Ninja's First Full-Size Gas Grill Is 4 Appliances in 1. Here's My Review
8.3
/ 10
SCORE Ninja FlexFlame $1,000 at Ninja Kitchen Pros Built-in smoker can add smoky flavor to food with the push of a button
Convection fan provides fast preheating and heat recovery, and even cooking
Feels well built and includes a 10-year warranty
Griddle attachment offers mess-free cooking of flaky fish and vegetables
Large 424 square-inch grill top Cons A big grill means lots of grill to clean
Must be plugged in to operate, and the power cord is short
Accessories are sold separately
Expensive
Ninja FlexFlame
8.3/10 CNET Score
$1,000 at Ninja Kitchen
Ninja is unabashedly one of our favorite producers of kitchen gear and gadgets. The innovators recently blessed us with our new favorite air fryer, complete with a show-offy glass cooking chamber. Then they dropped an upgraded version of their viral ice cream maker that had our New York office melting faster than a scoop in July.
Now, Ninja's crashing the full-size grill party with the FlexFlame Grill, a beast of a BBQ that's as multitasking as your group chat on a Friday night. And just in time for May, a.k.a. the unofficial kickoff to grilling season. Coincidence? Not a chance.
The Ninja's clean appearance hides a dynamic grill top that can turn into a griddle, smoker, roaster or pizza oven.
David Watsky/CNET
The five-in-one outdoor cooker is a powerhouse when it comes to grilling and roasting, easily converting into a sleek griddle and featuring a handy built-in pellet smoker to infuse meat, fish, and vegetables with rich barbecue flavor. To find out how well Ninja's bold entry into the large grill market holds up, I donned my best barbecue gloves and put the FlexFlame to the test for a month.
So is it worth your $1,000 to take this feature-heavy grill home? Here's everything you need to know about the flashy new Ninja FlexFlame.
What's different about the Ninja FlexFlame?
The FlexFlame looks like your average outdoor three-burner gas grill, but unique features include:
A convection fan for even cooking and precise temperature control.
A built-in pellet smoker allows you to impart smoky flavor into any food.
The dynamic grill top transforms into a flat-top griddle, roaster and pizza oven with attachments (sold separately).
The built-in smoker box sets the FlexFlame apart from most of the grills we've tested.
David Watsky/CNET
Design and build quality
The FlexFlame is sturdy and designed for easy cooking. All the add-on attachments, including the roasting rack, cast-iron griddle top, and pizza stone, fit squarely in their places and are well-made. The grates and griddle are enameled cast iron, and the under-cabinet space is roomy. Similar to industry leader Weber, it has a 10-year limited warranty.
The grill is solid, once assembled. Adding pellets to the hopper is slightly awkward but there are no other obvious design flaws.
David Watsky/CNET
The stainless steel and porcelain-coated finish looks nice, but the aesthetics are nothing special. If smudgy stainless steel isn't your thing, there's a matte black edition available from Ninja or The Home Depot.
Assembly and setup
Assembling the grill should take one hour or more. The instructions are user-friendly and include video tutorials. In most regions, a white glove service is available to have the grill delivered already set up for an extra cost.
Cooking performance
A built-in convection fan helps with evenness and efficiency
The CyclonicHeat fan helps distribute air evenly over food and keeps the temperature consistent.
David Watsky/CNET
Once the grill is set up and plugged in (yes, it requires electricity to operate) and ignited using the ignition system, all the burners are ignited, and a built-in convection fan begins to pump away. I was able to choose a cooking method ranging from a precise low and slow cook or roaring high heat as hot as 600 degrees F, perfect for pizza.
Preheating the oven to its hottest 600 degrees Fahrenheit takes about 10 minutes, which is fast for a grill. A temperature readout on the dial lets you know when it is ready.
The CylonicHeatIQ -- aka a convection fan and heat sensors -- circulates heat evenly throughout the chamber and keeps the temperature consistent. I saw this feature on display when I roasted a whole chicken with a can of light lager up its rear. It was done in less than 45 minutes, and the skin was crispy, and the bird was evenly cooked.
Lightning-fast temperature recovery
Even if the lid was opened, the FlexFlame recovered the set temperature much faster than other grills.
David Watsky/CNET
The convection fan also gives this grill quick temperature recovery via powerful burners and a convection fan. If I opened the lid to check cooking progress, I typically returned to temperature within a few seconds of closing it again.
Grilling: This grill gets screaming hot, and the temperature readout helps determine when it's ready for action. I found it easy to get a great sear on the burgers, salmon and chicken I cooked on it. Grilling on the FlexFlame wasn't much different from grilling on other quality grills I've used.
The Ninja FlexFlame's smoker and a low, slow heat from the burners combined to make some mighty tasty ribs.
David Watsky/CNET
Smoking: The FlexFlame's marquis feature is the built-in smoker box. All it takes is to drop a cupful of wood pellets into the hopper. Once the grill is fired up, either on low/slow mode or a higher heat, you close the hood and tap the woodfire flavor button, and the system starts pumping smoke inside.
