Sign up for our T+L Recommends newsletter and we’ll send you our favorite travel products each week. The sleek and premium look made it stand out from the crowd, with one tester describing the magnetic charger and pad accessory as a ‘revelation’. Many found the battery was so good they didn’t need to charge it during the entire trial period.
There are six brushing modes to choose from, and it’s easy to cycle through with the simple arrow button that will light up an indicator of which mode you’re in. There’s both a pressure sensor and a light brushing mode oral b toothbrush heads for those who are concerned about brushing too hard. Our teeth felt super clean after the two-minute brush thanks to the round brush head and tongue brush setting, which made it easy to gently clean the tongue.
We included electric toothbrushes recommended by dentists and Select staffers. To help you brush for the full two minutes that dentists recommend, Genius toothbrushes also come with a built-in timer. This feature sends a short but obvious vibration into the brush every 30 seconds to tell the user that it’s time to switch quadrants.
Some brushes have extra features, and I tested all of these to gauge their effectiveness and usability. I looked for timers that made it effortless to keep brushing for the dentist-recommended two minutes each time. I looked out for alerts, including automatic shutoff and whether the brush nudged me to change quadrants. For pressure sensors, which alert you if you’re brushing too hard, I noted how effective alerts were and whether they were distinct from the timers.
The comparison chart above allows you to see the key differences between each model at a glance. But, we have learnt that most people would rather save a bit of money, than have lots of features they may not use, making the Smart 1500 a perfect fit. You can also get a double pack from LookFantastic for £210 (RRP £450) at time of writing.
As you move up the Oral-B range, the brushes become more expensive, but they do come with additional features and accessories. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it oral b toothbrush heads right (the first time). We don’t recommend U-shaped (or mouthguard-style) brushes for kids or adults. It’s basic, with just one setting, but you do get a timer, with the brush pulsing every 30 seconds and switching itself off after two minutes. The Y-Brush turned heads and piqued interest at CES in 2017 and continued to come back to CES year after year.
If you like the idea of an intelligent toothbrush but the iO is a little out of your budget, the Genius X is the next best option. At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the company invited visitors to try the brush out at its booth, under the watchful eye of dental professionals. But, it is the Genius 6000 that is more cost effective and practical to use on a daily basis. Put these two brushes side by side and the differences between them are much harder to tell, they look almost identical, however, there are some subtle differences. It offers a blend of features and functions that benefit us as users at a price that most will find affordable. Yet, due to a quirk in the Oral-B naming convention, the Smart 1500 is actually our toothbrush of choice.