This is the most common question in UK home espresso: "should I get the Bambino or spend the extra for the Plus?" The answer is simpler than most review sites make it, because there's really only one difference that matters.
The Bambino Plus has an automatic steam wand. That's it. That's the upgrade.
Same ThermoJet heating (3-second ready time). Same PID temperature control. Same 54mm portafilter with the same baskets. Same pre-infusion. Same build quality. The Plus has a slightly larger water tank (1.9L vs 1.4L) and a slightly larger footprint, but these are side effects of the auto-steam hardware, not independent upgrades.
So the real question is: is an automatic steam wand worth ~£100?
The Bambino Plus's auto steam wand is properly good. You press a button, the wand drops into your milk jug, and in about 30 seconds you have properly textured microfoam at your preset temperature. It's not quite as good as what a skilled barista produces with a manual wand — the texture is a touch less silky, the temperature control less nuanced — but it's consistent, it's hands-free, and at 6:45am on a Tuesday when you're trying to get the kids fed, consistency and hands-free are worth more than artisanal perfection.
If you're making flat whites, lattes, or cappuccinos most mornings, the Plus pays for itself in saved frustration within the first month. Learning to steam milk manually is a skill that takes weeks of practice and a lot of wasted milk. The Plus skips that entirely.
If your typical order is a double shot, an americano, or a long black, the auto steam wand is a £100 paperweight bolted to the side of your machine. Get the standard Bambino, spend the savings on better beans, and never look back.
This is the counterintuitive one. The standard Bambino's manual steam wand is actually better for learning latte art than the Plus's automatic wand. Why? Because latte art requires you to control the wand position, the air intake, and the milk movement in real time. The auto wand does all of that for you, which means you're producing nice foam but learning nothing about the process.
If your goal is to pour rosettas and tulips, the manual wand on the standard Bambino is a proper learning tool. It's the same wand design used on much more expensive machines. Learn on the Bambino, and your skills transfer to any machine you upgrade to later.
Buy the Bambino Plus if you want fast, consistent milk drinks with zero learning curve. Buy the standard Bambino if you drink black espresso, want to learn latte art, or would rather spend the £100 on a better grinder.
Neither is the wrong choice. But one of them is the right choice for you, and they're not the same machine for the same person.