Quick verdict

• Best for most homes of 2 to 4 people: Philips NA120 (4.2 L). It’s simple to use, with knob controls, 1500 W, 12 preset modes, a 30-minute timer with auto shut-off and a 2-year warranty. Price band: ₹4,000–₹5,000. Check price on Amazon.in (paid link)
• Best for families of 5 or more: Philips NA231 (6.2 L). It has a bigger basket, 1700 W, 13 presets, a touch panel and a cooking window. Price band: ₹9,000–₹10,000, so it sits right at the top of this budget. Check price on Amazon.in (paid link)
• Budget pick with a window and touch panel: SOLARA 4.5 L. It has 1500 W, 10 presets and digital touch controls. It’s a newer listing than the Philips models, so it has a shorter track record. Price band: ₹3,000–₹4,000. Check price on Amazon.in (paid link)

All three sit within the ₹10,000 budget, though the NA231’s band reaches right up to it. If your family is four people or fewer and you mostly make snacks, you probably don’t need to spend more than the NA120’s band.

Spec comparison

Specs come from the Amazon.in listings and Philips India product pages linked under Sources. Where a cell says “Not stated”, we checked the listing highlights and the spec wasn’t given there. Prices change daily, especially during sale season, so treat these as bands and check the current price on Amazon.

Why litres alone is the wrong way to choose

Air fryer capacity is the size of the basket, not how much food cooks well in one go. Hot air has to circulate around the food. A basket filled to the brim cooks unevenly, so you end up shaking it more often or cooking in two batches. Here’s how to read the numbers:

• Litres tell you the biggest batch you can fit, not the batch that crisps best.
• Wattage tells you how quickly the fryer heats up and recovers after you open the basket. A bigger basket usually comes with a bigger element: the NA231 pairs 6.2 L with 1700 W.
• Presets are convenience, not capability. A preset is just a saved time and temperature. If you’re happy setting both yourself, presets don’t matter much.
• Controls matter more than people expect. Knobs are quick and easy for elders to use. Touch panels are easier to wipe clean and usually come with a display and presets.

A rough rule of thumb [assumption, not a manufacturer figure]: about 4 to 4.5 L suits snack batches for 2 to 4 people, and 6 L or more suits families who want to cook a full side dish or a main in one go. If you often cook for guests, size up.

The picks

Philips NA120 (4.2 L): best for most homes of 2 to 4 people

What the specs say: 4.2 L basket, 1500 W, Rapid Air with a starfish-design pan, and 12 preset cooking modes (per the Amazon.in listing). Philips India lists analogue time and temperature knobs, fry, bake, grill, roast and reheat functions, a 30-minute manual timer with auto shut-off, and dishwasher-safe non-stick parts. The Amazon.in listing states a 2-year warranty.

Who it’s for: couples and families of up to four who want an easy, low-oil snack machine: samosas reheated without going soggy, fries, paneer or chicken tikka, roasted peanuts and makhana. The knobs mean there are no menus to learn.

Who should skip it: anyone who wants to watch food without opening the basket (there’s no window), anyone who wants precise digital settings, and families of five or more who would end up cooking in batches.

Trade-off: there’s no display, so time and temperature are set by eye on the knobs.

Philips NA120 on Amazon.in (paid link)

Philips NA231 (6.2 L): for bigger families

What the specs say: 6.2 L, 1700 W, 13 preset modes including reheat, defrost and dehydrate, a touch panel and a cooking window. The listing also mentions recipes in Philips’ HomeID app.

Who it’s for: households of five or more, or anyone who wants to cook a whole tray of vegetables or a family-size batch of fries or wings at once. The window lets you check browning without letting the heat out.

Who should skip it: small households and anyone with limited counter space, since a 6.2 L unit is noticeably bigger than a 4 L one. It also takes up almost the whole ₹10,000 budget.

Trade-off: it costs roughly twice the NA120’s band for about 2 L more capacity and a touch panel.

