Quality, sturdy construction. So far it works well. However, the crema on the espresso does not come out well and the milk froth on the cappuccino is thin.

for the money it is. it's certainly good. here in Greece. but it does make an extremely loud noise, which is a bit of a shame since I am often awake at night and my partner is not

In the first 10 days, it had a problem. The error lights were flashing in red and it didn't make coffee. After a good cleaning and washing, the same problem continued, so I sent it for service.
Brand new machine, not even 2 weeks old. And who knows how long it will take to be repaired.

Edit:
Luckily, it didn't exceed the 14-day period for product return, and as it was in service, I received it unrepaired and returned it to the store. In its place, I got a Delonghi that is superior in every way. You live and learn, they say. Do not buy this particular machine, even if its price drops to 100 euros. It's a waste of money.

Not at all satisfied with the product, we bought it last Christmas and in less than a year, within 9 months, it developed a problem and the coffee does not flow properly. The service is unacceptable, the repair took one and a half months and they still deceive us. It is a big mistake, don't make the mistake of getting it, it's not worth the money, an unreliable product

After 6 months of use, when I returned from vacation, it made one espresso shot and broke. I took it for service and they returned it to me after a month. After 5 coffees, it had another problem (all 3 lights were flashing simultaneously for water cleaning and malfunction). I took it for service again and after 2 weeks, it returned, made one espresso shot, and had the previous problem again. Overall, a very problematic coffee machine. Stay away, get something else, and personally, I am very disappointed with Philips' support regarding the warranty issue.

In 5 months it stopped producing coffee (without requesting descaling) and was redirecting it internally / the service has been waiting for spare parts from abroad for 2 months and we will be without espresso all summer. Get another machine.

About 2 weeks with the machine, I have to say that at €349 (not at the price it is currently sold for though) when I bought it, it is an excellent purchase and will pay off, let's say... quite quickly (assuming that previously someone was buying coffees outside at prices of €1.5-2.0). In this short period, I have made about 40 coffees (not just for me because I would kill someone :p) and I am starting to find what I like in terms of settings (I still need to try a few more coffees, flavors, etc. to have a more complete opinion - every coffee, in any case, requires its experimentation). I will present some positives/negatives (in my opinion) of the machine based on my experience so far (I am not an expert or a barista, I just love coffee).

Positives:
- Easy first start (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 one needs to get started.
- Before the first use, it is recommended to set the water hardness (done via the stick I mentioned earlier). This will theoretically slow down the need for descaling. We'll see about that.
- Heats up quite quickly and makes using it a breeze even during the tough morning hours before work.
- With every opening and closing, the machine empties a quantity of water for the coffee residues.
- There are several options for coffee beverages. Espresso X1, X2 and setting the extraction amount (3 options), aroma (also 3 options). Coffee X1, X2 (I tried it once, I think it is for americano since it does a long extraction), hot water (for some tea, let's say, or for custom americano) and cappuccino (there is no X1 or X2 option here).
- Temperature setting (although there are only 3 options, low, med, high essentially, we cannot overlook the fact that it exists - caution! there is no separate button but the setting is done while the machine is off).
- It has a satisfactory water tank that comes out and goes in 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 collection tank and coffee residue bin come out easily, clean easily as well, and has something like a small "float" for checking the water level that collects inside it.
- No water or coffee spills (the group lowers as needed depending on the cup you are using).
- The LatteGo is powerful, I can say. Since I am very bad at using a steam wand, 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 frothy milk. I think there is a setting for latte, but I haven't figured out how it works (I haven't looked into it much, we have only made simple cappuccino so far).
- Access to the "guts" (the brewing system) is very easy (it is done from the side by removing the water tank and opening a little door, with a click the whole system comes out for cleaning).
- It can accept, besides whole beans, pre-ground coffee. There is a combination of buttons to activate this specific feature.

Negatives:
- Pre-ground coffee cannot be more than 1 dose. One might say that it is not significant, but it takes time for double+ espresso. I still haven't tried this feature; it will be the last one I try since pre-ground coffee will become 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 ground (as long as the grinder is working during the coffee-making process). This can result in it not turning correctly and lacking precision in the grinding, which means a larger "learning curve" regarding the grinding of each coffee.
- A minor flaw of the machine is that it sometimes thinks the liquid collection container is full and shows the corresponding indicator. You pull the container out for 3-4 seconds until it shows you that it is not in its position. Then you put it back in place, and voila, the problem disappears! It's small, but it was a bit of a shock for me the first time I encountered it.
- Philips explicitly states that we can only use their descalers; otherwise, the warranty is voided. 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 "neutral" for me, as I could never put the noise produced by a coffee machine in the negatives. Even if it were nonexistent, it wouldn't make a difference for me, unless I had the coffee maker in the bedroom :P

In conclusion, I am satisfied with the quality of the coffee I receive, given that we are talking about super-automated production processes and they cannot be compared to semi-automatic machines, separate grinders, etc. However, the quick brewing process (which is also a positive, of course), easy use/cleaning, is a serious reason for someone to keep the machine in mind if they are looking for an automatic one!
* In case of any mishaps/unpleasant (or even more pleasant) developments, I will return to edit my review! Enjoy!!

