Oral-B iO Series 5 review

Oral-B’s iO vary represents an enormous change for the model. There’s an all-new design and an improved brushing system. However most fashions additionally include a hefty price ticket and tons of options you may fortunately reside with out.

Take the total color display on the Oral-B iO9, for instance. We actually loved it after we examined it nevertheless it gained’t assist to get your enamel any cleaner. 

However in order for you the iO brushing efficiency and may forgo the bells and whistles, the iO5 may very well be for you. It has the identical foundational design because the dearer fashions, nevertheless it’s a pared-back model. There’s no OLED display with its attendant winky face, fewer brushing modes, and no quick charging.

However right here’s what it does have.

Design and options

The Collection 5 has a clean, matt end and the iO’s distinctive, flowing design. It’s a way more cohesive form than the unique Oral-B brush, the place the comb head simply feels plonked on prime of the deal with.

There’s no grip on the iO5’s deal with which can be a difficulty for some individuals, however I didn’t discover it to be slippery in use, even when moist.

It is available in three color choices: black, white and pink – though as there aren’t pink brush heads, when you go for this color, you’ll have a two-tone iO.

On the deal with, in lieu of the display on the dearer fashions, is a rubber-coated panel that homes the On/Off button (which doubles as a battery gentle), brushing modes and an indicator gentle to let you recognize when your brush head must be changed. The buttons are inset however I didn’t discover that they wanted as a lot pressure to depress as these on the extra budget-friendly Oral-B Professional 3.

Across the neck of the comb is the sunshine ring. Within the app (extra on this later), you may select a signature color from ten day-glo choices. And, whenever you’ve accomplished your normal two-minute brushing time, the deal with cycles by means of the rainbow of colors in a form of celebratory mode.

Equipment-wise, it comes with a fundamental white plastic journey case and a charging stand that’s the identical as non-iO fashions. When you purchase within the US, it has a typical two-pin plug. UK fashions have a shaver plug.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

We might like to see Oral-B brushes cost through USB – particularly because the lengthy charging time is probably the largest difficulty we now have with the iO5. It wants round 12 hours to cost absolutely. The Collection 7 and above have magnetic quick charging in three hours, and that is one function that may make you resolve to go for a pricier mannequin.

Efficiency

There are some features we expect are important to an efficient electrical toothbrush: good cleansing efficiency, a timer and a stress sensor. The iO5 ticks all of those bins.

There are 5 brushing modes: every day clear, intense clear, whitening, delicate and tremendous delicate. That will probably be loads for many customers however some might miss a massaging setting for gums and the tongue brushing mode that dearer fashions have. But it surely cleans successfully and seems like an enormous step up from the normal Oral-B fashions.

It’s quiet in use as effectively – significantly extra so than one of many normal fashions just like the Oral-B Professional 3, which makes a loud, rattly noise compared. It additionally lets you recognize (through a change in vibration) to maneuver onto the following quadrant of your mouth each 30 seconds, and after two minutes it’ll provide you with an extended alert to let you recognize you may cease.

Its gentle ring doubles as a really seen stress sensor that not solely tells you when you’re urgent too onerous however when you’re not urgent onerous sufficient. That once more is one thing new to the iO vary.

iO app

You’ll want to make use of the app to get your iO arrange and to take advantage of it after that. Basically, Oral-B has shunted among the settings and performance away from the deal with to the app and this might show to be an annoyance for individuals who wish to ditch the good options. Unhealthy information although – even when you go for the cheaper iO4, you’ll nonetheless want to make use of the app to customize your brush past manufacturing facility settings.

The app is obtainable for Apple and Android and is free to obtain and use. And whenever you obtain it, you’ll see which you can modify virtually all the settings talked about above. For instance, you may take away brushing programmes, change your brushing time objective from two minutes, to 1 or three or 2 minutes 30 – or any period of time you want. You can even select the brushing modes which are out there and proven on the deal with.

You can even begin a “Dental Care Journey’. There are alternatives for whitening, gum well being, contemporary breath, plaque preventing and taking good care of your braces. Embark on one in every of these and the app will mechanically modify the comb’s settings for the length to optimise it on your wants.

It additionally gives a real-time teaching mode, and it’s this function that the cheaper iO Collection 4 doesn’t have. Open the app as you sweep and it’ll present whenever you’ve completed cleansing a piece of your mouth (to the app’s satisfaction, no less than) and the place you’re urgent too onerous.

The sensor appears fairly correct at figuring out the place in your mouth the comb is, though it doesn’t all the time get the angle proper. That implies that it could not assist you to determine and proper uncared for areas of your mouth. I additionally discovered that I needed to brush for longer than the usual two minutes to attain full protection.

Oral-B

There are additionally badges to gather for various brushing achievements however this simply seems like filler.

Total, when you’ve got a dental care drawback, the app might assist you to deal with fixing it however I’m sceptical as as to if the common particular person will proceed to make use of the brushing teaching for lengthy.

Worth and availability

When you’re within the US, you may simply purchase the iO5 usually, from a standard store for a traditional sum of money. Its regular value is round $119.99 (purchase it from Goal), which makes it round $25 cheaper than the iO6, and $75 lower than the iO7 – which is sensible as you’re paying for extra or fewer options. Nonetheless, it’s already on provide: Amazon is at the moment promoting it for $95.99 and it’s $109.99 from BestBuy

When you’re within the UK, issues are barely weirder. It has launched with a staggering price ticket of £280 direct from the Oral-B website. We now have to emphasize that though it’s a superb electrical toothbrush, it’s very a lot not value it for this quantity. Nonetheless, you may at the moment purchase it from Amazon for £109.99 and we expect that is about proper.

You additionally have to think about the price of iO brush heads. Oral-B has two sorts of brushes: its authentic vary, and the brand new iO fashions. All the authentic brushes, from the budget-friendly Vitality to the dear Genius, have the identical kind of brush heads. Purchase an enormous worth pack and also you’re sorted, whichever one you go for.

However the iO brush heads price extra – round $30 for 4 within the US or £25 for 4 within the UK. We’d advocate ready till they’re on provide and stocking up.

Verdict

The iO5 is a good brush when it comes to efficiency however we want that it was sooner to cost, even when that meant ditching among the good options to satisfy this value level.

When you don’t suppose you’ll make use of the real-time brushing teaching, we’d counsel saving some cash and shopping for the iO4 as an alternative. And if the shortage of quick charging is a sticking level, search for a suggestion on the iO7 or above. Not one of the iO brushes has a USB charging choice, nevertheless. That’s the one factor that the iO vary is lacking, for all its implausible options.

For extra electrical toothbrush shopping for choices, take a look at our round-up of the perfect electrical toothbrushes we’ve examined.