
Coffee Drink Presets (classic steam wand version)
Philips 2200: Espresso, Coffee, Hot Water
DeLonghi Magnifica Evo: Espresso, Coffee, Long, Americano, Over Ice
So right off the bat, you’re getting a lot less presets with the Philips 2200. But if you’re mostly an Espresso or espresso based drinker, those would be enough for you. The difference in making an Americano, for example, would be this:
- With Philips 2200: you’ll have to press the Espresso button, then the Hot Water button.
- With the Magnifica Evo: it’s a one-button operation.
That is not a huge inconvenience, if you ask me.
Control Panel and Settings
Philips 2200 shares the same control panel as the Philips 3200 – same touch buttons with simple drink names only.
While the DeLonghi Magnifica Evo has a nice touch illustrated icons with pictures and names of each drink.
Price and Value
There’s around a $200 difference in price between Philips 2200 vs DeLonghi Magnifica Evo, which isn’t a small difference (please note that prices are subject to change). The price difference contributes to DeLonghi’s nicer design, and many presets that are missing from the Philips 2200.
Which To Pick?
If you are on a tight budget and not necessarily looking for the ‘best looking machine’, but simply want a reliable fully automatic, the Philips 2200 will be great alternative.
You can still make the same recipes from either machine, the difference is only in how you operate your machine to get your recipe:
- With the Philips 2200 it’s more of a two-clicks operation,
- With the Magnifica Evo, most recipes are a one-click operation.
DeLonghi Magnifica Evo vs Philips 4300
Philips 4300 is an upgrade in comparison to the Maginifica Evo, even though the Classic frother version from both models is priced around the same.
Coffee Drink Presets
DeLonghi Magnifica Evo: Espresso, Coffee, Long, Americano, Over Ice
Philips 4300: Espresso, Ristretto, Americano, Caffe Crema, Hot Water
With the Magnifica Evo you get the Over Ice option that you won’t find on the Philips 4300. Other coffee drinks are similar.
Don’t get caught up on the naming, Long and Caffe Crema are nearly the same drink, which is a version of a Lungo.
Control Panel and Settings
Philips 4300 has an LCD display that allows you to dig into the machine’s settings and additional menus and offers additional coffee customization. Not only that, but it allows you to save them in user profiles to easy access to different individuals.
DeLonghi’s Maginifica Evo doesn’t have a screen with additional settings. All customization have their own buttons on the control panel.
Coffee Strength Settings
- Philips 4300 has 5 coffee strength settings, unlike other Philips coffee machines.
- Magnifica Evo has 3 coffee strength settings, a lot like previous Philips machines.
Which To Pick?
Even though I really prefer the design of the DeLonghi Magnifica Evo, I recommend the Philips 4300 instead, especially if you are getting the Classic frother version which sells for the same price as the Magnifica Evo, but offers more features like: extra strength settings, LCD screen and saved profiles. This gives you a lot more bang for your money.
DeLonghi Magnifica and Philips Similarities
Because these machines have a lot in common, I will start with what you can get from both DeLonghi or Philips coffee machines. Keep in mind that I am using the Maginifica Evo in this comparison to Philips machines.
Coffee Strength and Grind Settings
- Both brands give you adjustable coffee strength settings, temperature settings and grinder settings.
- Philips grinder has 12 adjustable settings, while the DeLonghi Magnifica Evo has 13. But that won’t make a lot of difference honestly, so it’s a tie.
- Both also have bypass doser for using pre-ground coffee in case you don’t want to use the grinder.
Classic Steam Wand or Built-In Frother Variation
Both Philips and DeLonghi Magnifica Evo come in two variations, one with a classic wand and another with the built-in milk frother.
Philips LatteGo vs DeLonghi LatteCrema
Here’s the difference between Philips LatteGo vs DeLonghi LatteCrema, in case you go for these versions:
- LatteGo can be detached, sealed with the included lid and saved in the fridge if there’s any left over milk. To adjust the froth level, you can do so on the control panel of the machine, but only if your model allows it.
- LatteCrema can be stored in the fridge, too. However, DeLonghi does not have froth adjustment setting on its machine.
When it comes to cleaning, both frothers can be easily detached, dissembled and washed either by hand or a in dishwasher.
How To Choose the Right Philips Coffee Machine for You
Each model comes with its own advantages and disadvantages, and these differ from one person to another. You really don’t have to get the most expensive model to get the best coffee. They all make the same quality of coffee.
So here’s what you need to decide on first and foremost:
1. Decide if you have a budget in mind: (please note that prices are constantly changing, these are the “Average” sale prices… always check for current prices)
- The entry level Philips model is the 1200 usually available for about $500 or so. I don’t think this model is worth it over the 2200 model, unless it’s nicely discounted in price.
