Oral-B Genius AI

Pretty much the best electric toothbrush out there....until it stops working! – **Unit was provided under the Ambassador program and was reviewed over a three week period. Views expressed are entirely my own** Nb. There is an"update" at the end after 14months of use. Firstly, this is a very expensive toothbrush at $499.99 RRP (but will often be found on special for $229). However, if you are looking for the ultimate… Read more

toothbrush, then this might just be exactly what you want? Therefore, it is reassuring that Oral-B offer an 180 day “Test Drive” money-back guarantee so if you feel it doesn’t measure up, it can always go back. Decide to keep it and it has a two year guarantee.

What do you get for your money? (See also Photos 1-4 at end of review). The unit was supplied in a presentation box and includes the toothbrush (in a “Midnight Black” gloss finish), a charging stand (like a small “puck”) and power cord (matt black) with wall charger, smartphone holder (matt white) and travel case (mostly "hinged hard plastic" matt black with gloss black accents and featuring an embossed design to give it a “sophisticated” appearance). All of this is then stored in a soft plastic travel pouch which Oral-B calls a “Beauty Bag”. As well, there is a black coloured toothbrush head along with two white coloured ones (Photo 5) supplied. The three heads each have a different function with one for “Gum Care”, one for “Cross Action” and one for “Whitening”. Fortunately, despite being a very expensive toothbrush with a variety of sensors, it still is able to use the (relatively) cheaper brush heads found on the entire range of Oral-B toothbrushes. All the “smarts” are in the handle ...not the brush head. The toothbrush itself is a slightly larger version of other electric brushes (cheaper models) in the range and charges in a similar fashion to them. Just below where the replaceable heads connect, there is a translucent plastic ring (called the “Smart Ring”). There are eleven differing colours you can assign to the ring (a lit LED controlled by the phone app) and by lighting/flashing, this assists in conveying messages to you during brushing. Instructions consist of a fold out “quick-start” leaflet (Photo 6), another leaflet illustrating the “Smart Ring” colours and a more detailed booklet covering safety, parts identification, charging & operating, brush heads, cleaning, accessories, warranty, troubleshooting etc. The travel case has provision to store two heads as well as the toothbrush. The charging stand cable can be disconnected from the stand and plugged into the outside of the travel case allowing the brush to be charged while stored. There is also a USB port to allow you to charge your phone while charging your brush..handy! Additionally, when travelling overseas, the charging adaptor will accept 100v – 240v but you will need an adaptor for the plug to suit what power outlet configuration there is for the country you are in. Be aware that while it is not stated on the external packaging, you will also need a fairly recent smart phone which has Bluetooth 4.0 or higher if you wish to use the app enabled features. This needs to be at least IOS 13.1 or Android 7.1.1.

Using The Toothbrush (without the app) Initially, I believed that a gloss black toothbrush would not be practical with the majority of white coloured toothpaste. Anyone who uses an electric toothbrush will be aware of how toothpaste always seem to dribble down the side of the brush and pool on the charging stand. This remains true, however, I quickly adopted the technique of giving the brush a 10 second wipe with a cloth and this left the brush and its surrounding area pristine. During the review period, I left the toothbrush off of its charging stand as it claims it will work for two weeks without a charge. I wasn’t able to reproduce this figure as it is based on two 2-minute brushes a day and for reasons I will explain later, this didn't happen in my usage. The brush is more than capable of working without the smartphone app, although you will lose the tracking functionality along with some other minor features. This also mean you have lost much of the functionality you paid extra for initially by buying this brush as the app is not present to provide “Smart Coaching”. For purposes of systematically brushing it divides your teeth into quadrants. Bottom of mouth left and right side plus top of mouth, left and right side. After commencing (a soft touch push button on the handle to toggle on/off), the brush motor will briefly “stutter” every 30 sec (along with a flash of the lit Smart Ring) to indicate it is time to move to the next quadrant. Depending on the brush head installed, there are six different settings on the toothbrush itself. These are activated by pressing another handle mounted soft button which will cycle through, “Daily Clean”, “Pro Clean”, “Sensitive”, “3D White”, “Gum Care” and “Tongue Clean” (unused ones can be turned off in the app). The main difference in these settings seems to be the degree of "agitation" (or oscillation) of the head. Applying too much pressure when brushing your teeth will also provoke a response where the motor will slow and the Smart Ring will turn red. Persisting longer than 5 seconds will stop the motor and have the Smart Ring now flash red. The action of the brush itself is quite vigourous...at least in relation to the very cheap electric Oral B brush I normally use. Therefore, I initially found myself using the “Sensitive” setting before settling on the “Daily Clean” after a few days of usage and becoming acclimatised to this more vigorous action. Also, you really need to apply only a minimum of toothpaste to the head as it tends to foam up quickly resulting in a degree of unintended dribbling.

