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 centimeters — and offers something no single drawer can do. A note for American readers: both are European versions with no current Amazon.com price, and no basket air fryer on this site has one yet. For air frying in the US, see the air-fry toaster ovens on the toaster ovens page, and for what two zones change, what is a dual-zone air fryer.
| Compared on | NA229/00 | AF500EUSD |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 4.2 L (about 4.4 qt), one drawer | 2 × 5.2 L (about 5.5 qt), or 10.4 L joined |
| Published load | 17.6 oz of fries · 6 drumsticks · 17.6 oz of vegetables | 4.4 lb of chicken or 3.3 lb of fries per zone |
| Two foods at once | No | Yes, two zones finishing together |
| External dimensions | Not published | 12.9 × 12.4 × 19.5 in (H × W × D) |
| Power | Not published | Not published |
| Temperature range | Not published | Not published |
| Presets | 9, on a touchscreen | 7 cooking functions |
| US offer | No current Amazon.com price | None — European AF500EU |
| Listed on amazon.com | Yes | No |
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 (17.6 oz) of chips, six drumsticks — which is the figure a household of two plans around.
No amazon.com listing was found for this one. We hold references for other markets but none for the United States, so it may not be buyable here — which is the first thing to weigh against anything below.
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 publishes its external dimensions — 19.5 inches 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.
On paper. Two 5.5-quart zones add up to about 11 quarts, but each zone still needs one layer, and a whole chicken does not fit in half a machine. Two zones cook two things at two temperatures — which is the real difference, not the quarts. See what is a dual-zone air fryer.
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 liter count: 500 g (17.6 oz) of chips, six drumsticks or 500 g (17.6 oz) of vegetables in a 4.2-liter 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.
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-liter zones that join into a single 10.4-liter MegaZone, a stated load of 2 kg (4.4 lb) of chicken or 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) 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 countertop with 50 cm (19.7 in) of depth.
