Oral-B iO8 review: a bit of luxury

Price under consideration

$249.99

Best Prices Today: Oral-B iO Series 8

With the iO line, Oral-B has introduced a series of completely redesigned electric toothbrushes with a modern ergonomic look, improved brushing performance and a range of new features. Depending on where you are in the world, up to eight different iO brushes are available at different prices and with different features.

If you’re looking for a new Oral-B brush, the iO is likely the one for you. Read this review to see if the iO8 is right for you.

Design

• Full color screen to display the timer and battery life
• 3-hour fast charge
• Light ring pressure sensor

The iO8 is one of the high-end iO models, second only to the iO9 and iO10. Thus, it has all the key features of the top models, including a three-hour fast charge and a full-color OLED screen.

It comes in three color options: purple, white and black. But remember that since Oral-B only makes black or white toothbrush heads, if you choose purple, you will have a two-tone brush. In this review, we consider the black model.

You can personalize your brush by choosing one of ten vibrant colors for the light ring around her neck. The glowing ring will light up in your chosen color when you brush your teeth. It will then switch to green when you hit the ideal amount of pressure, and turn red if you push too hard. This is a good form of visual feedback that you can see in the mirror and in your peripheral vision.

iO8 has a full color OLED screen. Grab a brush and you’ll be greeted with a sun icon, a wink, or a smiley face and a hello. Luckily, these greetings are only on the screen – the day ChatGPT appears on electric toothbrushes is the day I start brushing my teeth with a branch.

The screen also has more practical features. One of the best is that the remaining battery power is clearly displayed every time you finish brushing your teeth. However, as shown in 10% increments, by the time you get to the last tenth, it’s hard to tell if you have one more brush left or if it will die on you right there.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

You can also select a brushing mode and scroll through the settings, and as soon as you start brushing your teeth, a timer will appear on the screen. While I initially thought the screen was an extra extra, the timer is now one of my favorite features. If I use a different brush, I will instinctively look for it.

I have found that it also encourages me to brush longer, like I’m passing out or feel like I’ve been brushing for ages, seeing that I only have 30 seconds left encourages me to finish it.

There’s a second timer in the form of brush vibration that alerts you every 30 seconds to the next section of your mouth, and a longer alert when you reach the dentist’s recommended two-minute brushing time. You can also open the app and use the feedback timer there.

In general, it is surprising that with the release of iO10, Oral-B added another timer – in the form of a light display on the charger. To learn more, check out our iO10 review.

Buy the iO8 and in the box you will get a magnetic charging puck, travel case, brush handle and two brush heads. The case is a handy addition, but it’s not as stylish as the one that comes with the competing Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 deluxe toothbrush.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

Buy in the US and the charging puck has a standard two-prong plug. Buy in the UK and you get a razor plug. This is true of all Oral-B brushes and this is my main bogey with this brand. For brushes in this price range, we’d like to see USB charging.

The iO8, like other more expensive iO models (iO6 and up), has a three-hour quick charge via magnetic puck. This is a great feature compared to Oral-B’s standard 12-hour charge, although if you’re used to fast phone charging, this will still feel like a long time.

One small issue here is that it’s very easy to knock the brush off the washer while charging, so make sure it’s in a stable, out of reach place.

Spectacle

• Excellent cleaning performance
• Six cleaning modes
• Maximum battery life 2 weeks

The big difference between iO and traditional Oral-B brushes is that traditional Oral-B brushes only oscillate while iO brushes oscillate and vibrate audibly.

The difference is huge. The cleaning performance of the iO is second to none and I don’t know anyone who has tried it and thought otherwise.

iO8 has six brushing modes: Daily Clean, Gentle Clean, Whitening, Gum Care, Intensive, and Super Sensitive. That’s one less than the iO9 and one more than the iO7 – as you’d expect. I didn’t find the differences between the modes as pronounced as some of the other brushes, but I think there’s enough variety to find the mode that’s right for you.

The iO8 battery will last a maximum of two weeks. In practice, I found that it never lasted that long, but its crisp battery display and fast charging mitigated that for me.

Exchange

• Not intended for exchange
• App features will be limited
• The brush heads have symbols to distinguish them.

The iO8 can be used as a shared brush, although it won’t track your individual brushing record in the app. Oral-B confirmed via tweet that although two users with separate phones May be able to use all the features of the app individually thanks to a Bluetooth connection (i.e. as long as the user’s phone is within range and the other is not), iO was not designed that way.

If several people use the same brush, it also means that the brush head replacement reminder in the app will not work properly.

However, if you’re willing to forego some of the smart features, the iO8 can still be used as a general brush. The brushing mode on the handle is easy to change if you prefer other modes, and the iO brush heads are marked with small symbols to distinguish them.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

Connected features and app

• Real-time brushing feedback
• Brush Head Replacement Reminders
• Features of gamification

The iO8 connects via Bluetooth to the free Oral-B app available for Apple and Android. In our test, I found it easy to use and fast to connect. The main reason for using the app is interactive brushing feedback. Keep an eye on your phone’s screen while you brush your teeth and it will track coverage as you walk.

Foundry

iO’s real-time feedback is as good as it gets. In my experience, this worked well overall, except that I brushed for more than the recommended two minutes to achieve the ideal result. It affects battery life and who knows, maybe it makes me brush my teeth too often.

One of the reasons you’d pay more for iO9 and iO10 is their 3D AI brushing tracking on the surface, but I don’t think that’s much better than the real-time help that iO8 provides. None of them provide perfect feedback, but if you need some kind of system to get your brushing back on track, they can help.

In addition, the app lets you customize your brush settings, set brushing goals, go on “dental care journeys” (maybe to improve gum health), view past brushing results, collect badges, and get brush head replacement reminders.

As much as brands try to sell us connected features, most of them still don’t add enough to keep the average user coming back. Unless you really need a strict brushing assist mode, I’m guessing you’ll give up most of the smart features pretty quickly.

Price and availability

The price of Oral-B iO8 depends on where you are.

In the US, it is widely available directly from Oral-B and other retailers such as Target and Best Buy for about $249.99.

In the UK, the iO8 had a starting price of £450 which we felt was grossly overpriced. However, during normal sales periods, the price will drop to the current price.

At the time of writing, it is widely available for £170 on websites including BootsOral-B and curry. We don’t think you should pay more than that. It’s still not a bargain price, but it’s a luxury item packed with cutting-edge features and we think it’s worth it.

Verdict

We consider iO8 one of the best electric toothbrushes. It has everything you need for good dental care – a visible pressure gauge, a detailed timer, a choice of brushing modes and top-notch brushing performance – plus some nice features like fast charging and clear battery display. In an ideal world, we’d like to see longer battery life, USB charging, and a more durable charging cradle. But overall, it’s a well-made brush with lots of extras and a pleasure to use.

To learn more about your electric toothbrush buying options, check out our roundup of the best electric toothbrushes we’ve tested. If you want to see how the iO8 compares to other iO models and other Oral-B brushes in general, take a look at the best Oral-B brushes we’ve tested.