Using The Brush With Smartphone And App First step is to download the Oral-B app (Android or iPhone). I used an iPhone but I imagine the experiences outlined below will be similar for Android. After installing the app, it then guides you through the bluetooth pairing process. For those privacy conscious, “Send Your Statistics” is turned on by default but this can be turned off later in the app settings. My first attempt(s) to pair the brush to the phone were unsuccessful ...until I discovered the brush could not be sitting on its charging stand at the same time as trying to pair. Once I took the brush off the stand, it paired quickly and I had no further issues with bluetooth connectivity during the review period. The app then takes you through a couple of settings including what Smart Ring colour you want along with the settings you want available on the brush (See Photo 7). When you are ready, you need to attach the smartphone holder to the bathroom mirror, aligning it at eye level. This is Oral-B’s recommendation to ensure your head remains upright, thus allowing the handle mounted position sensors to correctly identify where in your mouth you are currently brushing. I mounted it on the tiles directly under the mirror (See Photo 8) which could have been problematic as leaning forward to view a lower positioned smartphone screen could have upset the sensors accuracy. However, despite not positioning it in the recommended location, I did not experience any issues with this. The phone holder has two spring loaded arms (one on each side) and can accommodate phones between 55 – 85mm in width. The head pivots in multiple directions for ease of viewing and the suction cap is quite large and able to be easily attached/released with a side lever (See Photo 9). It felt very secure and at no stage did I feel I had any concern with it falling off and damaging my phone. The only downside was the clamps were quite stiff and you almost need two hands to pull the clamping arms away from each other while a “third hand” inserts the phone. Also, my wife was not a fan and felt that it looked like a piece of misguided plumbing in our newly renovated bathroom. When ready to go, you open the app, select “Brush Now” and a graphic will open that displays an animation of your top and bottom teeth (See Photo 10). For purposes of systematically cleaning, the app considers your teeth divided into six zones ...left, right and front on the bottom then similar on the top which is a little different than the four quadrants utilised when brushing without the app. Turning on the toothbrush automatically activates the connection and there will be an animation on the screen showing your teeth in a blue-gray colour. As you use the brush in each zone, the teeth on the screen become brighter (See Photo 11) until they turn ultra white with added “glistening” animation (See video at end of review). At this point, you move to the next zone. Once again, you should keep looking straight ahead (hence the need to mount the phone at eye level) to allow the sensors in the brush handle to correctly identify where the brush head is positioned in your mouth. Worth noting is the brush is unable to determine whether you are on the inside, outside or top of the teeth in each zone. All it can tell is which of the six zones the brush head is in. I found it took close to 2 ½ minutes to fully complete brushing to the standard it would give me an animated “smiley face” and congratulations on a job well done...or not (See Photos 12 & 13). Digital “Medals” are also periodically awarded (See Photos 14 & 15) but this really seems only useful for “bragging rights” with other users. However, I guess it might be useful at encouraging a household member who is a reluctant brusher? The app coaches you towards developing a better brushing regime and can also check once a week if your gums are bleeding. It notes in the instructions that you may suffer some initial gum bleeding when first using the brush if you are susceptible to this. Perhaps use a “sensitive” toothbrush head along with the “Sensitive” setting on the brush if so? It also notes the day you added your brush head and calculates the date you should replace it. (usually three months or 180 brushes). Over a period of time, it will graph your degree of success in “History” and display how frequently you applied the correct brushing technique ...accessible for the week, month or year. It also shows if there is a section of your mouth where you may need to be more consistent in your teeth-brushing regime. Data collected is also able to be synced into your “Apple Health” app if you so wish (iPhone users only). Each user of the brush must use another smartphone. This means one user per app per smartphone. This could be somewhat problematic if using it with children. For this reason, Oral-B should look at creating separate user profiles within the app. My experience was the toothbrush quickly connected to another smartphone (assuming already being set up) and just required a physical change of toothbrush heads to be ready to use for someone else. Issue was if someone changed the Smart Ring colour, it remained so for subsequent users. Also, the Smart Ring colour only appears to be accessible when setting up a brush on a new phone? This doesn’t seem right? Stored statistics are not lost when adding another phone/app but there really needs to be a better and more effective means in the app to allow multiple persons to utilise the smart capabilities of this brush. As previously mentioned, Oral-B claims the brush will last for two weeks between charges based on 2mins use twice a day. My 2 ½ minutes sessions (required for a 100% score) twice a day gave me a solid 11 days (with the battery indicator on the handle red) but with the unit completely dead on the twelfth morning. It then took around seven hours for a full recharge. Oral-B claims closer to 12 hours but that wasn’t my experience. The app itself does not have instructions but is mostly self explanatory. Only difficulties were a couple of tick boxes regarding “Brush Tongue”, “Floss” and “Rinse” which could be added to your routine. I kept ticking them but no extension to my brushing routine was added and when I saw them again, they were unticked. No explanation is given for the use of these and it was only after about two weeks use they suddenly worked right after I accepted the “Fresh Breath Challenge”. However, all they did was at the end of brushing ask me to switch to the “Tongue clean” or “Gum clean” heads to complete those routines. I then had to select either “Skip” or “Done” as my options. There was no other monitoring so those options are simply reminders. Another issue was after selecting a colour for the Smart Ring, this option disappeared. It took a while to workout if you wanted to change the selected colour, you had to setup the brush again which then returned access to the option so you could make the change.

