Philips 4300 LatteGo vs Philips Series 5500 LatteGo EP5544/90

Home users who want one-touch fully automatic espresso and milk drinks with minimal cleanup

Scores higher on drinks & milk system, cleaning & upkeep.

Twenty drinks including six iced, from a two-part milk system that rinses in seconds

Scores higher on ease of use, value for money.

• +The LatteGo system is two parts with no tubes, cleans in under 10 seconds and goes in the dishwasher, which is the single biggest chore on any milk machine
• +A 100% ceramic grinder with 12 settings and Pre Brew Aroma control
• +A 1.8 litre tank, two-year warranty, made in Romania
• +$999, under the $1,049 median

• −There is no steam wand at all, so milk cannot be textured by hand
• −8kg, and 15 bar is a pump maximum

• +Twenty drinks, all named by Philips, including six iced ones and a travel mug setting.
• +LatteGo is two parts with no tubes, and Philips states both go in the dishwasher.
• +A removable brew group, which is what lets you rinse the part that does the work.
• +AquaClean, which Philips says means no descaling for up to 5000 cups.
• +Four user profiles plus a guest, so a household is not re-setting strength every morning.

• −Philips publishes no price, and its own retailer list runs from $699.00 to $1,299.95.
• −The SKU most shops sell, EP5544/94, has no page on Philips' own site at all.
• −Philips' two pages for this series disagree on voltage and country of manufacture.
• −The AquaClean claim assumes eight filter replacements, which is a running cost to price in.