In our opinion, Oral-B’s iO Series models 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 extremely effective cleaning.
But the brand doesn’t make it easy to tell them apart. There are now nine models, from the iO2 to the iO10, and each one has a different feature set and price. Below, we explain the pros and cons of the line and describe the differences in the hardware and features of each one. You’ll also find links to full reviews and the best prices currently available below each model.
You can also check out our guide to the best Oral-B electric toothbrush overall to see how iO models compare to classic brushes, and find out which we rate highest.
Best Prime Day prices on Oral-B iO models
Oral-B iO Series pricing: What you should pay
In the UK, pricing is 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. These sales periods come along regularly, so you shouldn’t need to wait long to buy.
We’ll provide specifics on what we think UK buyers should pay for each iO brush in the sections below.
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.
Oral-B 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 (iO6 and above) have an on-screen countdown timer. All brushes with smart features have a countdown timer 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 also brush 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 and was regularly available for £350-£400. Depending on the time of year, it’s now available for around £300-£350. If you’re buying it on sale, you should look for a price of £300 or less.
Buy it if: you want to use the smart charging base as a brushing guide and countdown timer.
Read our full
Oral-B iO 10 review
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, and was regularly available for £250. At the time of writing, you can get it for around £200, and you shouldn’t pay more than this.
Buy it if: you want all the best iO features but you don’t care about the light-up charging stand.
Read our full
Oral-B iO Series 9 review
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 around £150-£160. Don’t pay more than this and try to find a lower price during major sales events.
Buy it if: you want the deluxe, full-colour screen for a bit less than the iO9.
Read our full
Oral B iO8 review
Oral-B iO Series 7 (iO7)
?quality=50&strip=all" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 248px) 100vw, 248px" /> 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, £150 is the price to beat but if you can’t get a great deal, consider buying the iO8 instead.
Buy it if: you want the best-priced iO to feature fast charging.
Read our full
Oral-B iO Series 7 review
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 £130. Don’t forget: this model doesn’t have fast charging, so you shouldn’t be paying as much as you would for the iO7.
Buy it if: you want the iO on-handle screen but don’t care about fast charging.
Read our full
Oral-B iO Series 6 review