What’s Right With It? The unit is made in Germany, has a quality feel and looks quite premium in your bathroom cabinet or on the cabinet top. It is well suited to use when travelling with its charging storage box and travel pouch for all accessories and these too feel like they are up to the rough and tumble of travel. The ability to cope with differing world voltages (with the addition of the appropriate plug adaptor along with a USB input) is a bonus. Being able to select not only a suitable head for your particular use but also an oscillation style for the brush action itself works well and increases the versatility of the device. Cleaning wise, I could not fault it and there was no denying the “just been to the dentist” feel after using it. Great also that you can also return it within 180 days if you feel it doesn't meet your satisfaction for performance vs price.

What Could Be Better? RRP is a bit of a shocker so make sure you check around for a “on sale” price. I also found a failing in the lack of user profiles as I couldn't find anything in the instructions to explain how the device would be best shared between users and utilise the smart function capability of the unit. To find out if your phone is compatible, you have to dig deep on the website or you can find a link in the “Legal” section of the app. How silly is that… you have to install the app to see if your phone is compatible. How about just putting a web link on the outside of the box to allow potential buyers to check this before purchase? Noise wise, seems a bit noisier than my current "cheap" electric brush but I guess this is in line with the (clearly) more powerful motor.

Summary In terms of cleaning performance I cannot imagine a better electric toothbrush than this. The ability to alter the level of oscillations on the brush handle coupled with choice of different brush heads to suit that particular use is ideally suited to gaining the best teeth brushing experience. I can honestly say that my teeth have never felt cleaner after using this. However, the lack of adoption of simple user profiles, somewhat hampers the ability to use for multiple users. Apart from the storage in the travel case, it is somewhat annoying (particularly for such a relatively expensive item) to not have storage for the variety of differing heads you might use. The instructions frequently reference such a storage device but it took a bit of looking before finding the comment “Accessories (depending on model)” woke me to the fact that you needed to get an even more expensive model to get this (or maybe purchase as an accessory?). Seems like a bit of unnecessary penny pinching?

***UPDATE - 14months after initial review*** Disappointing to say that after only 14months use, the toothbrush stopped working. When placed on its charger, it would indicate it was charging for about three minutes and then stop. As this was a "review unit" there was no warranty so after numerous attempts to have it charge (unsuccessfully), into the bin it went. While this may only be a "one-off", I've never experienced such a failure on much cheaper electric toothbrushes that have gone for years without issue. A second issue I noticed over the extended test period was that water would (naturally) run down the sides of the brush and enter into the narrow space where the charging cord plugged into the charging base. The result was some some significant corrosion on the electrical pins in the socket. This is clearly a design fault where the only way to prevent it happening is to carefully wipe and dry the toothbrush before placing it on the charging stand...not something I would imagine most of us would be doing on a regular basis. And before anyone asks, yes I did check that the corrosion was not part of the reason the brush stopped working but even if it were, this is not acceptable on such an expensive brush Overall, a disappointing end for such an expensive appliance!

The sensor is not working at all – My oralb brush is thinking that I am stupid enough to brush one side of teeth for 3 minutes. Happening many time. Not satisfied at all. If the AI going to be like this then not in next 100 years we will see anything running by AI Show details

An excellent toothbrush but the AI feature loses it's spark quickly – Since my last electric toothbrush died quite some time ago, I've been using a manual toothbrush. After the very first use of the Oral B AI the difference in my teeth was significant. 4 weeks on and I can confidently say that the Oral B brush heads, combined with the guided brushing have made a big difference to the cleanliness of my teeth. It… Read more

is a sleek, attractive unit that comes with a solid travel case/charging station and 3 brush heads. The travel station allows you to charge your phone and the toothbrush at the same time. The black toothbrush I received is lovely, though it does get covered in toothpaste splatters.

Over 4 weeks, this was my experience: The toothbrush comes with only a very basic instruction manual, with additional links to the website/app for further (but not complete) information. I found this frustrating - either do a thorough manual or provide one to download. And while it provides 3 brush heads, trying to determine what type of head each one was, was difficult as it is not highlighted. This is important because each brush head provides a different purpose, with 'guided brushing' challenges that you can complete. Spending time scrolling through the website to determine what head is what could have been made easier in an instruction manual. Either way, the lack of a manual, downloadable or otherwise means that features are not getting used to their full advantage.

The toothbrush paired perfectly to my phone every time, without fail.

