The Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer is the perfect size for smaller families looking to cut down their cooking time a bit by air frying a larger part of their meal, like a chicken, or side dishes, with the basket easily big enough to feed three people - but it has some less-than-ideal quirks that prevent it ranking up there with the best air fryers.
The interface is easy to use, and there are an abundance of cooking functions available (including four Turbo Modes), but the performance isn't what we'd have liked (or expected) from an air fryer costing over $100. While some foods, like chicken wings and toast, turned out perfectly and allowed for easy clean up afterward, I also ended up with a half-baked cake and a mixture of burnt and undercooked chips and vegetables.
These niggles may be able to be worked out, but given the TurboBlaze's promise of 360-degree air flow, and faster cooking on its Air Fry, Roast, Grill, and Frozen modes, I was left disappointed and uncertain of what to expect next from this rollercoaster gadget.
These performance quirks may be able to be worked out with a lot of time, experimentation - and patience - but after my week with this air fryer, I was left far from impressed.
(Image credit: Vic Hood)
Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer: price and availability
Price: $119.99 / £159.99 (about AU$180)
Available in UK and US (as 6 Quart) from Cosori's website or third-party retailers like Amazon
Regular discounts and sales
The TurboBlaze may not be the most expensive air fryer on the market, but it's certainly not the most affordable we've seen - nor the best for this price range. The US price tag is a bit less than the UK one, coming in just under $120. If you are buying in the US, note that the name and model is a bit different (6 Quart rather than 6L) If you've got a $100 budget, don't worry, this air fryer seems to be regularly discounted on Amazon, so we advise picking one up there rather than from Cosori directly. While the price in the UK is a bit higher, making this a less budget-friendly air fryer, again, Amazon regularly does discounts that knock it closer to the £100 mark. Unfortunately, if you're in Australia, the TurboBlaze range isn't available.
While this air fryer offers a bunch of bells and whistles, its lack of consistent results hold it back from being good value for money at that price tag. The things it does well, it does brilliantly, but there's a lot of functions that just didn't work how I'd expect. For an air fryer over 100 quid, I would expect the most basic functions (at the very least) to work well every time. That's not the case here.
Value score: 2.5/5
Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer: specifications
Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer: design
Easy to set up, use, and clean
Touch controls work well
Fairly compact given its capacity
The Cosori TurboBlaze 6.0-Litre Air Fryer was a breeze to set up, coming with a handy booklet of recipes and tips to try out and recommendations on cooking weights and times for some of the most common air fryer ingredients.
The overall black, matte design is pretty sleek, and its digital interface is easy to use, with a good-sized touch-screen interface showing its nine cooking functions (including four Turbo modes) and keep warm function. Simply select the mode suited to what you're cooking (the booklet helps here), then use the touch screen to increase or decrease the time and temperature. Press start, and you're off.
The air fryer itself is pretty compact given its generous capacity, but still measures 40 x 30 x 30.1cm, so it takes up a chunk of counter space when you consider the 13 cm behind it you need to leave. How imposing you find it will really depend on your kitchen counter space - and how often you plan to use it.
The six-liter basket provides plenty of room to cook for a small family (I was easily able to fit an eight-inch cake tin pan inside) and is ideal for those looking to cook one larger item, like a whole chicken or a portion of vegetables or fries for a few people. It comes with a crisper plate, which slots in simply from an angle (just don't catch the rubber stoppers) and is used for most cooking functions.
(Image credit: Vic Hood)
The basket and crisper plate are dishwasher-safe, but I found that hand washing them was almost quicker and easier than waiting for the dishwasher cycle to end.
It would have been good for a window to be included in the basket to prevent me from having to pull it out to check on my food (letting some heat out), and it was frustrating at times to have to reset all the controls when my food needed an extra 10 minutes, but overall this TurboBlaze has a solid, to-the-point design.
Design score: 4/5
Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer: performance
Inconsistent results
Handy preheating function
Plenty of functions to try out, including proving
I found Cosori TurboBlaze 6.0-Litre Air Fryer the perfect size for me and my partner, and I was excited to put it through its many cooking functions through their paces- but the results were mixed to say the least.
Testing started off strong when I tried a chicken wing recipe from the booklet. After preheating the air fryer as per Cosori's instructions, I added 700g of seasoned wing to the crisper plate and set it to air fry at 200C for 16 minutes.
(Image credit: Vic Hood)
This air fryer isn't too loud, hitting around 60 decibels when cooking - about the volume of a conversation between people sitting a meter away. So, while you don't need to shout over it, you will notice it a bit. As a massive clutz, I liked that the outside of the air fryer never got above around 23/24C, with the back airflow around 25C, so if you've got little ones, you don't need to worry about them accidentally burning themselves by touching the outside- though obviously, the inside is another story.
I was really impressed with the first test. The wings came out crispy on the outside and succulent inside - perfectly cooked and the best I've ever made. There was minimal mess in the bottom of the basket, too. But my other tests were another story.
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(Image credit: Vic Hood)
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I tried 500g of fresh and frozen fries on the air fryer setting (part of the Turbo modes), at different times, but both came out with half the fries underdone and half overdone - mostly with the edges of the chips burnt. Even giving the basket a shake during cooking didn't help. Those that were cooked were fluffy inside but either burnt outside or soggy. Considering fries are a staple of air fryer cooking, and the Turbo Mode cooking functions are meant to quickly cook food with 360-degree air flow, this was a big disappointment.
The disappointment only continued with my cake baking. I used this as a perfect opportunity to bake my fiancé a birthday cake, using an online air fryer standard cake recipe. After consulting the book again (which I had to do a lot), I set the air fryer on the Bake function, using the recommended time and temperature from the booklet. It's worth noting, you can't (and shouldn't) just use the default cooking mode setting for everything and anything you're cooking in this air fryer (or any, really).
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(Image credit: Vic Hood)
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After preheating the air fryer and cooking my cake for 20 minutes at 165C (as the book instructed), my skewer came out wet. I ended up baking the cake for another 20 minutes (in intervals) until the top was burning and busting open.
Though the skewer was still a bit wet at the bottom, the cake wasn't going to survive much longer. After cooling, I tipped the cake upside down on a rack to find the entire bottom half was completely raw, while the top half was on the verge of burning. Absolute disaster.
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(Image credit: Vic Hood)
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(Image credit: Vic Hood)
Using this air fryer was a bit of a rollercoaster. After the cake, I made a roast chicken using the roast function and the booklet's recipe that was crispy on top and juicy inside. Though, the bottom was a bit too juicy, verging on almost soggy after the air fryer managed to blow over my whole chicken. Much like the chips, the vegetables for the roast were inconsistently booked, with the edges of my broccoli burning until the point of being inedible but my carrots not cooking enough - and requiring more time than the instructions stated.
As for the other functions, I ended up still somewhat juicy lemons and limes after four hours dehydrating, but did find toast easy to grill and the proving feature rose my bread dough in just an hour, resulting in perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside bread.
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(Image credit: Vic Hood)
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(Image credit: Vic Hood)
By the end of my testing, I wasn't quite sure what I was going to get from this air fryer. I spent days testing its modes, but still found it inconsistent across some of its most basic modes. My advice? Trust the book's recipes, but maybe not its cooking times.
Performance score: 2/5
Should you buy the Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer?
Buy it if
You don't mind working out its quirks
This air fryer does some things perfectly, and others not so well If you're up for experimenting with the best cooking times for each product, or an air fryer expert, you could end up with the same level of consistency across the board.
You've a smaller household
The 6-liter basket is aimed at households of three to five, but I think three is the perfect number (depending on appetites).
You want an easy-to-use air fryer with multiple functions
The touchscreen interface is super simple to use and there's lots of different functions to try out - even if they aren't all perfect.
Don't buy it if
You don't want to mess around with times and temperatures
If you want an air fryer that does a lot of the work for you, working out the precise cooking times and temperatures for your meals via smart app or otherwise, this isn't for you.
You want a solid air fryer on a budget
There are better air fryers at this price range, or for less, so it's worth considering them instead. Take a look at our roundup of the best air fryers for some alternatives.
You have very limited counter space
This air fryer doesn't take up loads of room, but if you have a small kitchen then it could be too bulky.View Deal
How I tested the Cosori TurboBlaze 6L Air Fryer:
I used the Cosori TurboBlaze 6L for a week, cooking a wide variety of foods including fresh and frozen fries, chicken wings, fresh vegetables, a roast dinner, cake, and bread. I tested all the air fryer's various modes (including dehydrate, which I used to dry fruit slices). I cleaned the air fryer in line with the instructions provided in the manual. For more details, see how we test.
The KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8 is a truly premium bean-to-cup espresso machine, which automates the entire coffee-making process, but also gives you a surprising amount of control over your drinks. Each of the many drink types can be customized with your preferred strength, body, temperature, and volume - preferences that you can then save to your personal profile so everyone in the household can have their coffee exactly the way they like it.
The KF8 comes with very few instructions, but once you power it on, you’ll realize that’s because it doesn’t need them. You will be guided through every step of preparing the FK8, loading beans, filling the tank, and brewing your coffee with clear instructions and illustrations on the bright, responsive 5in touchscreen.
Interestingly, the KF8 takes both whole coffee beans and grounds (so you can opt for ready-ground decaf in the evening, for example), but it’s worth noting that you can only add one scoop of ground coffee at a time. This is primarily a bean-to-cup machine, with an alternative only for occasional use.
The KitchenAid KF8 has a dedicated mode for steaming plant milk, unlike most other bean-to-cup machines I've tested, which are optimized only for dairy (Image credit: Future)
Coffee is consistently well extracted, with creamy golden crema, and the machine is much less noisy than you might expect while brewing - a fact that has earned it the Quiet Mark seal of approval. During my testing, most of the coffee-making process was no louder than the background murmur you might expect in a library.
The automatic milk frother works well too, and offers options for both dairy and plant-based milk. Surprisingly, almond milk foamed even better than dairy during my tests. Most bean-to-cup coffee makers only have one setting that’s optimized for dairy, so this was a pleasant surprise.
It’s certainly expensive (see below for details) but if you enjoy really good coffee and don’t want the hassle of preparing it yourself, it doesn’t get much easier than this.
KitchenAid KF8: price and availability
Bean-to-cup coffee machines are always pricey due to their complexity, and the KF8 is one no exception. It has a list price of $1,999.99 / £1,899 / AU$2,599, and is available direct from KitchenAid worldwide, or from third-party retailers like Currys in the UK and Williams Sonoma in the US.
It’s roughly the same price as our current top-rated bean-to-cup coffee maker, the Breville Oracle Touch (known as the Sage Oracle Touch in the UK), which is also operated via a generously sized touchscreen, but is semi- rather than fully-automatic.
It’s a big investment, but the extra features like advanced customization of your drinks, the ability to use both beans and grounds, the option to purge all coffee from the system when you want to try something new, and the sheer ease of use help justify that price tag.
Value score: 4/5
KitchenAid KF8: specs
KitchenAid KF8: design
The KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8 is an attractive, modern-looking coffee maker, finished in brushed metal and black (shown here), white, green, or stainless steel to match your other appliances. It’s one of the taller and longer coffee machines I’ve tested, measuring 10.2 x 14.3 x 15.2in / 260 x 363 x 385mm (W x H x D), but its narrow front means it doesn’t actually take up too much space on the kitchen counter.
This is a premium machine, and it shows in touches like the accessible design of the water tank, which has an ergonomic carry handle that makes it easy to lift out, and is supplied with a screw-in water filter. The KF8 also comes with a water hardness testing strip so you can configure it accordingly, and KitchenAid recommends filling it with fresh (not distilled) water every day for the best results.
The large water tank is easy to remove thanks to its ergonomically designed handle, and comes with a screw-in filter (Image credit: Future)
Opening the largest door on the top of the machine reveals the bean hopper, plus a chute for inserting ground coffee (ideal if someone in your home prefers robusta to arabica, or you want to switch to decaf in the evening). There is also a button inside that allows you to remove the hopper for cleaning.
You’ll be offered the choice of using the hopper or the chute when you start up the machine, though it’s worth bearing in mind that you can only insert a single scoop of grounds at a time. There’s a measuring scoop supplied to make this easy, but this is primarily a bean-to-cup machine. If you want to use ready-ground espresso regularly, you could save some cash by opting for a semi-automatic coffee maker instead.
The machine’s dispenser moves smoothly up and down to accommodate different sized cups, and I was particularly impressed with the design of the milk system. Most fully automatic coffee makers use milk from a tube dangling in an open-topped container. The KF8’s milk container is covered at all times, which seems more hygienic, and is less likely to spill. It tucks neatly to the side without spoiling the coffee maker’s clean lines.
Load beans into the hopper, and ground coffee into the chute (at the top right) (Image credit: Future)
All drink choices are made using the bright 5in touchscreen, which is the biggest I’ve seen on any coffee maker I’ve tested to date, and feels pleasantly responsive in use.
A service door on the right-hand side of the machine allows you to access the brew unit for cleaning. The machine is supplied with two cleaning tablets, and more can be bought from Kitchenaid. To clean it, first rinse the brew unit with cold water and dry it as directed, then insert the cleaning tablet, place a large cup underneath the dispenser, and let the machine handle the rest. The process takes a long time, but you won’t need to repeat it regularly. It’s also possible to purge all coffee beans and grounds from the machine (ideal for when you want to use a different type of bean), and even evaporate everything from the water system after emptying the tank, which are both unusual but useful features.
The large, bright touchscreen makes it easy to fine-tune your perfect coffee (Image credit: Future)
On the subject of cleaning, when you first use your KF8, it’s worth knowing that the machine is tested with real coffee at Kitchenaid’s factory. It’s thoroughly cleaned before being shipped out (there were no traces of coffee in my review unit) but if you do happen to spot a stray grain or two, that’s why.
Design score: 5/5
KitchenAid KF8: performance
When I first unpacked the KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8, I was surprised how few instructions were provided. The manual looked chunky, but the section for each language was surprisingly brief for such a feature-packed device. Upon powering it up, however, the reason soon became clear - the KF8 guides you through every step of setup, brewing coffee, and cleaning via clear instructions on its large touchscreen display.
There’s almost no need to refer to the paper manual at all. Each instruction is presented in plain language, with images where necessary. It really couldn’t be easier to use.
The milk dispenser is easy to attach, and unlike most fully automatic espresso machines, the KF8 keeps the container covered at all times. (Image credit: Future)
The power button is on the right-hand side of the machine, so make sure you don’t position it right against a wall. Once you’ve pressed it, the KF8 will guide you through the process of installing the water filter and filling the tank. You’ll then be prompted to put a container under the dispenser to rinse it through - a standard coffee mug is the perfect size. When that’s done, load up beans (and grounds if you like) and you’ll receive the exciting message that “you are ready to start your coffee experience”.
There are 15 different drink options to choose from, most of which are customizable:
Cappuccino
Espresso
Caffe Latte
Espresso Lungo
Macchiato
Latte macchiato
Americano
Flat white
Coffee
Ristretto
Cortado
Frothed milk
Warmed milk
Hot water
Green tea
If you choose a coffee drink, you’ll be offered the chance to select body, volume, and strength. The machine will then brew and dispense your drink. Once it’s done, you’re given the option to save any adjustments to your favorites for easy access next time. Members of your household can make their own named profiles for their custom drinks, which is a nice feature.
