Instant Pot Duo Crisp 6.5QT with Ultimate Lid Smart Multi-Cooker and Air Fryer review

The Instant Pot Duo Crisp 6.5QT with Ultimate Lid Smart Multi-Cooker and Air Fryer (140-0060-01) combines a 6.5-quart stainless cooking pot, pressure cooking, a non-pressure Slow Cook program and air frying. Its distinguishing extra is not a separate Air Fry lid: the exact SKU has one Ultimate Lid that changes configuration between cooking modes. The useful difference from the near-identical 140-0068-01 is confirmed Wi-Fi and app control for the 140-0060-01. If phone control is not part of your routine, compare the non-smart SKU rather than assuming every Ultimate Lid version has the same connected features.

What the connected version actually adds

The 140-0060-01 product page advertises Instant Connect app pairing, interactive recipes, and the ability to monitor progress, adjust settings or switch functions from a phone. Its R16 manual has an app section, a Wi-Fi indicator on the panel, and setup instructions that call for a home Wi-Fi network and Bluetooth during pairing. For Slow Cook, the manual says the app can control all program settings and use recipes for particular foods; it also describes manual operation at the cooker. That makes this a real remote-control distinction, not merely a cooker whose recipe site happens to have an app.

Connection is an optional convenience, not a reason to ignore the on-appliance plan or safety directions. The manual describes account and pairing steps and app troubleshooting, so buyers who prefer unconnected appliances should decide whether they will use those features before paying attention to the word “Smart.” The standard 140-0068-01 product page and R15 manual do not confirm app control; unknown capability should not satisfy an essential remote-cooking need.

Slow Cook is still Low or High, not a ready-at schedule

The linked R16 manual’s Slow Cook section describes a non-pressure routine. It offers Low and High, defaults to High for four hours, and lets you set a duration from 30 minutes to 24 hours. The full selectable range is unusually useful to know before choosing a multicooker for a recipe that needs a long timer. It is a control ceiling, not an endorsement of any specific cooking duration. Keep Warm starts on by default after cooking, with the elapsed display counting through its documented Warm interval; do not treat that counter as food-safety guidance.

Delay Start is available for Slow Cook and can be set from 10 minutes to 24 hours. The app/manual distinction matters: a delayed start counts down before cooking begins. It is not a user-selected “have dinner ready at 6” schedule. If a finish-time program is essential, look for an exact model/manual that documents that operation. If Medium heat is essential, this Duo Crisp does not qualify because the Slow Cook choices are Low and High. The app cannot create a Medium setting or a meal-finish schedule that the cooker does not document.

One-pot prep and a separate air-fry finish

The product page lists 13 functions, including Slow Cook, Pressure Cook, Sauté, Steam, Sous Vide, Air Fry, Roast, Bake, Broil, Dehydrate, Yogurt, Proof and Warm. The R16 manual lets you sauté with the lid open in the stainless pot, cancel and deglaze, then move into Slow Cook. In that Slow Cook plan, the pressure-cooking cover must be installed inside the Ultimate Lid and the lid closed and locked, even though the Slow Cook program itself does not use pressure.

Air Fry uses the same top lid in another configuration with the included Air Fry/Cooking Rack. After Slow Cook, the manual permits an Air Fry crisp finish as a later step; there is no simultaneous second cooking zone. This may save the cabinet space required by a two-lid cooker, yet it does not eliminate handling: the removable pressure cover and rack still need cleaning and somewhere to rest. The exact manufacturer page lists the inner pot, pressure cover and rack as dishwasher-safe. It does not provide a confirmed open-lid height or empty weight, and its dimension fields have no stated unit, so check the physical counter area and storage route yourself.

Who should choose it—and who should not

Choose the exact 140-0060-01 if you will use app-based control or monitoring, want a 6.5-quart main pot and value having Slow Cook, pressure cooking and Air Fry in one lid assembly. It is a better match for those connected needs than the 140-0068-01 because the smart model’s own page and R16 manual affirm the app feature. The comparison is practical: the two pages list the same nominal capacity, 13 named functions and 1500-watt/120-volt supply, while only the 140-0060-01 page and manual document the app connection.

Look elsewhere if a separate Air Fry lid is important. The Duo Crisp 6QT 112-0120-01 and Duo Crisp 8QT 140-0021-01 are two-lid configurations, not alternate names for this Ultimate Lid. Choose a different Slow Cook model if Medium heat, verified open-lid clearance or a ready-at time is non-negotiable. The 6.5-quart label describes the main vessel, not a serving guarantee or air-fry basket volume. And if you want only a straightforward ceramic insert with a glass lid, this pressure-and-air-fry control system adds modes and components you may never need.

Compare the non-smart Duo Crisp Ultimate Lid 140-0068-01, or check your requirements in the finder.