The toothbrush comes with a good solid holder that sticks to your bathroom mirror which could be easily adjusted.

The 'guided brushing' (using the toothbrush with the app vs. unguided', using it independently) gives you the opportunity to watch where you're brushing and shows you how long to brush in each area before moving on to the next section of your teeth. It was a great eye opener and has helped me lengthen my brushing regime. My young daughter found this fascinating and it encouraged her to brush longer.

The app has a brush head reminder which tracks the hours used and lets you know when it's time to replace the brush head. This is great in theory, however, one of the key aspects of the app is that there are challenges to complete which go for varying lengths of time and require the use of different brush heads. So after the first challenge I did which goes for 2 weeks, I moved on to a new brush head/challenge but this is not taken into consideration which makes the 'brush head reminder' feature redundant as it would be inaccurate.

When doing the 'guided brushing' the app allows you to turn the brush off, pausing while you spit for up to 30 seconds. However, any time I 'paused to spit' after the 2 minute mark, the 'guided brush' would end and appear as though you had brushed incompletely (see photo). I have reported this to app development as it is clearly a glitch in the system, but nonetheless frustrating when you're trying to achieve goals.

The toothbrush has a 'tongue cleaning' setting. I much prefer my $10.00 Dr. Tungs tongue cleaner which does an easier and more effective job without all the gagging and awkwardness of this setting.

The toothbrush lights up red around the neck if you're pressing too hard, though I found this was rarely an issue for me. The toothbrush is so powerful that it doesn't encourage me to press hard whatsoever.

The location of the power button and settings button seemed back to front and un-intuitive. I would have preferred them around the other way.

As soon as this toothbrush arrived my husband went out and bought his own brush heads and downloaded the app. Different coloured rings around the base of the brush head help to differentiate between users so there are no awkward mix ups. He can track his own progress through the app on his phone. A quick glance at his app and I can see that he hasn't been using the app to guide his brush for weeks. Unfortunately however, the toothbrush is unable to differentiate between whose toothbrush it's connected to and i can see through my app that his times have been recorded as well as mine showing me brushing at 7.30am and then again 10 minutes later (See photo).This has great potential for other family members to use and save on cost....so long as they have their own device kept from a distance when someone else is brushing their teeth. My young children would certainly brush for longer with this app, but they are too young for their own devices. This is a shame as it would be really helpful to provide them with that education young so that they get in to good brushing habits. I understand that there are other apps they could use, but why not one app that caters to the whole family? Being able to select a user on the app would be a great feature for parents. I also see this as being a great feature for someone who plays a caring role in some capacity.

For the most part, it didn't take long for the app to lose it's spark and I find it rare to use the app to brush my teeth. Rushing out of the house in the mornings, finding my phone to go back and brush my teeth just became lower on my list of priorities. On a positive, if your phone is still on bluetooth and within range, the app collects the information on your brushing so you can go back and see how you're travelling. It became very clear to me that the 'guided brushing'ensured I lengthened my brushing time. (See photo).

Pre-covid19 the travel case probably would have seen more use. I do like it and I can see it coming in very handy, without worrying about the mess of your toothbrush in your bag. The travel case also comes in it's own bag which seems like a bit of overkill, though I suppose it gives you somewhere to put the cord. That part could probably do with a bit more thought.

After 4 weeks I realised that the toothbrush vibrates every 30 seconds so as opposed to using the app, I am likely to use this as a guide for longer brushing. Again, providing this information in a manual would be useful.

I commenced my brushing journey using the 'whitening' challenge, a 2 week challenge. Before the 2 weeks were up both my husband and I observed that my teeth were noticeably whiter.

I am now half way through the plaque removal challenge and again I can really notice a difference. My teeth feel so darn clean, so much so that now I keep getting food stuck in between my teeth! A problem I didn't have before.... not such a bad problem to have really.

I'm giving this 3 stars out of 5. It loses one point for the price and one point for the other issues I have combined. I contemplated giving it 2 stars but it really has done an amazing job with my teeth. The 'guided brushing'feature, though used intermittently really has sent me on a positive teeth brushing journey.

I do find the price excessive, particularly given that I'm not using the main features for which the price tag is attributed. I absolutely notice the difference in my teeth but the brush heads can be used across all Oral B toothbrushes so you may be able to get a $70 model half price at Coles, as I've seen recently, for $35 and potentially do just as good a job. That would be my recommendation, and it would be my plan for the future when this needs replacing.

Oral-B is an industry leading brand, especially growing up during my youth; although I felt this was cutting corners – AMBASSADOR REVIEW Please note: This review is broken up into several sub-headings that is intentional; so that the reader can jump / skip using their own smart device(s) or computer system(s) into different parts of the review that is relevant to him / her needs’. INTRODUCTION This review may be somewhat biased, but considering I also own the… Read more

Philips Sonicare DiamondClean toothbrush. By comparison, these two products are directly suited within the Dental Hygiene market; specifically, similarly priced, similarly packaged, similarly featured.

