Comparison · Espresso machines
Ninja Luxe Café vs De'Longhi Magnifica Evo: assisted barista or push-button?
The Ninja Luxe Café Premier is £579.99 at Currys and the Magnifica Evo ECAM290.21.B £419.99 at De'Longhi UK (checked 3 Oct 2026). Here's how much each asks of you, and who should pick which.
If you’re weighing up the Ninja Luxe Café vs De’Longhi Magnifica Evo, you’re really choosing how much of the coffee-making you want to do yourself. The Ninja Luxe Café Premier ES601UK grinds and weighs your coffee and froths the milk, but you still fit the portafilter and tamp. The Magnifica Evo grinds and brews at the press of a button, and you froth milk by hand. The Ninja is £579.99 at Currys, checked 3 Oct 2026, and the Evo ECAM290.21.B is £419.99 at De’Longhi UK, checked 3 Oct 2026. We haven’t tested this in person. Our verdict is based on Ninja UK’s, De’Longhi UK’s and Currys’ published specs and UK prices checked 3 Oct 2026. Read how we compare.
This page is about the choice between the two. For the full detail on each machine, see our Ninja Luxe Café review and our Magnifica Evo review.
Ninja Luxe Café vs De’Longhi Magnifica Evo: the short answer
Choose the Ninja Luxe Café Premier if you want espresso, milky drinks, filter-style coffee and cold brew from one machine, and you’re happy to do a couple of manual steps. Ninja lists 25 grind settings, a built-in scale, an assisted tamper and what it calls Barista Assist Technology, which recommends a grind size for the drink you choose. Its Dual Froth System steams and whisks milk without you holding the jug.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants coffee at one touch with nothing to tamp, or anyone with a budget well under £580.
Choose the Magnifica Evo if you want the machine to do the coffee for you and you only take milk now and then. De’Longhi UK describes the ECAM290.21.B as “One Touch, 4 drinks”, with a soft-touch panel and colour icons. It costs less, too: £160 less than the Ninja when you compare De’Longhi UK’s price with Currys’.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants lattes without effort. The Evo models here froth milk with a wand that you control yourself.
Skip both if you’d like to learn espresso the traditional way, with a manual grinder setting and a steam wand. Our espresso machines hub covers that kind of machine.
What they cost right now
These are the prices we found on 3 Oct 2026:
- Ninja Luxe Café Premier ES601UK (silver and black): £579.99 at Currys, available for delivery, checked 3 Oct 2026. Currys also listed the black ES601UKBK at £579.99. Ninja UK showed the ES601UK at £579.99, checked 3 Oct 2026, but its page also showed a back-in-stock sign-up, so check availability there.
- De’Longhi Magnifica Evo ECAM290.21.B (black): £419.99 at De’Longhi UK, in stock, checked 3 Oct 2026.
- De’Longhi Magnifica Evo ECAM290.31.SB (silver and black): £299.00 at Currys, available for delivery, checked 3 Oct 2026. Currys showed no was price.
So the Ninja at Currys costs £160 more than the Evo at De’Longhi UK, and £280.99 more than the Evo ECAM290.31.SB at Currys. Prices change often, so check on the day.
- See the Ninja Luxe Café Premier at Currys
- See the Ninja Luxe Café Premier at Ninja UK
- See the Magnifica Evo ECAM290.21.B at De’Longhi UK
- See the Magnifica Evo ECAM290.31.SB at Currys
Who it isn’t for: anyone choosing on price alone. If the lowest outlay matters most, the Evo wins on the prices we found.
Two different ways of making coffee
This is the real difference, and it matters more than any single spec.
The Ninja is an assisted espresso machine. It has a built-in burr grinder and scale, so it grinds and weighs a dose into the portafilter. You then tamp with the assisted tamper, lock the portafilter in and start the drink. Ninja says Barista Assist recommends a grind size and adjusts brewing temperature, time and dose for the drink you choose. Currys lists a brewing temperature of 90–96°C and 19-bar pressure. You’ll still need to change the grind when the machine suggests it, so there’s a little learning involved.
The Magnifica Evo is a push-button bean-to-cup machine. You fill the bean container and press a drink icon, and it grinds and brews for you. De’Longhi UK lists four one-touch recipes and a 15-bar pump. Currys lists three strength settings (strong, medium and mild) and three temperatures for the ECAM290.31.SB. Both Evo codes can also use pre-ground coffee, which suits the odd decaf.
