Oral-B iO Series 9 Review

The Oral-B iO Series 9 embraces technology and pairs with your smartphone via Bluetooth to give you real-time insights into your brushing habits. With seven different brushings modes, it offers a setting for almost everyone, from those with sensitive gums, to people who want an intense oral hygiene experience.

Performance Comparison

Comfort

This brush is comfortable to use. With seven different modes, there is something for everyone. From super sensitive to intense, gum care to tongue clean, each setting has a different intensity and rotation pattern to meet the diverse needs of a wide array of brushers. The handle feels a little heavy in the hand but is comfortable to grip.

Our testers found that even the most intense setting was not too powerful. The brush head stem is thicker than average so it is better suited for people with larger mouths.

Cleaning

We were somewhat underwhelmed by the cleaning power of the iO Series 9. The rounded head is good for getting around the sides of molar surfaces, but we found that it struggled a little more in the chewing-surface crevices. There are seven different cleaning modes, but our testers didn't notice a huge difference between the strength of the strongest and most gentle settings.

We do really appreciate the pressure sensor that turns the brush's LED light red when the user is pressing too firmly. The two-minute timer helps hold the brusher accountable for a complete cleaning session and the 30-second pulse intervals facilitate spending an equal amount of time in each quadrant of the mouth. The big benefit of this brush is its smartphone compatibility. Downloading the Oral-B app and pairing the brush with your phone provides insight into brushing patterns. Users receive a score for each session and a 3D model of a mouth highlights areas that were well-cleaned and ones that need a little extra attention.

Ease of Use

The digital onboard screen and rubber buttons make the brush easy to use. This model welcomes you with a 'good morning' and a sunshine graphic when you pick it up first thing. From there, it's just a matter of pressing the power button to turn it on.

The user can press the second, bottom button to cycle through the different brush modes or change the color of the LED ring light. One downside that we discovered very quickly, is that the included brush heads have multiple holes that, over the course of a session, accumulate toothpaste that then seeps out, often making for a messy experience.

Battery Life

We found the battery life to be totally sufficient. It lasted 10 days on one charge. Though this is on the lower end for the category, it still delivered throughout a battery cycle without losing intensity. It also works well for traveling up to a week if you don't want to toat around the charger.

The device also includes a continuous battery charge indicator on the screen so you can see its charge level down to the percent. The LED light around the neck also glows red when the battery level is low.

Value

For the price point, we think there is better value to be had elsewhere. The primary benefit of the brush is the extra tech that comes included. If data collection is your thing, then this model and the associated app can definitely give you that. However, the cleaning capability is not as robust as we would expect for a brush with this pricetag.

Conclusion

The Oral-B iO Series 9 is a good model for improving brushing habits and provides a good-enough clean, but doesn't make it into the top tier. We like the travel case, and various features make it easy to use and provide versatility if multiple people are using the same handle.