When I first saw this, I thought it would beat my Philips Sonicare DiamondClean toothbrush. Especially that when I saw the words, on the packaging and at the base of the Oral-B toothbrush that was “Made in Germany”. For a moment, I was briefly excited and filled with enthusiasm. Unfortunately, it soon became rather short-lived; when the majority of what is included is "Made in China" and shall explain within the following headings: PACKAGING, PRODUCT, PROS vs CONS, COMPARISON, QUESTIONS.

PACKAGING Feeling somewhat inquisitive, I saw an Apple iPhone linked to this product as well as the Bluetooth connectivity symbol which led me to perceive some sort of mobile application that monitors your brushing routine.

The boxed contents were fairly straight forward and easy to follow instructions. Removing the packaging and exposing the contents.

Since the picture pointed to an Apple iPhone, I did not have an iPhone as my phone is Android-based. So going through the Play Store, I downloaded the Oral-B software within.

PRODUCT Moving on to the product itself. The overall feel of the product feels like a toy. Nevertheless, the hard plastic at the front with a rubberised texture at the back provided extra grip. Strangely enough, my toothbrush in its blackened colour format; already had some blemishes, indented scratches between the power and selection buttons at the top.

Gripping it and putting it into either hand was okay. Charging it I found cumbersome, because at the base of the toothbrush, there is a strange shape which you have to carefully align to the charging station otherwise risk damaging both parts.

Once it was charged, I loaded the Android application and proceeded to connect to the toothbrush where I did not experience any issues.

Upon loading the application and going into the various menu option; at first I found it interesting, but immediately it just reminded me of something like a Fitbit; where tracking heart rate; how many calories you’ve burned and the general biographical data that includes in the package. This application reminded me a great deal of that and when brushing my teeth every day, I didn’t feel it was rewarding to load the application just to review the statistics and message notifications.

I also found the tooth brush heads were strange to put on, especially the toothbrush head part and a strange circular piece of plastic. I did not quite get it as to why it was necessary to have these splintered off into two pieces whereas having a single piece would be an easier and smarter design?

When it came to brushing; I did not like the experience at all. Oddly enough, I tried the various settings including the strongest setting and many times, I experience it struggled to brush and instead it pauses as though you are pressing too hard with the product against your teeth

PROS vs CONS

Toothbrush Pros: - LED gauges informing you of on what setting you’re on; the battery indicator and Bluetooth Cons: - I have found that in comparison with my Philips; this toothbrush does not last as long. Especially when I brush, it feels like the toothbrush motor is struggling and at times pauses and does not give me any confidence of its long-term effectiveness nor the longevity of the remaining battery life (e.g. Did I charge it enough despite it showing all three bars as fully charged)

Suction Cup Pros: None

Cons: A mobile phone holder with a suction cup on the end of it; umm…. Unfortunately I found this to be useless and served no purpose in my daily brushing.

Again, it felt like a toy, something you would find from a generic mobile phone sales and periphery store.

Carry Case Pros: is large, has USB and power connection ports and an LED indicator of your charging status

Cons: though the case is grip-able and won’t slip out of your hands, you will need to use two hands to open the push button mechanism to open. Though individuals with larger hands, may be able to open the case, however risk the contents falling out as I discovered.

The bottom base of the tooth brush fits onto its own personal spot in the case; but it becomes finicky when you have to remove the top part of the tooth brush especially when it comes with a strange circular and band that can easily dislodge and falling onto the floor

COMPARISON As I earlier mentioned that I also own the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean toothbrush; there are a few things I found that excelled more than Oral-B.

1. The motor in the Philips is more powerful. I never had a problem nor did it struggle, regardless of whether the battery was full or at half-charge. 2. The Philips has a one button power and selector built-in; the design and function was cleaner. 3. Overall, the package of the Philips was more of a higher quality grade, it did not feel like a toy. 4. Though the Philips did not have a monitoring application in my version; it did come with other capabilities that pushed it over the line in terms of defining itself as a direct competitor to the Oral-B; specifically: a. It came with a transparent glass, where the toothbrush could be placed without having to worry about charging it. The glass came with a charging platform that sits underneath the glass that is then connected to a power socket. Leaving the toothbrush in the cup with the charger activated; the toothbrush proceeds to charge itself

b. The carry case in comparison with the Oral-B, looks like an external Bluetooth speaker. The case mechanism is magnetic and definitely requires one or two hands to open. But even if you manage to open with one hand; there is an extra boost of confidence that the contents of the case will not fall out. There are indented grooves on the inside of the case that holds all of the intended components securely.

What’s more, on the outside of the lid, there is a grooved section that allows you to place the toothbrush on top. On one end, there is an old-fashion USB port which I don’t like where the Oral-B definitely does it better in terms of functionality and a variety of choices.

