Quick Answer: I’d always recommend the Delonghi Magnifica Evo over the Philips 3200 LatteGo. The Delonghi Magnifica Evo makes better espresso and milk drinks than the Philips 3200 LatteGo.
They are two of the most affordable super-automatic espresso machines with automatic milk frothing.
In this comparison of the Philips 3200 vs Delonghi Magnifica Evo, I’ll tell (and show, where possible) you exactly why I think the Delonghi Magnifica Evo wipes the floor with the Philips 3200 LatteGo.
I’ll also run through the two small facets where the Philips 3200 LatteGo outperforms the Delonghi Magnifica Evo just in case these happen to be really important to you and might sway you towards the Philips.
Please note that throughout this article, I’ll be focusing on the Philips 3200 LatteGo (the version of the machine with an automatic milk frother rather than a steam wand).
Let’s go.
Should I Buy the Philips 3200 LatteGo or the Delonghi Magnifica Evo?
I recommend the Delonghi Magnifica Evo over the Philips 3200 LatteGo. Magnifica Evo makes better-tasting drinks across the board than the Philips 3200 LatteGo.
The Philips 3200 LatteGo’s two advantages over the Magnfica Evo are that:
- It’s easier to customize your drink’s size and coffee-to-milk ratio
- Its milk frother is easier to keep clean as it doesn’t use any rubber tubing.
So I’d only recommend the Philips 3200 LatteGo if you want to play around a lot with drink strength, size, and milk volume (at the expense of drink quality) or if you really don’t want to replace rubber milk tubes often.
Differences between Delonghi Magnifica Evo and Philips 3200 LatteGo
The main differences between the Delonghi Magnifica Evo and the Philips 3200 LatteGo are that the Magnifica Evo has a superior espresso brewing unit and milk steaming system to the Philips 3200 LatteGo.
The Philips 3200 LatteGo has a simpler workflow than the Delonghi Magnifica Evo, especially when it comes to customizing your drinks.
| Category | Delonghi Magnifica Evo | Philips 3200 LatteGo |
|---|---|---|
| Brewing Quality | 🏆 Superior | |
| Milk Frothing | 🏆 Better Texture | Easier to Clean |
| Customization Workflow | More Control, Complex | 🏆 Simpler, Quicker |
| Drink Options | Draw | Draw |
| Grinder | Draw | Draw |
I’ll now run through these differences in more detail.
Brewing Unit
The Delonghi Magnifica Evo uses smaller holes in its brewing basket than the Philips 3200 LatteGo. This allows the Magnifica Evo to make a better-tasting espresso than the Philips 3200 Lattego.
- Delonghi: Smaller holes → More resistance → Richer flavor
- Philips: Larger holes → Less resistance → Lighter flavor
These holes provide resistance to your brewing water during brewing.
So the smaller the holes in your brewing basket, the more contact time your ground coffee will have with your brewing water and the better flavored and fuller bodied your espresso will be.
I’ve personally tested the Philips 4300 and the Delonghi Dinamica Plus’s espresso. These use the exact same brewing mechanism as the 3200 and Magnifica Evo respectively.
The difference between their espresso’s intensity is noticeable (the Delonghi’s being richer tasting and fuller bodied).
If you’d like to find out more about how each of those machines performs then check out my Delonghi Dinamica Plus review and my Philips 4300 review.
| Feature | Delonghi Magnifica Evo | Philips 3200 LatteGo |
|---|---|---|
| Brewing Unit | Superior, Richer Espresso | Decent, Lighter Espresso |
| Winner | 🏆 Delonghi Magnifica Evo |
Milk Frothing System
The Delonghi Magnifica Evo produces a better texture milk foam than the Philips 3200 LatteGo, but the Philips’s milk frother is easier to keep clean.
The two machines both use a milk frother rather than a steam wand to steam milk, however, they have different designs.
The big difference between the two milk frothers, design-wise, is that the Delonghi uses a removable rubber tube to draw your milk from the carafe into the frothing unit. The Philips instead uses a built-in plastic tube to do this.
Both milk systems steam milk to one texture, but Delonghi’s milk texture is silkier and has smaller bubbles, allowing it to integrate well with your coffee.
The Philips milk foam is very thick and stiff – a YouTube reviewer likened it to beaten egg white (stiff peaks). This just sits on top of your coffee rather than integrating with it.
Philips latte macchiato with a lot of very stiff foam on top
This milk texture is not ideal for coffee drinks.
While both milk carafes can be taken apart and can go in the dishwasher, the Delonghi’s rubber milk tube is a massive pain to keep clean.
Sour milk crust builds up inside it after use and it will not always come out in the dishwasher because its holes are too small for your dishwasher’s water to go into.
I clean mine by physically blowing hot soapy water through it (this is not a joke).
You’ll want to buy a load of these rubber milk tubes off Amazon as they need regular replacing.
