Philips 3200 Vs 4300: Is The Upgrade Worth It?

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Comparing the Philips 3200 vs 4300, the 4300 stands out with its convenient small screen and the addition of user profiles, allowing for the saving of personalized drink settings. Furthermore, the Philips 4300 provides a broader range of one-touch drink options than the Philips 3200, although, in my opinion, most of them are redundant.

Philips 3200 Vs 4300: Specs & Features Comparison Chart

Image
THE WINNER (#1)
PHILIPS 4300 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine - LatteGo Milk Frother, 8 Coffee Varieties, Intuitive Touch Display, Black, (EP4347/94)
THE RUNNER-UP (#2)
Philips 3200 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine w/ LatteGo, Black, EP3241/54
Model
Philips 4300 Lattego
Philips 3200 Lattego
Dimensions/Weight
9.7 x 14.6 x 17 inches/18.3 lbs
9.7 x 14.6 x 17 inches/17.5 lbs
Interface
Non-touch Display
Non-touch Display
One Touch Drink Options
10
6
Built-in Grinder
Ceramic Flat Burr Grinder
Ceramic Flat Burr Grinder
Grinding Settings
12
12
Heating System
Single Thermoblock
Single Thermoblock
Pump Pressure
15 Bars
15 Bars
Pre-Infusion
Milk Frothing System
Auto-Frothing System
Auto-Frothing System
Spigot Type/Cup Clearance
Dual/3.3-6.9 inches
Dual/3.3-6.9 inches
Water Reservoir/Bean Hopper
1.8 L/0.27 Kg
1.8 L/0.27 Kg
Filter
Yes (Optional)
Yes (Optional)
Compatible With Pre-ground Coffee
App Connectivity
User Profile
What I Like
Price
$999.00
$713.40
THE WINNER (#1)
Image
PHILIPS 4300 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine - LatteGo Milk Frother, 8 Coffee Varieties, Intuitive Touch Display, Black, (EP4347/94)
Model
Philips 4300 Lattego
Dimensions/Weight
9.7 x 14.6 x 17 inches/18.3 lbs
Interface
Non-touch Display
One Touch Drink Options
10
Built-in Grinder
Ceramic Flat Burr Grinder
Grinding Settings
12
Heating System
Single Thermoblock
Pump Pressure
15 Bars
Pre-Infusion
Milk Frothing System
Auto-Frothing System
Spigot Type/Cup Clearance
Dual/3.3-6.9 inches
Water Reservoir/Bean Hopper
1.8 L/0.27 Kg
Filter
Yes (Optional)
Compatible With Pre-ground Coffee
App Connectivity
User Profile
What I Like
Price
$999.00
More Info
THE RUNNER-UP (#2)
Image
Philips 3200 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine w/ LatteGo, Black, EP3241/54
Model
Philips 3200 Lattego
Dimensions/Weight
9.7 x 14.6 x 17 inches/17.5 lbs
Interface
Non-touch Display
One Touch Drink Options
6
Built-in Grinder
Ceramic Flat Burr Grinder
Grinding Settings
12
Heating System
Single Thermoblock
Pump Pressure
15 Bars
Pre-Infusion
Milk Frothing System
Auto-Frothing System
Spigot Type/Cup Clearance
Dual/3.3-6.9 inches
Water Reservoir/Bean Hopper
1.8 L/0.27 Kg
Filter
Yes (Optional)
Compatible With Pre-ground Coffee
App Connectivity
User Profile
What I Like
Price
$713.40
More Info

Last update on 2024-04-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Philips 3200 Vs 4300: Differences

The 4300 outperformed the 3200 with a final score of 5-3. Continue reading for a more detailed comparison between the two models!

Coffee Flavor & Brewing System

Winner: Tie

Built-in Grinder 

Both have a ceramic burr grinder with 13 grind levels. Ceramic burr grinders are much quieter than the stainless steel grinders and stay cool during operation, avoiding any heat that could mess with the coffee’s flavor profile.

both have a 13-level ceramic burr grinder
Both have a 13-level ceramic burr grinder

With 13 grind settings, you have room for tweaking your brew to perfection, but Philips recommends you brew up 100 to 150 cups before you start playing with the grind settings. Well, looks like you’ll have to play a waiting game before you can actually dail in your shots.

