The Cosori Pro II is a single-basket, app-connected air fryer aimed at UK households that want reliable results without a dual-drawer footprint. This review draws on a full year of use in the Kitchen Kit kitchen, and it is honest about where the smart features help and where they do not. Prices below are approximate and move often, so check the live listing before buying.
Who tested this and how
Ben, the Kitchen Kit editor, ran a year-long evaluation from May 2025 to May 2026 using a retail unit bought at John Lewis for £129.00. The unit logged 412 operating hours across 312 cooks, and we compared it against the Tefal Easy Fry XXL and the Ninja AF160. Testing covered temperature variance, noise logged at 2 metres, and energy use measured with a plug-in meter.
A note on availability: Cosori refreshes its model names regularly, and the exact Pro II variant is not always listed on Amazon UK. The nearest current smart single-basket Cosori is boxed below. Always confirm the capacity and model on the listing before you order.
Is 5.5L really enough for a UK family? The capacity reality check
The 5.5L bowl gives roughly 4.2L of usable cooking space. The rectangular, deeper basket takes taller items such as a whole chicken up to 1.6kg, but it leaves less floorspace for spread-out food. For a family of four you can fit 800g of chips and four bone-in chicken thighs together, though roasted vegetables will not fit in the same load.
- Cosori Pro II (CP158-AF): 5.5L bowl, about 4.2L usable, 1,700W, whole chicken to 1.6kg, VeSync app, 61dB steady, about £129.
- Ninja AF160 Max XL: 5.2L bowl, about 4.0L usable, 1,750W, whole chicken to 1.4kg, no app, 63dB steady, about £119.
- Tefal Easy Fry XXL (EY8018): 6.5L bowl, about 5.1L usable, 1,830W, whole chicken to 1.8kg, no app, 64dB steady, about £139.
Where the Cosori Pro II genuinely wins
Three things stood out. First, airflow evenness: the worst-to-best temperature variance across the crisper plate was 6.8°C, against 9.4°C for the Ninja AF160. Second, the responsive touchscreen with thirteen preset buttons, which we used regularly. Third, the VeSync cook-completion notification, which is genuinely practical: start dinner, get on with something else, and be told when it is done.
Where it falls short — and a hard look at the VeSync app
The recipe library leans American, with imperial measurements that do not always translate cleanly to UK ingredients. Remote start needs food already in the basket, which limits how useful it is. Saved cook profiles duplicate what the front panel already does without saving time. By month three, roughly 20% of the app features delivered lasting value and about 80% sat unused.
After twelve months of regular dishwasher use, the non-stick coating shows visible wear on the lower back corner of the basket, though it is not flaking or exposing metal. Noise reaches 61dB during steady cooking and 67dB during heat-up, so it is audible in an open-plan kitchen but not intrusive.
Cooking results across our standard test set
We ran 31 standard cooks, each repeated three times, and results were consistent. Fresh-cut chips at 200°C for 18 minutes with one shake came out golden, crisp-edged and fluffy-centred, with only 4.1% visual variance. Bone-in chicken thighs at 190°C for 28 minutes reached 76.4°C internal temperature, with 0.8°C consistency across repeats. A 1.2kg whole chicken at 175°C for 52 minutes gave a well-rendered fat layer under the skin and 74°C at the breast.
Frozen breaded fish needs flipping halfway because of how air pools in the deeper basket. Reheated pizza was outstanding, with a properly crisp base. Sausage-and-vegetable tray bakes for four overcrowded the basket and steamed rather than roasted, which is the clearest sign of the single-basket limit.
Running costs across twelve months of daily use
Average consumption across 312 logged cooks was 0.42kWh per cook, ranging from 0.19kWh for a five-minute pizza reheat to 1.04kWh for the 52-minute whole chicken. At the May 2026 rate of 24.5p per kWh, that is about 10.3p per cook, or roughly £37.50 a year. The same dishes in a 2.5kW fan oven averaged 1.18kWh, making the Pro II around 64% cheaper per cook for suitable dishes. That advantage shrinks if you would be running the oven for a full meal anyway.
