Comparison · Bean-to-cup machines
Philips 5400 LatteGo vs Ninja Luxe Café: fully automatic or assisted barista?
The Philips 5400 LatteGo is £619.99 and the Ninja Luxe Café Premier £579.99 at Currys (checked 3 Oct 2026). One is push-button, the other needs you to tamp. Here's how to choose.
The Philips 5400 vs Ninja Luxe Café choice is really about how much you want to do yourself. The Philips Series 5400 LatteGo EP5446/70 is a fully automatic bean-to-cup machine: press a button and it grinds, brews and adds milk. The Ninja Luxe Café Premier ES601UK guides you, but you still tamp the coffee and lock in the portafilter. At Currys the Philips was in stock at £619.99 and the silver and black Ninja at £579.99 (checked 3 Oct 2026). We haven’t tested this in person. Our verdict is based on Philips UK’s and Ninja UK’s specs, Currys’ listings, UK prices checked 3 Oct 2026 and, for the Ninja, the Guardian’s bean-to-cup roundup (April 2026). Read how we compare.
Philips 5400 vs Ninja Luxe Café: the short answer
Get the Philips 5400 if you want milky coffee at one touch for everyone in the house. Philips UK lists 12 pre-programmed drinks, LatteGo milk and four user profiles plus a guest profile.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants espresso they can tweak shot by shot, or filter coffee and cold brew. Philips doesn’t list either brewing mode.
Get the Ninja Luxe Café if you want espresso, filter-style coffee and cold brew from one machine, with grind guidance and automatic milk. Ninja lists 25 grind settings, a built-in scale and a Dual Froth System with a cold foam preset.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants a true push-button machine. You tamp, adjust the grind when told, and handle the portafilter. The Guardian also found its results could be inconsistent.
What they cost right now
These are the prices we found on 3 Oct 2026:
- Philips 5400 LatteGo EP5446/70: in stock at £619.99 at Currys, and £619.99 at Philips UK. Currys showed no Was price. See the Philips 5400 at Currys
- Ninja Luxe Café Premier ES601UK: the silver and black finish was in stock at £579.99 at Currys. At Ninja UK it was £579.99 but shown as out of stock. Check price at Ninja UK for the black ES601UKBK. See the Ninja at Currys
So at Currys the Ninja was £40 cheaper. Currys prices can change, and our Ninja Luxe Café review lists every finish and price we found.
Who it isn’t for: anyone with a budget under £500. Both sit well above our bean-to-cup machines entry picks.
Effort: one touch vs assisted
On the Philips, you choose a drink on the TFT touch display and the machine does the rest. Philips lists a coffee customiser for strength, coffee length and milk length, and an extra-shot option.
On the Ninja, the machine recommends one of 25 grind sizes and weighs the dose with its built-in scale, according to Ninja. The Guardian points out that you still change the grind setting yourself as instructed, press the grounds down with the supplied tamper and slot in the portafilter.
Who it isn’t for: anyone in a hurry in the morning should think twice about the Ninja. Anyone who enjoys the ritual of espresso may find the Philips too hands-off.
Drinks
- Philips 5400: Philips UK lists 12 pre-programmed drinks, including espresso, americano, cappuccino, latte macchiato, flat white, café au lait, caffè crema, ristretto and espresso lungo, plus frothed milk, hot water and a travel mug feature.
- Ninja Luxe Café Premier: Ninja lists 19 drink settings (4 espresso styles, 4 coffee styles, 7 drink sizes and 4 froth presets), and calls it a 3-in-1 machine for espresso, filter coffee and cold brew.
Who it isn’t for: iced and cold coffee fans should skip the Philips 5400. Philips doesn’t list a cold drink, while Ninja lists cold brew and cold foam.
Milk
The Philips uses LatteGo: a 0.26-litre milk container that froths and pours as part of the drink. Philips says it has two parts and no tubes, and that it works with plant-based milk.
The Ninja’s Dual Froth System steams and whisks milk in a jug, with presets for steamed milk, thin froth, thick froth and cold foam, according to Ninja. The Guardian liked that it can froth cold milk, but found milk temperature could vary, and its unit started to overheat milk after a few months.
Who it isn’t for: latte art fans. Neither gives you the control of a manual steam wand.
Cleaning and running costs
Philips lists a removable brew group you rinse under the tap, dishwasher-safe LatteGo parts and an AquaClean filter that, changed when prompted, means no descaling for up to 5,000 cups. Currys lists cleaning and descaling programmes and dishwasher-safe parts on the Ninja, and Ninja’s box includes a cleaning disc, descaling powder and a hard water testing kit.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who hates washing up after milk. Both need their milk parts rinsed.
Size and specs
- Size: Philips UK lists the 5400 at 433mm long, 246mm wide and 372mm high. Currys lists the Ninja at 370 x 340 x 330mm (H x W x D).
- Weight: 8kg for the Philips (Philips UK) and 11.7kg for the Ninja (Currys).
- Water and beans: 1.8 litres and 275g for the Philips (Philips UK); 2 litres and up to 250g for the Ninja (Currys).
- Power: 1500W for the Philips (Philips UK) and 1,650W for the Ninja (Ninja and Currys).
Who it isn’t for: narrow worktops suit the Philips better. At 246mm wide it’s much slimmer than the Ninja’s 340mm, though it’s deeper.
Who each one suits
- The Philips 5400 suits households that drink lots of milky coffee and want each person’s drink saved.
- The Ninja Luxe Café suits people who want café-style espresso with a bit of involvement, plus filter coffee and cold brew.
For more detail, read our Philips 5400 LatteGo review. If you’re choosing between Ninja models, see Ninja Luxe Café Premier vs Pro.
Downsides
- Philips 5400: no cold brew or filter mode listed, LatteGo foam rather than steamed microfoam, and it’s deep.
- Ninja Luxe Café: not push-button, heavier, and the Guardian found consistency could vary.
FAQ
Is the Ninja Luxe Café a bean-to-cup machine like the Philips 5400? Currys lists both as bean-to-cup, but they work differently. The Philips is one touch; the Ninja needs you to tamp and handle the portafilter.
Which makes cold brew? The Ninja. Ninja lists cold brew as one of its three brewing modes. Philips doesn’t list cold drinks on the 5400.
Which has user profiles? The Philips 5400. Philips UK lists four user profiles plus a guest profile.
Which is cheaper? At Currys on 3 Oct 2026, the Ninja Luxe Café Premier (£579.99) was £40 less than the Philips 5400 (£619.99).