Philips vs Breville Air Fryer – Best for Crispy Results

Welcome to the premium class of air frying. If you’ve moved past the entry-level models and are ready to make a serious investment in your kitchen for unparalleled crispy results, you’ve inevitably landed here, facing two of the most respected names in the industry: Philips and Breville. This isn’t just a comparison; it’s a clash of design philosophies. In one corner, you have Philips, the very inventor of the air fryer, which has spent over a decade perfecting the dedicated, pod-style air frying machine. In the other, you have Breville, the master of the smart countertop oven, which has engineered a multi-functional culinary powerhouse that also happens to air fry.

Here at Digital Fryer, we live for these high-stakes showdowns. We’ve spent weeks putting these top-tier appliances to the test, pushing them to their limits with everything from delicate salmon skin to hearty chicken wings and, of course, the benchmark of all benchmarks: the perfect french fry. We’re going beyond the spec sheets to give you a true sense of the experience. How does the technology translate to taste and texture? Which one is easier to live with day-to-day? And most importantly, which machine will deliver that shatteringly crisp, golden-brown perfection you’re chasing? Let’s find out.

Quick Look: Philips vs. Breville at a Glance

For those who want a quick, high-level overview, this table breaks down the fundamental differences between these two premium contenders.

The Innovator vs. The Perfectionist: Understanding the Brands

The products from Philips and Breville are a direct reflection of their company DNA. One invented the category, while the other aims to perfect the entire countertop cooking experience.

Philips: The Air Fryer Pioneer

Let’s be clear: Philips *invented* the air fryer. When they launched the first model at the IFA in Berlin back in 2010, they created an entirely new category of kitchen appliance. Their entire philosophy has been to refine and perfect that initial invention. Their focus has always been singular: how can we make the best possible dedicated air fryer? This led to innovations like their patented “StarFish” and later the “Twin TurboStar” technology, all designed to solve the core problems of even cooking and fat removal in a compact space. When you buy a Philips, you are buying into a legacy of focused innovation from the company that started it all. They aren’t trying to be a toaster or a dehydrator; they are trying to be the undisputed king of air frying.

Breville: The Master of the Smart Countertop

Breville operates on a different plane. For years, they have been the gold standard for high-end countertop appliances, especially their Smart Ovens. Their philosophy is about giving the home cook professional-level tools with intelligent controls. Their entry into air frying wasn’t about creating a small pod; it was about integrating high-velocity convection into their already brilliant smart ovens. The heart of every premium Breville appliance is the Element iQ system, a sophisticated combination of smart sensors and multiple, independently controlled heating elements. This system can direct power where and when it’s needed, whether it’s for perfectly even toast, gentle baking, or an intense, all-around blast of heat for air frying. A Breville isn’t just an air fryer; it’s a complete cooking solution.

The Fundamental Divide: Basket-Style Fryer vs. Countertop Oven

Before we even talk about technology, the most important difference is the form factor. This choice affects everything from the food you can cook to your daily workflow.

Philips’ Basket Approach

The classic Philips design uses a deep, pull-out drawer containing a cooking basket. This design is inherently excellent at containing heat and circulating air at extremely high speeds within a small, defined space. To cook evenly, you periodically pull out the drawer and shake the basket, tossing the contents.

• Pros: Shaking is faster and easier than flipping. The contained design often leads to faster preheating and cooking times. The basket and drawer are usually a single, dishwasher-safe unit for incredibly easy cleanup.
• Cons: It’s easy to overcrowd the basket, which leads to steaming instead of crisping. You can’t see the food as it’s cooking without pulling out the drawer and losing heat. The round/square shape isn’t ideal for cooking things like a pizza or long items like asparagus spears.

Breville’s Oven Approach

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer uses a wide, shallow air-fry basket that slides onto racks inside a traditional oven-style cavity. You can see your food cooking through the large glass door. To cook evenly, you typically need to open the door and flip or rotate the food with tongs or a spatula.

• Pros: Massive surface area. You can lay a whole bag of fries or a dozen chicken wings in a single layer, which is the key to perfect crisping. You can cook on multiple racks (though air frying works best on one). It can fit a 13-inch pizza, a 9×13 pan, or toast 6-9 slices of bread. You can watch your food cook.
• Cons: Cleanup is more involved. You have to wash the air fry basket, the drip pan/baking sheet underneath it, and potentially wipe down the interior walls and glass door. Flipping food with tongs is more tedious than shaking a basket.

The Technology of Crisp: Twin TurboStar vs. Element iQ

Now, let’s get nerdy. The “how” behind the crisp is where these two premium brands truly differentiate themselves from the budget-friendly competition we see in comparisons like Dash vs Gourmia air fryers.