These were some of the better ribs I've made and it couldn't have been easier.
David Watsky/CNET
I used the smoker to cook a rack of pork ribs at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 hours. They were tender and juicy with a pleasant, light smoky flavor. I then cooked beef ribs at a lower temperature but for a longer time, and the smokiness was more pronounced.
I let the beef ribs smoke for even longer and it totally paid off.
David Watsky/CNET
Griddle: As much as I enjoyed the smoker, the feature I found myself using most was the half or full griddle insert, and I recommend buying those add-on accessories. While beef and chicken are often the stars of a barbecue menu, I love cooking the whole meal out there. That often includes veggies, potatoes or flaky fish that can break apart and fall through the grates onto the burners and into a wretched mess.
If you get the Ninja FlexFlame, the half griddle attachment is a must.
David Watsky/CNET
The FlexFlame griddle sits firmly next to the grill grates, so you can use both surfaces at the same time. Chicken and beef get kissed by the flames and attractive grill marks, while salmon enjoys a fierce sear yet stays intact on the griddle side. Toss broccoli or diced mushrooms drizzled with olive oil with them, and you've got a meal in under 15 minutes.
You can grill flaky fish or make a diner-style breakfast on the FlexFlame's griddle.
David Watsky/CNET
Pizza: Because the oven can reach 600 degrees Fahrenheit and hold its temperature consistently, it's an ideal grill for making pizza, especially if you order the pizza stone attachment ($50).
Precision heat for expanded outdoor cooking
The grill cooked my beer can chicken evenly in under 45 minutes.
David Watsky/CNET
Along with the griddle insert and option to smoke, a feature of the FlexFlame I fell for was the digital control panel with precision temperature settings ranging from 200 to 600 degrees Fahrenheit. With most grills, the temperature inside the grill is a guessing game, and it often doesn't correspond directly to the setting on the dials.
FlexFlame's precision allows you to use it like a traditional convection oven, even in summer, a great foil for keeping the kitchen cool on lasagna night.
Perfect grill for steaks and thick cuts of meat
The FlexFlame allows you to cook using different methods and surfaces at the same time.
David Watsky/CNET
Fussy carnivores know that the best way to cook a thick cut of meat like ribeye, filet or pork chop is to sear the outside on both sides and finish it with indirect heat in the oven. Since this grill can imitate an oven with more precise convection cooking, you can do both right in the FlexFlame's cooking chamber. Simply move the seared steak up to a roasting rack to finish, and stick it with a meat thermometer to nail the doneness.
It's a beast to clean
A grill big enough to accommodate all those features and functions means there is a lot of real estate to clean afterward and maintain. That's especially true after a long, slow, low cook such as ribs, brisket or pork shoulder. None of the grill's components are advertised as dishwasher safe, requiring manual cleaning.
Slow cooking combined with convection heat can result in a good deal of mess to clean up after.
David Watsky/CNET
Fatty foods ooze grease, and the convection fan blows air around so things can move more than in a typical grill. There's a grease trap and management system, which is particularly useful when griddling, but it can only do so much. All grilling requires cleanup, but expect a relatively robust cleaning session after each use of the FlexFlame.
Read more: How to Clean Your Grill like a Pro
It must be plugged in to work, which is kind of annoying
This is my first grill to require electricity, and there were times I wished it didn't. The power cord attached to the grill is short -- I assume for safety -- so you'll need an extension cord.
My home doesn't have outdoor outlets, so running a cord out the back meant I could not close the storm door. Within a few minutes of using the smoker feature, much of that smoke had snuck its way into the house. Not exactly where you want it.
Conclusion: The pricey FlexFlame is worth it for the right person
The new Ninja FlexFlame has all the makings for a delicious summer.
David Watsky/CNET
The Ninja FlexFlame offers more than most gas grills, including impressive temperature control, a dynamic grill top and the option to smoke your food with the push of a button. At $1,000 for the grill only, it costs more than most, especially if you nab the add-ons. (I like the half griddle pan best.) Because of this, you'd be wise to consider all that the Ninja offers and whether or not you'll use these features regularly to justify the cost.
If you're smoker- or barbecue-curious or have been considering an outdoor pizza oven or flattop grill, the FlexFlame can stand in valiantly for all three outdoor cooking appliances. Plus, it delivers all the trappings of a sturdy and high-functioning gas grill.
If you're not in the market for those other tools, just a great grill; the exceptional Weber 3-Burner Spirit E-33 or E-321 can be yours for roughly half the price.
