Oral-B’s iO7 and iO9 were some of the first brushes to launch in the iO series, and addressed one of the biggest complaints that people have with electric toothbrushes – that they can be too harsh on teeth and gums. It did this with the introduction of micro vibrations, a technology which also made the brushes much quieter, too.
Like the rest of the iO series, from the iO2, the newest, cheapest (and best, according to our tech critic Steve Hogarty), to the top-of-the-range iO10 – they come with “AI brushing recognition technology”. In other words, there’s an accompanying app that tracks how you brush each zone of your mouth.
Inside the handle of the iO toothbrushes there is both a gyro sensor and accelerometer, and a portion of Oral-B’s development period was spent collecting data on people’s brushing habits so that the algorithm could accurately read where the brush was in the mouth of the user and interpret it to show how effective their brushing had been.
The iO9 can even track 16 “sub-zones”, meaning it’ll know if you’re getting to each surface of every tooth. This may seem like an over-complication, but neglecting the harder-to-reach surfaces of the mouth, like the underside of the molars, is one of dentists’ biggest gripes.
There’s a difference in price between the iO7 and the iO9, but what exactly sets these two brushes apart? And is it really worth paying extra for what the iO9 has to offer? I used both of these brushes to find out, assessing them on their brushing modes, customisation, the limitations of the AI and charging speeds. Here’s how I got on.
How I tested
I used both Oral-B brushes and assessed them carefully on the criteria below.
- User experience: While using both of the brushes, I assessed how easy they were to brush with, noting any design features that improved the user experience. I downloaded the corresponding app and used it as you will be using it at home, assessing how well the features worked in practice, and how nice it was to use, noting any lag or other issues.
- Cleaning power: I made a note of how my mouth felt after brushing with the two brushes.
- Modes: I used and compared the cleaning modes available when using each brush, and thought about how useful and necessary they were. I also thought about what the everyday user would get out of using each brush and whether it was worth it for the price.
- Battery life: I charged the battery up to full and noted how practical this was, noting whether there was a compatible charging case then timed how long it lasted before needing to be recharged. I also noted whether it came with a charging case.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Jon Axworthy has been reviewing products for nearly 30 years, so he knows how to cut through the noise and get to the interesting bits, from what a product is like to use to whether it is genuinely worth its price tag. Jon has incorporated these brushes into his everyday routine and used them as you will be at home, meaning they have gone through thorough, real-world testing. If you’re unsure on the iO7 or iO9, Jon has also shared his verdict on other models from leading brands, including Phillips, Ordo and Oral-B.
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Oral-B iO7
Cleaning modes : Five
Why we love it
- Variable oscillation angle and frequency
Take note
- Monochrome screen
- Only one colourway
- Realtime feed had some lag
Out of the box, you’ll get the iO7, one refill brush head, a sleek but robust travel case, a travel brush head holder and a magnetic “click” charger. The iO7 gives you access to five cleaning modes – daily clean, whitening, gum care, sensitive and intense – which is probably three more than you really need, but it does allow you to play about with the oscillation angle of the brush and the frequency to find the one you are most comfortable with.
Once you get beyond more than three modes, it’s handy to have a screen to tell you which you’re in, as this means you don’t need to cycle through the different options. The crisp black-and-white OLED display does this with a graphic and text. You only have one choice of handle colour (white alabaster), but this was fine with me as it will match most bathroom décor – if coordinating your toothbrush handle with your towel rail is something that’s important to you.
Opening up the app and establishing a connection with the iO7 will mean that you can monitor how well you are covering the six zones of your mouth in real-time. Well, it should be real-time, but I occasionally noticed some lag between where the brush was in my mouth and the tooth map, although this could have been down to a bad Bluetooth connection. I liked how the app showed the teeth turning from dark blue to light blue and then white as I did a thorough job.
Leaving the brush to charge overnight in the minimal charger (although it only needs three hours), took it up to 100 per cent, which was enough for over two weeks of dutiful brushing. It does, however, remain to be seen how that charging load is affected as we spend more time with the brush.
Buy now £187.00, Amazon.co.uk
Oral-B iO9
Cleaning modes : Seven
Why we love it
- More cleaning modes than the iO7
- More colourways
- Full colour screen
- There's a chargeable travel case
- Better AI
Out of the iO9 box, you get the toothbrush and one refill head, as well as a “Power2Go” charging case, travel brush head holder and magnetic “click” charger. You’ll have two more cleaning modes at your fingertips compared to the iO7 (super sensitive and tongue clean), and the iO9 comes in black onyx and rose quartz colours , which I think can make it look like a moer exciting present than just the white alabaster. The OLED display is full colour, although the monochrome screen of the iO7 didn’t bother me at all as – I don’t see the purpose other than to justify a slightly stiffer price point.
The travel case is a nice touch if you’re away from home a lot and, like Apple AirPods, you charge the case and that will then charge the iO9 when it’s inside – although you’ll need a mains charger to recharge the case, rather than a more portable USB cable. Again, the brush charged in under three hours and powered a fortnight’s worth of brushing before it had to go back on the magnetic charger.
It seems that the price jump between the two brushes comes down to the more sophisticated AI. The “3D teeth tracking” takes the position detection data from the brush and presents it within the app in an even more detailed form, so that you can see which surfaces of your teeth (outside, inside and chewing) are being missed the most. It means the iO9 makes visualising which areas of your mouth you are neglecting much easier.
Buy now £250.00, Boots
The verdict: Oral-B iO7 vs Oral-B iO9
There was no discernible difference in the brushing performance between the brushes, and spending the required two minutes with either will deliver that “fresh from the hygienist” feeling that users really want from powered brushes. I definitely didn’t miss those extra two modes that the iO9 offered, especially as the tongue-cleaning mode is merely 20 seconds of further brushing, but on your tongue. If you want to do this with the iO7, just disconnect from the app and turn the brush onto its intense mode for the required amount of time.
Most of us are on auto-pilot when we shuffle into the bathroom in the morning. The AI-powered information that comes with both brushes can be incredibly beneficial, but you have to ask yourself if you’re really going to take the time and trouble when you’re a bit fuzzy in the AM, or weary in the evening, to open up the app and pay attention to the feedback that it’s giving you.
If you know that you are going to take that time, then after using it for a few weeks you will begin to have a memory of where you need to go in your mouth and how long you need to stay there to make sure every surface of the tooth has been covered.
Ultimately, the difference in price seems to be purely predicated on the extra level of sophistication that the iO9’s data can provide, but I’d suggest that the feedback from its cheaper cousin is more than enough to improve your teeth-brushing technique and get you back in your dentist’s good books.
But what makes the iO7 stand out today, when compared to the more recent iO brushes? Well, it recharges quickly – in around three hours versus the 12 hour charging times of the brushes that came after it, thanks to the magnetic charging base. However, while useful to have, the advanced battery feature adds to the iO7's RRP significantly – you might as well spend a little more and get the iO8 (£160.53, Amazon.co.uk), which adds an extra brushing mode and a colour screen, or drop down to the cheaper iO6 (£126.29, Amazon.co.uk), which is functionally the same as the iO7 but with a longer charging time.
To find out about the latest Oral-B brushes you can read our review of the best electric toothbrushes, where tech critic Steve Hogarty has tried, tested and approved options for every budget.
Looking for alternatives to Oral-B? Read my review of the Philips sonicare 9900 prestige