Each member of your household can have their own profile for their custom drinks (Image credit: Future)
The ability to adjust the volume of each drink is welcome too, letting you use non-standard cups with ease. Some other bean-to-cup coffee makers require you to set the size of your cups through an awkward manual process, which isn’t easy to change again later.
I also appreciated the option to choose whether milk or coffee is dispensed first for lattes and cappuccinos. Bean-to-cup machines usually pour your espresso shot through the milk, which is the opposite way you’d do it yourself, and leaves a brown spot in the foam.
I tested the KF8 with fresh beans from my local coffee shop Mokoko, and the machine reliably produced lovely espresso with a thick, golden crema. It was definitely some of the best tasting coffee I’ve tried from a bean-to-cup machine.
Espresso was consistently well extracted, with rich, golden crema (Image credit: Future)
You can also choose between dairy and plant milk settings - most bean-to-cup machines (like the Smeg BCC13 I tested recently) are optimized for dairy, so this is a welcome addition. There are no options for different plant milks, but during my tests I got the best results with almond milk rather than oat or soy. In fact, almond milk produced even silkier foam than dairy, which was surprising - normally I find almond milk foam stiff. Whichiver milk I used, it was always heated to just the right temperature - pleasantly sweet but never scorched.
I got the best results with lattes and cappuccinos when I increased the volume of the drink, adding more milk. The default setting is quite short and didn’t produce enough foam for my liking, so it’s definitely worth taking some time to create a preset that works for you.
You can tailor your drinks to suit your preferences, including volume dispensed (Image credit: Future)
One of the key selling points of the KF8 and its smaller siblings is their Quiet Mark certification, and the KF8 is definitely quieter than most. While making a latte it very briefly reached 66dB while grinding the beans, but the average volume was just 44dB. That’s about the same noise level you might expect in a library. I was particularly surprised how quietly the KF8 was able to foam and steam milk, which is normally one of the noisiest parts of the coffee-making process.
Used coffee pucks are dispensed into an easily removable bin that you can access by gently lifting and pulling out the drip tray. The tray has a spout at the back that makes it very easy to empty and rinse. After that, you’ll be prompted to connect the milk hose to the drip tray so it can be rinsed through with hot water. It’s a neater solution than that of many fully automatic coffee machines, which require you to use a separate container of water for the same purpose. The dispenser itself will also be rinsed, so place a mug underneath when prompted to catch the used water. The whole process is fast and simple.
Used coffee pucks drop into an easy to clean container that you can pull out with the drip tray (Image credit: Future)
Should I buy the KitchenAid KF8?
Buy it if
You aren't confident using a manual machine
The KitchenAid KF8 produces excellent results consistently, and is an excellent choice if you're passionate about coffee but don't feel happy pulling shots and foaming milk manually - or not everyone in you household is savvy with grinding, pulling and steaming.
You live with other coffee lovers
The ability to save your personalized drinks under your own profile is a real boon, and includes factors like body, strength, temperature, and volume (so you can tailor your coffee to your favorite cup).
You enjoy plant milk
Unlike most fully automatic coffee makers, the KF8 has modes for both dairy and non-dairy milk, and the non-dairy option works surprisingly well - particularly if you choose almond.
Don't buy it if
You prefer to use pre-ground coffee
The KF8 has a chute that allows you to load in ready ground coffee that you can use to brew a drink rather than fresh beans, but you can only add one scoop at a time, and this is definitely a bean-to-cup machine first and foremost. If you like to use pre-ground coffee, a coffee machine without a grinder is a more logical choice.
You want the barista experience
The KF8 handles all the work of dosing beans, choosing the right grind size, and pulling a shot of espresso for you. If you want the option of doing some of that yourself, look for a semi-automatic machine instead (our roundup of the best espresso machines) has some good options.
KitchenAid KF8: also consider
Not completely sold on the KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8? Here are a couple of alternatives to consider.
Breville Oracle Touch
If you want more of the barista experience but would prefer some guidance, this premium semi-automatic coffee machine (known as the Sage Oracle Touch in the UK) will help you master the techniques needed to pull a perfect shot of espresso - provided your wallet can take the hit.
Can't choose between drip coffee and espresso? The Ninja Luxe Café can prepare both, and is very reasonably priced for a bean-to-cup machine, costing around a quarter the KitchenAid KF8's asking price.
I tested the KitchenAid Fully Automatic Expresso Machine KF8 over the course of several days, making each type of drink available through the menu, making customizations, and saving them to a personal profile for re-use later.
I used freshly roasted beans from a local coffee company in the KF8's hopper, plus pre-ground espresso in the chute. I tested the milk system using full-fat dairy milk, barista oat milk, soya milk, and almond milk - all fresh and cold from the fridge.
I refilled the water tank before each use, and ran the full battery of cleaning programs at the end of testing, including cleaning the milk system, purging coffee beans, cleaning the brew unit, and evaporating remaining water.
De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo: two-minute review
The De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo Espresso Machine with Cold Brew is available to buy in the US, UK, and Australia. They have slightly different product names in each territory: in the US, the model code is EC9255M, and it’s called La Specialista Arte Evo Espresso Machine with Cold Brew. In the UK and Australia, the model code is EC9255.M, and the full product name is La Specialista Arte Evo Compact Manual Bean to Cup coffee machine with Cold Brew in the UK, and La Specialista Arte Evo Cold Brew in Australia.
Specialista Arte Evo is listed at $699.95 / £549.99 / AU$699 on the official De'Longhi website. You can also purchase it from third-party retailers, including Amazon in the US and the UK, which offer discounts on occasion.
For a quality manual bean-to-cup coffee machine with cold brew capabilities, this is pretty good value, and the De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo should be considered alongside one of the best espresso machines.
A compact example of a manual bean-to-cup espresso machine, the Arte Evo has dimensions of 11.2 x 14.4 x 15.9 inches / 285 x 365 x 400mm, and is a pretty weighty 21.5 lbs / 9.3 kg. I did feel that it had the potential to move around despite this, so I always tended to have a steadying hand on the machine whenever I pushed the portafilter and tamper guide in to receive the ground coffee.
(Image credit: Future)
There is a helpful small storage compartment in the top of the machine, to the right of the hopper. The My Latte Art steam arm sits on the right of the coffee-making area and can be rotated out, so I could easily get the included metal milk jug under. Located on the back of the machine, the generous 56 fl oz / 1.7L water tank was easy to remove and replace.
One thing I missed with the Arte Evo, is that it doesn’t have changeable hoppers, so it can prove tricky if you like to switch between caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee. I can’t really complain about this considering the price though, as it’s mainly the more premium coffee machines that have this ability.
There are three temperature settings to choose from on this manual espresso machine, so it can be adjusted to suit whichever beverage is being made, and eight different bean-grinding settings to achieve the right intensity, and I found this useful for perfecting different coffee options.
(Image credit: Future)
The Arte Evo comes with two single-walled coffee filters in a single and double dose. The filters were unusually difficult to get out of the portafilter once pushed in. I had to use a taper-ended butter knife to remove the filter each time, so this isn’t the end of the world, but care will need to be taken when attempting to remove them.
The De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo was delightfully straightforward to use. The setup process was quick and simple, and thanks to the helpful tips in the quick guide it was easy to determine the perfect grind coarseness, dosage, and techniques to create tasty cups of coffee.
I’m a huge fan of this coffee machine, and I’d recommend it as the best in this price bracket, but if you think you might want some different features or you prefer a different aesthetic, you could always take a look at our selection of the best bean-to-cup coffee machines to see if anything catches your eye.
De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo review: price and availability
List price: $699 / £549 / AU$699
Available in the US, UK, and Australia
The list price for the Specialista Arte Evo is $699.95 / £549.99 / AU$699 on the official De'Longhi website. It’s available from other third-party retailers too, including Amazon in the US and the UK, where the price is occasionally discounted.
This is pretty good value for a quality manual bean-to-cup coffee machine with cold brew capabilities, and while it may not have as many grind settings or auto-tamping as the reigning champion of our selection of the best bean-to-cup coffee machines, the Sage Barista Express Impress, this compact De'Longhi espresso machine offers cold brew and is a whole lot cheaper.
Value score: 5/5
De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo review: specs
De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo review: design and features
Quick and easy setup
Dishwasher safe accessories
Smaller-than-average footprint for manual bean-to-cup machines
The De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo is fairly compact as far as manual bean-to-cup espresso makers go, with dimensions of 11.2 x 14.4 x 15.9 inches / 285 x 365 x 400mm. It’s understandably a bit weighty at 21.5 lbs / 9.3 kg, but this is fine as it’s a product that’s not intended to be moved around. One thing I will say, though, is that it didn’t feel quite heavy enough for me to push the portafilter and tamper guide in to receive the ground coffee without a hand on the machine to hold it in place.
One small niggle is that there isn’t the option to have changeable hoppers, which can prove to be a pain if you’ve left the beans in for too long, or if you like to switch between caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, for example. It’s only really more premium coffee machines that offer this, so I can’t complain much considering the price of the Arte Evo. If you only use the amount of beans needed to avoid leaving them sitting for too long, or only use one kind of bean, you shouldn’t have any problems.
(Image credit: Future)
To the right of the hopper, there is a small storage compartment that could fit the filter baskets and small cleaning utensils. At first, I believed that the UK model didn’t come with a tamping mat, as it is not obviously listed on the De'Longhi UK website, but it turned out to be hidden underneath the base fitment in the accessories box. I found it really helpful when tamping my coffee, with a circular indentation for the tamper to sit in, and a shaped area for the portafilter. This also fit the tamper slot after it was removed before attaching the portafilter to the machine, so it was easy to keep things neat and tidy through each stage.
The Arte Evo also comes with a small cup support, to give those mini espresso glasses a little boost. The removable water tank is easy to remove and replace. It has a 56 fl oz / 1.7 capacity, which is plenty for a few cups of java, while also remaining light enough to be maneuvered easily.
(Image credit: Future)
The layout of the grinder, extractor, and My Latte Art steam arm is fairly standard, but the steam arm is in close proximity to where the extraction area and small cup support sit in a bid to save some space. The steam arm rotates outwards, so I could easily get the included metal milk jug under.
Inside the removable drip tray sits a red plastic water level indicator that rises through the cup grille as the tray fills up so it can be emptied before it gets too full. Speaking of the drip tray, it’s really easy to remove for emptying and cleaning. It breaks down into three parts: the cup grille, the cup grille support, and the drip tray itself.
There are three drink presets to choose from, Espresso, Americano (Long Black in the UK and Australia), and Cold Brew. The My Latte Art steam arm was easy to maneuver and I was able to use it to create smooth microfoam, as well as using it to heat and add body to the milk when mocha and cappuccino making.
(Image credit: Future)
The Arte Evo has three temperature settings to choose from, so it can be adjusted to deliver the best results for whatever you’re making. It also has eight different bean-grinding settings to achieve the ideal intensity. I mostly used level five for americanos and espresso shots (which I of course used to make my beloved mochas), but I found that level six worked best for cold brews.
The My Latte Art steam arm was easy to maneuver, and thanks to the tips in the quick guide I easily created a smooth microfoam. I also used the steam arm to heat and add body to the milk for mocha making, which I did a lot of in my time with it, as it quickly became my favorite way to make coffee each day.
Design score: 4.5/5
De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo review: performance
Simple to use
Hassle-free
Great results
Straight out of the box, the setup and coffee-making process was straightforward. The De'Longhi Quick Guide manual was easy to follow and made setting up this espresso machine a breeze. Plus, for those who are new to a manual bean-to-cup coffee machine, or you’re a visual learner, De'Longhi also has a useful how-to YouTube channel where you can see videos of their coffee machine setup processes.
After washing and drying the accessories and water tank, I put the drip tray back in place and filled the water tank before rinsing the included SoftBalls sachet under running water and dropping it into the tank. Each SoftBalls sachet lasts for three months and is designed to prevent limescale formation without affecting the quality of the coffee. After plugging the machine in and turning it on, I placed a glass bowl under the water spout before pressing okay to initiate a short rinse cycle. I then popped a filter basket into the portafilter before locking it into place, then hit okay again so that it rinsed through.
Some things to note here are that it’s tricky to get the filter baskets out of the portafilter: I had to use a taper-ended butter knife to prise them out, and in addition, it took a fair bit of elbow grease to get the portafilter to lock into place. Perhaps those stronger than me won’t have as much of an issue, but I found myself having to put my other hand on the machine to brace myself when inserting or removing the portafilter. The final part to be flushed through was the steam arm, which was just a case of placing it into the bowl and pushing the steam button on the machine.
(Image credit: Future)
Once the machine was all set, I experimented with the grind and dose levels until I was happy with the result. This De'Longhi machine comes with a really helpful dosing and tamping guide that simply screws onto the top of the portafilter, so it’s easy to give it a few taps to help the coffee grounds settle before pushing them down with the satisfyingly weighted tamper.
The quick start guide had a helpful little Infusion Temperature Profiles box out, explaining that different beans and roasting colors require specific temperatures, informing me that Robusta coffee beans prefer a lower temperature, and Arabica beans like a higher temperature. As I was using Arabica beans, I used the maximum temperature option (level three) and selected my drink using the right-hand dial, which for my first attempt was an espresso.
(Image credit: Future)
Following the instructions and tips helped me to make a pretty perfect espresso shot in a few minutes. There wasn’t quite as much crema as I’d anticipated, but other than that it was great. When trying out the steam wand on some semi-skimmed milk, I once again found the quick start guide super helpful with its additional barista tips, recommending that fresh cold milk is used and that the metal milk jug is cold. The visuals provided a little guidance, explaining where the nozzle should be placed to get the milk to froth, and these pointers helped me make some lovely foam for a cappuccino on my first attempt.
The Thermoblock heating system and active temperature control feature seemingly worked well during the brewing process, as the extracted coffee tasted spot-on every time. All three presets delivered satisfying and great-tasting results. I used the Espresso preset most frequently, combining it with steamed milk and hot chocolate powder, as I am quite partial to a mocha.
(Image credit: Future)
I’ll admit that cold brew coffee isn’t really my thing, so I roped in my very helpful editor to do a taste test for me. I ground a single dose of espresso, which the Arte Evo mixes with 3.7 fl oz/110ml of water; alternatively, I could have ground a double dose, which would then have been used to create a 6 fl oz/ 180ml sized drink. In his opinion, the coffee tasted nice, wasn't overly bitter as you'd expect from a cold brew, but it was a little too diluted for his taste.
De'Longhi recommends a grind coarseness of between four and six for cold brew. Originally I aimed for the middle with level five, so I increased the coarseness to level six following the feedback from our team's resident cold brew fanatic. He confirmed that this tweak to the settings did indeed make it stronger and, although not perfect, it was more to his tastes.
Cleaning the machine was fairly straightforward. The drip tray and grill can be removed easily and are dishwasher safe. For thorough cleaning, it’s recommended to run a mixture of white vinegar and water through the water spout, portafilter, and steam arm.