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Even though the background gets grainy and blurry, the TCL 60 XE's main camera captures an impressive amount of detail on the meat in the foreground. Tyler Graham/CNET The depth sensor adds a shallow depth of field to photos, making for nicely detailed shots. I used it to capture these flowers from my girlfriend's garden, and the vibrant hues really stand out. The rich red bulbs and soft pink petals pop against the background, making the 60 XE feel like it's punching above its weight for nature photography. Tyler Graham/CNET Compared with the photos CNET senior editor Mike Sorrentino took on the TCL 50 XL 5G, the TCL 60 XE's selfie camera is definitely sharper. Here's a shot of me at a pit stop during a multi-day trip -- it captures the unshaved fuzz on my face in almost uncomfortable detail, but completely washes out the sky and blends the reds of the gas station behind me. The 60 XE's selfie camera does a good job at capturing the main subject, but washes out everything in the background. Tyler Graham/CNET The camera system is a normal corner-cutting point for these budget phones. You won't be taking any award-winning photos with the 60 XE, but at the end of the day, I wouldn't have any reservations about posting these pictures on Instagram either. The bottom line: What we think of the TCL 60 XE NxtPaper 5G TCL has put together another impressive budget device, combining some features you'd expect from pricier phones with extra bells and whistles that feel special in a $200 product. The 60 XE's display is much like the 50 XL's, but its standout camera upgrade is the front-facing selfie lens. And what really sets it apart from other budget phones are the NxtPaper and TCL AI features. Unfortunately, the 60 XE's battery life can't match the Samsung Galaxy A15's. It also gets uncomfortably hot during mobile gaming. But its biggest drawback is still TCL's meager promise of just one software upgrade and two years of security updates. Both Motorola and Samsung have stronger commitments to support their budget phones, offering three years and five years of security updates, respectively. If you have sensitive eyes or you frequently use AI writing tools, the TCL 60 XE NxtPaper is a cut above most other phones you can get for $200. If the extras here don't matter much to you, you're probably better off with a Samsung or Motorola phone. TCL 60 XE NxtPaper 5G specs vs. TCL 50 XL 5G, Samsung Galaxy A15 5G specs TCL 60 XE NXTPAPER 5G TCL 50 XL 5G Samsung Galaxy A15 5G Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate 6.78-inch FHD Plus, 2,460 x 1,080 pixels, 120 Hz refresh rate 6.78-inch, 2,460 x 1,080 pixels, 120Hz refresh rate 6.5-inch FHD Plus Super AMOLED; 2,340 x 1,080 pixels; 90Hz refresh rate Pixel density 396 ppi 396 ppi 420 ppi Dimensions (inches) 6.6 x 2.97 x 0.32 in. 6.6 x 2.9 x 0.32 in. 6.3 x 3.02 x 0.33 in. Dimensions (millimeters) 167.6 x 75.5 x 8.22mm 167.6 x 73.6 x 8.1mm 160 x 76.7 x 8.4 mm Weight (grams, ounces) 199.5g (6.9 oz) 195g (6.9 oz) 201g (7.09 oz.) Mobile software Android 15 Android 14 Android 14 Camera 50-megapixel (main + macro camera), 5-megapixel (ultrawide), 2-megapixel (depth) 50-megapixel (wide), 5-megapixel (ultrawide), 2-megapixel (depth) 50-megapixel (wide), 5-megapixel (ultrawide), 2-megapixel (macro) Front-facing camera 32-megapixel 8-megapixel 13-megapixel Video capture 1,080p at 30 fps 1,080p 1,080p at 30 fps Processor MediaTek Dimensity 6100 Plus MediaTek Dimensity 6100 Plus Mediatek Dimensity 6100 Plus RAM/storage 8GB RAM + 128GB 6GB RAM + 128GB 4GB RAM + 128GB Expandable storage Yes Yes Yes Battery 5,010 mAh 5,010 mAh 5,000 mAh Fingerprint sensor Side Side Side Connector USB-C USB-C USB-C Headphone jack Yes Yes Yes Special features 5G connectivity, TCL NXTPAPER e-reader mode, TCL AI functionality, 18W wired charging NFC, 5G connectivity, TCL NxtVision, 18W wired charging 25W wired charging, 800-nit brightness US price starts at $200 (128GB) $160 (128GB) $200 (128GB) UK price starts at £169 (128GB) £128 (128GB) £169 (128GB) Australia price starts at AU$329 (128GB) AU$242 (128GB) AU$329 (128GB) How we test phones Every phone tested by CNET's reviews team is actually used in the real world. We test a phone's features, play games and take photos. We examine the display to see if it's bright, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and build to see how it is to hold and whether it has an IP-rating for water resistance. We push the processor to its limits using standardized benchmarks like GeekBench and 3DMark, along with our own observations while navigating the interface, recording high-resolution videos and playing graphics-heavy games at high refresh rates. All the cameras are tested in a variety of conditions, from bright sunlight to dim indoor scenes. We try out special features, such as night mode and portrait mode, and compare our findings against similarly priced competing phones. We also test battery life through daily use and a series of battery drain tests. We consider additional features, such as 5G support, satellite connectivity, fingerprint and face sensors, stylus compatibility, charging speeds and foldable displays, among other useful tools, too. And we balance all this against the price to give you the verdict on whether that phone, whatever price it is, actually represents good value. Though these tests may not always be reflected in CNET's initial review, we conduct follow-up and long-term testing in most circumstances.
