Pros & Cons
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Fully automatic, with easy-to-use LCD -
20 preset drink options, including hot and cold options -
Integrated grinder -
Makes consistently good coffee -
Cold brew option -
Accepts preground coffee through bypass chute
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Mostly plastic construction -
Single nonremovable bean hopper (you can’t swap bean types once you fill it) -
LCD isn’t a touchscreen
De’Longhi makes a dizzying array of espresso machines, the latest of which is the new-for-2026 Magnifica Duo, a superautomatic $1,000 model. As its name implies, it serves up both hot and cold drink options and comes equipped with a 2.4-inch digital display and a built-in conical burr grinder that makes creating quality coffee beverages remarkably easy — after a bit of trial and error and a short break-in period.
After testing it for a month, I came away with a few quibbles, but it’s mostly an excellent automatic espresso machine that competes favorably with other automatic espresso machines in this price range, including the new Ninja AutoBarista Pro ($950), and it is arguably superior in some ways.
DeLonghiMagnifica Duo design
The Magnifica Duo measures 14 inches high, 9.5 inches wide and 17.5 inches deep. It has a fairly compact footprint and the same dimensions — and looks the same — as the model it succeeds, the Magnifica Evo Next. (The Evo Next actually carries a higher list price of $1,100, even though it lacks the true cold-extraction and dedicated dual-carafe cold milk features.)
The Duo is the same size as the older Magnifica Plus ($1,300 list but on sale for $900), which has a bigger 3.5-inch full-touch color display but doesn’t offer the cold drink options of the Duo.
With all these machines being similar yet slightly different, you have to note their release dates and dig through the specs to find out what might make one model better than another.
Read more: Best Espresso Machines of 2026
These days, the big challenge when trying to pick an espresso machine is how much you want to control when pulling shots and frothing milk (more of a manual machine) or how much you want to let the machine do the work for you (semiautomatic or fully automatic). Also, some people prefer separate grinders partially out of a desire for more control and partially out of fear that if the built-in grinder breaks, that can spell the end of the whole machine.
Although there are certainly high-end manual machines that cost a lot of money (we are talking in the $2,000 to $3,000 range), if you’re on a tighter budget, the best way to save money is to buy a solid entry-level manual espresso machine along with a separate quality grinder. Heading into fully automatic territory tends to raise the price of the machine, and the addition of a display also tends to add to the cost. (You can look at Breville’s espresso machine line to see how that plays out.)
De’Longhi says it created the Magnifica Duo for coffee lovers who “want more variety without complexity,” and indeed, the Duo automatically grinds, brews and froths beverages at the touch of a button (or sometimes two touches). It comes with 20 preset recipes, customizable user profiles and is equipped with De’Longhi’s LatteCrema Hot and Cool technologies, with two milk carafes included for separate hot and cold drink duties.
While the Magnifica Duo is fully automatic, it does offer some degree of manual control — or at least the ability to tweak the settings, whether that’s the 13 adjustable grind settings or the option to create up to three user profiles, with customizable size, intensity and temperature settings. But you won’t be tamping down any espresso grounds in a portafilter basket or using a distribution tool to break up any clumps before tamping. That’s automatically done inside the machine.
Really, all you have to do is fit the included filter in the water reservoir, test your water for hardness (a test strip is included), set the level of hardness, fill the bin with beans, and you’re pretty much ready to start experimenting with the various beverage choices. The machine does warm up and expels a bit of hot water after you turn it on, so I always had a small coffee cup near the machine that I could stick under the spouts, though the removable drip tray is roomy and can collect a fair amount of water. (The collection bin for the discarded espresso pucks is integrated into the drip tray.) The machine goes through the same process when it turns off, so again, I’d stick the same cup under the spouts.
Magnifica Duo strengths
Aside from its ease of use and the nice variety of beverages you can create, the two dedicated dishwasher-safe milk carafes for hot and cold milk options are big pluses. The device doesn’t have a manual option for frothing milk with a wand, but you can adjust the density of the foam with the dial on top of each carafe, which offers three settings.
You plug either carafe into the machine, and when you’re finished frothing, the machine sends hot water through the carafe’s wand to clean. You then unplug the carafe and rinse it by hand or stick it in the dishwasher (though I usually just rinsed it by hand). The carafes are easy to use and keep clean, as is the machine itself.
The only thing I wished for was an extra small setting for frothed milk. Sometimes I only wanted a little bit of frothed milk to top a coffee drink. With the small setting engaged, I’d pour a couple of fluid ounces of milk into the carafe, and the machine would keep frothing even after the milk was all sucked up, and steam would start shooting out. My workaround was to hit the cancel button (which is the back button) right before the milk ran out in the carafe. I don’t like to waste milk.
The cold brew option is also nice. While it didn’t seem quite as bold and flavorful as what you’d get with a “true” cold brew at a coffee shop that takes 12 hours to create, I was happy with the results, considering the machine dribbled out its cold brew in under three minutes using its Cold Extraction technology. Poured over ice with a little milk added, my chilled coffee beverage tasted smooth and wasn’t bitter, even without any sweetener.