They both also feature a bypass chute for pre-ground coffee. This nifty feature comes in handy when you run out of coffee beans, so you never face a coffee-less morning.

the bypass doser
The bypass doser

Heating System

As for the heating system, I’ll lay it out straight: both have a single thermoblock boiler. That means multitasking between pulling espresso shots and frothing milk isn’t on the table. 

But before you think of this as a dealbreaker, just know that the thermoblock system heats up very quickly, and switching from brewing to steaming is just a matter of seconds. 

To compare, a traditional boiler can take anywhere from 15 minutes to half an hour to heat up, or even long enough for you to head over to your local coffee shop. So, just keep an open mind!

Brewing System

When it comes to extraction, I typically mention pre-infusion as a crucial step, and happily, it is a default feature on these machines.

Having pre-infusion as a default means that each brewing cycle begins with a gentle soak of the coffee grounds. This little step ensures the water evenly wets the grounds, allowing for a more uniform extraction of all the rich, complex flavors we crave in our coffee.

During extraction, their mighty 15-bar pump ensures the coffee puck receives the right pressure, and they will, as 9 bars of pressure are the industry gold standard, bring your espresso to life!

Design & Convenience

Winner: Tie

Dimensions & User Interface

Philips 3200Philips 4300
Dimensions9.7 x 14.6 x 17 inches9.7 x 14.6 x 17 inches
Weight17.5 lbs18.3 lbs

These machines are quite compact, about the size of two sheets of copy paper side by side, I think. The housing is mostly black plastic, but they still look pretty stylish and have a solid feel.

Both use a large touchscreen user interface, but all the drink options and icons shown are fixed. So, instead of giving you that swiping, scrolling experience we’ve all come to love on our gadgets, the interface harkens back to the good ol’ days of button-pushing.

the philips 3200's control panel
The Philips 3200’s control panel

Unique to the 4300 is a mini display inside that guides you through every step, from the initial setup and brewing your first drink to the cleaning process. It’s all in plain English, making it a breeze to follow along. Whether or not this upgrade is a selling point depends on how you look at it, but I find it particularly handy.

the philips 4300's control panel
The Philips 4300’s control panel

Spout Type & Cup Clearance

Philips 3200Philips 4300
Spout TypeDualDual
Cup Clearance3.3-6.9 inches3.3-6.9 inches

These two versions share an adjustable spout.  I know it’s pretty much a standard feature on super-automatic coffee machines, but I’m still happy to mention it. This allows you to tweak the dispensing height to match your espresso cup size perfectly to minimize splashes and maximize aroma by keeping the coffee’s crema intact.

Water Reservoir & Bean Hopper

Philips 3200Philips 4300
Water Reservoir1.8 liters1.8 liters
Bean Hopper0.27 kilogram0.27 kilogram

Their water tanks are removable for hassle-free refilling and easy cleaning. Moreover, Philips throws in a complimentary water filter right out of the box, which nests inside the water tank to ensure you get a cup of deliciously tasty coffee every single time, and you’ll find yourself descaling the machine way less often.

Milk Frothing System

Winner: Tie

Moving on to the milk systems, each model offers a version with a manual steam wand and another with an automatic frothing system. In this comparison, I’m focusing on the LatteGo versions, which feature the automatic frother called LatteGo.

the lattego system
The LatteGo system

I’m particularly fond of the detachable carafe feature. You can just pour in the amount of milk you need for a drink, then take out the milk jug cleaning or put it with leftover milk into your fridge for next time.

Cleaning the LatteGo system is remarkably straightforward. Unlike espresso machines with complex plumbing and tubes where old milk can accumulate, the LatteGo unit comprises just two pieces. These can be easily separated for a simple rinse or placed in the dishwasher for cleaning.

Speaking of the texture, it is somewhat airy, which is just convincing for a nice cappuccino rather than a latte. Not terrible, but not particularly respectful at all!

Drink Options & Programmability

Winner: Philips 4300

Drink Options

Philips 3200Philips 4300
Espresso
Americano
Black Coffee
Cappuccino
Latte Macchiato
Hot Water
Espresso
Coffee
Americano
Caffé Crema
Ristretto
Milk Froth
Cappuccino
Latte Macchiato
Café au Lait
Hot Water

As you can see, the Philips 4300 offer four extra drinking options compared to the Philips 3200. This four extra drinks might sound like a big leap at first glance. But when you dive into the details, you’ll notice that some of these extra options are, well, kind of like coffee doppelgängers.

