About 2 weeks with the machine, I have to say that at €349 (not at the current selling price though) that I bought it, it is an excellent purchase and it will do, let's say... amortization, quite quickly (assuming that someone previously bought coffees outside with prices of €1.5-€2.0).
In this short period, I have made about 40 coffees (not just for myself because I would kill someone :p) and I am starting to find what I like in terms of settings (I still need to try some more coffees, flavors, etc. in order to have a more complete opinion - every coffee, however, requires experimentation).
I will present some positives/negatives (in my opinion) of the machine in my experience so far (I am not an expert or a barista, I just love coffee).
Positives:
-Easy initial setup (and noisy - don't worry) and a good, informative instruction manual. It comes with 1 tube of grease for lubrication (when needed), 1 Aqua Clean filter (installation in 5 minutes), 1 stick for water hardness, and all the instructions needed to get started.
-Before the first use, water hardness adjustment is recommended (done through the stick mentioned above). This will theoretically slow down the need for descaling. We'll see.
-Heats up quite quickly and makes using it a breeze even in the difficult early morning hours before work.
-With each opening and closing, the machine empties a certain amount of water for coffee residue.
-There are several options for coffee drinks. Espresso X1, X2, and adjustment of extraction quantity (3 options), aroma (also 3 options). Coffee X1, X2 (I tried it once, I think it's for an Americano since it has a long extraction time), hot water (for tea, for example, or for a custom Americano), and cappuccino (the X1 or X2 options are not available here).
-Temperature adjustment (although there are only 3 options, low, med, high essentially, we cannot overlook the fact that there is -attention! there is no separate button but the adjustment is made while the machine is off).
-It has a satisfactory water tank that comes in and out very easily. I should note that compared to an old machine I had, the quality of the plastics of the tank (and not only) is far superior. There are no annoying or strange smells.
-The liquid and coffee residue collection bin comes out easily, is also easy to clean, and has a small "float" for monitoring the water level collected inside.
-No water or coffee splashes (the group goes down as needed depending on the cup you use).
-The LatteGo is powerful, I must say. Since I am very bad at using a frother, this is a lifesaver for cappuccino. I don't personally drink it, but my wife does, and she particularly liked it. What I see is that it produces regular frothed milk. It also has a setting for latte, I think, but I haven't figured out how to use it (I didn't look into it much, we only made simple cappuccinos so far).
-Access to the "insides" (the brewing system) is very easy (done from the side by removing the water tank and opening a door, with a click the whole system comes out for cleaning).
-It can accept, apart from whole beans, pre-ground coffee. There is a combination of buttons to activate this feature.
Negatives:
-The pre-ground coffee cannot be more than 1 dose. One might say that it is not important, but it takes time for a double+ espresso. I have not yet tried this feature, it will be the last one I will try since pre-ground coffee will be a thing of the past for me.
-I don't like the fact that you have to exclusively turn the switch for grinding while the coffee is being cut (while the grinder is working during the coffee brewing process). This can result in it not turning correctly and there being no accuracy in the cutting, which means a greater learning curve when it comes to cutting each specific coffee.
-A small flaw of the machine is that sometimes it thinks the liquid collection bin is full and the corresponding indicator comes on. You pull out the bin for 3-4 seconds until it shows that it is not in place. Then you put it back in place and voila, the problem disappears! It's a small thing, but it was a little scary the first time I encountered it.
-Philips explicitly states that we can only use their descaling products, otherwise the warranty is void. Let's hope we don't need to use them more than 2 to 3 times a year (they cost around €8 plus shipping).
+- The noise is "indifferent" to me, as I could never consider the noise produced by a coffee machine as a negative. Even if it was non-existent, it wouldn't make a difference to me, unless I had the coffee maker in the bedroom :P
In conclusion, I am satisfied with the quality of the coffee I receive, considering that we are talking about highly automated production processes and not comparing them to semi-automatic machines, separate grinders, etc.
