Best Philips Air Fryers: Top Models Compared by Capacity

This is the Philips we would put on most counters, and the pick we would buy again. The 6.5 qt basket holds about 35 oz of vegetables, 8 drumsticks, 5 salmon pieces or 7 muffins, which covers dinner for a family of four without dominating the counter. Food cooks evenly across the basket with no preheat, and the window lets you check color without opening the drawer and losing heat.

It offers 16 cooking functions and dehydrates and ferments as low as 100F for up to 24 hours. The RapidAir Plus star-shaped design moves air quickly, and the touchscreen and dishwasher-safe parts keep daily use simple. Philips lists it at about $149.99, though promotions shift that price, and it carries a 2 year warranty. Philips does not publish the wattage on its overview page, so we skip it here.

The trade-off is that it is a single basket. If you want to cook a main and a side with different times, the dual-basket model below is the better fit.

The key difference is that the 3000 Series window model has one basket, while the dual-basket model has two independent drawers. It offers 9.5 qt in total, a 6.3 qt large drawer plus a smaller side drawer. Smart Time sync makes both finish together, and the Copy function repeats a setting on the second drawer, so a main and a side come out at the same moment.

Sizing takes some thought. The smaller drawer fits only about four hash browns, while the larger one takes four overlapping chicken legs. The footprint is sizable at about 42 cm wide, 31 cm deep and 38 cm tall, so measure your counter and the space under your cabinets first. It has 8 presets and a 2 year warranty, and it starts at about $249.99 at Philips, with street prices running lower.

The crisping is excellent: hash browns brown evenly, chicken skin comes out golden and crisp, and the chips are among the crispiest from any air fryer. The fan hum is audible at start-up and fades into the background. The top surface scratches easily, the touch buttons are fiddly, the icons are small, and the display is dim in daylight. The beep when a drawer is pulled out is annoying. The companion app helps a lot with step-by-step recipes. The drawers and inserts are dishwasher safe, though the starfish base groove makes scrubbing fiddlier.

The 2000 Series is the counter-friendly alternative to the dual basket, and that is why we send budget shoppers here: it takes less counter and shelf space than its capacity suggests. Be sure which version you are buying: the 6.6 qt model holds 28 oz of fries or 8 drumsticks, while the 4.4 qt version holds 17.6 oz of fries and 6 drumsticks. We recommend the larger one. It has a 1700W heating element, 13-in-1 cooking, a touchscreen with 9 presets and a cooking window. Pricing starts around $99.99, and it moves with promotions.

It is noticeably quieter than a large Nuwave-style unit and heats up quickly. The pan holds enough fries for two to three people. The non-stick tray is large and cleans easily, and the fryer works well alongside a convection toaster oven, cooking some foods faster and crisper than the toaster oven does. It throws off heat, so leave breathing room behind it.

The 4.4 qt version is only worth choosing for one person or a very tight counter, since a family of three or more will quickly run out of room.

The XXL is the Philips for a family that cooks in volume, and it is the one to chase if you can find it in stock. The 3lb/7qt basket takes a whole chicken or fries for a family of five in a single load, and no other single-basket Philips comes close. The Twin TurboStar airflow and the built-in fat reducer are what set it apart from the cheaper Essential models. It has 5 presets, a digital display and keep-warm mode, plus a QuickClean non-stick basket and dishwasher-safe parts. We score it 4.4, a step below where its capacity alone would put it, because it has to be tracked down through leftover stock.

We are candid about the drawbacks. The unit is roughly as loud as an older microwave, and it is a bulky counter hog next to the Essential XL. The analog timer dial is the weak point: the printed numbers rub off within a couple of months of oil-splattered use, and the knob drifts, so the timer can shut off before it reaches zero. Cleanup takes some effort too. The basket, fat reducer and pan are dishwasher safe, but baked-on juices from fatty proteins still cling to the fat reducer and pan after a cycle. The mesh bottom cleans easily, and the grate lifts out once you find the elbow latches.

Chicken wings or a big batch of meat throw off enough smoke and smell that moving the unit outside for the cook is worth it, and the light body makes that easy. Durability is mixed. Some units run several times a week for years and still look new, while others quit within a year. Rated power is roughly 1,700W or more depending on the spec sheet.

The icon-only touch menu is the first thing that trips people up on the Essential XL: there are no labeled air fry, roast or bake buttons, so keep the manual close. Once you get past that, it delivers about the same everyday results as the XXL in a smaller, more modern body, and that is why it earns a spot. The 6.2L basket holds about 5 portions, the touchscreen has 7 presets plus keep warm, and the fan is quiet enough that it does not dominate the kitchen. No preheat is needed, and the starfish Rapid Air design does the crisping. The trade-off against the XXL is the fat reducer, which the XL leaves out.

A single top coil heating element means frozen fries can take longer than on a dual-element rival, and the top temperature is 400F. Pricing swings with remaining stock, so compare before you buy.

A fresh unit smells faintly for the first 30 minutes, and the smell is gone after a break-in run. The non-stick basket holds up fine with daily use when hand-washed.

The Compact cannot handle a quick cook well, because its analog timer moves in coarse intervals of 10 minutes on the scale. That is the trade for simple controls, and it is the reason this is our lowest-ranked pick. Otherwise it is the cheapest way into the Philips line, and it suits one or two people or a spare side-dish station. It has a 1.8 lb / 4.1L basket for up to 4 portions, uses the same starfish Rapid Air airflow as the pricier models, and runs at around 1,400W. It has a 60-minute timer and reaches up to 390F. Philips US now names it the 3000 Series Airfryer L, so you may see either name.

The basket is slightly smaller than the older-style basket, so older add-on racks no longer fit. The new slotted base is easier to clean than the old bracketed one. It is tight for three or more people.

The basket coating needs the usual care. Freshly breaded foods come out dry and powdery unless you spray the coating with oil first, and tofu can stick badly to an unseasoned basket.