Philips' line of superautomatic espresso machines is constantly evolving and growing to better encompass the needs of users. These machines offer budget-friendly, no-nonsense platforms for getting your favorite coffee drinks, and we've long been a fan of their features and pricing.
Today we're taking a look at the 3300 and the 5500 LatteGo superautomatic espresso machines. We hope that this article can help you decide which is the right pick for your countertop!
Philips 3300 LatteGo
The Philips 3300 LatteGo is an update to the classic 3200, a machine we have a lot of experience with. This machine, like the 5500, is a superautomatic espresso machine. This means that it can grind your coffee, brew your espresso, and steam your milk, all with a few button presses. On the inside, the 3300 features a stainless steel-lined thermoblock for heating your water, and a 12-setting ceramic burr grinder for producing the grounds. On a basic level, this machine brews good coffee and can froth milk quite well given its price point using the carafe-based LatteGo milk system.
The 3300 is a relatively simple machine to use, with its real focus being on value. The machine is controlled using a touch button interface with buttons for five different drinks, a hot water option, and some parameter adjustments. We like the way these buttons look and feel, and find that this menu is generally intuitive (though you'll want to make sure you peruse the manual to get a firm grasp of the system). Using this interface you can brew straight espresso shots, a "coffee" option (essentially a shot with more water), an iced coffee, a cappuccino, or a latte. The interface gives you the ability to adjust strength, volume, temperature (between three settings), and milk foam amount. It will also help you manage the AquaClean water filtration and keep track of any issues like an empty water tank. Finally, the 3300 Quiet Mark certified, meaning it's a lower volume machine than many competitors.
Ultimately the 3300 LatteGo is a great machine for any user looking for balance between affordability, performance, and programming options. It's a simple setup that doesn't allow for complex recipe adjustment or multiple profiles, but it gets the job done and is easy to use.
Philips 5500 LatteGo
The Philips 5500 LatteGo is a very similar machine to the 3300 internally. It has the same grinder and heating element, and produces coffee with a very similar flavor in comparable amounts of time. You will, however, notice some distinct differences on the interface and front of this machine. First of all, the 5500 features a more sophisticated looking finish, with more variation in its front panel and the sides of the machine. While this has little to do with performance, some users may appreciate the more thoughtful aesthetics of this model.
The real difference is in the interface and programming capabilities of this machine. The most notable element here is the touch screen interface in the center of the front panel. This screen provides access to the drink customization options on the right side of the 3300 interface, as well as many more drink recipes and cleaning/maintenance assistance. With the expanded options that the screen provides you get a full cafe menu, including favorites like flat whites, au laits, americanos, and more. The 5500 also offers the same customization options from the 3300, but with the added benefit of being able to save your recipes to profiles so that you and a family member or roommate can retrieve their preferences.
Finally, the 5500 also gives you an extra shot option, allowing you to tell the machine that you want an extra shot of espresso in your drinks. This is great for anyone who likes stronger coffee as the Philips superautomatic line has a relatively small brew chamber, meaning that the coffee dose is lower than what you'd get in a commercial setting, leading to smaller shots. While you can achieve this on the 3300 by manually brewing an extra shot, the ability to have it dispense automatically as part of the process is a very nice feature. This is something you can save to your recipes too, so the process becomes even more automatic.
Which One Is Better?
There's no easy answer to this question, as it really comes down to user preference. The 3300 LatteGo is a simpler machine at a more affordable price point, which will appeal to some users on multiple levels. On the other hand, the 5500 really does justify its extra cost with the increased programming capabilities and smart features like the extra shot automation. In the end though, these machine both offer solid performance at a good price point.
If you'd like more thoughts and to see these machines in action you can check out the video below. We'd also love to hear which of these machines appeals to you in the comments!