De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Next

The Magnifica Evo Next is the middle rung of De'Longhi's most popular bean-to-cup family, sitting between the plain Evo and the Magnifica Plus. What it adds over the Evo is a screen and a broader set of one-touch drink programs, and owners who bought it are happy — the recurring sentiment is that it makes very good coffee and that the extra drink options are genuinely nicer to live with than the Evo's buttons and indicator lights. Underneath, it shares the family's real strengths: a brew group that slides out and rinses under the tap with no greasing or oil tablets required, and De'Longhi's characteristically generous dose, which is the reason this range consistently beats similarly priced Philips machines in owner comparisons.

The awkwardness is its position in the range, and the community is unusually direct about it. The consensus recommendation is that if you have the budget to move past the Evo, you should go all the way to the Magnifica Plus rather than stopping here. The argument is specific: the Plus brings a large touchscreen that walks you through every maintenance step in plain language instead of leaving you decoding blinking lights against a manual, plus more milk control and a higher dose for a stronger cup. Owners describe the Plus as better than both the Evo and the Evo Next, which leaves the Evo Next paying more than the value pick without delivering the step change of the flagship. The counter-argument, and it is a fair one, is price: if the Evo Next is discounted close to the Evo, the extra drink programs are worth having, and several buyers weighing the Start against the Evo Next chose the Evo Next simply for the larger selection of preset drinks. Regional pricing makes this much starker than it should be — owners note the same machines cost hundreds less in Europe than in North America, to the point where the sensible choice in one market is the wrong one in another. As with every machine in this family, adjust the grind only while the grinder is running, expect to settle around a setting of 4, and avoid oily or flavoured beans.

At $800 the Evo Next is a good machine in a difficult spot. Buy it if you find it discounted near the plain Evo's price and you want the broader drink list, or if the Magnifica Plus is simply out of reach. If the gap to the Plus is small where you are, take the Plus — that is the near-unanimous advice from owners who have moved up the range, and the touchscreen genuinely changes how the machine feels to own. Against Philips at similar money the De'Longhi wins on dose and therefore on cup strength, while Philips keeps the easiest milk system to clean. And against a KitchenAid, you are trading a touchscreen and swappable hoppers for a lower price and a brew group that never needs lubrication.