I’ve had an Oral-B electric toothbrush for over 15 years but the battery is finally starting to give up and needs charging more often than before. Looking to replace it, I’ve been on the hunt for a new model and that’s when the Oral-B iO5 caught my eye. Part of the iO5 range, it’s currently on offer as part of Amazon’s Prime Day deals and it’s dropped by 68% to £89.99, down from £280.00.
But to take advantage of the deal, shoppers need to be Prime members. Amazon is currently offering a 30-day free trial, allowing access to Prime Day discounts without spending a penny.
Made by Braun, it features five brushing modes – daily clean, intense, whitening, sensitive, and super sensitive – it uses a pressure sensor that flashes red if you’re brushing too hard. There’s also a two-minute timer built in, and if you’re into tech, it links to an app on your phone to track how thoroughly you’re brushing.
However, the main job of a toothbrush is to clean your teeth well, and the iO5 gets solid feedback from users. One shopper wrote: “Mouth feels like it’s had a pressure wash and is half as quiet as my old one, feels faster and gives a deeper fresher clean.” Another person wrote: “My teeth feel dentist-clean after I brush. The different modes are good and helpful to have the timer. It feels like a quality product.”
Oral-B claims users can have healthier gums in just one week of using, thanks to its oscillating-rotating cleaning motion and micro-vibrations, which the brand says removes 100% more plaque and up to 160% from in between teeth than a manual toothbrush.
The brush head moves in small circles, which is ideal for removing plaque, especially along the gumline. It comes with just one head, but replacements are easy to find and Oral-B makes a few different versions for gum care, whitening and sensitivity.
Charging is done via a magnetic stand and takes up to 12 hours. That might sound quite long, but Braun claims the lithium-ion battery can give you around two weeks of use on a full charge. It also includes a travel case, so you’re not stuck juggling a soggy toothbrush in your bag.
However, not everyone was impressed. One buyer penned: “The battery life is pathetic. I’ve been reduced to having to charge the brush up after just one use this means I have to use a different toothbrush on the evening. Totally unacceptable for a brush costing this much.”
Even at the discounted rate, the iO5 isn’t cheap. That’s what led me to look at alternatives—and Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean 4300 kept coming up. It’s available at Superdrug, currently priced at £49.99. The Sonicare approach is different: it uses sonic technology (high-frequency vibrations), with the brush head vibrating rather than rotating. That means up to 62,000 movements per minute, creating a sweeping motion that pushes fluid between the teeth.
Unlike the iO5, there’s no Bluetooth, no app, and only one brushing mode—though you do get two intensity settings. It still comes with a pressure sensor and a timer that prompts you to move around your mouth every 30 seconds. The battery life is where it really stands out: more than 30 days on a single charge, so you can travel without even thinking about bringing the charger.
Also in the Amazon Prime sale, there’s also the Oral-B iO3 Electric Toothbrush. It’s a slightly older model than the iO5 but includes many similar features to the iO5, like the pressure sensor and timer, but only has three different settings—sensitive, sensitive plus, and whitening. It also comes with two heads and a travel case.