For example, Americano is very similar to Caffé Crema. An Americano is a classic espresso shot topped off with hot water, while a Caffé Crema is just an espresso shot brewed with just a bit more hot water right from the get-go. That way, they indeed taste almost identical.

That said, the 3200 can help you recreate all of those extra drinks by combining espresso with hot water in the right way. Of course, the one-touch convenience of the 4300 is pretty sweet, I don’t deny this.

Programmability

Adjustable SettingsPhilips 3200Philips 4300
Coffee StrengthYesYes
Coffee TemperatureYesYes
Milk Foam TemperatureNoNo
Milk Foam TextureNoNo

The Philips 4300 offers five levels of coffee strength, brewing temperature and milk volume settings per drink. The 3200 only offers you three settings. The highest and lowest levels on each set are the same, so the only difference is that the 4300 offer more levels for playing with.

Both also let you brew doubles of each black coffee drink. In the 3200, you have to double tap the espresso option and the LED will flash next to the 2x icon. As for the 4300, you first select the drink, then you have to select 2x option on the screen.  Both allow for manual interruption of the brewing process to your exact preference.

Other Feattures

Winner: Philips 4300

User Profiles

A valuable additional feature on the 4300 is the set of two user profiles and one guest profile. So if your friends pop over or someday you just want something different from your already customization, you can just switch over to the guest profile without messing up your main one.

The 3200 doesn’t have this feature, meaning you need to manually recall and readjust your preferred settings each day. In this case, you will see how valuable the set-and-forget profile feature is.

Auto Off

Another advantage of the 4300’s small screen is that you can easily set the stand-by time from 15 minutes to 3 hours, depending on your lifestyle. As for the 3200, you need to do some secret key combos to make changes, just like unlocking a hidden feature in a video game.

Quick Rundown Of Philips 4300

PHILIPS 4300 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine - LatteGo Milk Frother, 8 Coffee Varieties, Intuitive Touch Display, Black, (EP4347/94)
  • With Philips 4300 Series easily make up to 8 black and milk-based aromatic coffee varieties with the touch of a button! Enjoy the delicious taste and aroma of coffee from fresh beans at the perfect temperature
  • LatteGo Milk System: Top your coffee off with a silky-smooth layer of milk froth
  • Intuitive Touch Display: Select the perfect coffee for your mood with just one touch
  • My Coffee Choice Menu: Adjust the strength and quantity of your beverage and choose from three different settings to suit your preferences. The Aroma Extract system intelligently strikes the optimum balance between brewing temperature and aroma extraction
  • Powerful Filter and Easy Maintenance: Thanks to the AquaClean, enjoy clear and purified water - by changing the filter after being prompted by the machine, you will not need to descale your machine for up to 5000 cups

Last update on 2024-04-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Pros
  • Great 12-level ceramic grinder.
  • User profiles.
  • Easy to use.
  • Fast-heating thermoblock.
  • Intuitive user interface.
Cons
  • Plastic build.
  • One boiler.

Quick Rundown Of Philips 3200 

Philips 3200 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine w/ LatteGo, Black, EP3241/54
  • With Philips 3200 Series enjoy the delicious taste and aroma of coffee from fresh beans at the perfect temperature
  • LatteGo Milk System: Top your coffee off with a silky-smooth layer of milk froth
  • Intuitive Touch Display: Select the perfect coffee for your mood with just one touch
  • My Coffee Choice Menu: Adjust the strength and quantity of your beverage and choose from three different settings to suit your preferences. The Aroma Extract system intelligently strikes the optimum balance between brewing temperature and aroma extraction
  • Powerful Filter and Easy Maintenance: Thanks to the AquaClean, enjoy clear and purified water - by changing the filter after being prompted by the machine, you will not need to descale your machine for up to 5000 cups

Last update on 2024-04-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Pros
  • 12-level ceramic grinder.
  • Not too bulky.
  • Thermoblock fast-heating system.
  • Affordable.
  • Easy to use.
Cons
  • Espresso shots are quite weak.
  • One boiler.

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References

5/5 - (4 votes)