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Oral-B iO 9: The forefront of technology in your mouth
Oral B iO 9 is the most advanced model of electric toothbrush that Oral B currently has to offer, and it is a redesigned brush from bottom to top, and with an app.
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Oral B
Toothbrush
Niv Lillian
Sunday, October 17, 2021, 9:00 p.m.
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(Photo: PR)
Until recently, Oral B had no real competitors in the electric toothbrush market in Israel.
The previous generation (the Genius X and simpler series) sold well, and with the exception of one Colgate attempt to come up with their own product - there was not really any brand competition of equal size.
All that changed several months ago, when
Phillips entered Israel with the Sonicare brand
, and competition heated up.
That's why Oral B launched their latest model here - the iO series, with the Oral B iO 9 model. We spent several weeks with it, brushed, studied and have compelling conclusions.
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Structure and design of Oral-B iO 9
The electric toothbrushes in the iO series have been completely redesigned.
If in the previous GeniusX series, the paddle was mechanical and the brushes sounded like a tractor, no more.
The motor here works on magnetic propulsion, and is much quieter, and it propels a newly redesigned brush head, in what Oral B calls micro-vibrations, to a completely different level of cleanliness.
We will just note that similar to what Nespresso did with their patented capsules which expired and therefore designed completely new capsules, Oral B also already faced matching brush heads in the previous generation, cheaper, so they designed a different, new head, which has no "matching" heads, but only Original heads.
The new head, which works on magnetic propulsion, is thicker than its predecessor, but in smoother lines.
We will move on to the body of the brush itself: the design is smoother than before, and the noticeable change: a colorful and eye-catching LED display that is fixed in the center of the brush.
The display provides an essential indication of the various brushing conditions (see also below), and also provides a brushing time count and an indication of the quality of the brushing at the end.
The show, connected to a smartphone, will also greet you on a good morning or a good evening, depending on the time.
In addition to the monitor, there is a scroll button, and the power button also serves as a selection button.
The LED bulb is thinner than before, and a new section.
It allows you to choose the color of the lighting of your choice.
The body of the brush is a little thinner than its predecessors, and the other good news is in the base: the charging base is now fully inspired, which means an opaque silver base, and not with a socket, as in previous models - a socket that liked to accumulate dirt in the form of plaque and toothpaste.
The grip is good and comfortable, here too there is a noticeable improvement compared to the previous model.
Compared to the Philips models, the Philips still has a slightly thinner and longer brush, but even those with small hands will get along with the Oral B iO 9.
(Photo: Niv Lillian)
Performence
Compared to the previous generation, the difference in the quality of brushing is noticeable.
This is actually a completely different experience: if the previous generation relied simply on rotations of the brush head, similar to a polishing brush, the new generation as mentioned relies on tiny speed movements, alongside ultrasonic technology, similar to a Philips brush.
The Oral-B iO 9 model has seven brushing modes (as opposed to the 6 of the iO 8), which include: daily cleaning, for sensitive teeth, whitening, gum care, increased cleaning, for particularly sensitive teeth and tongue cleaning.
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The aforesaid brush head has been redesigned, and the arrangement of the bristle bristles has also been changed.
Apparently the brush actually removes tartar (plaque), also harder plaque, the kind you would have to go to a dental hygienist for, so the feeling of cleanliness is good, but it does not create the foam that Phillips' competitor creates in the mouth with the micro bubbles (which I liked).
Oral-B iO 9 of course has a pressure sensor as in all the latest models, but this brush also uses an accelerometer to understand your grip angle and position in the mouth (see also next section).
In case of overpressure the illumination ring will light up in red, which is not new.
What is new?
When you brush at an ideal angle and pressure, the illumination ring will change color to green, which is a great indicator of the quality of your brushing.
Oral-B iO 9 (Photo: Niv Lillian)
Oral B also retained here the features from previous generations, of a time counter of 2 minutes brushing, a gentle vibration to remind you to move to another area in the mouth after 30 seconds, and a long vibration at the end of brushing which is excellent.
In addition, the brush speaks to you in an emoji: if you have not invested enough time in brushing, a sad smiley will appear on the display, but if you have invested especially, his eyes will turn into stars with enthusiasm.
The brush will also remember your brushes if you did not use the guided brush in the app and synchronize it with the app the next time you connect it to the smartphone, which takes us to the smart features section.
Sad smiley on display (Photo: Yinon Ben-Shoshan)
Smart connectivity and features in Oral-B iO 9
Unlike Philips, which has not yet brought its smart models to Israel, Oral B has always brought the Bluetooth-equipped models here, which are in sync with the app. At the same time, in previous generations of the app it was problematic, with crash issues and severe connectivity issues in a significant number of Android phones.
I raised this grievance with Procter & Gamble at the press conference, and they said no more - the app was redesigned, from the foundation to the taps, and the problematic connectivity with the brushes was addressed. And indeed so. The app now connects easily.
Similar to the previous generation, the app offers you to track your brushing, and correct how you brush with artificial intelligence - but the whole business has stepped up: the Oral B iO 9 knows how to identify six areas, and it knows exactly what part of the tooth you are brushing (except Chewing or face surfaces).
Using a cute animation of teeth changing from dark brush to white with glitter, you know exactly which area of the mouth still needs attention, and what you have already finished shining. My colleagues claimed they encountered inaccuracies in identifying the area, I barely encountered it, and the measurement was accurate.
The app provides very detailed data, in terms of mouth coverage, pressure, brushing time, gum protection and as part of the procedure, it will also remind you to clean your tongue once a day, rinse with mouthwash and floss, and also provides a look at your brushing history.
The whole experience is very different from before. In previous generations we needed the smartphone camera and calibration in front of the mirror - no more. The brush does everything and all the information is provided either in its own monitor or in the app, and I must say that it really changed the way I brushed and improved it. The combination of the indicators (different lighting color, pressure warnings, app indication and vibration) actually creates behavioral conditioning for the better.
The application provides very detailed data (Photo: Walla! Technology, Yinon Ben-Shoshan)
Along with gamification (playing in Hebrew, perhaps?) Of the process, and awarding "medals" and achievements - the app really encourages you to actively maintain oral hygiene, which is great. It also includes tips for improving your personal brushing style, and will send you to see a dentist if for example you have reported bleeding from the gums too many times.
In addition, similar to the previous generation, Oral-B iO 9 offers "journeys" - time-focused challenges, designed to address a specific problem: tartar buildup, bleeding gums and so on. In "Journey" mode some of the different brushing options will be turned off, to focus you on the process. It definitely works, but will require you to put the smartphone next to you in the bathroom.
The battery life of Oral-B iO 9 is long. Used twice a day, the battery will last you about ten days which is great, and similar to a Philips figure. Charging is very easy, thanks to the new inspirational charging surface, which does not include a lug at the base or a socket in the body.
The new charging surface of the brush (Photo: Walla! Technology, Yinon Ben-Shoshan)
Bottom line
Oral-B iO 9 is literally a Rolls Royce of electric toothbrushes.
It offers just about everything, and there is no feature that Oral B has not thought of.
But, and here comes the painful part - the price.
It costs about twice the average intermediate sample, and three times more than basic samples.
NIS 1,200 is not a cheap price for an electric toothbrush, and the special and custom-made heads only for it are not cheap.
If you are just looking to switch to an electric toothbrush, there are cheaper alternatives.
But if you want connectivity, a great app (English only by the way), and a brush that will actively encourage you to improve your oral hygiene, the Oral-B iO 9 is a good investment.
Recommended retail price: NIS 1,200
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