5. The Oral-B comes with a travel carry bag which does the job and wouldn’t need you to go out and purchase one. The Philips does not come with one at all.

FINAL THOUGHTS My overall verdict for this product is not to recommend this for any one. Unless?

Unless, if for instance, that you had another similar electric toothbrush that is regularly used and felt comfortable with? This would serve as a secondary and also as something you would carry with you whether it may be for business or holiday trips during extended periods away from home.

And furthermore, from a consumer and user perspective, if a particular individual is not technical-minded or tech-savvy; they will struggle to use this product as it was intended to. So for those consumers who fit this category, it is probably best to steer clear of this and go with something else within the Oral-B range that will do just as good as this, if not better.

For those like myself who IS technical minded and tech-savvy; if I had not purchased the Philips version previously, I may have rated this product better; but experiencing the overall offering by Oral-B in this instance, I did not feel that there was a level of trust of this product's performance.

[Q] How do you feel the product affected your oral health? I feel less confident about the product, its design and overall toy-like offering? It affected my oral health when it struggled to brush properly and found the additional features such as the application and suction cup a finicky distraction. From that result, I went back to my Philips.

[Q] What features do you like about the product? The highlighted diagram pictures for the different settings on the product; including the Bluetooth indicator; battery gauge; and the different power ports on the carry case. With the amount of connectivity it has, it initially gave a sense that the toothbrush could connect to more than just an application.

[Q] Is it easy to store or travel with, and how long does a charge last? With a provided travel pouch, I found it easy to store the toothbrush itself and the heads. The case itself is not tight but just right to fit. The Philips on the other hand that does not come with a travel pouch; because it has a smaller footprint, it fits very loosely in the Oral-B travel pouch also.

Great toothbrush – Product Review of Oral-B Genius Ai electric toothbrush. Summary: This is toothbrush does what it is for really well, it cleans your teeth and they do feel clean when you’ve finished. The timer signal (every 30 seconds) is a good reminder that its time to clean other teeth. The Bluetooth interface will be well received with those that are… Read more

gadget or technology focused, I am not that way inclined, so the Bluetooth was a novelty that wore of fairly quickly.

Would I buy it? I’d buy an Oral-B electric toothbrush for sure, but I wouldn’t be paying the premium for the Bluetooth. I bought my first Oral-B years ago after my dentist said it would help keeping my teeth clean, and it has, he commented on it at my next visit. The battery life is about 3 years and is NOT user replaceable, so when it dies the whole assembly becomes just another addition to landfill.

User review: The package is two products in one. You get an electric toothbrush that works great on its own and a Bluetooth interface to allow your toothbrush to talk to an app on your phone. It works fine without the interface.

When the Product Review folk told me I would be reviewing a toothbrush with Bluetooth I was not overly impressed. I’m not a big fan of domestic appliances talking to computers but I decided to give it a good workout anyway.

What was in the box? The brush body, three brushes, a charger cable, a storage/travel container, a travel bag, a charger base and a suction cup phone holder device and a quick user guide, and the manual.

The packaging wasn’t excessive but close.

First, the toothbrush body, it’s black and looks and feels sleek. Included are three brushes in unlabelled blister packs, I had to look at the pictures in the instructions to figure out which was which. I got a Cross Action” brush for daily use, a “3D White” brush – for polishing your teeth and a “Gum Care brush”. As a previous Oral-B electric brush user that couldn’t tell the difference in use of all the fancy brush types I did not try all the varieties this time either and stayed with the daily use brush.

Not sure why two travel accessories (travel bag and travel case) were included. The travel bag is a canvasy magnetic latched bag that can hold all the bits and pieces. The travel case is a hard plastic, hinged lid, sleek, black interesting looking box that holds the brush body and two brushes and its own charger base. The travel case does not fit into the travel bag (surprisingly). Once the brush body is in the case just plug in the cable and it will charge, it also has a USB outlet to charge your phone which can rest on the built in holder so you can see the phone screen when brushing. I am not sure I would want to take an electric toothbrush away with me, a standard toothbrush is fine.

Using the toothbrush on its own (no app).

Charge it first.

If you have never used an electric toothbrush it will surprise you how clean it makes your teeth feel, something similar to a dentist clean. Once running it feels powerful in your hand, it is very noisy and more so once it makes contact with your teeth. There is no need to push hard, and if you do lights flash to remind you to stop it. The manual says to brush each tooth for a couple of seconds, I just go slowly around my teeth in a pattern making sure I get all areas. Every 30 seconds the brush gives a little shudder to tell you to move on, at the 2-minute mark there is a big shudder to let you know you should now be finished.

Rinse the brush body and brush in running water. From previous experience I recommend separating the brush form the body and rinsing thoroughly up inside the socket – it can get very nasty in there over time if you don’t. Dry everything with a towel including under the brush body else it leaves nasties on the stand over time.

