In our opinion, Oral-B’s iO Series are among the best electric toothbrushes you can buy. iO brushes have a quiet, magnetic-driven motor and brush using both oscillation and micro-vibrations for effective cleaning.
But the brand doesn’t make it easy to tell them apart. There are now nine models, and each one has a different feature set and price. Below, we explain the pros and cons of the range and lay out the differences in the hardware and smart features of each one. You’ll also find links to full reviews and the best prices currently available below each model.
iO Series pricing: What you should pay
In the US, the iO brushes’ long-term prices remain fairly close to their launch price and any discounts you see during sales periods are real.
In the UK, it’s more complicated, with iO brushes launching at an inflated price and regularly dropping to what appears to be a huge, often half-price discount. In reality, this regularly available ‘discount’ price is what the brush is worth and you shouldn’t pay more than that.
We’ll provide specifics on what we think UK buyers should pay for each iO brush in the sections below.
iO pros and cons
We consider the iO range to have excellent brushing performance and some of the best feature sets available. But there are compromises to be made. Here are the pros and cons of the series as a whole.
Pros
- Whichever iO brush you buy, they all have the same, excellent brushing performance, with a brush head that both oscillates and vibrates as it cleans. The exception is the iO2, which has a different motor and provides gentler brushing that’s much more like a classic Oral-B brush.
- A highly visible light ring pressure sensor that glows red when you press too hard and green when you get it just right (again, except for the iO2). The light ring is also customisable on all smart brushes: you can choose to personalise your brush from a selection of colours.
- Two-minute brushing timer: all brushes have a two-minute brushing timer in one form or another and a change in brush vibrations every 30 seconds to alert you to move onto the next part of your mouth. Those with a screen feature an on-brush countdown timer. The smart models have this feature in the app. The models without a screen ‘celebrate’ when you hit two minutes of brushing: the light ring cycles through the rainbow of colours. Almost all the brushes will let you customise the brushing time in the app.
- Choice of brushing modes (this varies by model, with the pricier models providing more options, but all have a selection of modes).
- Brushing feedback and smart features (again, this varies by model). All the models with smart features will deliver some form of brushing feedback. The higher-end models will deliver real-time brushing coaching.
- iO models from iO7-iO10 (inclusive) feature 3-hour fast charging.
- iO brushes are fairly quiet in use and don’t have a high-pitched whine or a lot of mechanical noise.
Cons
- No Oral-B brushes have USB charging. In the US, they charge with a standard two-pin plug, and in the UK, they have a shaving plug socket.
- Apart from the iO2, all iO brushes have an average battery life of around two weeks. Bear in mind that Oral-B’s official estimate is only for 4 minutes of brushing per day. If you brush for a bit longer, or after meals, or before going out, it won’t last nearly as long. The battery life is a pretty annoying flaw in an otherwise premium product. Plenty of electric toothbrushes now have a battery life of a month or more.
- iO brushes are not ideal for sharing as smart features are a key component of the functionality, so brushing data will be meaningless and you’ll need to share the same settings. Also, bear in mind that sharing a brush will halve its battery life between charges.
All the iO models: their features and what you should pay for them
Oral-B iO 10 (iO 10)
This is the current flagship model. The key feature that sets it apart from other iO brushes is its smart charging base, which has a brushing countdown timer and a light display that delivers real-time brushing feedback.
Key features:
- iO brushing performance
- Colour OLED screen
- 7 brushing modes: daily clean, sensitive, gum care, intense clean, super sensitive, tongue clean, and whiten
- 3D real-time brushing feedback and other smart features
- Light ring pressure sensor
- Fast charging
Unique to the iO10: Smart charging base
Colour options and accessories: The brush has a speckled finish and comes in two colour options: cosmic black or stardust white. It comes with a travel charging case and smart, fast charging stand with clock and display.
What you should pay for it in the UK:The iO10 had a UK launch price of £800 but it’s regularly available for around £400 and you shouldn’t pay more than this for it. If you’re buying it on sale, deduct the sale price from £400, not £800, to see the real saving.