Performance score: 5/5
(Image credit: Future)
Should I buy the De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo?
Buy it if
You want to be your own barista As the Specialista Arte Evo is easy to operate, and the quick start manual offers so many helpful tips, you’ll be brewing up all kinds of beverages for your family and friends in no time.
You don’t want to dedicate too much space No manual bean-to-cup machine can be truly compact due to the nature of the espresso-making process. But De'Longhi has been mindful of how valuable countertop space is in our kitchens, which is reflected in the smaller-than-average footprint of this machine.
You want fancy coffee at home With the La Specialista Arte Evo Espresso Machine, you’ll have the freedom to make your own espresso, cappuccinos, lattes, mochas, cold brews, and more, right from the comfort of your own kitchen.
Don't buy it if
You don’t want to have to clean up after every cup Whether you have your coffee black or white, there’s extra maintenance to consider when it comes to a manual bean-to-cup machine. The extracted ground coffee will need to be knocked out of the filter and rinsed, and any milk will need to be wiped off the steam arm straight away to stop it from solidifying (which it likes to do very quickly).
You want your coffee quick The process of making a coffee with the Arte Evo isn’t particularly long when compared to similar machines, but compared to a standard instant coffee, it naturally takes longer due to the extra steps involved. It’s certainly worth the effort, though!
You don’t want to get into tweaking settings Due to the different settings available, including dose adjustment, grinding levels, and water temperature, it may take time to perfect the settings to get the right brew for you.View Deal
De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo review: also consider
Ninja Luxe Café For those who want to take some of the guesswork out of their budding barista journey, the Ninja Luxe Café is a great beginner machine thanks to its grind coarseness guidance, weight-based dosage system, and automatic milk frother. It also has a slightly larger water tank, a removable hopper, and a digital display. Our reviewer was mightily impressed when they tested it out, awarding it four and a half stars. Check out the full review of the Ninja Luxe Café for further details.
De'Longhi Dinamica Plus Undoubtedly more expensive, but the perfect alternative if you don’t want to take a hands-on approach to coffee making. It’s packed full of features, including a removable ergonomic thermal milk carafe that can be kept in the fridge to keep the milk fresh and cold. Interestingly, this machine is compatible with the De'Longhi link app, allowing you to perform some of its functions remotely. This too was awarded four and a half stars, with little in the way of negatives. Read the full De'Longhi Dinamica Plus review here.
How I tested the De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo
I tested the De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo over a few weeks
I repeatedly made espresso and frothed milk four days a week
I tested its variety of settings and features
I used the De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo Espresso Machine roughly three times a day, four days a week for several weeks, for the most part making mochas, cappuccinos, lattes, long blacks, and the odd cup of tea.
I evaluated how easy it was to put together, and how easy the setup process was. I made use of all of the features, paying close attention to the process, testing how easy the machine was to use, and the quality of the drinks produced. I tested all of the different coffee types available, and used all of the included accessories to see how they performed.
Finally, I investigated how easy it was to remove the washable parts of the machine and see how easy they were to clean.
To call the Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch a food processor would be doing quite an injustice to. Yes, it is a food processor, but unlike most of its peers, it comes with a full size blender attachment, as well as personal blender cup and a citrus press. This multi-functional kitchen gadget can even replace your digital weighing scale.
It’s ideal for anyone moving into their first home and looking to set up their kitchen, since it offers so many small appliances in one package. And since Kenwood is a long established kitchen appliance brand, you can rest assured it knows what it’s doing.
The OneTouch sits within Kenwood’s MultiPro range of food processors, and is one of the most multi-functional in the range. Yet it’s still pretty affordable given all that it is capable of. Its biggest competitor in terms of functionality is probably the Ninja 3-in-1 Food Processor with Auto-IQ, but the Kenwood can do more.
On test, I tried all the accessories and it performed well across the board. There were a couple of little design quirks that I noticed along the way, but no major deal-breaker level flaws. You can read my detailed performance review below to see how it compares with the best food processors and best blenders on the market.
In both countries it’s available directly from Kenwood, as well as via Amazon (though at the time of writing it's out of stock at Amazon in both countries). It can also be found at select kitchen appliance retailers, such as Lakeland in the UK.
At the time of writing in the UK the Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch was discounted by both Kenwood and Lakeland, so it is worth hunting around for discounts or checking the price during the big seasonal sales like Black Friday.
Thanks to all the various functions and accessories, this multi-purpose food processor can replace several appliances, and from that perspective it offers very good value for money.
Value for money score: 4.5 out of 5
The Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch comes with a huge array of accessories and attachments, making it much more than just a food processor (Image credit: Helen McCue)
Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch: design
Control panel has a cluttered appearance
Design is better suited to right handed users
Express serve lid is a useful addition
The Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch isn’t a standout appliance for stunning good looks; it’s built more for practicality and function. For example, I'm not a fan of the color images on the control panel that represent the preset modes. They give the appliance a cluttered, busy appearance even when switched off.
Despite my thoughts on the aesthetic, the controls are very simple to get to grips with. There are just three speeds to choose from and a pulse button. The six preset functions are divided into dough, puree, and mix for the food processor and ice crush, blend, and clean for the blender.
The color icons on the control panel give the appliance a busy look, even when it's switched off (Image credit: Helen McCue)
There’s no start/stop button - instead you start it by selecting a preset or speed. When you need to stop it, you then have to press the same button again, which doesn’t always come naturally. I got used to it, but it’s a bit of a quirk that took a few goes to get my head around.
Cleverly, the base of the food processor doubles as a digital weighing scale. There’s a button to switch between lb and kg as well as a zero button. Weight is displayed on a small screen, which doubles as the timer when it’s in use as a food processor.
A plastic plate attachment sits on the base to allow you to use it as a scale independent of the food processor accessories. Or, you can weigh directly into the food processor bowl or blender jug.
The base of the Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch serves as a digital scale. You can weigh ingredients on a plastic plate, or directly into the food processor bowl or blender jug (Image credit: Helen McCue)
The machine comes with the main basic food processor attachments that I’d expect, including the knife blade, dough tool, whisk, a 4mm slicing and shredding disc as well as a 2mm slicing and shredding disc.
One stand-out addition is the express serve lid attachment, which is used in conjunction with the slicing and grating discs. It works as a chute to propel the sliced and grated food into a container of your choosing, which means you’re not limited by the size of the main food processor bowl. It’s a great innovation, especially for those who want to slice or grate in bulk.
The Serve Lid attachment propels grated or chopped food into a container of your choice (Image credit: Helen McCue)
What makes this food processor truly multi-functional is that it also comes with a full size blender attachment and a personal blender attachment. There’s even a citrus press accessory that attaches to the food processor bowl..
Every large attachment has to be twisted into position on the base. For the food processor bowl and the blender, the lid also has to be twisted and locked in place otherwise they won’t work. This is a necessary safety feature.
Before adding the food processor bowl a long spindle attachment called the drive shaft, has to be placed on the base first. However, the drive shaft doesn’t click or lock in place, in fact, it feels quite loose, so it’s easy to think something is missing when you first assemble it. What’s more, I found that every time I removed the food processor bowl, I knocked the drive shaft and sent it clattering across the counter, which gets a bit annoying.
Another downside is that the main food processor bowl and the blender jug have to be configured on the base with the handle sitting to the right. So they’re not well placed for left-handed users.
The footprint of the base is 22.2 x 27.7cm / 8.7 x 10.9 inches (w x d) and the height depends on the accessory added. The tallest is when the blender jug is attached, which makes it 42.9cm / 16.9 inches high
Design score: 4 out of 5
Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch: performance
Very fast grating and slicing
Uncomplicated to use
Built in scales save time and mess
Food processor
The Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch's lid was incredibly tough to remove for the first few uses but loosened and became far easier the more I used it.
The first thing I did was to use the pulse button to chop an onion. I peeled and quartered the onion, then put it in with the main blade attached, and it took just five pulses to finely chop the onion. To make sure nothing was missed, I removed the lid before the final pulse and scraped off any chunks that were stuck to the side of the bowl. That did the trick to ensure the pieces were all evenly sized.
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It took just five pulses to finely chop a quartered onion (Image credit: Helen McCue)
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It took just five pulses to finely chop a quartered onion (Image credit: Helen McCue)
To make up a cake batter I used the main blade again in conjunction with the ‘mix’ preset which successfully combined all of the ingredients into a smooth cake batter in just 45 seconds. The best part was that prior to mixing I was able to weigh the ingredients directly into the food processor, which reduced the number of dishes to clean up.
Chopping nuts was next on the agenda. I threw in a handful of mixed nuts and pulsed it to avoid over-chopping them. It took 18 pulses, so I think it would have been quicker to just put it on the high speed setting. The nuts were chopped nevertheless.
There was a mixture of ground powdery nuts and some chunky pieces, so it didn’t chop them to a consistent texture. However, some of the other Kenwood MultiPro food processors come with a milling attachment. If you frequently chop hard foods like nuts, then it might be worth looking at those other models.
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The texture of chopped nuts was somewhat inconsistent, with some fine powder and some chunks (Image credit: Helen McCue)
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The texture of chopped nuts was somewhat inconsistent, with some fine powder and some chunks (Image credit: Helen McCue)
The last test I did with the main chopping blade was to chop diced beef chunks into a ground beef texture. This task was a breeze for the food processor and the job was done in just 20 seconds on the high speed setting.
It took just five seconds to grate two carrots using the large disc. There were a couple of chunks left un-grated, and having weighed the carrot before grating as well as the chunks that didn’t get shredded, I worked out that the waste was around 8% (and I don’t really consider it waste since I was still able to use these chunks in another recipe).
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It took just five seconds to grate two carrots using the large disc (Image credit: Helen McCue)
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It took just five seconds to grate two carrots using the large disc (Image credit: Helen McCue)
When grating cheese, I used the large grate disc again, and also the express serve attachment. I wanted to see if any cheese would get lodged or clumped in the express serve mechanism.
A 300g/ 10oz block of cheddar took under 15 seconds to grate and none of it got stuck in the express serve attachment. There were a few chunks of cheese that remained un-grated, amounting to about 8% of the total. But given how fast it is, I’m happy to save those chunks in the fridge for something else.
Grating cheese left a few un-grated pieces, but I was happy to keep these in the fridge for another recipe (Image credit: Helen McCue)
Grating chocolate can be a messy business and I’m happy to let a machine take care of the job. I used the small disc to grate a 180g / 6oz bar of dark chocolate. It took 40 seconds to push all the chocolate through and I had to press really firmly on the chocolate with the pusher.
Some chocolate did melt to the disc in the process and the chunks that didn’t get grated amounted to 19%, which is quite a lot. However, it’s much faster and easier than doing it by hand and I won’t let those ungrated chunks go to waste.
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The Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch sliced six carrots in 10 seconds (Image credit: Helen McCue)
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The Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch sliced six carrots in 10 seconds (Image credit: Helen McCue)
Next up was slicing, and it sliced six carrots in an impressive 10 seconds on the highest speed. There wasn’t any waste, though some did end up going through at a bit of an angle, so the slices were somewhat elongated. Overall though, it was a great result.
To slice half a cucumber I set it up with the disc that creates thin slices. It took about eight seconds on the high speed setting to slice the cucumber. The slices were perfectly even and there was no waste.
To test the dough tool, I added the ingredients for a bread dough and selected the ‘dough’ preset. It’s only a 30 second preset but it mixed the ingredients and combined them into a dough within the time.
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The dough preset only takes 30 seconds, but produces a well combined result (Image credit: Helen McCue)
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The dough preset only takes 30 seconds, but produces a well combined result (Image credit: Helen McCue)
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The dough preset only takes 30 seconds, but produces a well combined result (Image credit: Helen McCue)
I was impressed that the suction cups on the base kept the food processor firmly rooted to the counter, even after the ingredients had turned into a big ball of dough that would have some other food processors walking across the counter.
I used the whisk attachment to whip 300ml / 0.6 pints of cream. To avoid over whipping the cream, I selected the medium speed setting. It took two and a half minutes and while the cream was beautifully thick and light, I’d probably try out the high speed setting next time as it took a little longer than I expected.
Whipping cream on the medium setting took two and a half minutes - I might use the high speed setting next time (Image credit: Helen McCue)
Personal blender
I made a smoothie consisting of frozen mixed berries, milk, protein powder, half a banana, and a tablespoon of mixed seeds. The Instructions say not to use more than 60g frozen ingredients, so I made use of the integrated scales to weigh my berries before adding to the cup.
To blitz up the smoothie, I selected the ‘blend’ preset, which took 57 seconds. The finished smoothie was a little gritty thanks to the seeds that I had added as well as the seeds in the berries. However, there were no whole seeds and it had a pleasant, slightly aerated texture that was otherwise smooth and well mixed.
After blending, the blade attachment came off the cup in two sections, which wasn’t what I was expecting, but it didn’t actually matter. It made it easier to rinse clean under the tap.
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A smoothie made using the personal blender attachment was a little gritty due to the seeds I added, but well mixed and lightly aerated (Image credit: Helen McCue)
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A smoothie made using the personal blender attachment was a little gritty due to the seeds I added, but well mixed and lightly aerated (Image credit: Helen McCue)
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A smoothie made using the personal blender attachment was a little gritty due to the seeds I added, but well mixed and lightly aerated (Image credit: Helen McCue)
Blender
To crush ice, I added eight ice cubes and selected the ‘ice crush’ preset. It blended the ice for 28 seconds. At the end of the program, the ice was evenly crushed to a snowy consistency.
I cooked up the chopped onion, grated and sliced carrot from the above tests, into a tasty soup. Then once it had cooled I added it to the blender to blitz into a smooth soup.
I blended the soup on the ‘blend’ setting which takes 57 seconds. This was enough to completely liquidize everything into a perfectly smooth and creamy soup.
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It was easy to blend ingredients into a smooth soup, though a small hole in the lid of the blender means liquid can spit out (Image credit: Helen McCue)
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It was easy to blend ingredients into a smooth soup, though a small hole in the lid of the blender means liquid can spit out (Image credit: Helen McCue)
The one issue I had with the blender was that there’s a small hole in the lid. And at the start of blending the soup, liquid was spitting out of the hole. In the end I held a paper towel over it and the spitting stopped after the first 10-15 seconds when the soup began to thicken.
Next I half filled it with water and added some dishwashing liquid, then used the 33 second ‘clean’ preset to remove most of the soup residues. It worked a treat and I just had to rinse it and give it a quick wipe to get it fully cleaned.
Citrus press
The citrus press attachment slots on top of the main food processor bowl, in place of the lid. I switched it on to the low speed setting to make orange juice. Even on the low speed setting it felt fast and certainly made short work of the oranges. Four oranges (eight halves) took me around 90 seconds to juice.
The top section catches all the seeds and some of the pulp, leaving the rest of the juice to make its way into the bowl below. It’s a fast and effective attachment for people who want to juice citrus fruits, though the juice is pretty pulpy so if you want it super smooth, you’ll have to pour it through a sieve before drinking.