Philips Twin TurboStar Technology

Imagine a miniature tornado of superheated air. That’s essentially what Philips has created. A powerful heating element and a massive fan sit above the food. The magic happens below the basket. The bottom of the drawer is shaped like a starfish, which forces the air to circulate back up through the food in a powerful vortex. The “Twin TurboStar” version adds a second layer that is specifically designed to extract and capture excess fat from the food, making it a key feature for health-conscious users.

In our experience, this technology is incredibly efficient. It cooks fast. Because the air is moving so aggressively from all angles, it creates a very even, deep brown crust on food. The fat removal is not a gimmick; after cooking chicken thighs, the amount of rendered fat collected in the bottom of the drawer is genuinely impressive.

Breville Element iQ System

Breville’s approach is more about precision and intelligence. Instead of one heater, their Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro has 6 independent quartz heating elements. Quartz is brilliant because it reacts almost instantly, unlike the metal coils in cheaper ovens. The Element iQ algorithm knows which of these 6 elements to turn on, at what power, and for how long, depending on the function you select. For air frying, it uses the top elements for intense radiant heat (like a broiler) and the bottom elements for cooking from below, while a 2-speed convection fan creates a “super convection” environment, engulfing the food in hot air.

In our experience, this system gives you incredible control and evenness. The top-down heat is key for browning and melting cheese, while the circulating air ensures crispiness. The result is less like traditional air frying and more like cooking with a professional-grade convection oven. It produces a slightly different, often more delicate and uniform, crisp than the brute force of the Philips.

The Cooking Showdown: Real-World Crispy Results

We cooked three air fryer staples to see how the technology and form factor translate to the plate.

Test 1: Frozen French Fries

• Philips: The fries cooked incredibly fast. After two shakes, they emerged with a deep golden-brown color and a fantastic, hard-shell crunch. Some fries were slightly darker than others, but the overall result was outstanding. Texture was a 10/10 for pure crispiness.
• Breville: We laid the fries in a single layer on the air fry basket. They took a few minutes longer to cook. We flipped them once halfway through. The result was astonishingly even. Every single fry was the exact same shade of perfect golden-brown. The crisp was slightly more delicate, less of a hard shell, but perfectly crunchy. Texture was a 10/10 for evenness.

Test 2: Chicken Wings

• Philips: The Twin TurboStar technology was made for this. The fat rendered out of the wings beautifully, collecting in the drawer below. The skin became taught, bubbly, and shatteringly crisp after a couple of shakes. The result was a perfectly cooked, juicy wing with skin like glass.
• Breville: Laid out in a single layer, the wings cooked in their own rendered fat on the tray below (we used a foil-lined pan for easy cleanup). The top-down heat from the elements crisped the top skin like a broiler, while the convection air crisped the sides. After one flip, the result was a perfectly, evenly browned wing that was incredibly juicy. The crisp was fantastic, perhaps a tiny bit less “hard” than the Philips but equally delicious.

This dedication to performance is what sets these premium brands apart from powerful mid-range options, a dynamic we also explore in our Ninja vs Philips Air Fryer comparison.

Test 3: Breaded Chicken Cutlets

• Philips: The cutlets cooked quickly, but the breading on the bottom didn’t get as crisp as the top. Shaking wasn’t an option, so we had to carefully flip them, which was a bit awkward in the basket. The final result was good, but not perfect.
• Breville: This is where the oven form factor shines. The cutlets, laid on the basket, got crisp from the circulating air, while the top elements ensured the breadcrumbs browned to a perfect, even golden color. It felt like cooking in a high-end oven, and the results were flawless—crispy, juicy, and perfectly cooked.

Head-to-Head: The Flagship Models

Let’s compare the titans: the most popular premium models from each brand.

Philips Premium Airfryer XXL (HD9650/96)

This is the culmination of Philips’ air fryer expertise. With a massive 3lb/7qt capacity, it can cook for a whole family. It features the advanced Twin TurboStar fat-removal technology, a simple digital interface with presets, and dishwasher-safe parts for the easiest cleanup in the premium category.

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Breville Smart Oven® Air Fryer Pro (BOV900BSS)

The undisputed king of countertop ovens. This machine does it all with 13 cooking functions, including air fry, dehydrate, and slow cook. Its Element iQ system and 2-speed convection fan provide unparalleled precision and versatility. It can roast a 14-lb turkey, proof dough, and air fry enough wings for a party in one go.

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The Breville’s all-in-one nature puts it in a similar category to other multi-cookers, though with a different focus. We explore that type of versatility in our popular Ninja Foodi vs Instant Pot Air Fryer comparison.

Who Should Buy a Philips Air Fryer?

Who Should Buy a Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer?

The choice here often comes down to specialization vs. versatility, a common theme we also see when comparing other brands like in our Cosori vs Instant Vortex Air Fryer article.

Final Verdict: The Ultimate Choice for Crispy Perfection

After exhaustive testing, we can say with absolute confidence that both of these machines are magnificent. They are the best at what they do, and the “right” choice is not about which is better overall, but which is the perfect tool for your specific culinary goals.