Buy it if: you want to use the smart charging base as a brushing guide and countdown timer.
Oral-B iO Series 9 (iO9)
The iO9 has all the features of the iO10 except for the smart charging base. Instead, it comes with a simpler, magnetic, puck-shaped fast charger.
Features:
- iO brushing performance
- Colour OLED screen
- 7 brushing modes: daily clean, sensitive, gum care, intense clean, super sensitive, tongue clean, and whiten
- 3D real-time brushing feedback and other smart features
- Light ring pressure sensor
- Fast charging
Colour options and accessories: The brush comes in several colour options, including black onyx, rose quartz and white alabaster. Comes with charging travel case and magnetic puck-shaped fast charging stand.
What you should pay for it in the UK: The iO9 had a launch price of £500, but is now regularly available for £250. Don’t pay more than this. If you’re buying it on sale, deduct the sale price from £250 to see the real saving.
Buy it if: you want all the best iO features but you don’t care about the light-up charging stand.
Oral-B iO Series 8 (iO8)
The iO8 has most of the same features as the iO9 and iO10. The key difference is that the iO9 and iO10 have more detailed tooth tracking, measuring 16 zones. The iO8 only measures 6. In practice, we didn’t notice a huge difference in the quality of brushing feedback while testing. It also has six brushing modes, instead of 7, missing tongue care.
Key features:
- iO brushing performance
- Colour OLED screen
- 6 brushing modes: daily clean, sensitive, whiten, gum care, intense and super sensitive
- Real-time brushing feedback and other smart features
- Light ring pressure sensor
- Fast charging
Colour options and accessories: The brush comes in several colour options, including white, violet and black. It comes with a travel case and magnetic, puck-shaped, fast charging stand.
What you should pay for it in the UK: The iO8 had a launch price of £450 but is now available for £170 or less. Don’t pay more than this and look for a price that’s under £170 during sales events.
Buy it if: you want the deluxe, full-colour screen for a bit less than the iO9.
Oral-B iO Series 7 (iO7)
The iO7 has one key hardware difference from the high-end models. Its on-handle display is black and white, instead of full colour. But it still features fast charging, which sets it apart from the iO6. Like the iO8, it features six-zone brushing feedback.
Key features:
- iO brushing performance
- Monochrome screen
- 5 brushing modes: daily clean, sensitive, whiten, gum care, intense and super sensitive
- Real-time brushing feedback and other smart features
- Light ring pressure sensor
- Fast charging
Colour options and accessories: The brush comes in a choice of alabaster white or black onyx, plus, in the US only, purple amethyst and sapphire blue. It comes with a travel case and magnetic, puck-shaped fast charging stand.
What you should pay for it in the UK: With a launch price of over £400, the iO7 is widely available now for around £150. If you see it on sale, it should cost less than this.
Buy it if: you want the best-priced iO to feature fast charging.
Oral-B iO Series 6 (iO6)
The iO6 has the same monochrome display as the iO7 but it lacks fast charging. Instead of your brush charging from flat to full in 3 hours, it’ll take up to 16 hours, so you might want to keep it on the stand.
Key features:
- iO brushing performance
- Monochrome screen
- 5 brushing modes: daily clean, sensitive, gum care, intense clean, whitening
- Guided cleaning mode and other smart features
- Light ring pressure sensor
Colour options and accessories: There are several colour options, including black onyx, grey opal and pink sand. It comes with a travel case and charging stand but these accessories are different from those that come with the more expensive models. The travel case isn’t as nicely finished as the one that comes with more high-end models and, instead of the magnetic charging puck, you’ll get a standard Oral-B charger – the same model that fits non-iO brushes.
What you should pay for it: The iO6 had a launch price of £299.99 but is now widely available for under £150. This is the most you should pay and should look for a lower number if you’re buying on sale.
Buy it if: you want the iO on-handle screen but don’t care about fast charging.