In general I didn’t find the food processor to be too loud, which is probably in part to do with how fast it processed everything. The blender and personal blender were pretty loud though and both hit a high of 105dB on my noise meter. This noise level is equivalent to outdoor power tools like a chainsaw or leaf blower. Though thankfully it was for less than a minute, so much more bearable.
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It took about 90 seconds to juice four oranges with the Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch's citrus juicer (Image credit: Helen McCue)
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The juice contains quite a lot of pulp, so you'll need to strain it if you like a smoother texture (Image credit: Helen McCue)
Should you buy the Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch?
Buy it if
You want to grate and slice in bulk
With the express serve attachment, you can slice or grate directly into your own bowl(s), meaning there really is no limit to the amount you can get done without stopping.
You want a multi-tasking all-rounder
At this point it goes without saying that this appliance can take the place of several other appliances. It's the perfect all-rounder to buy if you’re just setting up home and don’t yet own any appliances.
You want digital scales built in
Not only is it a game changer being able to weigh ingredients directly into the food processor bowl or the blender jug, but having the option to use it as a digital scale in its own right is an excellent add-on.
Don't buy it if
You already own a blender or personal blender
If you already own some of the appliances that are included in this bundle, then it simply doesn’t make sense to double up. You’d be better off looking for a model with fewer accessories.
You’re short on storage space
While the number of accessories is what makes this a great value multi-tasking kitchen machine, don’t overlook the fact that there’s a lot to store. If you have a compact kitchen, it’s worth considering whether you have sufficient storage space.
How I tested the Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch
I had the Kenwood MultiPro OneTouch set up on my kitchen counter for a week while I did my best to try out every accessory and attachment at least once. In doing so, I also made use of the integrated weighing scales and tried most of the preset programmes on the control panel.
Further to testing its ability to deal with chopping, slicing, grating, whisking and blending, I was also noting how easy it was to use. This included how easily all the parts slot together as well as whether it’s tricky to clean.
I noted down any annoying features that I encountered and paid attention to whether it struggled or wobbled during use. I used a noise meter to establish how loud it is in use as well as taking into consideration the sheer volume of stuff there is to store. Learn more about how we test.
Samsung has come out swinging with its Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI robot vacuum and mop. It comes packed with cutting-edge, onboard intelligence tech for navigation, obstacle detection and identification, as well as some upgraded hardware and a self-cleaning base station.
I've been eagerly awaiting the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI ever since it was first announced, hoping its highly commended on-board intelligence might provide a serious challenge to the likes of iRobot.
Having tested the robot vacuum for three weeks on a variety of floor types and against a litany of obstacles and messes, I, unfortunately, don't think it's quite the best robot vacuum on the market – though I do think it has the potential to shake things up.
I actually had to call in a second unit for review, as the issues I had with the original unit I tested (randomly dropping and abandoning its mop pads, not being able to detect them in the cleaning station, navigation issues and refusing to let me access the live monitoring, being among the most problematic). Largely, I couldn't replicate these issues in my replacement model, so definitely do reach out to Samsung if you spot any major problems after purchasing. My review below reflects my experience with the second, replacement model.
The Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI's greatest enemy is its own software, with some in-app faults and missing features that lead to a frustrating user experience and unfinished cleans (although, in fairness, throughout my testing, many of these bugs seemed to resolve themselves). My overall impression was that of a fairly accomplished, albeit occasionally buggy, robot vacuum that can deliver a competent clean despite slightly lower-than-average suction power for its price point. That's not to say it's lacking in power, mind you – it's still very much capable, and performed fairly well in both its vacuuming and mopping tests.
What you're really paying for is Samsung's on-board intelligence and native compatibility with the wider SmartThings ecosystem, which is a real boon if you own some of Samsung's large appliances and other home products. This sucker's smarts are pretty impressive, especially when it comes to object avoidance, mapping and value-adding features like pet and home monitoring – though unfortunately, my second review unit still wouldn't let me use this feature in iOS.
It's hard to settle on a score for the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI. If I was to judge on raw potential, assuming every software feature was behaving properly, I'd say it was a brilliant robot vacuum, with its only real weaknesses being its suction power and edge cleaning. However, the difficulties I've had with software have been a little off-putting. Still, it's worth highlighting that throughout my testing many of these bugs have been fixed, and I imagine the remaining issues will continue to be ironed out. Read on for my full Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI review.
Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI review: price & availability
List price: $1,699.99 / £1,299
Launched: July 2024
Samsung's Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI robot vacuum sells for $1,699.99 / £1,299, and is available directly from Samsung as well as third-party retailers like Amazon. Even though that's very much in the premium price bracket, it's actually more affordable than I'd expect – in the UK at least – for a combination robot vacuum and mop with so many next-generation features. Compare this price to, for example, the Roomba Combo 10 Max, which launched in August 2024 at a list price of $1,399 / £1,499.
It's unfortunately quite pricey in the US right now, but it does offer some attractive features above and beyond much of its competition, such as mop pad steam sterilization, stain detection, pet care and a roller brush featuring Samsung's patented Hair Grinder technology. It also offers great specs, as well as easy integration into SmartThings ecosystems – and even onboard Bixby functionality.
Samsung often runs some pretty appealing deals, and especially during major sales events. However, I wouldn't put money on this particular robovac featuring in the 2024 winter sales, given how close its release date is to the start of the Black Friday sales.
Value for money score: 3.5 out of 5
Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI specs
Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI review: design
Modern, minimalist and sophisticated design
Rather a large dock with water tanks and dust bin
Camera isn't recessed, risking damage
Clad in all-greige, the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI and its self-emptying, self-cleaning base make for a modern and slick-looking package that keeps things simple with its design.
On top of the vacuum is the dToF (direct time of flight) LiDAR scanner, a raised ovoid that increases the height of the robovac by 0.6 inches / 15mm, as well as two touch controls. The first commands the vacuum to return to its base, and the other begins or pauses its cleaning cycle. These are only really necessary in an emergency where you don't have your phone or a smart home controller handy. You can lift the rear half of the robot vacuum to reveal the onboard dust bin, reset button and the QR code you'll use for setup. It's unlikely you'll need to remove the dust bin unless there's something stuck, given the clean station automatically empties dirt when the robovac docks.
(Image credit: Future)
The front of the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI houses its two 3D depth cameras and its main camera, as well as the built-in microphone for controlling Bixby and detecting sounds around the home. It's worth highlighting these are all active by default, and the vacuum won't work without the cameras, so for those privacy-conscious users, you'll need to manually switch off the microphone. There's also a status light indicator on the top of the robovac's face, as well as another smaller light strip below the camera to help the robot illuminate dark spaces.
(Image credit: Future)
On the rear of the vacuum you'll find the chutes for emptying the water and dust bins, and on its underside are the roller brush, side brush, two circular mop pads and its wheels. The roller brush is secured with an easily removable casing and is made of plastic with coiling rubber wings and soft brushes. The mop pads are fabric and attach magnetically to the robot vacuum. However, unfortunately after just a few uses, the right rondel magnet on my first review unit jammed, abandoning a mop pad mid-clean. Thankfully, simply replacing the mop pad in the cleaning station and commanding the robot vacuum to clean its pads seemed to fix the issue.
(Image credit: Future)
When in use, the mop pads can rotate at 170rpm. Overall, I prefer this rotating mop solution over the static mop pad strips found in many Roomba and Roborock devices – the latter can't polish out tough stains as well as rotating rondels can.
To avoid cross-contamination and stinky carpet, the robot vacuum will intelligently lift them when transitioning from hard floors to carpets, or, if you're not mopping at all, the vacuum will discard its mop pads into the base. The latter is a pretty rare feature, but a welcome one, if you want to remove all danger of damp carpets.
(Image credit: Future)
The Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI's side brush is made from individual bristles rather than the rubber material found in many robot vacuums. Personally, I prefer this, finding bristles far less prone to flicking debris. However, they are far more easily damaged and tangled with hair, especially on wet floors after the vacuum has made its mopping rounds. The side brush does not extend to reach tougher spots, but the vacuum is, broadly speaking, intelligent enough to hunt down any wayward messes.
This robovac is also equipped with cliff sensors, surface detectors, stain detectors, and dirt detectors, which it uses to intelligently navigate and thoroughly clean your home without damaging any surfaces.
(Image credit: Future)
The dock is a bit of a behemoth at 17.5 x 21.5 x 20.1" / 44.4 x 54.7 x 51 cm, but given that it's basically the robot vacuum equivalent of a car wash, I can understand why. It houses three containers; an 88oz / 2.5L dust bin, a 106oz / 3L water tank and a 127oz / 3.6L dirty water tank in the main body of the base, from which the robot vacuum is emptied and refilled when docked. These are easily removed: simply grip the lid, pull them out, and unclip the tank's lid to empty or refill the water tanks, or remove the lid and slide out the full dust bag.
The vacuum itself ascends a small ramp into a neat little alcove in the dock, at the base of which are the washing plates. After a mopping session, the base station will steam clean the mop pads with high-pressure steam, before drying them with hot air. On the rear of the base you'll find the port for the power supply, which is 59 inches / 1.5m long. You'll need to clear as much space as possible to the sides of the machine to ensure the robovac's navigation is unhindered.
Design score: 4 out of 5
Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI review: performance
Let down by app software
Decent suction, excellent mopping
Obstacle detection and onboard intelligence are great
Samsung's Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI positions itself as a high-spec, high-performance automated home cleaner, but does it fit the bill? Well, kind of – with some software updates, it certainly would, but at the moment it's slightly impeded by its beautiful-looking but semi-functional in-app experience and dodgy mop pad connectors.
Once paired, I was very impressed by the app's design and wide array of features, which I'll talk a little more about later in the review, but I was less pleased with the default settings. For some reason, the robot vacuum by default is set to continually clean until it runs out of battery, which led to an admittedly hilarious but confusing first clean for me. I always run my standardized pickup tests in the smallest room in my home, and asked the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI to just clean that 6.5 x 6.5-foot / 2x2m space. Two hours of solid cleaning later, I realized something was up.
For the avoidance of hilarity/frustration, I'd definitely recommend poring through Samsung's extensive list of settings and options before your first clean. Otherwise, the robovac's first pass around my home to map the layout was broadly a success, with the app creating a fairly accurate floor plan.
(Image credit: Future)
Onto vacuuming performance. The Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI isn't the most powerful sucker on the market, offering 6,000Pa of suction. Today's most powerful models can achieve almost double that (for example, the Deebot T30S Combo has 11,000Pa on max mode, $1,199.99 or about £950 / AU$1,800). In contrast, Samsung's robot vacuum sits in the comfortable mid-range overall, and while its pricing doesn't necessarily reflect that, its onboard intelligence carries the brunt of the value.
Despite this lower suction, it delivers a great clean. A litany of onboard sensors help the vacuum not only to identify different floor types and obstacles but also spot dirtier areas – whether that's due to stains and spillages or dust and debris – and adjust its cleaning accordingly. The Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI will also lift and lower its mop pads based on the surface area it's cleaning, which I found worked perfectly throughout my testing.
I sprinkled cornflour on my hard floors and low-pile carpet to see how well the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI could pick up fine debris, treading in some of it to create more real-world scenarios. On hard flooring, the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI performed well, collecting a majority of the fine powder. On carpet, however, with its first pass, Samsung's newest robovac didn't really impress me, leaving about 80% of the cornflour on the carpet, even when the machine amped up its suction to tackle the issue.
However, it's a stubborn bot with solid dirt detection technology, and throughout the rest of its clean returned to the fine powder to have another go. After about three attempts during one cleaning job, it did manage to clean up a vast majority of the powder, leaving roughly 20% behind.
On the other hand, the oats I sprinkled to test larger debris pickup on hard flooring were almost entirely suctioned by the robot vacuum in its first pass, including some of the grains closer to the obstacles I had set up for the vacuum to avoid. Thicker-pile carpets present more of a challenge; my rug was left with a fair amount of large and fine debris still in situ.
(Image credit: Future)
Its bristled side brushes are far superior to the more commonly utilized rubber side brush arms, at least in my opinion, and proved very efficient at sweeping lighter debris straight into the mouth of the robot vacuum. However, they don't offer a great edge clean. It would have been good to see Samsung incorporate an extending side arm to help in this area – a feature offered by a few rival models in this premium price bracket.
As for the hair-grinding technology, I was fairly impressed, but not quite awestruck by the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI. Samsung promises an 880% improvement compared to “a brush without a hair grinder” based on its internal testing, but it's worth highlighting we don't know enough about the brush it was compared to validate that claim, and it really is quite the claim.
That being said, I was very pleased with how few of my long hairs tangled around the roller's brushes. They did, however, wrap around the midsection of the roller (which is usually covered by its casing and therefore wouldn't impact the cleaning), and my hair also made a right mess of the side brush, leaving some of the brush strands permanently bent out of place. For pet owners, however, I imagine the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI could just be one of the best robot vacuums for pet hair, as shorter hair is far less likely to tangle up either brush.
The onboard dust bin is a little small, so expect your vacuum to regularly empty itself at the base if you're cleaning larger spaces or dealing with higher levels of dirt and debris – thankfully, the battery life is above average for its price, so that will save some time from the cleaning cycle.
(Image credit: Future)
On the other hand, the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI's mopping performance is most impressive, with its rotating rondels making quick work of wet spills (coffee), dry spills (also coffee) and sticky spills (dried fruit juice). Plus, thanks to the bot's stain detection, there was scarcely a mark left on my floors after it made its rounds – although the dried-on and sticky spills did take a few laps. Once the robovac has completed its cleaning mission, it returns to the base to have its mop pads steamed, removed, and dried in a two hour-long cycle that leaves them good as new.
I was very impressed with the Samsung Jet Bot AI Combo's navigation system, which deftly avoided all obstacles while still making its way into and around some tight spots to give the most thorough clean it could muster. That includes the fake dog poop I placed on the floor; pet owners will be pleased to learn that this robovac never so much as nudged it. When you first map your home, however, it's important to have floors as clear as possible, as the bot will assume even the smallest obstacle is, in fact, a wall.
Its onboard intelligence can identify a variety of household objects (though Samsung doesn't seem to list these anywhere), both in terms of obstacles and furnishings, which proved to be impressively accurate when I checked in the app.
Object avoidance is a real highlight for the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI. As well as identifying the obstacle, it's pretty clever when it comes to cleaning around it, managing to poke itself in and around non-hazardous obstacles like the cable and sock I left on my multicolored carpet. Broadly speaking, it was capable of recognizing each specific obstacle, though it did repeatedly identify a non-existent plate on my floor. I guess the local ghosts are having a tea party without me…
Performance score: 4 out of 5
Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI review: app
Managed through the very well-designed Samsung SmartThings app
Lots of customization options, but a few too many bugs at time of writing
Samsung Bixby voice assistant built in, but no list of supported commands
This presents a good opportunity to pivot to discussing the app, which is a bit of a beautiful mess. I've tested a fair few robot vacuums, but Samsung's SmartThings app is by far the best designed and offers plenty of easy ways to set up your robovac and customize it just to your liking. That is, of course, provided the in-app features are working, and as of writing this review, many of them aren't.