After a week of use twice a day the battery was down to one light, so I plugged it in. It took a long time to charge. I have repeated this process over the last few weeks. In use by one person brushing twice a day for 2 minutes each time I get about a weeks use before recharging. The charge time doesn’t matter if charged overnight.

Using the app.

The app requires locations services be on – don’t know why, do not like it either, I generally like to choose what apps get to know where I am, a toothbrush is not in my list, for the review purposes I allowed it.

The app allows all sorts of variations on what you can do including changing various colours, keeping a history of your cleaning and a sort of game thingy that rewards you with awards for doing the right thing. I have just looked after a week’s use and I have a “Welcome” Award, a “Power Use” award and a “Sparkling Star” award. I can go on a journey though I am unsure why or what benefit it offers. The app can advise that it’s time to change the brush and asks to send your statistics to Oral-B and allows you to connect to Apple Health.

I could not get the suction device phone holder to stay stuck (I followed the instructions). It kept on falling off after a few minutes. This device holds your phone at the correct position to see the screen while brushing. Sitting it on the bench top worked fine for me

In use, a cartoon picture of your upper and lower teeth appears. Select “Brush Now”, start brushing and the teeth you are cleaning sort of flash and change colour. You are done when all the teeth change colour to sparkling white. It can be laborious to get 100% covered and all white teeth, I found it generally took about 2 minutes and 45 seconds before I achieved perfection each time. I noticed it sometimes said I was cleaning my back left section when I was actually cleaning my top middle teeth or other variation. Over the last few weeks it hasn’t got any better, not sure how it works but it did not get its position in my mouth correct much at all. It didn’t seem to know I have a few teeth missing from my misspent youth. I ended up cleaning in fresh air to get the 100% mark.

What it does do that is great is it makes brushing your teeth a bit more interesting and you end up just wanting to get that 100%. So, when I’ve used the app I want to keep going to get the all clear, that can’t be bad.

Will I use the app long term? No. I don’t usually take my phone to the bathroom so maybe not. If I felt it was more accurate I might be keener but cleaning for at least 2 minutes seems to work.

Will I continue to use the brush - yes, I like the way it cleans my teeth. Would I pay that the around $200, probably not.

I liked –

Makes your teeth feel dentist clean in 2 minutes.

Nice looking product and accessories. They feel good and appear well made. The travel case is well put together and allows you to pack the brush head without getting hairs or debris on the brushes and it has that inbuilt charger. (See photo)

When used with the app, it is sort of fun and functional and makes you want to clean your teeth thoroughly. At first it is bit addictive, it wears off after a couple of days.

I didn’t like -

Very noisy machine. You cannot here someone standing next to you talking when using it.

A few too many ‘things’ in the app, and it is a bit condescending, not sure who it is aimed at but it is not me. Too many modes – who has time to do all the fancy stuff when what you need is to clean your teeth and go.

It is difficult to share the brush using the app. I did find a way but had to search the web and it is far from perfect. If I had spent $200 on a toothbrush, I’d expect my wife and I should be able to use it (which we can if the app isn’t used).

Two travel bags????

Fairly expensive. A similar brush from Oral-B that does NOT have Bluetooth is around $50, so you would be paying $150 for the Bluetooth?

PET HATE: The charging cable is device specific. It has a unique plug that will fit nothing else but the charger rather than being able to use any common plug in cable (figure 8 cable).

Very good. One or two minor things I didn't like – Overall Description Update November 2022 Still going strong. Wouldn't be without it. The Bottom Line After three weeks use I can say that this will definitely replace my previous toothbrush, so it’s a success in that way. I won’t use the app very much if at all. Because of the app’s failings and a couple of very minor points about the… Read more ·  1

toothbrush itself, I’ve given it 4 stars instead of 5.

What is it?

The Oral B Genius AI is a battery powered, rechargeable toothbrush which can connect to an app on your smartphone to monitor and maybe improve the way you brush your teeth.

Now, to me, a toothbrush is a plastic stick with some bristles on it, so this is two giant steps forwards: it’s electric and it’s intelligent.

Appearance

The packaging this arrives in seems excessive to me, but very smart.

There’s a hard carrying case, which doubles as a charger and there’s a separate charger - see photos. This carrying case has space for the main body of the toothbrush - the handle - and two brushes, as well as a stand for your ‘phone. Unfortunately my phone didn’t fit into the stand and I think that’s because it’s more or less permanently fixed in a folding case.

There are three different brushes although it’d be handy if the packaging they come in was labelled clearly. There is also a holder which can clamp to your mirror to hold your smartphone in front of your face while you brush your teeth.

There is even a black cloth bag with a magnetic catch which is called a ‘beauty bag’. It will probably be handy for when we’re all allowed to travel again.