Oral-B iO Series 5 (iO5)
The iO5 has the same foundational design as the more expensive brushes but – like all models below it – it has no digital display in the handle. In its place, it features a rubber panel with light-up icons to show the different brushing modes. Some of the brush’s functions have been shunted from the handle to the app, which means you do need to use the app to be able to change some settings, even if just to set it up. But the app also offers you a real-time coaching mode that will be useful if you need to improve your brushing technique. This mode isn’t available in the less expensive models.
Key features:
- iO brushing performance
- On-handle mode icons
- 5 brushing modes: daily clean, intense clean, whitening, sensitive and super sensitive
- Real-time coaching mode and other smart features
- Light ring pressure sensor
Colour options and accessories: The iO5 comes in pink or black. It comes with a travel case and charging stand but these accessories are different from those that come with the more expensive models. The travel case isn’t as nicely finished as the one that comes with more high-end models and, instead of the magnetic charging puck, you’ll get a standard Oral-B charger – the same model that fits non-iO brushes.
What you should pay for it in the UK: The iO5 had a launch price of £280 and its price varies now from site to site, but you shouldn’t pay more than £140 for it.
Buy it if: you want real-time guided brushing and don’t want to pay for the pricier models.
Oral-B iO Series 4 (iO4)
The iO4 doesn’t have the light-up icons you’ll see on the handle of the iO5. Instead, there’s just a grippy, rubber strip. This means that you can only tell which brushing mode you’re in by the difference in vibrations or by checking in the app. The does mean that you’ll need to use the app to make the most of the brush. There are fewer app features available with the iO4, but you can still change the brushing timer and adjust the settings to account for braces or bleeding gums.
Key features:
- Light ring pressure sensor
- iO brushing performance
- 4 brushing modes: whiten, daily clean, sensitive and gum care
- Limited smart features, including customising brushing time
Colour options and accessories: The iO4 comes in black, violet, blue or white. It comes with a standard Oral-B charger – the same model that fits non-iO brushes.
What you should pay for it in the UK: The iO4 had a launch price of £240 but it’s generally available for £90-£95 now. If it’s on sale, you should expect to pay less than this.
Buy it if: you want an iO, are happy to compromise on features, and see it on sale.
Oral-B iO Series 3 (iO3)
The iO3 is one of only two brushes (along with the iO2) that has no smart features whatsoever. If you don’t want brushing feedback and don’t want to bother with an app, this is the model to go for.
Key features:
- Light ring pressure sensor
- iO brushing performance
- 3 brushing modes: daily clean, whitening and sensitive
Colour options and accessories: The iO3 comes in black, pink or blue. It comes with a standard Oral-B charger – the same model that fits non-iO brushes.
What you should pay for it in the UK: The iO3 launched at £160 but £75 is the most you should pay. You’ll be able to find it for less, even outside of sales periods.
Buy it if: you want an iO brush but don’t care about smart features.
Oral-B iO Series 2 (iO2)
The iO2 is a little different from all the other iO models. It doesn’t feature the light ring pressure sensor and its brushing performance feels different. It’s much gentler and more like a classic Oral-B electric toothbrush. It’s been designed for people who are used to a manual brush and don’t want a powerful electric toothbrush.
Key features:
- Small pressure sensor
- 3 brushing modes: super-sensitive, gentle and daily clean
- 2-minute brushing timer
- Better battery life than any other iO model
Colour options and accessories: The iO2 comes in black, white or forest green. It comes with a standard Oral-B charger – the same model that fits non-iO brushes.
What you should pay for it in the UK: The iO2 is not widely available in the UK but at the time of writing, you can buy it from Amazon for around £62.
Buy it if: you’re looking for an entry-level electric toothbrush.
Author: Emma Rowley, Group Home Tech Editor
Emma has been a journalist and copywriter for over 20 years and has been testing and writing about home tech and appliances for seven years. She tries out every appliance she writes about at home, and aims to recommend time- and energy-saving products that will last.