However, the fast brewing process (which is a positive), easy use/cleaning, is a serious reason to consider this machine if you are looking for an automatic one!
* In case of mishaps/unpleasant (or even more pleasant) developments, I will come back with an edited review!
Enjoy!
Edit: After 2.5 months of use, I am still quite satisfied. One thing I noticed is that there is no issue with the "floater" it has, but the indicator comes on every 12 coffees. I think this is a bit misleading in the manual, as it does not explain exactly what it means when it says it holds up to 12 coffees.
Also, after 2.5 months, I have not needed to descale it nor change the Aquaclean filter.
Small edit, advice: every 2 months at most, apply a little grease to the parts indicated in the Manual. When I DIDN'T do it, I received poor quality of the same coffee that was previously fine. It is likely that not greasing causes the moving parts of the production system to not do their job properly, so keep that in mind.
Also, now, the coffees I have made are countless and the machine doesn't "stutter."
EDIT:
So, after 1 year, I unfortunately have to confirm the negative reviews made by others below. The machine does exactly the same thing to me (it just doesn't happen as early as with others). Essentially, it does not perform the automatic cleaning cycle and discharges the waste into the liquid collection bin (1 in 10 times, it may release a little water at the start, but not at the end). Descaling did not change anything in the machine. If I do a NON-automatic cleaning cycle, it seems that there is some problem (to do it, hold down the button that adjusts the aroma intensity until the pre-ground coffee icon is activated, just do not add pre-ground coffee, leave it empty. This way it will release water and essentially perform a non-automatic cleaning cycle). The machine works, it produces coffee, but not correctly. Is there something wrong with the pressure? I don't know. I will call for service and possible replacement very soon, although from what I read, it happens again and I would really like to change it with a different machine that will do it correctly without any issues. I wonder about Philips... I really wonder.
Edit: Yesterday it sprayed water outside, the table got flooded.
Since I bought it at a much lower price than what is available, they replaced it immediately. With the same one, but if something happens again, I will cancel the support, get a better one, and pay the difference. Really, where everything was fine, out of nowhere, it starts acting like the others. I hope the newer batches don't die so easily.
Edit 25/01/22:
The new machine works properly, as it should, but it has another (very small) issue. For some reason, in the coffee grounds bin, more water comes out than it should, resulting in a "soup" if you don't empty the bin immediately. This DID NOT happen with the previous one.
In conclusion, Philips' Quality Control is below zero. A machine that costs 400+ € is not even worth 200. It's one of those cases where you pay for a name (which has reputable products like Gaggia + Saeco), overvalue.
Additionally, I recently visited a friendly couple. They had a Sage (or Breville) machine and grinder.
Sage Bambino Plus, Sage the Smart Grinder Pro. Expensive products (450+250 respectively), but I brought my own coffee to try. I wasn't sure if I brought the right coffee, guys. Seriously, the control you have with such machines completely changes the experience. I had coffee, no joke! I saw the real potential of the coffee I buy!
Final conclusion (if you don't experience, you won't learn):
If you want a new hobby, experimentation, and absolute control, DO NOT go for a super-automatic machine. Being able to control 3-4 basic things like extraction time, proper amount of ground coffee, correct temperature, is important for the experience.
If you want a quick morning coffee before work, if you make several coffees daily, if you want to press 2 buttons and get coffee (even if you lose some of the super-automatic process), then you are for a super-automatic machine. I was in the second category, but I'm starting to reconsider.
Final opinion, choose a DIFFERENT machine, not this one, for the super-automatic process. If I could, I would change it with another one, but while I could have the opportunity to sell it, I don't want to deceive anyone with this particular machine.
EDIT 21/09/23
I still have the same machine. This one didn't have any other issues, I clean it thoroughly as recommended by the company, and it didn't present the problems of the first machine. I came back after all this time because I see its price at ridiculous levels, and I would like anyone who reads this review to NOT choose (in case it wasn't clear) this particular machine.
I wish you good coffees :)