Philips NA231 on Amazon.in (paid link)

SOLARA 4.5 L: budget pick with a window

What the specs say: a 4.5 L non-stick basket, 1500 W, 10 presets, digital touch control, a viewing window and a cool-touch handle.

Who it’s for: buyers who want a window and a touch panel at the lowest price band of the three.

Who should skip it: anyone who puts brand service networks and long track records first. SOLARA is a smaller brand than Philips, and this listing is newer. We also couldn’t confirm its warranty from a source we trust, so check the warranty on the listing before you buy.

SOLARA 4.5 L on Amazon.in (paid link)

What does an air fryer cost to run?

You can work out an upper limit yourself. An air fryer’s heating element runs at full power while it heats up, then switches on and off to hold the temperature, so real use is lower than this maximum.

• Units used (kWh) = watts ÷ 1,000 × hours
• Philips NA120 at 1500 W for 20 minutes: 1.5 × (20 ÷ 60) = 0.5 kWh at most
• Philips NA231 at 1700 W for 20 minutes: 1.7 × (20 ÷ 60) = about 0.57 kWh at most

To turn that into rupees, multiply by your tariff per unit from your electricity bill. As a round example, at ₹8 per unit [example rate; use your own bill], a 20-minute session costs at most about ₹4 to ₹4.50. Even a daily 20-minute session works out to at most about ₹120–₹136 a month at that example rate. Domestic tariffs vary widely by state and slab (roughly ₹2 to ₹9 per unit for a typical 100-unit month), so use the rate on your own bill.

Before you plug it in, check the socket. A 1500–1700 W appliance should go into a proper wall socket, not a thin multi-plug extension that’s also running other appliances.

Who should buy an air fryer, and who should skip one

Buy one if you cook small batches of snacks often, want to use less oil than deep-frying, or want to reheat leftovers without a soggy microwave result.

Skip it if most of your cooking is curries, dal, rice and rotis. An air fryer doesn’t replace a pressure cooker or a tawa. If you bake cakes or large trays of food, an OTG may suit you better. If counter space is very tight, think about whether you’ll really use it every week.

How we chose

• We started from products that are widely available on Amazon.in in this budget and read their listings and the Philips India product pages.
• We compared only specs we could source: capacity, wattage, presets, controls, timer and warranty. Where a spec wasn’t confirmed, we say so in the table.
• We grouped them by household size because that’s the decision most buyers get wrong.
• We did not test these air fryers ourselves. This guide is spec-checked from manufacturer and listing information, not hands-on tested. We don’t use Amazon customer reviews or star ratings.
• Prices are shown as bands from 17 October 2026 (IST). They move daily, so check the current price on Amazon.

FAQ

What size air fryer do I need for a family of 4? About 4 to 4.5 L, like the Philips NA120 (4.2 L) or SOLARA (4.5 L), is usually enough for snack batches [assumption]. If you want to cook a full side dish for four in one go, look at 6 L or more.

Can I make rotis or parathas in an air fryer? It isn’t the right tool. Rotis and parathas need direct heat from a tawa. Air fryers suit snacks, roasting, reheating and small baked items.

Do I need a separate power point? Use a proper wall socket rated for the load, and don’t share an extension board with other heating appliances. At 1500–1700 W, these draw as much as an electric kettle or iron.

Is a touch panel better than knobs? Neither is better at cooking. Knobs are quicker and easier for some family members. Touch panels are easier to clean and usually have presets and a display.

Should I wait for a sale? Prices move often during festive sales. Check the current price on Amazon and compare it with the price bands above, which were taken on 17 October 2026.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability change. Check Amazon.in for the current price.

Sources

• Amazon.in listing (B0D14BB5XY) (paid link)
• www.domesticappliances.philips.co.in
• Amazon.in listing (B0D1474ZT6) (paid link)
• Amazon.in listing (B0F9FKRVTJ) (paid link)
• recindia.nic.in