Edit: After 2.5 months of use, I continue to be quite satisfied. One thing I noticed is that there is no issue with the "float" it has, but the indicator comes on every 12 coffees. I think this is a bit misleading in the manual, as it doesn't explain precisely what it means when it says it can hold up to 12 coffees.
Also, in these 2.5 months, I still haven't needed descaling, nor has the Aquaclean filter needed changing.
Small edit, tip: every 2 months at most, apply a little grease to the parts shown in the Manual. When I DIDN'T do this, I received poor quality coffee that was previously just fine. Logically, not greasing causes the moving parts of the brewing system not to do their job as they should, so keep that in mind.
Also, now, the coffees I have brewed are countless, and the machine doesn't make a peep.

EDIT:
After 1 year, I unfortunately come to confirm the bad reviews made by others below. The machine, for me, does exactly the same (it just doesn't do it as early as for the previous ones). Essentially, it does not perform an automatic cleaning cycle, and it dumps the wastewater into the liquid collection container (1 in 10 times, it might throw out a little water at the start, but not at the end). Descaling did not change anything in the machine. If I do a MANUAL cleaning cycle, it seems that there is some problem (to do this, hold down the button that adjusts the aroma intensity until the pre-ground coffee icon activates, just don't add pre-ground coffee, leave it empty. This way it will dispense water and essentially you are doing a manual cleaning cycle). The machine works, it dispenses coffee, however not correctly. Is there something wrong with the pressure? I don't know. I will call for service and possible replacement very soon, although as I read, it happens again and I would really like to change it for a different machine that will do it correctly without issues. I am amazed by Philips.. I am really amazed.
Edit: Yesterday it sprayed water outside, flooding the table.
Since I had bought it at a price much lower than what it is sold for, they changed it for me 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 does the same as the others. I hope the newer batches don't break so easily.
Edit 25/01/22:
The new machine works normally, as it should, but it has another (very small) issue. For some reason, in the coffee grounds container, a lot more water comes out than it should, resulting in if you don't empty the container immediately, it becomes "soup". This did NOT happen with the previous one.
In conclusion, Philips' Quality Control is below zero. A machine that costs 400+ €, is NOT worth even 200. It's one of those cases where you pay for a name (which has in its portfolio products like Gaggia + Saeco, much more valuable), a premium.

Additionally, I recently visited a friendly couple. They had a Sage (or Breville) machine and a grinder.
Sage Bambino Plus, Sage the Smart Grinder Pro. Expensive products (450+250 respectively), but I brought my coffee to try. I wasn't sure if I brought the right coffee, guys. Honestly, the control you have in such machines really changes the experience completely. I drank coffee, no joke! I saw the real potential of the coffee I buy!

Final conclusion (if you don't experience it, you won't learn):

If you want a new hobby, experimentation, and complete control, DO NOT go for a super-automatic machine. Being able to control 3-4 basic things, like extraction time, correct amount of ground coffee, correct temperature, is important for the experience.

If you want a quick coffee in the morning before work, if you make several coffees daily, if you want to press 2 buttons and have coffee come out (with whatever you lose from 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 ANOTHER machine, not this specific one, for the super-automatic process. If I could, I would change it for another, but while I would have the opportunity to sell it, I don't want to deceive anyone with this specific machine.

EDIT 21/09/23
I still have the same machine. This one has not had any other issues, I clean it thoroughly as the company recommends and it has not shown the problems of the first machine. I returned after all this time because I see its price at ridiculous levels and I would like anyone reading this review to NOT prefer (in case it wasn't clear) this specific machine.
I wish you good coffees :)

EDIT 14/01/25
The machine continues to operate normally without issues. Once a month I clean it thoroughly and that's why it has remained as it was, so I raised the rating to 3 stars, but I do not recommend it to anyone. If you want your peace of mind, stay away. I wonder how this machine is still being sold.

Very good machine, very easy. It cleans itself, it doesn't lose water on the counter, it doesn't throw coffee here and there. A positive thing is that it takes both ground coffee and beans. The milk frother is incredibly good, even after an hour it is still there and doesn't break. There are plenty of cutting options. It makes very nice hot and cold coffee. If I were to buy a machine today, I would still choose the same one.

Excellent machine for anyone who wants to upgrade from semi-automatic to automatic and enjoy quality coffee in 1 minute. Very good milk frother with lattego, nice coffee, no problems so far. It is very easy to clean, has a water filter so it does not need frequent descaling. It does exactly what you buy it for.
It is worth it at the offer price (350), not at the price that stores sell it in Greece, as with the same amount of money (450-500+) you can find automatic machines that make 7-8 types of coffee-beverages (even from the same company)