De’Longhi Magnifica Evo vs Dinamica Plus: is the upgrade worth it?

Magnifica Evo vs Dinamica Plus at a glance

Head to head

The better result in each row is marked, based on four weeks with each machine and De’Longhi’s own specs. Rows where they’re the same have no winner.

The tally isn’t my verdict. If two of you drink a cappuccino each, most of the Dinamica’s wins won’t change your mornings.

Design, size and build

Side by side, the two are almost the same box. The Evo is about 9.45 inches wide and the Dinamica Plus about 9.3, both are about 17.3 inches deep and 14.2 inches tall, and both weigh around 21 pounds.

Both fit under standard wall cabinets, and both have front-loading water tanks, so neither needs room at the sides.

The difference is the face. The Magnifica Evo has a flat, modern front and a slightly tilted touch panel on top, with drink icons and a row of bean icons for strength. There’s no screen with text, just icons and a few lights.

The Dinamica Plus puts a bright 3.5-inch color touchscreen front and center. My titanium unit also had a heavy brushed stainless drip tray cover that didn’t flex, scratch or rattle all month.

The Dinamica Plus looks and feels a step up, with a color touchscreen and a heavy steel drip tray cover.

Both bodies are mostly plastic, but both feel well put together. The Evo’s touch buttons never missed a press, and the Dinamica’s menus never froze.

Each has a cup warming area on top. On the Evo, it’s passive, reaching only about 100°F after 20 minutes of use, which takes the chill off a cup but doesn’t truly preheat it.

Width on the counter

Both are slim for machines with automatic milk.

Our tip: Leave a little space around either machine, because the side panel over the thermoblock gets warm during long sessions.

Setup and the first week

Setup follows the same pattern: fill the tank, fit the water filter, test your water hardness with the strip, set it and let the machine rinse.

On the Evo, the settings menu hides behind the gear icon, which you hold for about five seconds. It uses lights and icons rather than words, so I kept the quick start guide nearby.

On the Dinamica Plus, setup is guided on the touchscreen in plain text: language, water hardness on a four-level scale, filter and a first rinse.

On both, the first few drinks were weak while the grinder bedded in. I didn’t judge anything until about the fifth cup.

Our tip: Put a cup under the spouts every time you switch either machine on, because the automatic rinse sends warm water through the coffee outlets.

Controls, profiles and the app

This is where your price difference really goes.

The Evo’s panel shows Espresso, Coffee, Over Ice, Cappuccino, Latte Macchiato, MyLatte and Hot Water, plus bean icons for strength. Tap the strength, tap the drink, done.

You can save the volume of each drink by holding its icon, but there are no profiles, so everyone shares the same saved sizes. Without profiles, I changed the strength back and forth for people who wanted milder coffee.

The Dinamica Plus has three personal profiles plus a guest mode. Each profile stores its own volume, strength and temperature for every drink, so my short Extra Strong espresso and someone else’s long, mild coffee lived side by side.

It also learns which drinks you make most and moves them to the front, which De’Longhi calls Smart One Touch. After a week, my four favorites were all on the first screen.

Profiles and Smart One Touch put each person’s favorite drinks on the first screen.

The Coffee Link app

Only the Dinamica Plus has an app. The icon on the screen looks like Wi-Fi, but the connection is Bluetooth, so you need to be in or near the kitchen.

The first connection after the machine had been off took up to about a minute. The app is where the deep settings live: grind time, water volume and the length of pre-infusion✕Pre-infusionA short soak of the ground coffee before full pressure starts, so water flows through the puck more evenly. for each drink.

I used it heavily in week one to build recipes, then rarely opened it again. Think of it as a setup tool, not a remote control.

Our tip: On the Dinamica Plus, build your recipes in the app during week one, then switch to the touchscreen for everyday drinks.

The drink menu: 7 vs 16

The Magnifica Evo makes seven drinks: Espresso, Coffee, Over Ice, Cappuccino, Latte Macchiato, MyLatte and Hot Water. The X2 button makes two black coffees at once through the twin spouts.

The Dinamica Plus makes 16, including Doppio+, a Long coffee brewed in two doses, Coffee, Over Ice, Cappuccino, Cappuccino Mix, flat white✕Flat whiteA short milk coffee with a strong coffee base and a thin layer of silky foam. It’s stronger and less foamy than a cappuccino., caffelatte, latte macchiato and hot milk.

Seven sounds limited, but the Evo has a trick that makes it more flexible than its icons suggest, which I’ll come to in the milk section.

One-touch drinks

Counted from each machine’s menu.

Grinder and dose

Under the hood, they’re twins. Both use steel conical burrs✕Conical burrsTwo cone-shaped grinding parts, one inside the other. Beans are crushed between them, and the gap sets how fine the coffee is. with 13 settings, adjusted with a knob inside the bean hopper. Lower numbers are finer.

On both, I moved one click at a time while the grinder was running and gave each change two drinks before judging. Both ended up at setting 3 with a medium-dark blend.

I weighed the Evo’s doses at each strength level: about 9 grams on low, 12 on medium and 15 on high. The jump from medium to high made the biggest difference in my cup.