Let's start with the positives. You can also take more control of your cleaning by adjusting the in-app settings, manually selecting the suction power, cleaning type, driving mode, and water level to ensure your floors are sparkling by the time the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI is done. For instance, you might prefer that your robovac cleans the main part of the room then the edges (or the 'walls' as they're referred to in the Samsung app), or vice versa, or instead focus on quick cleaning in a zig-zag fashion.You can also opt for vacuuming and mopping to occur simultaneously, or instead ask the bot to vacuum first, then come back to mop the room.
Using the map function, you can also set specific settings for different rooms, identify key pieces of furniture and adjust how the vacuum approaches these, highlight areas where the vacuum may need to breach a raised surface and set up no-go zones. When I first began my testing, sometimes editing the map at all would cause it to crash, but thankfully as of writing, it seems to have been fixed. It will, however, room-shame you if you have a smaller area you want to zone – such is the case with my kitchen, which the app won't recognize as a room.
(Image credit: Samsung)
You can also download extension packages to the app to allow pet monitoring and more advanced smart home features. The pet monitoring in particular is pretty useful, allowing you to hunt down your furry friends remotely, instruct the bot to listen out for barks and even play calming music to assuage rowdy pups. I tried this using recordings of dogs barking, which worked well, but when I forgot to switch off the pet detection mode, it continued to alert me that my 'dog' was barking for hours every night.
Similarly, you can program the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI to monitor your home or family when you're away. There's an area in-app where you can also manually control your robot vacuum and view a live stream, too, but in my experience, this works very sporadically at least on iOS, and rarely when you're dialing in on a different Wi-Fi network or using mobile data.
Samsung's Bixby voice assistant is also built into the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI, meaning you can command your robovac with relative ease. There's no list of commands provided, so it's a little hit or miss whether it will understand your instructions. I found being very direct and simple with my wording helped massively, though I'd probably sooner use the app than my voice.
App score: 3.5 out of 5
Should you buy the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI?
Buy it if...
You run a SmartThings smart home If you're a Samsung home appliance fan, the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI is a no-brainer. It integrates effortlessly, and paired with Samsung's wider array of devices offers some excellent added value features.
You're home is a little messy If there are lots of obstacles around your home, the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI offers fantastic detection and identification, meaning you won't have to worry so much about tidying up before a cleaning cycle.
You want a more hygienic mop With its self-cleaning station, the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI can steam and dry its own mop pads, meaning less bacteria will be left to fester when your vacuum is out of use.
Don't buy it if...
You want something truly hands-off At least as of writing, I can't in good conscience call the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI truly hands-free. By all accounts, it should be, but the software just isn't up to scratch right now.
You want powerful suction With only 6,000 Pa bolstering the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI, it's just not quite powerful enough for deeper cleans without running several cycles.View Deal
You want to make the most of every intelligent feature Until Samsung fixes the litany of bugs plaguing the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI, I wouldn't view many of its intelligent selling points as a given.
How I tested the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI
I used this as my main vacuum for 3 weeks
I tested all the different modes and features
I ran specific cleaning tests using different types of spillages
For my Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI review, I used the device as my main vacuum cleaner for three weeks in order to assess how it lives up to its specs and marketing, including its suction power, mopping capability and onboard intelligence.
I tested various substances and stains (cornflour, oats, dried-on and wet messes) as well as obstacles (socks, bags, wires) to see how well its AI features detect and treat different obstacles, and also used the app to try its various intelligent features like home and pet monitoring.
For comparison, I used my experience testing robot vacuums like the iRobot Roomba Combo J7+ and other TechRadar reviews to judge how well it lives up to its price tag and Samsung's own claims about its performance.
The Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K is the second generation of the Hue entertainment product, following on from the 4K Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box. It’s designed to synchronize your Hue smart lighting system with the on-screen action in movies, games and with music, and it works with a wide range of different lights and lamps: simply create an entertainment area in your Hue app, add the bulbs or lights you want to sync, and the Sync Box 8K does its thing. It works very well and has an excellent app, but as ever with Hue it’s quite expensive.
The 4K version is still for sale and works fine, but if you’re using games consoles or just want to get the most future-proof option this is the one to go for even if an 8K TV is not currently in your home or on the horizon.
Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K: price and availability
List price $349.99 / £299.99 (about AU$520)
More expensive than 4K Sync Box
The Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K launched in September 2024. The UK price is £299.99 and the US price is $349.99. That’s about AU$520.
That's a slight price increase over the previous model, the Sync Box 4K, which is £229.99 / $229.
(Image credit: Signify)
Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K: specifications
Very similar design to previous version
Supports 8K at 60Hz, and 4K at 120Hz
While the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K looks almost identical to its predecessor bar its slightly larger dimensions, there are some key differences.
The first and most important difference is that the four HMDI ports are HDMI 2.1b with HDCP 2.3. The previous version has HDMI 2.0b with HDCP 2.2. Both versions support HDR10+, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos and CEC for device control.
The 4K version delivered resolutions of up to 4K at 60Hz and 1080p and 1440p at 120Hz. The new 8K model has 8K at 60Hz, a gaming console-friendly 4K at 120Hz, plus 4K/60Hz and 1080p/120Hz.
The 8K version has Bluetooth 5 compared to the Bluetooth 4.2 of the 4K box.
There are some minor changes to the power consumption too: standby power is down from 1.5W to 0.8W and maximum power consumption is down from 7.3W to 7.0W. The USB connector is now USB-C rather than micro-USB.
The box is slightly larger than before but retains the familiar shape and setup, with four HDMI inputs and one output. (Image credit: Signify)
Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K: setup
Requires Philips Hue Bridge
User-friendly app makes setup straightforward
As before, the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K requires a Hue Bridge to connect to your lights. It can only sync with audio-visual devices that are connected to its HDMI ports, which rules out the apps already installed on your TV. However, it will happily sync with apps on HDMI-connected devices such as an Apple TV 4K.
If you have a Samsung TV, you can sync your lights with your TV's apps via the Hue Sync TV app on compatible TVs. That doesn't require this sync box; your TV connects to your Hue Bridge via the app. The app is $2.99 per month in the US or £2.68 in the UK, and requires a Q60 QLED TV or a later QLED model.
You can connect your various devices directly via the HDMI ports. If you have them connected to an AV receiver, that connects to HDMI 4: that’s the HDMI port where you can enable CEC pass through so that your devices can control your TV. Whichever connection option you choose, you can set the Sync Box to detect a video signal and turn itself on automatically.
The original Sync Box required a separate Hue app, but the sync functionality is now in the core app to keep things simpler. It’s more user-friendly than before, but gives you the same options: game, movie or music modes, four levels of intensity and a brightness control. Pairing the sync box, adding it to your Wi-Fi network and checking for software updates are all handled by the app and work efficiently.
The sync features no longer require a separate app: it's all in the core Hue app (Image credit: Future)
Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K: performance
Effectively 'expands' your TV screen when connected to smart lights
Much better than previous version for gaming
No noticeable lag between images on TV and lights changing
With the best smart lights, the Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K works exceptionally well: it’s very fast and very accurate, so for example my gradient lightstrip didn’t just blast the wall with one or two colors but a mix that followed the on-screen visuals very well. It’s best suited to lights that are in the immediate vicinity of your TV; you can have the whole room synced if you wish, but I felt it distracted from the effectiveness.
For me, the lighting was at its best when it seemed to expand my TV to the entire wall behind it and the objects and furniture on either side. It really does make your TV feel much bigger and immersive, and the response speed means it looks very natural.
I noticed a big difference in gaming, especially on PS5: the glitch that would frequently give me a black screen for a moment at the worst possible time in intense games such as Helldivers is gone, and input switching issues that previously confused my TV were absent too. If you have a PS5 or Xbox X, that alone is a big reason to go for the 8K model rather than the older one.
For me, this is one of those products that you tend to take for granted almost immediately: the effect it produces is great but you soon stop noticing it, in part because the response rate is so fast that there isn’t a lag between what you see on screen and how your lights respond. That means after a short time you only really notice it when you turn it off: the room seems awfully bare and the TV awfully small without it.
The lighting effects don't overpower the on-screen colors; instead, they make the TV feel bigger (Image credit: Future)
Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K: verdict
There's no doubt that the Sync Box is expensive, even more so than its predecessor, and functionally it's not very different from the 4K box. If you're not a gamer, that's the one to go for here unless of course you have an 8K TV.
For gaming, though, this is a vast improvement: HDMI 2.1 is a must-have for modern consoles, and the upgrade addressed issues that have been annoying me for years – so while an 8K TV is not in my foreseeable future, this is still the box I'd recommend for Hue gamers.
Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K: how I tested
I’m a long-time Hue Sync Box 4K user, so I swapped the new model with my existing one. It’s connected to a Sony AV receiver, which in turn is connected to a PS5, an Xbox Series X, an Apple TV 4K and a Sony Blu-Ray player. I used the Sync Box to control a Hue Gradient Lightstrip on the back of my Samsung TV, and also added other Hue bulbs around my living room to check the syncing worked with multiple Hue products. Read more about how we test.
The Molekule Air Mini+ is a small but innovatively designed air purifier. It boasts medical-grade materials and patented PECO filter technology, using UV radiation to help further destroy airborne pollutants.
I tested it to see whether it could compete with our pick of the best air purifiers on the market. It's simple to use and has an aesthetically pleasing app, but the only data that gets recorded is the air quality, in a range running from Good to Very Bad. This means that, unlike some cheaper air purifiers, there's no breakdown of the type of particles contaminating the air. In addition, the Molekule Air Mini+ can't detect VOCs (volatile organic compounds), making it hard for this purifier to tackle odors without manual intervention.
Note: the Pro version of this purifier does detect VOCs and is particularly good at tackling odors, but that model is significantly bulkier and more expensive (read my Molekule Air Pro review for more on that one). Alternatively, read on for my full Molekule Air Mini review below.
Molekule Air Mini+ review: price & availability
List price: $359.99
Only available in the US at present
At $359.99, the Molekule Air Mini+ isn’t cheap. You’d be forgiven for thinking that this must mean it’s packed with features, but Molekule has kept things seemingly simple with this model. Perhaps too simple, in my opinion, as cheaper alternatives can give more detailed readings.
What this purifier does have in comparison to these lower-priced alternatives, however, is patented PECO technology. This allegedly breaks down organic matter at a molecular level. While I can neither confirm nor deny that this is accurate, this, along with the use of medical-grade polycarbonate, would go some way to explain why the price point is as high as it is.
But I found myself asking: is this quality filter being used to its full potential if the Air Mini+ can't detect VOCs in order to respond appropriately in the first place?
The Air Mini+ is available to purchase directly from the Molekule website and on Amazon, but only in the US at present.
Value for money score: 3 out of 5
Molekule Air Mini+ review specs
Molekule Air Mini+ review: design
Simple aesthetic
Redundant handle
One-button control
Air purifiers can vary aesthetically: some look utilitarian while others make a statement, and the Molekule Air Mini+ sits somewhere in the middle. It has some fancy little design elements but, overall, I’ve gotta say, it’s kinda giving bathroom trash can vibes. That being said, it is at least a fairly compact size, standing at 12 inches tall, with a diameter of just over 8 inches. It’s surprisingly heavy for its size, weighing 7.3 lb, which is 4.8 ounces heavier than the much larger Shark NeverChange air purifier.
The white medical grade polycarbonate outer has a textured matte finish, with the word Molekule inlaid in shiny silver. On the right-hand side, a somewhat redundant tan-colored vegan leather handle is fixed in place by a large silver metal pin. It wasn’t easy or practical to carry it around using this, so it appears to be more of a design choice to keep it in line with the design concept of its larger sibling, the Molekule Air Pro.
(Image credit: Future)
There’s an inset gray band toward the bottom of the unit where the base meets the top section, and slanted gray slats at the top of the purifier circling the gray touch panel in the center. The control panel is subtle as no lights are on show until you touch the center to awaken the purifier. This center button is used to turn the power on and off, cycle through Auto Protect and manual fan modes, and reset the Air Mini+. In the middle of this button is the indicator light for the air quality in the room, it shows green for good, yellow for moderate, red for bad, and blue for very bad.
(Image credit: Future)
A series of white dots indicate the fan level, so one dot for the lowest fan speed, and five for the highest. It also shows an interlinked symbol when it’s in Auto Protect mode. There’s a Wi-Fi symbol that flashes up upon startup or if there are connectivity issues and a filter symbol that communicates the filter’s health.
In terms of packaging, the Air Mini+ comes in a shipping-style corrugated cardboard box, with consideration going into the cardboard fitments, eliminating the need for single-use materials like polystyrene. For extra protection, the purifier comes in a good-quality reusable drawstring bag.
Design score: 4.5 out of 5
Molekule Air Mini+ review: features
Aesthetically pleasing app
Lacking detailed air quality data
Impressive (but expensive) filter
The Air Mini+ is compatible with the Molekule app, which has an attractive and easy-to-use interface with a cool-toned color palette and animations. Despite the app being simple to use, setting up the Wi-Fi connection was a bit of a headache, but I’ll regale my woes further in the performance section.
Once everything was connected, the Purifier tab on the app told me what the current IAQ was, from good to very bad. From this tab, I could also change between Auto Protect mode, or manually select a fan speed from one to five. There's also a percentage rating to show the PECO-Filter condition: when pressed, it provides further information on the filter capabilities and details on how to change it. In the More tab, you can connect to Alexa, add more air purifiers to the app, and enable or disable notifications.
(Image credit: Future)
The Indoor Air tab shows a timed graph spanning 24 hours or one week. Unlike this purifier’s larger (and much more expensive) sibling the Molekule Air Pro, there is very limited information provided by the Air Mini+. You simply see a graph that notes the IAQ using the same color-coded system as shown on the purifier itself, and the length of time the air quality was at that level. There's no details on whether the IAQ was affected by dust particles, pollen, smoke, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and so on. Perhaps this is enough information for some users, but when air purifiers that cost at least $100 less can provide more detail, it’s quite disappointing that the readings are so basic from the Air Mini+.
(Image credit: Future)
The Molekule Air Mini+ has received FDA clearance and is classed as a device intended for medical purposes. It’s stated that it can capture 95% of particulate matter and destroy bacteria and viruses by exposing them to ultraviolet radiation – though only when in manual mode on fan speed three or above.
The Air Mini+ comes with a PECO-HEPA Tri-Power Filter, which Molekule states can destroy bacteria, mold and allergens, and reduce odors and toxic gasses, with a 99.97% particle-capture efficiency rate. Molekule recommends changing the filter every six months, which doesn’t sound excessive, but it’s important to note that a replacement filter costs $99.99, or $79.99 if you subscribe to bi-annual deliveries.
Features score: 3 out of 5
Molekule Air Mini+ review: performance
Buggy Wi-Fi connectivity
IAQ tracking not accurate
Does not clear odors automatically
Having tried out many lower-cost purifiers and the Air Mini+’s highly talented sibling, I expected great things from this little purifier. The results from everyday use didn’t blow me away, unfortunately.
