One drawer, or two
Is a second cooking zone worth three times the price?
Two air fryers that answer different questions. Philips publishes what its basket holds in food; Ninja publishes what its body takes in centimetres — and offers something no single drawer can do.
| Compared on | NA229/00 | AF500EUSD |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 4,2 L, one drawer | 2 × 5,2 L, or 10,4 L joined |
| Published load | 500 g chips · 6 drumsticks · 500 g vegetables | 2 kg chicken or 1,5 kg chips per zone |
| Two foods at once | No | Yes, two zones finishing together |
| External dimensions | Not published | H 32,7 × W 31,6 × D 49,6 cm |
| Power | Not published | Not published |
| Temperature range | Not published | Not published |
| Presets | 9, on a touchscreen | 7 cooking functions |
| Markets with a live offer | Six | Four — no US or UK |
A tick marks the better answer on that line only. Counting ticks does not decide the page — the two verdicts below do, because these products answer different questions.
Take the Philips if one drawer is enough. It is the only air fryer on this site that publishes what actually fits — 500 g of chips, six drumsticks — which is the figure a household of two plans around, and it is sold in every market we check.
Take the Ninja if you cook a main and a side at once. Two independent zones finishing together is something no single drawer can do at any price, and Ninja is the only maker here to publish its external dimensions — 49,6 cm of depth, which is the number to check first.
Neither does. It is the shared blank in this comparison: two of the best-known names in the category, and no power figure between them. The Russell Hobbs on this site publishes 1 800 W and the Midea 1 150 W.
On paper. The Russell Hobbs Satisfry has a single 8,3-litre drawer; the Ninja has 10,4 litres split across two zones that can be joined. One drawer cooks one thing at one temperature — which is the real difference, not the litres.
4,2 L · 13-in-1 · touchscreen, 9 presets
The Airfryer 2000 Series, and the model Philips publishes a usable-load figure for rather than only a litre count: 500 g of chips, six drumsticks or 500 g of vegetables in a 4.2-litre basket. Touchscreen with nine presets, RapidAir with the StarPlate, non-stick surfaces declared dishwasher-safe.
Best for: Two people who want the same result twice, and a listing that says what actually fits.
≈ 55 €
2 × 5,2 L · MegaZone 10,4 L · 7 functions
The FlexDrawer, and the only air fryer here that can cook two things two ways at once. Ninja publishes two independent 5.2-litre zones that join into a single 10.4-litre MegaZone, a stated load of 2 kg of chicken or 1.5 kg of chips per zone, seven functions, and — unusually for this family — the external dimensions.
Best for: A household cooking a main and a side at the same time, on a worktop with 50 cm of depth.
≈ 170 €