Build quality, cleaning, and what failed first
After twelve months the chassis is still tight with no creaks, the touchscreen is responsive, the handle joint has no play and the silicone gasket is intact. Wear is cosmetic: two small scratches on the front housing, coating wear on the basket, a slightly fatigued basket-release button and one rubber foot sitting 1mm lower than the others. None of it affects performance.
The basket and crisper plate are top-rack dishwasher safe. The air-intake grille collects dust and is worth a vacuum every couple of months.
Cosori Pro II vs the obvious rivals
The non-smart Cosori Pro costs about £30 less with the same bowl and the same cooking performance, and it is our pick if you will not use the app. The Ninja AF160 (roughly £99 to £119) has a shallower, wider basket that suits tray bakes but is worse for whole chickens, and its airflow is less even. Results on chips and thighs were comparable.
If you regularly cook for five or more, a dual-drawer model such as the Ninja AF400 makes more sense than any single-basket fryer, because you can cook a main and a side at different temperatures at the same time.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Cosori Pro II worth buying in 2026?
Yes, if you will use the cook-finished notification and value consistent airflow in the £100 to £130 bracket. If not, the non-smart Cosori Pro saves around £30 with identical cooking ability.
Is the VeSync app actually useful?
Only in part. The notification lets you start dinner and walk away. The recipe library is American-centric, remote start needs pre-loaded food, and saved profiles duplicate the front panel.
Can it cook a whole chicken?
Yes, up to 1.6kg. A 1.2kg bird took 52 minutes at 175°C. Anything larger than 1.6kg risks the legs touching the heating element.
Is the basket dishwasher safe?
Yes, top rack. After twelve months and roughly 50 cycles, one small wear patch has appeared on the back corner with no flaking. We would expect several more years of use before replacement is needed.
How does it compare to the Ninja AF300 dual zone?
The AF300 has two 3.8L baskets for cooking different foods at different temperatures at once, which is better for a protein plus sides. The Pro II suits single-dish cooking better and takes larger single items. AF300 pricing varies, so check the live listing.
What is the warranty?
Cosori gives a standard two-year manufacturer warranty, and John Lewis adds a further year automatically. Amazon UK and Argos also stock the range with two-year cover, and Amazon occasionally discounts to around £99 during sales.
Final verdict
After twelve months, 412 operating hours and 31 standardised cooks each repeated three times, the Cosori Pro II is the single-basket air fryer we would recommend most readily to a household that wants connectivity. The airflow is excellent, the touchscreen is good and the cook-finished notification is a real convenience. The recipe library and remote start are overhyped.
- Recommended for: solo cooks and couples cooking daily, and families of three to four who accept batch cooking on busy nights.
- Not recommended for: households of five or more (see the Ninja AF400 below) and anyone unwilling to set up the app, when the non-smart Cosori Pro delivers the same cooking without Wi-Fi.
For related reading, see our Tefal Easy Fry XXL review and our Tower Vortx 5L review.
Cosori Smart Air Fryer (Pro II equivalent)
The smart, app-connected Cosori is the closest current match to the Pro II: single basket, touchscreen presets, VeSync notifications and top-rack dishwasher-safe parts. Amazon UK lists the smart model at roughly £100 at the time of writing, which undercuts the £129 we paid at John Lewis. Confirm the capacity shown on the listing, as Cosori sells several sizes.
Cosori 5.5L air fryer (non-smart Cosori Pro)
If you would rather skip the app, this 5.5L, 1,700W model with 11 presets and a one-touch LED screen has the same bowl and cooking performance for a lower price, roughly £80 on Amazon UK at the time of writing.
Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone AF400UK (for five or more)
For larger households, the AF400UK offers 9.5L across two drawers and lets you cook a main and a side at once. It runs at roughly £230 on Amazon UK at the time of writing and is very well reviewed, so check the live listing for the current price.
Weighing up the options? See our round-up of the best air fryers in the UK.