Upon initial setup at home, I couldn’t connect the Air Mini+ to my iPhone 12 Pro. I found that I needed to manually go into my Wi-Fi settings to find the Molekule Wi-Fi the purifier was trying to connect to. This action wasn’t prompted or made clear; on the app, a button just appeared asking to connect to the Molekule network, which would then throw up an error saying that it was unable to join. Once I’d discovered that I needed to join this network manually, my phone connected to the purifier.
Sadly, this wasn’t the end of the frustration. When it came to connecting the Air Mini+ to my Wi-Fi router, I was left with the spinning wheel of doom until I had to give up. I tried resetting the purifier, reinstalling the app, and restarting the Wi-Fi, but to no avail. I ended up admitting defeat late in the evening, which meant that even though the Air Mini+ was running overnight, it was not collecting any data. The only indication of the air quality was the colored indicator light on the top of the unit, which turns off until you touch it, so it wasn't easily visible from my bed. It’s unusual not to have Bluetooth backup available. I found this alternative connectivity option helpful when the lower-priced Welov P200 Pro wouldn’t connect to Wi-Fi, as at least it could still record data and be controllable as long as the device was in range.
(Image credit: Future)
I decided to test the syncing process with our OnePlus Pad Go, to see if this was an iOS, app, or firmware issue. Upon installing the Molekule app, it became clear that it wasn’t optimized for Android tablets, or certainly not in this instance anyway. The Auto Protect and Manual button on the Purifier tab went beyond the edges of the screen, and the chart in the Indoor Air tab didn't display properly, in either screen orientation. I couldn't use the OnePlus Pad Go to connect the Air Mini+ to the Molekule app again, as the page was too large for the screen, so it wasn't possible to go through the connection process.
When I tried to connect it to the Wi-Fi in the office the next morning, it was the same fun and games, until eventually, the app said that there was an issue connecting to the network and to try to reconnect. When I pressed the button to continue, it successfully connected to Wi-Fi and I was able to name my purifier on the app. I had the same issue when setting up the Molekule Air Pro, but it surrendered much quicker than the Air Mini+.
The biggest issue with the Wi-Fi not connecting was that, despite the price, the Air Mini+ doesn’t use Bluetooth, so if you can’t connect over Wi-Fi, the IAQ isn’t tracked and you can’t adjust settings hands-free.
One element that's been a cause of irritation for myself and my colleagues is that when switching between manual mode and Auto Protect, the fan speed builds up to its highest (and loudest) setting, even when the air quality is good. This isn’t great at the best of times, but if you’ve forgotten to set it onto auto when your baby is napping, or you’re in a quiet shared office, say, it’s very inconvenient. It was particularly off-putting when going to bed late at night, as it became more apparent to me that it took the fan some time to reduce to its final speed when I put it onto auto, even though it had only been on manual for a moment and the IAQ was good, meaning that the fan noise is loud for longer than it needs to be.
(Image credit: Molekule)
When using it in the TechRadar reviews office, the readings did not correspond with the Molekule Air Pro I had running simultaneously. The Air Pro detected a substantial drop in air quality on two occasions, which was when there was a lot of activity in the office. The reason that the two Molekule purifiers didn’t correspond with one another is simple – the Air Pro can detect an increase in VOC, but the Mini+ lacks this ability. While this can’t be held against the Mini+ due to the massive price difference between the two, before settling on a purifier you should consider the contaminants you want to be detected so that your purifier can react and clear the air fast.
I sprayed dry shampoo toward the Air Mini+ and it detected it quickly. The fan sped up gradually as a result, changing the IAQ from bad back to good within two minutes. The fan speed slowed gradually, even though the fragrance remained strong in the air. I manually set the purifier to full fan speed to clear the fragrance from the dry shampoo, it took the Air Mini+ about 30 minutes to clear the air. This is more than double the time it took the AiDot Welov P200 Pro, which left the air smelling fresher after just 10 minutes of running on full power.
One issue that became apparent is that the app does not always correspond with the reading on the purifier itself. When performing the dry shampoo test in the TR office it relayed the change in air quality after some time, but when I retested at home, it didn't register that the Air Mini+ was detecting bad air quality at all, relaying a fairly flatline reading of “good” over the whole day. While this isn’t the end of the world, as the purifier itself still reacted, it’s not ideal if you want to keep track of the air quality remotely or in the morning after a night's sleep, as the data does not feel reliable.
Performance score: 2.5 out of 5
Should I buy the Molekule Air Mini+?
Buy it if...
You don’t want a visible display The light-up control panel turns off promptly following inactivity, so you’re left with what simply looks like the top panel of the air purifier.
You prefer a minimalist, Scandi design With a simplistic color palette of white and gray and a tan-colored faux leather handle, the Air Mini+ could easily fit into many homes.
You want a simple-to-use app Attractive and user-friendly, you can use the app to easily control the Air Mini+, review the filter life, connect to Alexa, and change notification settings.
Don't buy it if...
You want to keep noise to a minimum Curiously, the Air Mini+ insists on increasing the fan speed to its maximum when Auto Protect mode is switched on, so if you want to change to this setting quietly, you’re out of luck.
You’re on a budget There’s no doubt about it, this air purifier isn’t cheap. I could forgive this if it had more features or performed particularly well, but it didn’t impress any more than purifiers I’ve tested that cost $100 less.
You’d like to see what’s contaminating your air The readings provided on the Molekule app from the Air Mini+ are disappointingly basic. Where other air purifiers can tell you the different particle types, VOCs, CO2, humidity, and so on, the Air Mini+ simply shows you whether the overall air quality was rated between good or very bad throughout the day or week.
Molekule Air Mini+ review: Also consider
Levoit Core 300S True HEPA air purifier Less than half the price but very highly rated, we loved the Levoit Core 300S when we reviewed it, scoring it four and a half stars out of five. The readings aren’t the most detailed, only showing the PM2.5 level, but we were impressed with the performance for the cost.
Shark NeverChange Air Purifier If the sky-high cost of the Air Mini+ replacement filters is putting you off, then the long-lasting filter capabilities of the Shark NeverChange might suit you better. Two washable DebrisDefence filters add another layer of protection, meaning that the HEPA filter could last for years.
How I tested the Molekule Air Mini+
I used the Molekule Air Mini+ for one week
I tested it in multiple environments
I observed its reaction to aerosols
I tested the Molekule Air Mini+in the TechRadar reviews office and music testing room, as well as in my bedroom at home.
I monitored how effectively it detected and purified airborne contaminants such as dust and dry shampoo, and how well it tackled the strong fragrance left by the latter.
I left it running in my bedroom overnight to determine whether it disturbed my sleep. I tested the sound levels using a sound level meter on my phone and assessed the controls and how easy it was to change the filter.
The Philips 5400 LatteGo is a bean-to-cup coffee machine capable of making 12 different types of coffee. With its easy-to-use TFT LCD display, you can customize each cup by tweaking the amount of beans, milk and water you want. Best of all, the 5400 remembers these settings, giving you the option to save it to one of four profiles, saving you the hassle of adjusting the options every time.
Setting up the 5400 LatteGo is simple enough, though some important details are missing from the instructions. For example, it doesn’t mention that a rubber band must be attached to the filter in order to slot into the water tank. Once you’ve placed the machine in your kitchen or office, the 5400 is easy enough to maintain. The water tank, found on the right side, can be easily slid out from the front for refills.
The machine's water tank is easy to remove, and you'll get an alert when it needs refilling (Image credit: Daryl Baxter)
Longevity is a big theme of the 5400, self-cleaning after each use to prevent any grime from clogging up its internal pipes. Though it’s worth noting that when it’s working, especially when grinding the coffee beans you’ve put in, it can be noisy. We measured noise levels of up to 79 dBA (about the same as a phone dial tone), so we’d recommend not making a cup during the night if others are sleeping nearby.
The 5400 offers plenty of customization options, such as different milk foam levels. However, the milk spout can’t be turned, so you have to carefully position your cup between the milk and coffee spouts. Nevertheless, the 5400 made a fantastic drink every time, and we didn’t experience any issues that dampered our experience of using it — apart from setting it up for the first time.
Overall, this mid-range coffee machine is designed to appeal to users with different skill levels when making coffee, and the 5400 succeeds in that regard. Granted, the Breville Barista Express Impress offers something similar, but it lacks a helpful LCD display and the useful modularity of the 5400 that makes it so easy to clean. If you’re new to machines like this, we can’t recommend the Philips 5400 LatteGo enough.
It's not possible to adjust the direction of the milk spout, so you'll need to be careful how you position your cup (Image credit: Daryl Baxter)
Philips 5400 LatteGo: price and availability
List price: £679.99 (around $900 / AU$1,320)
Launch date: December 2021
Availability: UK
At the time of writing, you can only buy the Philips 5400 LatteGo on Amazon UK, or the Philips website with a list price of £679.99 (discounted to £619.99 at the time of writing). The coffee machine isn’t available in the US or Australia, but the 3200 is a smaller version of the 5400 that's more widely available.
The best bean-to-cup coffee machines are never cheap, and considering what the Philips 5400 LatteGo is capable of, you’re getting a fantastic machine that sits comfortably at the mid-range price bracket, with a lot of features helpful for beginners.
Value for money score: 5/5
Philips 5400 LatteGo: specs
Philips 5400 LatteGo: design
The Philips 5400 LatteGo looks every bit like a £619 coffee machine — high-quality, big, and sleek with its chrome finish. However, taking it out of the box, we were surprised by its depth (14.6in / 37.2cm), and you may find it comes close to the edge of your kitchen counter.
Setting the machine up was straightforward. The instruction booklet outlined out how to put the right compartments in, such as the water tank and the waste tray. The 5400 LatteGo also comes with an optional filter, called AquaClean, which Philips claims can help avoid descaling for up to 5,000 cups of coffee. While the instructions explained how to install the filter, it left out an important point. You see, there’s a black elastic band that must attach to the filter - otherwise, it won’t slot into place. We only found this out after coming across a post on Reddit, as we were under the impression that the filter just had to be placed into the tank. Not so. Including this detail in the instructions would help prevent this frustrating moment for others.
Once set up, we switched on the 5400 LatteGo and followed the prompts on the bright TFT display to prepare it for its first cup of coffee. Putting in the coffee beans, bought from a nearby independent coffee shop, was easy enough. You simply pour them into the designated section of the machine, and the 5400 LatteGo does the rest. Every time you select a coffee from the display, you can choose how much coffee, water, and milk you want — even choosing whether or not to include milk foam.
The bright display makes the 5400 LatteGo very easy to use (Image credit: Daryl Baxter)
It’s worth noting that the colorful TFT display is very helpful, making it easy for beginners and advanced users to personalize their coffee. Best of all, the machine remembers your preferences, saving you the chore of tweaking the coffee, water, and milk every time.
When it comes to cleaning the 5400, everything is simple enough to take out, such as the water tank, the drip tray, and more. It makes the machine feel modular — almost like working on a car engine. Everything has its place, but it’s easy enough that you can put every part back in as before once they’ve been cleaned. The machine even takes care of its internals by rinsing its pips regularly. But the machine’s design ensures that cleaning never feels like a chore.
There’s little here we can criticize, except for the unclear instructions. Everything in the Philips 5400 has its place, and everything works as you expect. Just be sure to not put anything in the bin when you set up the machine for the first time.
Design score:4.5/5
Philips 5400 LatteGo: performance
When it comes to mid-range coffee machines in this price range, there are usually plenty of knobs and levers to get accustomed to - but not with the Philips 5400 LatteGo. Instead, the TFT display lets you easily pick the coffee you want, with a bunch of customization options to make sure the machine will brew the right amount of beans, foam the right amount of milk, and use enough water.
The Philips 5400 LatteGo offers 12 different drink options as standard:
Americano
Cappuccino
Café au lait
Caffe Latte
Caffé crema
Coffee
Espresso
Espresso lungo
Frothed milk
Flat white
Latte macchiato
Ristretto
It can also dispense hot water for making tea, and has a dedicated travel mug function.
First off, I picked a regular caffe latte from the TFT display, using the physical buttons on the machine to scroll through the list. Once selected, I could easily choose how much coffee, milk and water I wanted by tweaking the levels of each. After I pressed ‘OK’, the 5400 got to work.
It was noisy during the three minutes it took from pressing the button to having a fresh cup of coffee, but everything worked as expected. One important note is that the spout can’t be adjusted, so you have to make sure that the cup is lined up with both the milk spout and the coffee dispenser.
The color display is accompanied by physical buttons for selecting options (Image credit: Daryl Baxter)
Afterwards, I decided I wanted more milk foam, so I simply went back to the display, selected ‘milk foam’, and the machine delivered. The coffee tasted fantastic, especially using fresh coffee beans from Stokes Coffee in my home town of Lincoln. Once the machine finishes making a drink, it automatically self-cleans, which takes a minute, and is noisy. So, if you’re wanting coffee late at night, make sure there’s no one sleeping nearby.
Another useful feature of the Philips 5400 is its ability to save your preferences as one of four profiles. This allows you to quickly select your custom drink without having to manually adjust your settings every time. I found this very useful, setting up three profiles for the different types of coffee I usually have in the morning, afternoon, and when I need to get some urgent work done.
The 5400 LatteGo's interface is easy to understand and use, even for beginners (Image credit: Daryl Baxter)
Overall, I’ve been very happy with the Philips 5400 LatteGo. Although the initial setup process was frustrating in places, the daily routine of picking and choosing the types of coffee was a breeze. The water tank simply slides out from the front for easy refills, and maintaining the machine’s other parts were also straightforward when needed. Granted, the 5400 can be noisy, with sounds of up to 79 dBA when grinding beans and steaming milk. However, that’s admittedly part of the package when you want a freshly brewed cup with steamed milk. For everything it offers, the Philips 5400 is a fantastic buy for anyone looking for a high-quality coffee machine.
Performance score: 4.5/5
Should you buy the Philips 5400 LatteGo?
Buy it if
You love a variety of coffee-based beverages The 5400 isn’t sparse on the types of coffee it can make. If you want a latte with extra milk foam or one with none but more coffee in, it can happen. There’s plenty of customization here, so you may discover a type of coffee you’ll end up loving.
You want to save a trip to Starbucks A regular cup from Starbucks or another big chain soon adds up. With the 5400, there’s the potential to save a trip and some money for your coffee fix, especially with the many types of coffee it can make.
You want to explore the world of coffee beans Using this machine is a perfect opportunity to try out a variety of coffee beans that many independent stores offer. For instance, we tried this variant from Stokes Coffee, based in Lincoln, UK, which had a fantastic berry aftertaste, perfect for this time of the year.
Don't buy it if
You’re on a budget
A high-quality bean-to-cup coffee machine can be expensive, to be prepared to, not only buy the 5400 LatteGo at a high price, but to maintain it with good quality coffee beans, filters to prevent build up of grime, and more.
You’re looking for a small and simple coffee machine
There’s no escaping how long the 5400 is. If you’re short on space in your kitchen, you should reconsider where it’s going to be.
You want to make large amounts of coffee for you and your family
Don’t expect to make a round for your workmates or family — the 5400 is meant to do one cup well, so take that into account.