Note that cold brew comes out at room temperature while iced coffee comes out hot, and the machine simply tells you to add eight (or more) ice cubes to a glass. I sometimes made a cup of “iced” coffee, left it overnight in the fridge, then poured it over ice in the morning and added cold milk.
Magnifica Duo weaknesses
The Magifica Duo is a nice-looking espresso maker, but while it has some metal and stainless steel trim accents, it’s mostly made out of plastic and just doesn’t have that more premium look of some espresso machines. The Breville Barista Touch, for example, lists for $1,000 (though it often sells for less), and it has a mostly brushed stainless steel exterior. All that said, the majority of superautomatic espresso machines are made primarily of plastic.
The one thing I would have liked is if the machine had two removable bean hoppers like De’Longhi’s step-up Rivelia ($1,500) or the Ninja AutoBarista Pro. That feature allows you to swap in two different bean types (or decaf), which is a nice option. The Rivelia has a larger touchscreen display and is a little slimmer and more refined-looking; it’s got a slightly more premium vibe, even though it also has a mostly plastic design. But it lacks the cold beverage options of the Magnifica Duo and costs significantly more.
Drip coffee is an option
While the Magnifica Duo only has a single nonremovable bean hopper, it does have a compartment for adding preground coffee. A scoop is included with the machine, and you can add a single scoop of grounds. (There’s a small lid you lift in front of the bean hopper.) When selecting a beverage to make, you have to select the scoop icon, which tells the machine to intake the preground coffee instead of grinding the beans in the hopper. To make a larger cup of coffee, the machine tells you to add a second scoop of grounds, and it repeats the drip process.
You can opt to make true pour-over style drip coffee using the built-in grinder — or make an Americano (hot water on top of espresso), which comes out tasting somewhat similar to the drip option. Or you can make drip coffee using coffee grounds.
Where this came in handy for me is with my wife, who doesn’t like strong coffee and prefers the coffee that our old Keurig machine makes using Dunkin’ Donuts K-Cups. (I find this a bit sad, but people have their own coffee tastes.) I ended up buying a canister of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee grounds so she could pour a scoop of grounds into the machine each morning and hit the drip coffee button, essentially turning the machine into a Keurig without the eco waste of the K-Cups. The coffee did end up being a bit stronger than what she got from the K-Cups, but she was happy with it.
Magnifica Duo final thoughts
De’Longhi makes a few different lines of superautomatic espresso machines, including Magnifica and the higher-end Revelia, Dinamica and Eletta lines. And each subbrand can have multiple models, which can make picking a machine somewhat daunting.
That said, the Magnifica Duo should hit a sweet spot for folks who want a versatile espresso machine that produces a variety of hot and cold coffee beverages and seems to be a direct response to the similarly priced Ninja AutoBarista Pro. I haven’t tried that machine yet, but from a specs standpoint, it has the advantage of coming with two removable bean hoppers so you can easily swap in two different beans. That said, the Magnifica Duo’s dual hot and cold automatic milk frothing carafes give it an advantage when making milk-based beverages, hot or cold. So if cappuccinos, lattes and flat whites are your jam, I’d say it has the edge over the Ninja.
Can you get better espresso from a manual machine that allows you to control the whole process down to an obsessive level? Yes, certainly — if you know what you’re doing or want to take the time to become a skilled barista. But the Magnifica Duo does manage to produce consistently high-quality espresso and other coffee beverages and is easy to operate and maintain, even for novice baristas looking to move on from a Keurig K-Cup or pod-based machine.
I can’t tell you how well it will hold up over time, but De’Longhi machines come with a three-year warranty if you register the product (two years if you don’t), and they tend to be a little easier to repair than some other brands’ machines, as parts tend to be easier to find.
Magnifica Duo key features, according to De’Longhi
- 20 preset hot and iced recipes: Create cafe favorites, including cappuccinos, lattes, flat whites, iced lattes, iced cappuccinos, cold brew and more at the touch of a button.
- Three dedicated brewing technologies: Separate extraction methods deliver authentic espresso, true drip coffee and smooth cold brew.
- LatteCrema Hot and Cool Technologies: Create perfectly textured hot microfoam for classic favorites like cappuccinos and lattes, or refreshing cold foam for iced lattes and cold coffee drinks. Magnifica Duo includes two dedicated milk carafes, allowing you to easily switch between hot and cold milk experiences.
- Cold Brew in under three minutes: Proprietary Cold Extraction Technology re-creates the sweetness and aroma of a traditional 12-hour steep in minutes.
- Integrated conical burr grinder: 13 adjustable grind settings ensure fresh, precise grinding for every cup.
- Personalized coffee experience: Save favorite beverages with three user profiles plus customizable size, intensity and temperature settings.
- Intuitive color display: One-touch recipe icons make crafting cafe-quality beverages simple and seamless.
- One machine, two milk experiences: Unlike traditional automatic coffee machines, Magnifica Duo features dedicated Hot and Cool milk carafes, giving you the flexibility to create both classic hot espresso drinks and modern iced coffeehouse favorites with the ideal milk temperature every time.