On the Dinamica Plus, Extra Strong gave a dry puck of about 15 grams too, and Doppio+ ran the grinder for about 10 seconds for a bigger double dose.

Coffee dose per single espresso, Magnifica Evo

Weighed from the ground coffee. The Dinamica Plus Extra Strong dose was also about 15 g.

Our tip: On both machines, use the highest strength for espresso and milk drinks, because those extra 3 grams of coffee matter more than any other setting.

Espresso quality

Because they share a brew unit, the gap here is smaller than the price gap. But the Dinamica Plus can be pushed further.

On the Evo, with grind 3 and high strength, my espresso had a consistent layer of crema✕CremaThe golden, foamy layer on top of a fresh espresso. It forms when pressure pushes oils and gases out of the coffee. and a full, aromatic body. I tasted cocoa, toasted nuts and a little dried fruit, with very little bitterness.

I checked a few Evo shots with a refractometer, and they landed at around 8 percent TDS✕TDS (total dissolved solids)How much coffee is actually dissolved in the drink, shown as a percentage. Higher numbers mean a stronger, more concentrated cup., a balanced, full result for an automatic machine.

On the Dinamica Plus, the factory volumes were too long and tasted thin. Once I cut the espresso to about 0.7 fluid ounces on Extra Strong, it poured a thick, hazelnut-colored crema with a heavy, chocolatey body, at roughly a 1:3 ratio.

Its Doppio+ was even better. Stopped between 1.35 and 1.6 fluid ounces, it gave thicker crema and more sweetness, and made a superb base for a flat white.

The Evo shares its brew unit with De’Longhi’s bigger machines, and it shows in the cup.

My espresso ratings

My scores out of 10 for body, crema, flavor and consistency, from the single reviews.

How my Dinamica Plus espresso improved in week one

My ratings out of 10. One change per day.

Temperature was close. The Evo has three coffee temperatures; on high, my espresso measured about 163°F in a warmed cup. The Dinamica’s thermoblock brews at roughly 190 to 200°F and held steady across back-to-back drinks.

On both, the first espresso after a cold start was cooler, because the pipes were still cold.

Our tip: Run a few seconds of hot water into your cup before the first espresso of the day on either machine, then pour it out and brew.

Milk drinks: LatteCrema vs thermal LatteCrema

Both use De’Longhi’s LatteCrema✕LatteCremaDe’Longhi’s automatic milk system. A tube draws cold milk into the carafe lid, where steam and air whip it into foam that pours straight into the cup. system. A pickup tube draws cold milk up into the carafe lid, where steam and air mix in a small Venturi✕Venturi effectWhen steam rushes through a narrow channel, it creates suction. Milk systems use it to pull milk up a tube and mix in air. chamber and pour foam over your cup.

On the Magnifica Evo, the foam was dense, fine and stable, closer to a soft meringue than a bubbly froth. Milk came out at about 140°F, which keeps it tasting sweet, and latte macchiatos settled into three clean layers.

The Dinamica Plus adds two things. Its carafe is double-walled stainless steel, so milk stayed cold on the counter through a round of six drinks. And a dial on the lid sets the foam: left for smooth, almost-microfoam✕MicrofoamMilk foam with bubbles so small you can barely see them. It feels silky and glossy, the texture you want for a flat white. milk, center for lattes and right for dense cappuccino foam.

The thermal carafe kept milk cold through six cappuccinos in a row.

MyLatte: the Evo’s secret weapon

MyLatte uses exactly the amount of milk you pour into the carafe, then stops. I poured 2 to 3 ounces for a cortado and a full carafe for a big weekend latte, and both came out right.

There’s no leftover milk to put back in the fridge, and no guessing which preset is closest. It quietly became the button I pressed most.

Cappuccino Mix and hot milk: the Dinamica’s extras

Cappuccino Mix pours the espresso first, then the milk, so everything blends into a smooth, sweet, caramel-colored drink. I preferred it for taste and the standard cappuccino for looks.

The Dinamica also has a dedicated hot milk drink. The Evo doesn’t, though there’s a workaround: select the pre-ground mode, add no coffee and press a milk drink, and it pours the milk and skips the coffee.

How each milk foamed

My ratings out of 10 for texture and stability.

My milk drink ratings

From the single reviews.

Our tip: For a stronger cappuccino on either machine, set the strength to high before pressing the drink, so the coffee isn’t lost in the foam.

Long coffee and iced drinks

Both have an Over Ice drink that brews a more concentrated coffee at a lower temperature, designed to be poured onto a full glass of ice. It was much better than pouring a normal espresso over ice, which melted the ice and tasted watery.

For big black coffees, the machines differ. The Evo’s Coffee button pushes more water through one dose, which was smooth and mild with a thin crema. I preferred a homemade americano: hot water from the tap first, espresso on top.

The Dinamica Plus has a Long drink that grinds and brews twice, ejecting the first puck before brewing a fresh one. It tasted like a mild, clean filter coffee, with none of the harsh finish of one long pour.

Our tip: Fill the glass to the top with ice before pressing Over Ice on either machine, because less ice means more melting and a weaker drink.