Philips 5400 LatteGo: also consider
Not completely sold on the Philips 5400 LatteGo? Here are two alternatives you should consider:
Smeg BCC13
The BCC13 is much pricier than the Philips 5400 LatteGo, but has a more stylish design and a boiler that can generate more pressure for better quality steamed milk.
If you want more of the barista experience, this machine gives you the fun of inserting the portafilter, pulling a shot, and foaming your milk, but guides you through the process to make it straightforward.
I used the Philips 5400 for several weeks at home in my kitchen, making three to four types of coffee every day via the display that allowed me to choose new variants every time.
With every coffee made, I noted the time it took for one to be made, the noise, and flavor, alongside what it was like to clean and maintain the coffee machine. I also made coffee with different levels of milk, water, and beans, as well as choosing different amounts of milk foam. Learn more about how we test.
Air purifiers can be considered yet another unnecessary gadget adding to the clutter in our homes, but if you want to dull strong odors, or try to reduce levels of hayfever-causing pollen indoors, the Molekule Air Pro could actually prove helpful.
I had the pleasure of testing a unit to see how it compared to the best air purifiers on the market. I loved its simple and aesthetically pleasing app, which kept me well informed with real-time and historical indoor air quality readings, but, at this price point, I expected more features. Check out my review below for the full story.
Molekule Air Pro review: price & availability
List price: $1,014.99 / £799.99
Available in the US, only available via Amazon in the UK
Listed at $1,014.99 on the official Molekule website, and £799.99 on Amazon, the Air Pro is, without doubt, a premium-priced air purifier. During my time reviewing it, I did see it discounted on the Molekule website and Amazon US, with a sale price of $749.99 initially, further dropping down to $649.99 over the Labor Day sales – so it’s worth keeping an eye out for deals if you’re in the US.
I won’t lie, I winced the first time I became aware of the Molekule Air Pro's price. I felt sure it must be massively overpriced; but its FDA 510(k) Class II medical device clearance, impressive detection and responsiveness, and informative companion app have changed my tune, albeit begrudgingly.
It’s worth bearing in mind that Molekule recommends that the filters are changed every six months, with replacements costing $174.99 / £159.99, so this cost will need to be factored in, too.
Value for money score: 4 out of 5
Molekule Air Pro review: specs
Molekule Air Pro review: design
Medical grade without the medical aesthetic
Satisfying opening mechanism
Touchscreen display
The aesthetics of the Molekule Air Pro are simple yet satisfying. The outer housing is made from substantial-feeling aluminum and medical-grade polycarbonate. A tan-colored faux leather handle is attached at the front and back of the purifier using large metal pins.
As is to be expected of a metal-cased appliance standing at 23 inches / 586mm tall and 11 inches / 278mm wide, the Air Pro weighs a fair bit at 23lbs / 10.4kg. It comes packaged in a large cardboard box with cardboard fitments – and, helpfully, the reusable pull-string bag has handles that make it easier to take out of the box.
The faux leather handle on the unit itself can happily take the Air Pro's weight, but it still isn’t the easiest to carry around. As a shorter-than-average woman with limited upper body strength, I was able to lift it and carry it up and down stairs, but I certainly didn’t look the most dignified doing it.
(Image credit: Future)
The top face of the Air Pro is encircled by slanted vent holes, with a black circular touch display at the center. There are five screens to swipe between. The first is color-coded according to the IAQ (indoor air quality) level: green for good; yellow for moderate; red for bad; and blue for very bad. On the second screen, the levels of VOC (volatile organic compounds), particle matter, carbon dioxide, and relative humidity in the air are detailed. Screen three has Auto Protect mode and five individual fan speeds. The filter condition can be found on the fourth screen and, finally, screen five offers various functions and settings including standby, languages, purifier details, and so on. While this method of operation is efficient, and at first the shiny finish looks nice, after some time you'll notice fingerprints on the screen and dust and debris on the Air Pro's shiny surface and inside the vent fins – which is particularly visible over the white.
The display screen automatically goes to sleep when it isn’t being used and takes a touch or two to awaken again. There isn’t a Dark mode on the Air Pro, or the option to turn off the blue light when the fan is operational. This is because it isn't possible to contain all of the UV-A light from the PECO technology, meaning that there's a subtle blue glow visible beneath the slanted vent holes.
(Image credit: Future)
Access to the filter is simple: gently push down on the top of the air purifier and twist counter-clockwise. This top piece will slowly rise up, allowing you to remove it and reach the filter. To replace it again, I simply needed to align the red lines on the top section and the inside of the main purifier body, before gently pushing and twisting the top section in a clockwise direction to fix it in place again.
Overall, other than being somewhat cumbersome and a bit of a fingerprint and dust magnet, the Air Pro looks and feels premium, which is only fair given its high price.
Design score: 4.5 out of 5
Molekule Air Pro review: features
Good range of contaminants detected
FDA Class II medical device clearance
Lack of features in the app
The Molekule Air Pro offers a greater number of features than its smaller and lower-priced companion, the Air Mini+. Not only can the Air Pro detect particle matter, but it can also identify, record, and tackle more airborne nasties, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as formaldehyde and benzene. The levels of VOCs, PM1.0, PM2.5, and PM10 are detailed on the display on the top of the purifier and in the Molekule app.
The Molekule app allowed me to view the current air score, and switch between fan modes. These included Auto Protect, which has the option of running on Standard, or Quiet for night-time use, and manual speeds from one to five. It was pretty straightforward to keep an eye on air quality using the daily and weekly history, which is plotted onto a graph using colored lines to indicate the indoor air quality (IAQ) at that time. There are also colored rings below the graph that represent the different air scores, which note the number of minutes or hours the air quality was at that level over the time period.
(Image credit: Future)
It’s only a shame that the app settings are quite basic. With much cheaper purifiers such as the AiDot Welov P200 Pro, it’s possible to adjust display brightness, enable screen lock, and set timers and schedules without the use of third-party smart tools such as Alexa. At this price point, I expected a greater number of features. I was happy to see that there were notification settings – until I discovered that this was only to notify when the filter is nearing the end of its life. It would have been helpful to have notifications about changes in air quality, which cheaper purifiers such as the Levoit 300S provide.
One big selling point of the Molekule Air Pro, and a bit of an explanation for the sky-high cost, is the PECO-HEPA Tri-Power filter. Photo Electro Chemical Oxidation (PECO) is Molekule’s patented technology that it states can destroy viruses, bacteria, mold, allergens, VOCs, and more. This technology supposedly creates a powerful chemical reaction, which occurs when the filter is exposed to the built-in UV-A light located in the center of the Air Pro’s body, to destroy organic pollutants. This is teamed with a true HEPA filter, which is said to have a 99.97% particle-capture efficiency rate, along with a layer of carbon to help reduce odors and toxic gases.
(Image credit: Future)
The Molekule Air Pro has been granted FDA 510(k) Class II medical device clearance, which means that it’s suitable for medical purposes since it can capture 95% of particulate matter and destroy contaminants by exposing them to UV radiation. It is caveated on the Molekule website that this is when the purifier is operated in Standard Auto mode, or on at least fan speed two when using manual settings.
The Air Pro has an impressive working range, capable of purifying spaces up to 1,000 sq ft / 93 sq meters. This is the biggest range we’ve seen in all of the air purifiers we’ve tested to date.
Features score: 4 out of 5
Molekule Air Pro review: performance
Cleared odors quickly
Some app glitches
Slow but steady air purification
Setting up the Molekule Air Pro was relatively straightforward, I simply needed to unwind the power cable and plug it in, following the instructions on the Molekule app to get it connected. It took a couple of attempts to connect the purifier to the app, and then further attempts to get the purifier connected to Wi-Fi since it kept getting stuck, leading me to have to restart the app multiple times. It got there eventually, though.
It’s curious that an air purifier at this price doesn’t have Bluetooth connectivity as well as Wi-Fi. The AiDot Welov P200 Pro is over $800 cheaper than the Air Pro, and yet it arrives with Bluetooth for instances where a Wi-Fi connection isn’t possible, meaning that you don’t miss out on IAQ data when you’re within range of the purifier.
I used the Air Pro for a couple of weeks, both in the office and in my bedroom at home. Its readings aligned with our air quality monitor, and it reacted quickly to changes in the office environment and at home. It was clear to see the changes in air quality when there were more people in the office, or when we were eating our lunch. Variations were also picked up by the purifier at home, with the air quality dipping when I sprayed on some perfume, for example.
(Image credit: Future)
Other than a few little niggles, the Molekule Air Pro performed well when I tested its reactions following air contamination from dry shampoo. I left the purifier on Standard Auto Protect mode to see how quickly it would detect the change in air quality, and how quickly it could clear the air. After I sprayed some dry shampoo around the Air Pro, it took a few seconds to detect the reduction in indoor air quality, causing the air score to change to Very Bad.
Unlike the Molekule Air Mini+, this change in IAQ was accurately recorded on the air quality graph in the Air Pro’s app, showing a clear spike in the level of particulate matter and VOCs within a minute. That said, it doesn’t show the reading of "very bad"; but this is likely because it was at this level for less than a minute.
A little side note: I liked how the app shows the “Top 3 offenders in your air”, which after the dry shampoo assault showed Chemicals (VOC), Microfine particles (PM1.0), and Fine particles (PM2.5).
(Image credit: Future)
The fan upped its speed gradually in response to the "very bad" air score, dropping to "bad" in less than a minute. At this point, the air quality graph in the app had a little wobble. Whenever I tried to view which contaminants were affecting the air score, the graph would revert to the "good" reading from earlier that hour, while still showing that the current air score was "bad" up above. This wasn’t the end of the world at the time, since I could view the detailed readings on the purifier itself; but this glitch wouldn’t be ideal if you were trying to view this detail away from home.
The fan didn’t speed up as high as I'd expected. Other air purifiers I’ve tested tended to go up to the max fan speed when a similar IAQ rating had been recorded. The fan speed of the Air Pro seemed to remain at a moderate level, so it took about 20 minutes for the IAQ to return a "moderate" reading; and a further half an hour for it to return to "good".
While other air purifiers I’ve tested have returned a reading of good IAQ within minutes, it’s worth remembering that while many of these cheaper models have the ability to filter VOCs, they can’t detect them, so their readings aren't as in-depth as given by the Molekule Air Pro.
(Image credit: Future)
In terms of odor control, the Air Pro did a decent job of removing the strong fragrance of the dry shampoo within 15 minutes. In the first few days of testing, I agitated an old rug in our music testing room to see how the Air Pro would respond. Its was similar to when it encountered the dry shampoo, seemingly taking a low-and-slow approach to clearing the air. As part of this test, the purifier was left on Auto Protect for a few hours, which in my opinion left an odor similar to a freshly painted room, although my colleague said it just smelt of fresher air to him. It could be the filter that gives off this odor during its first few hours, or perhaps that’s actually what our unventilated little testing room smells like once the dusty air has been handled!
Unlike the Air Mini+, I was able to sleep with the Air Pro on Standard Auto Protect mode without issue. There were no surprise increases in fan speeds that interrupted my slumber, gaining it some bonus points from me. I did find a similarity to the Air Mini+ in that when it changed from manual speed three via Standard Auto Protect to Quiet Auto Protect, it took a couple of minutes for the fan speed to reduce to a low level, despite the air score being "good".
I used a decibel meter on my iPhone 12 Pro to measure the sound level of the lowest, middle, and top fan speeds. Fan speed one gave a reading of 38dB, which is equivalent to light rain; fan speed three was 51dB, which is roughly the same volume as the noise from a refrigerator running, and the highest setting, fan speed six, was 78dB, which is as loud as a coffee grinder.
Performance score: 4 out of 5
Should I buy the Molekule Air Pro?
Buy it if...
You want an FDA-recognized air purifier The Air Pro has FDA 510(k) Class II medical device clearance, offering some added reassurance that your air quality is genuinely being improved.
You want easy-to-decipher IAQ readings Thanks to the color-coded line graph and associated timings displayed below, it’s really easy to view real-time changes to your air quality, as well as a clear timeline and summary of when the quality changed and the duration.
You want more than just particle detection The problem with budget air purifiers is they're often limited to detecting particle matter. VOCs can have a big impact on air quality; the Air Pro can detect changes to VOC levels and react accordingly. This can be better for clearing odors that cheaper purifiers might miss.
Don't buy it if...
You’re on a budget This probably goes without saying, but this air purifier is not cheap. While it does a good job and looks good for the money, it’s an awfully large investment.
You want something portable The Air Pro would work well in an open-plan living space, but it won’t be so convenient if you intend to use it in different rooms, such as your living space during the day, and the kitchen when cooking, due to its size and weight.
You have unreliable Wi-Fi For some strange reason, the Air Pro doesn’t have Bluetooth connectivity. While this isn’t the end of the world, it can prove frustrating if you’re encountering Wi-Fi issues, because there’s no way to record the air quality data as the purifier can no longer communicate with the app.
Molekule Air Pro review: Also consider
Levoit Core 300S True HEPA air purifier A fraction of the price, this four-and-a-half-star-rated air purifier comes with a range of controls and features on its useful companion app. The Levoit Core 300S is perfect for smaller spaces, and it keeps you in the loop at home or away, thanks to the push notifications informing you of significant drops in air quality so you can choose to power it on or adjust the settings from wherever you may be.
Shark NeverChange Air Purifier If the capabilities of the Molekule Air Pro go above and beyond what you need, and you’d rather not pay out twice a year for pricey filters, then the Shark NeverChange may be more up your alley. With a washable DebrisDefence filter on either side, the life of the HEPA filter can be extended by up to five years, plus a replacement filter is only $89.95 / £39.99.
How I tested the Molekule Air Pro
I used the Molekule Air Pro for two weeks
I tested it in multiple environments
I observed its reaction to aerosols
I tested the Molekule Air Proin the TechRadar reviews office and music testing room, as well as in my bedroom at home.
I monitored how effectively it detected and purified airborne contaminants such as dust and dry shampoo, and how well it tackled the strong fragrance of the latter.
I left it running in my bedroom overnight to determine whether it disturbed my sleep. I tested the sound levels using a sound level meter on my phone and assessed the controls and how easy it was to change the filter.
US: Shark Cordless PowerDetect Clean & Empty System IP3251 UK: Shark Detect Pro Cordless Vacuum Cleaner Auto-Empty System 1.3L IW3510UK AU: Shark Cordless PowerDetect Clean & Empty System IP3251
For this review, I tested the IP3251. There may be minor differences between different countries' models.
The Shark PowerDetect Cordless Stick Vacuum comes with a whole host of smart detection features. It knows whether it's on a hard floor or carpet, how dirty said floor is, whether it's near the edge of a room, and whether it's going into a dark corner, and will respond accordingly by adjusting suction, speeding up its roller or brightening its headlights. New to this model is a redesigned floorhead will clean just as well on the pull-back as it does when being pushed forwards.
The PowerDetect Cordless also incorporates the most popular features from today's best Shark vacuums, including a wand that bends forward to help you get under furniture without having to stoop down. Within the wider Shark range, it's designed to combine the smarts of the Detect Pro range (which has almost all the same detection capabilities) with the outright suction power of the Stratos line, theoretically making it the best cordless vacuum for most people.