Still, I think that the Delonghi’s superior milk foam quality makes up for it being harder to clean.
| Feature | Delonghi Magnifica Evo | Philips 3200 LatteGo |
|---|---|---|
| Milk Texture | Silkier, Smaller Bubbles | Thick, Stiff Foam |
| Ease of Cleaning | Harder to Clean | Easier to Clean |
| Winner | 🏆 Delonghi Magnifica Evo |
Drink Customization Workflow
The Philips 3200 LatteGo makes it easier to customize your drink’s size than the Delonghi Magnifica Evo.
Both machines allow you to pick one of three strength settings for each drink. This determines how much coffee beans your machine grinds for your drink.
Customizing your drink’s size and milk volume is different on each machine:
Philips 3200 LatteGo lets you adjust your coffee and milk volume by just pressing an up or down button. You have three size options for coffee and milk for each drink.
Delonghi Dinamica has a much more complicated process. You need to hold the drink you want to customize’s button down till it flashes.
The machine will then brew the drink and you need to stop it when it hits the size you want.
You need to do this for both your coffee and your milk. This will then save as your default.
Video Guide: Watch Delonghi’s customization process from 4:23 – 7:00
Although Delonghi gives you more control over your coffee’s size, I prefer the Philips’s simplicity and convenience.
| Feature | Delonghi Magnifica Evo | Philips 3200 LatteGo |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Customization | More Control, Complicated Process | Simple, Quick Adjustments |
| Winner | 🏆 Philips 3200 LatteGo |
Drink Options
Both machines offer you the exact same drink options except the Delonghi Magnifica Evo can make an iced coffee and the Philips 3200 LatteGo can make an Americano. I personally would avoid both of these machine’s exclusive drinks.
The table below shows the drinks the two machines can make:
| Drink | Delonghi Magnifica Evo | Philips 3200 LatteGo |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | ✓ | ✓ |
| Coffee | ✓ | ✓ |
| Latte Macchiato | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cappuccino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Over Ice | ✓ (Not Recommended) | |
| Americano | ✓ (Not Recommended) |
Both the Delonghi Magnifica Evo’s iced coffee and the Philips 3200’s Americano are drinks I’d avoid:
- Delonghi’s iced coffee: This is just its coffee brewed at a lower temperature. Brewing at a lower temperature lowers extraction leading to a dull, watery coffee. It also melts your ice pretty much to the same extent as its regular coffee, so I just don’t see the point here.
If I wanted to make an iced coffee with the Magnifica Evo I’d make two shots of espresso over ice and then top it up with cold water. This would be a much fuller flavored drink.
- Philips 3200’s Americano: This is an espresso topped with two shots of hot water. All this does is water down an already watery espresso. It’s the machine’s weakest drink by a long way.
As I don’t rate either of these exclusive drinks, they kinda cancel each other out so the two machines essentially offer you the same drink selection.
Winner: Draw (Both offer similar core drink options)
Grinder
The Delonghi Magnifica Evo uses a steel conical burr grinder and the Philips 3200 LatteGo uses a ceramic flat burr grinder. I don’t think that these make a difference to the machine’s espresso quality.
- Delonghi: Steel conical burr
- Philips: Ceramic flat burr
While many comparisons of these two machines claim that Philips’s grinder is superior to the Delonghi (their argument being ceramic > steel), I don’t agree with this.
Grinders aren’t super important on a super-automatic espresso machine so you won’t reap the benefits of grinding incredibly finely or uniformly.
The machine’s brewing unit is a far bigger determinant of its espresso quality than its grinder.
Both machines grind your coffee beans adequately enough. One isn’t obviously better than the other.
Both machines have a bypass doser that allows you to brew with pre-ground coffee if you wish.
| Feature | Delonghi Magnifica Evo | Philips 3200 LatteGo |
|---|---|---|
| Grinder | Steel Conical Burr | Ceramic Flat Burr |
| Winner | Draw | Draw |
Similarities Between Delonghi Magnifica Evo and Philips 3200 LatteGo
Here are the similarities between the two machines.
User Interface and Basic Workflow
Both machines have a very similar user interface with buttons for each menu item and a few more buttons to control coffee strength and to make double shots. They include:
- Menu buttons for different drinks
- Controls for coffee strength adjustments
- Double-shot options
They also have icons telling you when the machine needs to be cleaned and descaled. This will help extend each machine’s lifespan.
Jura machines don’t allow you to do this which means that they need more regular services from a technician (this is a bit of a money-making wheeze by Jura).
Shape and Size
Both machines are nearly identical in shape and size.
There is less than half an inch in their width, height, and depth.
| Machine Dimensions | Delonghi Magnifica Evo | Philips 3200 LatteGo |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 9.5″ | 10.0″ |
| Depth | 17.5″ | 17.1″ |
| Height | 14.0″ | 15.0″ |
Price
Both machines are priced around $750, making them affordable options for super-automatic espresso machines.
| Price | Delonghi Magnifica Evo | Philips 3200 LatteGo |
|---|---|---|
| Approximate Cost | $750 | $750 |
This puts them at the cheaper end of the market for a super-automatic espresso machine.