Busy mornings and guests

Both make one milk drink at a time, at roughly a minute to a minute and a half each.

On the Evo, four cappuccinos for a family breakfast took about five minutes, including a quick clean cycle between some of them. The fourth had foam as dense as the first.

On the Dinamica Plus, I made six cappuccinos in a row. The milk in the thermal carafe was still cold by the last drink, and the guest profile meant nobody overwrote my settings.

Time for a round of milk drinks

My timings, including clean cycles between drinks. Per drink, they’re close.

The Evo kept up with a round of four cappuccinos for a family breakfast.

Our tip: Before guests arrive, fill the water tank to the top and the carafe with cold milk on either machine, so you can make a whole round without stopping.

Cleaning and upkeep

The routines are close, because the brew unit and milk system are close.

After every milk drink, both ask you to turn the carafe dial to Clean. The machine flushes hot water and steam through the milk path, and then the carafe can go back in the fridge. It takes about 15 seconds.

Both carafes need their lids taken apart and washed regularly: the pickup tube, the Venturi piece and the dial. On the Dinamica, I did this every evening; on the Evo, weekly worked, with daily Clean cycles.

The brew unit✕Brew unitThe part inside an automatic machine that compresses the coffee, holds it while water passes through and ejects the used puck. sits behind the water tank on both. You rinse it under warm water, no soap, and let it air-dry. On the Dinamica Plus, switch it fully off first, or the mechanism can end up out of position.

When I deliberately skipped the Evo’s Clean cycle twice in week four, the foam started sputtering and thinning. A full wash of the lid brought it straight back.

Both rinse their coffee path when you switch them on and off. On the Evo, I measured about 1.9 ounces on startup and 0.6 on shutdown, which is why the drip tray filled faster than I expected.

My daily hands-on cleaning time

My estimates, not counting automatic rinses.

Our tip: If the foam starts to sputter on either machine, take the carafe lid apart and check the tiny air holes and O-rings for dried milk.

Noise

I measured the Evo with a sound meter about a foot from the front. The grinder hit 70 to 71 dB for its first five or six seconds, milk frothing 60 to 62 dB and the pump about 60 dB.

The Dinamica Plus sounded very similar: a short, firm grinder burst and a softer hiss while frothing. Both grinders are loud enough to hear from the next room, but brief.

Measured noise on the Magnifica Evo

About a foot from the machine. The Dinamica Plus felt the same to my ear.

Water, beans and supplies

Both have a front-loading tank of about 60 ounces, or 1.8 liters, and both use the same De’Longhi water filters and descaler.

The Evo’s tank lasted about two days for two of us; the Dinamica’s about the same. The Evo’s grounds drawer held around 14 pucks; the Dinamica’s held enough dense, dry pucks that I emptied it every two to three days.

The Specialty Coffee Association’s brewing standard targets about 150 ppm of total dissolved solids and moderate hardness. Filtered tap water with the De’Longhi filter fitted was the sweet spot on both.

Roughly how far one tank goes

Rough maths allowing for rinses. Shorter saved volumes stretch the tank on the Dinamica.

Our tip: Wipe out either hopper with a dry cloth every few weeks if you use darker roasts, so oils don’t build up on the walls.

Real-life scenarios

These are the moments where one machine clearly pulled ahead during my testing.

In a house with mixed tastes, profiles are the Dinamica’s biggest win.

My scorecard

These are my own scores out of 10. The first four come from my single reviews, and I added simplicity and household sharing because they decide this matchup.

Magnifica Evo

Dinamica Plus

Overall, I rate the Evo 8.3 and the Dinamica Plus 8.6. The Dinamica is the better machine; the Evo is the one most couples will be just as happy with.

Which one should you buy?

It comes down to one question: how many people in your home want their own drink saved? One or two, and the Evo does everything you need. Three or more, and the Dinamica’s profiles pay for themselves every morning. Still weighing other options? I rank every model I’ve tested in my guide to the best super-automatic espresso machines.

For the full ladder, see my guide to the best De’Longhi super-automatic espresso machines. If you’re still cross-shopping brands, my Philips 3200 vs Magnifica Evo and Breville vs De’Longhi comparisons cover the other side.

For couples who drink milk drinks, the Evo is the sweet spot of the range.

Magnifica Evo vs Dinamica Plus specifications

From manufacturer specifications and my own testing.

How I tested and compared them

I used each machine as my everyday coffee maker for four weeks, making every drink on its menu. The testing notes were written up together by Michael Reynolds and the HouseholdMe team.

I worked through both grind ranges, weighed doses at each strength level, measured espresso and milk temperatures, checked extraction with a refractometer and measured noise with a sound meter.

I made milk drinks with whole, semi-skimmed, skim, barista oat and almond milk, built profiles and app recipes on the Dinamica, ran every cleaning routine and checked my notes against De’Longhi’s specifications.

• Coffee: dose, extraction, crema and consistency.
• Milk: foam texture, temperature, drink range and the carafes.
• Workflow: controls, profiles, app and busy mornings.
• Ownership: cleaning, noise, water care and footprint.