DeLonghi and Philips both encode real information in their model numbers — the family, the milk system, sometimes just the color. The problem is that nobody tells you which digits matter. ECAM220.22.B and ECAM22022B are the same machine. EP3241/54 and EP3241/74 are the same machine. But ECAM290.61 and ECAM290.84 are not — one has a steam wand, one has a milk carafe, and the price gap is real.
I built this decoder after answering the same question in comments for the third time: “is the /74 version different from the /54?” Paste your number below — from the box, the sticker behind the water tank, or the listing — and it’ll tell you what you’re actually looking at.
How DeLonghi model numbers work
DeLonghi writes the same model two ways. Europe gets dots: ECAM 220.22.B. The US gets one solid string: ECAM22022B. Same machine, different label.
The prefix tells you the machine type: ECAM is the modern super-automatic platform, ESAM is the older one, EC is the pump espresso line (Dedica, La Specialista), EXAM is the Rivelia. The first two digits after ECAM are the family — 22 is Magnifica Start territory (the one on my counter), 29 is Evo, 31 is Evo Next, 45 is Eletta Explore. The letters at the end are just color: B black, S silver, SB silver-black, W white. A black machine and a titanium machine with the same digits are identical inside.
Here’s the thing though: the digits after the family do NOT reliably tell you the milk system. DeLonghi isn’t consistent about it — Evo 290.61 has a wand, 290.84 has a carafe, and there’s no rule that predicts it. That’s exactly why the decoder runs on my verified database instead of guessing from digits.
How Philips model numbers work
Philips is more disciplined. Every machine is EP plus four digits plus a slash-number: EP3241/54. First two digits are the series (32 = 3200, 55 = 5500). The third digit is the milk system, and this one actually holds: 2 means the classic panarello frother, 3 or 4 means LatteGo. The fourth digit is a trim variant — bundle, market, nothing structural.
The /54 part trips everyone up. It’s a sales-channel code: region, finish, sometimes which retailer got it. The hardware is the same across suffixes. If you’re deciding between EP3241/54 and EP3241/74, you’re deciding between two boxes of the same machine — buy the cheaper one.
One wrinkle: Philips reshuffled the lineup. The current series are 2300, 3300, 4400, 5500, plus Cafe Aromis 8000 and the Baristina. The 2200, 3200, and 5400 you still see everywhere are the previous generation — still sold, still fine, just older. [ДОБАВЬ: твоя позиция — брать ли retail-хвост со скидкой, одной фразой]
FAQ
What do the letters at the end of DeLonghi model numbers mean?
Just the color. B is black, S is silver, SB silver-black, W white, T titanium, M metal. Two machines with the same digits and different letters are identical inside — same grinder, same milk system, same everything. Buy whichever finish is cheaper that week.
Is EP3241/54 different from EP3241/74?
No. The number after the slash is a sales-channel code — region, finish, retailer bundle. The machine itself is identical. When you see a price gap between two suffixes of the same EP number, that’s just retail pricing noise, not a different product.
Which digit tells me if a Philips machine has LatteGo?
The third one. A 2 means the classic panarello frother (EP2220, EP3221), a 3 or 4 means LatteGo (EP3241, EP5544). This rule holds across the whole lineup, old generation and new.
Can I tell the milk system from a DeLonghi model number?
Honestly, no. DeLonghi isn’t consistent — Evo 290.61 has a steam wand, 290.84 has a carafe, and no digit pattern predicts it. Use the decoder above or my milk systems table; both run on verified per-model data, not guesses.