Key Specifications Comparison
Both models share several similar specifications, from the type of coffee they brew to maintenance features. Here’s a breakdown:
| Specification | Delonghi Magnifica Evo | Philips 3200 LatteGo |
|---|---|---|
| Milk System | LatteCrema milk system | LatteGo milk system |
| User Interface | Buttons only | Buttons only |
| Number of Black Coffee Options | 2 | 2 |
| Number of Milk Coffee Options | 3 | 3 |
| Coffee Strength Options | 3 | 3 |
| Coffee Size Options | Limitless (customizable) | 3 |
| Brewing Temperature Options | 3 | 3 |
| Grinder Type | Steel conical burr grinder | Ceramic flat burr grinder |
| Grind Settings | 12 | 13 |
| Pre-ground Coffee Bypass | Yes | Yes |
| Dedicated Descale Mode | Yes | Yes |
| Removable Brew Group | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum Cup Clearance | 5.3″ | 5.8″ |
Now that I’ve gone through the differences and similarities between the two espresso machines I will evaluate them against the following criteria:
Espresso quality
Milk steaming performance
Functionalities
Ease of use
Ease of cleaning
Design and durability
Value for money
Espresso Quality
Espresso Quality Winner: Delonghi Magnifica Evo
The Delonghi Magnifica Evo makes significantly better espresso than the Philips 3200 LatteGo.
As I mentioned earlier, this is because the Delonghi uses a brewing unit with a much better quality brewing basket than the Philips.
This means that the Delonghi brews your espresso for around five seconds faster than the Philips. This is a long time in espresso brewing and gives your ground coffee more time to extract into your brewing water.
This creates a fuller-flavored and better-bodied drink.
Milk Steaming Performance
Milk Steaming Performance Winner: Delonghi Magnifica Evo
The Delonghi Magnifica Evo froths milk to a better quality than the Philips 3200 LatteGo.
The Philips 3200 LatteGo’s steamed milk is too thick and stiff to properly integrate with your coffee. You need to stir it in which then makes it lose most of its texture.
The Magnifica Evo’s steamed milk isn’t perfect, but it’s much finer and integrates with your coffee much better than the Philips.
Both machines are hamstrung by the fact that they only steam milk to one texture. This creates a lack of variation in your milk drinks.
If you are going to make a lot of different milk drinks then I’d recommend a machine that can steam milk to multiple textures. The Delonghi Dinamica Plus is your best bet here.
Functionalities
Functionalities Winner: Draw
Both machines have nearly identical drink menus and scope for drink customization.
Their divergent drinks (Americano and iced coffee) are each machine’s worst drink so they’re barely worth talking about.
Both machines give you a significant degree of control over your coffee size, coffee-to-milk ratio, and brewing temperature.
They also have almost identical control over grind size.
There really is little separating these machines, functionality-wise.
User Friendliness
User Friendliness Winner: Philips 3200 LatteGo (but only just)
While both machines have a similar general workflow, it’s easier to customize your drinks with the Philips than with the Delonghi.
This difference in customization workflow is the only differentiator between the two machine’s ease of use here.
Both are ultimately very easy to use.
Ease of Cleaning
Ease of Cleaning Winner: Philips 3200 LatteGo
The Delonghi Magnifica Evo’s use of a rubber milk tube makes it harder to keep clean than the Philips 3200.
I can’t emphasize how annoying these milk tubes are to clean. They crust up after every use and honestly, the only way you can clean them is by blowing hot soapy water through them a few times.
This alone makes the Philips 3200 LatteGo significantly easier to keep clean than the Delonghi Magnifica Evo.
Design and Durability
Design and Durability Winner: Delonghi Magnifica Evo (but only just)
The Delonghi Magnifica Evo feels slightly more solidly built than the Philips 3200 LatteGo.
This is particularly true of the machine’s bean hopper, drip tray, and water tank. All of these feel very flimsy and cheap to the touch on the Philips.
The Delonghi Magnifica Evo’s build quality isn’t great either, but it’s a small step up from the Philips.
They’re both what you’d expect from two super automatics on the very affordable end of the market.
Value For Money
Value for Money Winner: Delonghi Magnifica Evo
The Delonghi Magnifica Evo is much better value for money than the Philips 3200 LatteGo.
The two machines cost the same amount and you get far better drinks across the board with the Delonghi.
The two machines come with a two-year warranty and have a reasonable lifespan of 2-4 years.
It’s the Delonghi’s superior performance during this lifespan that makes it a better buy than the Philips.
Final Recommendation: Delonghi Magnifica Evo
I strongly recommend the Delonghi Magnifica Evo over the Philips 3200 LatteGo.
The Magnifica Evo makes better-tasting espresso and milk drinks than the Philips.
Although the Philips is easier to use and keep clean, this difference is marginal.
If you’d like to find out more about Delonghi’s offerings then please check out my roundup of the best Delonghi espresso machines.