If you enjoy the ritual of making coffee, the Ninja gives you more to do. If you just want a coffee before work, the Evo asks less of you. Our bean-to-cup vs espresso machine guide explains the wider trade-off.
Who it isn’t for: if you’d find even tamping a chore, the Ninja’s extra steps may wear thin.
Drinks: range against simplicity
Ninja describes the Luxe Café as a 3-in-1 machine for espresso, filter-style coffee and cold brew. Its page lists “15+ drink settings”, made up of four espresso styles, four coffee styles, seven drink sizes and four froth presets. Elsewhere on the same page, the ES601 series is described as having 19 drink settings, so the exact count depends on how you add them up.
The Evo is simpler. De’Longhi UK lists four one-touch recipes, including a long drink, and the Currys listing for the ECAM290.31.SB mentions five coloured icons on its panel. There’s no filter-style or cold brew setting on either Evo page we checked.
Who it isn’t for: if you want cold brew in summer or a large filter-style mug in the morning, the Evo won’t do those.
Milk: hands-free against manual
The Ninja’s Dual Froth System steams and whisks milk at the same time, and Ninja lists four automatic presets. You pour milk into the jug with its integrated whisk, put it in place and let the machine get on with it. Ninja says it works with dairy and plant-based milk.
The Evo uses what De’Longhi calls a traditional milk frother. You hold the jug under the wand, heat and stretch the milk, and judge when it’s ready. It takes some practice, and the first attempts may come out too bubbly or too hot. The wand can also give you hot water for tea.
Who it isn’t for: anyone in a house where lots of people want flat whites and lattes. The Ninja’s hands-free milk is easier to share.
Cleaning and upkeep
De’Longhi UK lists a removable brewing unit and a dishwasher-safe grid on the Evo, and Currys mentions front access to the maintenance points on the ECAM290.31.SB.
With the Ninja, you empty the portafilter after each shot, and the froth jug and whisk need rinsing after milky drinks. Ninja includes a cleaning brush, cleaning disc, descaling powder and a water hardness test kit in the box.
Who it isn’t for: if you want as little daily cleaning as possible, the Ninja’s portafilter and jug add a few steps.
Size and practical details
- Water tank: 2 litres on the Ninja (Currys), and 1.8 litres on both Evo codes (De’Longhi UK and Currys).
- Power: 1650W for the Ninja (Currys), and 1450W for the Evo (De’Longhi UK and Currys).
- Dimensions: Currys lists the Ninja at 370 x 340 x 330mm (H x W x D). Ninja UK gives two different sets of figures on the same page, so measure your space. De’Longhi UK lists the ECAM290.21.B at 240 x 440 x 360mm, and Currys lists the ECAM290.31.SB at 360 x 240 x 440mm (H x W x D).
- Weight: Currys lists the Ninja at 11.7kg and the ECAM290.31.SB at 9.4kg.
- Beans: Currys lists a 250g bean container on the Ninja.
The Evo is narrower, at 24cm wide, while the Ninja is the wider, heavier machine. If your worktop space is tight, check the width as well as the height under your cupboards.
Who it isn’t for: small kitchens with little worktop to spare. Neither is compact, but the Ninja needs more width.
Downsides of both
- Ninja: it costs more, it’s heavy, and you still tamp and adjust the grind. On Ninja UK, the ES601UK showed a back-in-stock sign-up on 3 Oct 2026.
- Evo: the milk is manual only, there’s no filter-style or cold brew option, and De’Longhi UK doesn’t list grind settings for the ECAM290.21.B.
- Both: several model codes are sold under the same names, so check the code before you buy. For other machines to compare, see our bean-to-cup machines hub.
FAQ
Is the Ninja Luxe Café a bean-to-cup machine? It grinds fresh beans, and retailers such as Currys list it as one. But you tamp and lock in the portafilter yourself, so it works more like an espresso machine with help built in.
Which is cheaper, the Ninja Luxe Café or the Magnifica Evo? The Evo. On 3 Oct 2026 the Evo ECAM290.31.SB was £299.00 at Currys and the ECAM290.21.B £419.99 at De’Longhi UK. The Ninja Premier was £579.99 at Currys.
Does the Magnifica Evo froth milk automatically? Not the models here. Both the ECAM290.21.B and the ECAM290.31.SB use a manual wand.
Can both make cold brew? Only the Ninja lists a cold brew setting.
Can I use pre-ground coffee? De’Longhi UK lists a pre-ground option for the Evo, and Currys lists the Ninja as compatible with ground coffee.