- Philips 2200 model is around the same price range as the 1200, so I would prefer it to the 1200 model. the LatteGo version adds around $50 to $100 more.
- Philips 3200 is the most popular model. It’s the mid range price and has a nice bundle of features. It’s available in three versions: classic wand, LatteGo and LatteGo with Iced coffee.
- Philips 4300 is at around $1000 or so. And for that price, you get superior features over the other models, but they could be features that you don’t really need.
2. Decide if you want a classic frother, where you will manually heat and steam your milk, or if you want the LatteGo system. Models that use a classic frother won’t have presets for milk based drinks like a cappuccino or latte, instead, you’ll find ‘steam’ button so you can froth your milk manually. Models with the LatteGo system will have presets for milk based drinks as well as espresso and coffee.
Getting these two decisions before you even read about the specs of each model will help you eliminate what you don’t need, making your decision a lot easier.
Philips LatteGo vs Classic Steam Wand – Which To Choose?
LatteGo is the automatic built-in frother you see attached to the machine. This type of frother works fully automatic from heating, frother to dispensing the correct amount of milk for the recipe you chose. The froth is customizable by selecting the level of froth you want. All you have to do is select your drink: latte or cappuccino and then change the froth level (if you like).
If you opt for the Classic steam wand, you’ll have to do all that work manually. Pour in your milk in a frothing pitcher, hold it to the steam wand until it heats and froths. Many users struggle at first to get the milk to the right temperature and texture. Frothing manually takes some practice until you get it right. So if you want an out-of-the-box solution, go for the LatteGo system instead.
Related Post: Philips LatteGo vs Classic Milk Frother
How Does the Iced Coffee Option in Philips 3200 Work?
Using the Iced option, the machine will brew at a slightly lower temperature and a slower rate, which produces a strong yet smoother brew. This will brew better over ice and will not melt your ice entirely.
Will it make a difference using the Iced Coffee option vs. brewing regular coffee over ice?
Yes, it should make a difference if you like your iced coffee less bitter and acidic. Being able to brew the coffee using lower temperature (not cold, but lower heat) makes a difference in how the coffee tastes.
Hot Water Option – What’s It For?
The hot water button provides you with boiling hot water instantaneously. You don’t have to heat water manually or use an electric kettle to bring water to boil, with the Philips Carina, it’s as simple as pushing a button to get hot water to use for tea, instant meals or whatever else you might need it for! The hot water goes through an independent spout, so you don’t have to worry about any coffee taste or residue in your hot water.
Philips Espresso vs Coffee
A lot of super automatic machines only brew espresso, which is a shot that is made by extracting a strong brew using high force of water. To extract a shot of espresso, machines use a 15-bar (sometimes 19-bar) pump pressure. That’s why espresso machines operate on a totally different level than a drip coffee maker.
Espresso is either drank on its own, or with the use of frothed milk, can be used as a base for many specialty coffee drinks like Cappuccinos, Lattes or Macchiatos.
What about those times when you don’t want espresso, but would prefer a classic cup of coffee instead?
A machine like Philips espresso machines can make both espresso and coffee. Although the machine does not drip coffee the same as a classic coffee maker, it uses low pressure to replicate it and produces a long cup of coffee that’s just as good as a traditional drip machine’s.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where Are Philips Coffee Machines Made?
All models, 1200, 2200, 3200 and 4300 are made in Romania.
Can LatteGo Be Purchased Separately?
Yes, you can buy it separately as a replacement part or just as an additional frother to have. However, your machine has to be compatible with it in the first place. Which means, for example, you can’t buy 1200 model and then try to fit a LatteGo on it, it won’t work.
How Often Will My Philips Machine Need to Be Descaled?
If you use soft water, it can be done once every 6 months. Using hard water will require that you descale your machine more often, once every 3 months at least.
What Kind of Milk Can I Froth Using LatteGo?
Any type of milk you prefer. Whole cow’s milk makes the best froth, followed by low fat milk. Plant based milks are a hit or miss, but using a ‘barista style’ almond or oats milk will give you better results.
What Is The Largest Cup of Coffee I Can Make on Philips 2200 or 3200?
By default, all coffee or milk based recipes don’t go over 8 oz. But making larger cups of coffee is as easy as hitting the brew button again to make a double brew instead of one. That way, you’ll make double the size of any recipe.
Which Coffee Beans Are Best To Use with Philips Machines?
You can use any type of beans or coffee roasts you like. They don’t have to say ‘ESPRESSO’ or anything. However, you want to avoid oily beans (you’ll notice they have a shine to them), these type of beans are a problem for all kind of super automatic machines as they clog the grinder easily.