On test, I was very impressed. It delivered great suction, and had no issues picking up fine materials like flour, and larger ones like bits of dried dirt, cereal, leaves, and more, from both hard floor and a thick rug. All the detection features worked as advertised and meant an efficient, low-effort cleaning session. I was interested to note that it doesn't seem to be an option to use the lower-powered Eco mode on soft flooring; the vacuum automatically kicks into a higher mode. It's good but not amazing at tackling hair, and while the 'suction in reverse' feature worked well, plenty of other (non-Shark) vacuums do this but don't advertise it as a special addition.
Price-wise, it sits in the mid-range of the wider market, and I think the quality and features more than justify that price (similar detection features from Dyson will set you back a lot more).
The review model I tested was the version with an optional auto-empty base, where the onboard dustbin automatically empties into a larger bin when the vacuum is docked. I think it's well worth investing in this extra, because it's a great effort-saver – and it might be a particularly good choice for allergy sufferers who want to minimize potential for particles to make their way back into the air.
That's the short version; read on for my full Shark PowerDetect Cordless Stick Vacuum review.
Note: Shark has released a robovac in the same range, but other than the name, there aren't too many similarities. Read about that one in our Shark PowerDetect Robot Vacuum and Mop review.
Everything that came in the box for my review model (with auto-empty dock) (Image credit: Future)
List price (vacuum-only): $429.99 / £499.99 / AU$849.99
Launched: Summer 2024
Also available with optional auto-empty base
In the US, the Shark PowerDetect Cordless Stick Vacuum sells for $429.99, or $499.99 if you go for the version with the auto-empty base.
In the UK, it's £499.99 for just the vacuum, or £549.99 for the version with the special base.
Australian shoppers can pick up the vacuum for AU$849.99 or with an upgraded base for AU$999.99.
Based on TechRadar's price brackets, this is around the lower-premium / upper mid-range band (anything over $500 / £400 is counted as premium). Overall, I feel like the build quality and the features make this a well-priced vacuum. The DirtDetect system alone is well worth the investment. If you're on the fence about whether to shell out for the auto-empty base, I think the added convenience is well worth the slightly higher price.
(Image credit: Future)
In general, Shark vacuums are much more affordably priced than, for instance, the best Dyson vacuums on the market – the Dyson V15 Detect has similar dirt-detection features, and a list price of $749.99 / £649.99.
In terms of comparable models within the Shark range, the Shark Detect Pro Cordless costs $379.99 / £349.99. It's a bit less powerful than the PowerDetect and it doesn't have the reverse-suction feature, but otherwise the detection/auto features are similar.
Alternatively, there's the Shark Stratos Cordless, which costs $499.99 / £349.99. It doesn't have the same detection / auto features as the PowerDetect, and I found the suction comparable too, so I'm not sure why you'd opt for a Stratos over a PowerDetect.
Shark offers discounts on occasion for its products. However, at time of writing this model is new out, so you might not see it discounted except during holiday and special sales events. Till then, look to the TechRadar Shark promo codes page for a deal.
Value for money score: 4 out of 5
Shark PowerDetect Cordless specs
Shark PowerDetect Cordless review: design
Operated by button; battery and mode info provided on a screen
Bendable wand lets you effortlessly clean under furniture
Optional auto-empty base
If you’ve used a Shark cordless vacuum before, you’ll quickly realize that the PowerDetect Cordless has many of the same Shark vacuum technologies that appear on other models, with a few improvements. Like most cordless vacuums, you can remove the wand and swap in another attachment for use as a handheld vacuum.
In stick vacuum mode, the PowerDetect Cordless is 46.3 inches long with a cleaning path width of 10.19 inches, and it weighs around 8 lbs. That's on the larger and heavier side for a cordless stick vac, although not excessively so.
The wand itself is unique among vacuums in that it is bendable (this is one of the most well-received Shark features, and it's included on many of its vacuums – not just the expensive ones). Click a button and it’ll bend forwards, allowing you to vacuum further under beds, couches, and other low furniture.
A screen indicates mode, dirt levels and battery life (Image credit: Future)
The Shark Cordless PowerDetect vacuum has a host of different detection features. The DirtDetect system can recognize hidden dirt and automatically boost the suction power in response. You can see when the floor is dirty and clean based on the colors – purple or white – that appear on the screen and around the vacuum head. With EdgeDetect, this Shark vacuum can sense edges and double the suction power along the side of the floorhead when it’s moving alongside an edge.
FloorDetect recognizes the differences between carpets and hard floors and adjusts the power depending on which one you’re vacuuming. Then there is LightDetect, which automatically increases the light on the vacuum when you clean in dark spaces (they're not as bright as you'll find on the – far more expensive – Dyson Gen5detect, though).
New to this model is 'reverse cleaning' – namely, while most vacuums just push larger debris around when the floorhead is being pulled backwards, the PowerDetect has some patented teeth that are designed to actively pull it in.
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The floorhead has been redesigned (Image credit: Future)
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It's meant to work just as well going forwards as backwards (Image credit: Future)
The vacuum is operated by a one-press button, and there's a trigger under the handle that lets you switch between the three modes. There's a low-powered Eco mode, high-powered Boost, and a DirtDetect, which is the one that auto-adjusts suction based on how dirty the floor is. The other 'detect' features, like EdgeDetect and LightDetect will kick in on any mode.
When the vacuum is turned on, the a circular screen shows which mode you’re in (a green leaf for Eco mode, red circle for Boost, or a radar graphic for DirtDetect), as well as a rectangular symbol noting battery life. It's not quite as clear as Dyson's version, which will literally spell out how many minutes of cleaning you have left in the mode you're currently using, but it's still useful.
The version I reviewed came with a charge base that the vacuum empties into when docked (Image credit: Future)
Tools can vary by region – my review model came with an 8-inch Crevice Tool and a Pet Multi-Tool. It's worth flagging that that there is an optional auto-empty base that I tested out. This is a new thing that Shark has been embracing lately. Dock the vacuum and the dirt from the bin will automatically be sucked into a larger chamber in the base, so you don't need to do it manually nearly so often. It also creates somewhere to store the vacuum, and charges it too.
Some of the PowerDetect's detail tools (these may vary by region and version) (Image credit: Future)
To determine the vacuum’s performance capabilities, I started by vacuuming my entire house, which is made up of historic hardwood floors, rugs, and laminate flooring. I noticed right away that the vacuum floorhead lights up automatically when the machine is running.
I found the vacuum easy to use, no matter whether I was using it as a handheld or in its typical cordless stick form. It switches on with the single press of a button, so you don't have to worry about holding down a trigger while vacuuming (a perpetual complaint with all but the very newest Dyson vacuums).
Despite being on the heavier side, it's comfortable to use and doesn't feel unbalanced. The floorhead pivots well and it's pretty easy to maneuver, although noticeably less nimble than the lighter Shark Detect Pro. It's also worth flagging that overall the vacuum is really quite tall. The wand provides a lot of length, which is nice for someone like me with 10-foot ceilings, although a little unwieldy in tighter spaces like hallways.
Part of the reason for the taller build is that the wand has a hinge built in to allow it to bend forwards with the push of a button. With this feature, I could reach under couches and chairs without having to lean over or squat down. The lights on the floorhead also got brighter when I vacuumed in low light spaces, which made it easier to see dirt, dust, and debris.
My favorite aspect of this vacuum is the DirtDetect system, because it increases the suction automatically when it detects dirt or debris. When this happens, the loop around the screen changes colors from white to purple (Shark claims the color is blue and not white, but I guess it could be a light gray blue), and the LED lights on the vacuum head match the colors on the screen. It is assumed that when the suction power returns to normal, the floor is free of dirt.
One of the advertised features is that this vacuum is meant to be able to vacuum just as well in reverse as forwards. On test, this worked very well, as you can see in the video clip above. The only time it struggled was with chunky breakfast cereal.
Whether this reverse cleaning it's a feature that's exclusive to the PowerDetect is another thing. It's noticeably better than the Shark Detect Pro, which has a floorhead that pools debris into little piles when pulled backwards, but I've definitely tested other stick vacuums that are just as good at vacuuming forwards as backwards, but it's not advertised as a specific feature.
With the 'EdgeDetect' feature, the vacuum will boost suction automatically near the edges of rooms. On test, I could hear the power ramping up when the floorhead reached a baseboard, and the lights on the relevant side would brighten to show what was happening, too.
Suction tests
It was important for me to run a number of tests to see just how well the vacuum could pick up various items from the ground. To do this, I taped a four-by-four-foot square on my laminate floor and on one of my large, thick rugs. I sprinkled each square with flour and then used the vacuum’s lowest setting – Eco – to suck up the flour.
When it came to the laminate floor, the vacuum picked up nearly every bit of flour on a single once-over. I saw only three specks of flour remaining when I was done. I didn’t notice any difference when vacuuming forward or backward over the flour.
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The PowerDetect did a great job of clearing fine dust from laminate floor... (Image credit: Future)
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(Image credit: Future)
When doing this same test on a thick rug, I realized quickly that I was not able to use Eco mode, even though that was the setting I'd selected. The Shark vacuum recognized that I was vacuuming a rug and increased its suction automatically. There does not seem to be any way to prevent this. However, the vacuum did an even better job removing the flour from the rug in a single pass than it did on the laminate floor, as I didn’t see any flour remaining behind when I was done.
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The PowerDetect also handled chunkier debris well... (Image credit: Future)
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... although some debris did get stuck under the wheels (Image credit: Future)
Next, I crunched up breakfast cereal (Cheerios, to be precise) and sprinkled them in both squares. Whether it was laminate flooring or the rug, the vacuum did a similarly superb job, especially when I vacuumed forward. If I pulled the vacuum backwards over the grinded cheerios, some of the larger pieces got stuck behind the wheels and thus were not suctioned up until I made a forward pass.
Like many cordless stick vacuums, it can be used as a handheld (Image credit: Future)
I didn’t notice any change in the suction capability of the vacuum when I switched it from a stick to a handheld with or without the wand attached. Two attachments were included with my review model – a Pet Multi Tool and a crevice tool. I don’t have pets, but a lot of my dark brown hair gets on my cream-colored couch. I used the Pet Multi Tool to remove my hair, and it did an average job.
I found myself scraping the hair a few times before it was suctioned into the machine. The Pet Multi Tool performed better on Boost mode. Admittedly, I’ve never tested a vacuum that could easily pull my hair off the couch, but I still wouldn't necessarily recommend it to pet owners (TechRadar's best vacuum for pet hairlist has some alternative suggestions here).
The pet hair tool was okay, but couldn't pull all the (short-ish, human) hair from my cream couch (Image credit: Future)
As for the crevice tool, I used this one quite a lot as I have a lot of furniture set in the corners of rooms. I was glad to see that the tool also has a brush. I used it to clean my baseboards and blinds with great success.
In DirtDetect mode, the vacuum has a 72-80 dB sound rating when cleaning hard floors and a 76-79 dB rating when moving over my rugs (this is due to the fact that the suction automatically increases when dirt is detected, which makes it noisier). The dB rating on Eco mode is 74 (you can’t use Eco mode on carpets, only hard floors). Boost mode has an 82 dB and 83 dB rating on hardwood and carpet respectively.
While not everyone will necessarily need it, I was so thankful for the convenience of the auto-empty system. When I was finished vacuuming, I placed the vacuum on the station and not only did it start charging automatically, but it emptied the dust and dirt from the vacuum into a sealed container. Whenever the container is full, I can remove it and dump the dust and dirt in the trash. It would be a strong recommendation for allergy sufferers, because there are fewer opportunities for particles to escape back into the atmosphere.
(Note that is it possible to store the vacuum freestanding without the dock: you can fold it over, using the bendy wand, for a more compact storage option.)
If you don't have the auto-empty dock, you'll need to remove the wand first and then hit a button when the bin is placed over a trash can.
(Image credit: Future)
Maintenance is easy enough, even if there are a few tasks that you’ll need to do about once a month, like cleaning the brushroll and checking the wand for blockages. The onboard dust cup will need to be cleaned out, and you should also check the HEPA filter on the handheld to see if it needs to be rinsed or replaced. The filter on the auto empty station should also be rinsed and dried once a month and replaced regularly too.
Lastly, you’ll need to occasionally clean the sensors – the DirtDetect system sensor is inside the dust bin of the vacuum, while the LightDetect sensor is on top of the vacuum head, and the two EdgeDetect sensors sit along the sides of it.
Performance score: 4.5 out of 5
Shark PowerDetect Cordless review: battery
4 hours to fully recharge the battery (using auto empty station)
Battery lasts 14 mins in Boost, 1hr 7 mins in Eco
Eco option not possible on carpet
One of the most impressive aspects of this vacuum is the battery life. Shark claims it'll last a maximum of 70 minutes in Eco mode, although that's in handheld mode. On test, it managed almost that long: I clocked 67 minutes, although that was with a wand attached. Anything over an hour is a really strong battery time for a cordless vacuum (assuming the suction is still decent, which is true here). However, remember that Eco mode won't work on carpets or rugs, so if you have a home with soft flooring you won't achieve these times.
When I ran the PowerDetect entirely in Boost mode, the battery lasted 14 minutes. That's actually not bad for a maximum power mode; it's only designed to be used on the toughest, ingrained dirt. If you use DirtDetect mode, runtimes will vary based on how dirty your floors are an how much suction the vacuum needs to use.
On an average clean, I found this vacuum lasted around 47 minutes, which involved me switching between the lowest and highest power settings. That'll be more than enough time to clean most homes in one go.
It took about four hours for the vacuum to completely charge. Shark doesn't provide recharge times, but a listing on Best Buy said it'd take 6 hours. I was glad to discover that charging did not actually take that long. Over time, it’ll likely take longer for the battery to charge. It’s not unusual among vacuums on the wider market to take 4-6 hours to charge.
Battery life score: 4.5 out of 5
Should you buy the Shark PowerDetect Cordless?
Buy it if...
You want a hassle-free cleaning experience With the DirtDetect technologies, this vacuum automatically increases suction when it detects dirt and debris, or even just the edges of rooms. That means an efficient clean without having to manually switch suction modes.
You have a lot of furniture to clean under The bendable wand allows you to reach further under furniture without having to move it or bend over.
Don't buy it if...
You need a vacuum that's great for pet hair While the Pet Multi tool does a decent job vacuuming pet hair, there are vacuums on the market better designed for pet owners.
You're just need something basic While the PowerDetect is good value for money, you're paying extra for those clever detection features. If you just want something with good suction, there are cheaper options on the market.
How I tested the Shark PowerDetect Cordless
I tested this vacuum for over a week in my house, which has a mix of historic hardwood and laminate flooring, some of which is covered in large, thick rugs. I ran a number of tests such as using the vacuum to pick up flour and crushed Cheerios, and utilized the attachments to clean my couch of hair and dust from hard-to-reach places. I compared the results to other vacuum cleaners I've reviewed in the past. By running these tests and others, I was able to provide an in-depth review.