The handle is fairly business-like, but has its share of lights indicating what kind of a clean it’s going to give your teeth: normal, gentle, whitening etc. There is also a ‘smart ring’ which is another light providing yet more information. The smart ring turns red if you press too hard, which I managed to do a few times at first.

With a brush attached, the handle doesn’t fit into the case. I think this is deliberate because they want you to store the brushes separated from the handle.

I mostly used the small round stand and charger. I will probably only use this in future.

Review Summary

Good Points

The brushes fit onto the handle really easily.

The brushes have a blue colour in them which will fade so you can tell when to change them.

The battery life was 12 days for me - pretty good, I think.

Bad Points - nothing major

Each brush has a small coloured ring which fits between the brush and the handle. I was worried this would get lost but it clips into place on the brush. I’m not sure what purpose it serves and I don’t know if it matters if you lose it.

By the time I’d unpacked it and read the instructions, I’d honestly had enough. Sorry, maybe that’s just me, but how much can you need to know about a toothbrush - especially an intelligent one?

The handle is oval in cross section and covered with some kind of grippy material on the opposite side to the switches. On the switch side it’s made of shiny plastic, and with a wet hand (this is a toothbrush in a bathroom, of course) it is very slippery. I nearly dropped the toothbrush once and I’m not sure it would have survived. That’d be an expensive mistake to make, and I’m sure they could make it easier to grip all around. This is the worst bad point for me.

I find it very awkward to use the phone holder. It sticks onto the bathroom mirror easily enough, but I could do with an extra hand to hold apart the ‘arms’ so I can slot my phone into place. I think, again, this is due to my phone being in a folding case. I do have to say that this holder is secure enough, both on the mirror and in holding the phone. I reckon I’ll use it somewhere - maybe in my campervan.

How Did I Test It?

First of all, I just tried this as a replacement for my usual toothbrush, using it in approximately the same way. I did this for a week and then tried the app. Also, after the first week I switched from gentle clean to daily clean, but after a couple of days I switched back. On daily clean, if the hard part of the brush touches my teeth - which it does sometimes, it’s very unpleasant.

Without the app. I had my very first go with an electric (battery, of course) toothbrush one evening before bed. I managed to spray myself with toothpaste - my fault maybe - and my gums bled a little even on gentle clean. I have to say, though, that it was pretty easy to follow the instructions and clean all my teeth so they felt smooth and polished. A good start.

My gums haven’t bled again since that first go, and it was very minor anyway - not enough to bother even me.

I used this as an un-intelligent, but electric, toothbrush for a week. During that week, my teeth felt smooth, shiny and clean compared to usual. They were even better when I used the brush on my gums as well. I didn’t put the handle into Gum Care mode for this, by the way. After this week, the edges of my teeth felt sharper like they do after a dentist has cleaned them, but I didn’t get three days of pain and discomfort like I do when a dentist does them. That is definitely a win for me!

I’ve been using the Cross Action brush head and it’s fine for me. I’m going to give the 3D White Brush Head a go with the handle in 3D White cleaning mode, to see if it will whiten my teeth. If it does, I’ll be amazed as my teeth are pretty old and very stained, mostly from red wine.

Well, I tested the whitening function several times by just using it on my upper front teeth so I’d see any difference from my lower front teeth. It didn’t seem to make any difference. BUT (sorry about the capitals, but this is pretty good) my teeth are definitely getting whiter all across the upper and lower front. I mean, it’s a big, noticeable difference despite my old wine-stained teeth. In fact, I can now say ex-wine-stained teeth.

With the app.

The app has very poor reviews that would normally put me off installing it but I do need to test that as well. I’m afraid I won’t be contradicting any of the critical reviews of the app.

The app is not very accurate in measuring where I’m brushing, but it didn’t seem bad at first. It marks teeth that have been brushed enough by making the picture white on the phone screen, but it’s a bit slow at this. I move onto another section of teeth before it looks like I should and then the area I’ve just been brushing turns white… or it doesn’t and I have to go back to it.

According to the app I can’t brush my teeth properly in less than about 2 minutes and 40 seconds. This is despite large gaps in a couple of places, which, I guess, the toothbrush can’t recognise.

As I went on with the app, it became less accurate at showing where I was brushing. I could seemingly complete brushing my front upper teeth without touching them.

I also gave up on the phone holder; it’s just too fiddly, so I lean my phone against the mirror which has a shelf under it.

Sophistication at a price – I discarded a modest tooth brush many years ago when Oral-B electric toothbrush by Braun first arrived in Australia. I recognised the advantages of oscillating head and its impact on oral hygiene and dental health. Thus I became a loyal customer, upgrading the toothbrush when improved models became available. The engineers at Braun have been at… Read more ·  3

the forefront of innovation and one wonders what further improvements may be made to something which is excellent already. My last Oral-B Smart Guide is a prime example of excellency which I thought would not warrant further improvement. The release of the top-of-the-range Oral-B Genius AI 10 000 proved just how wrong I was! This addition to the range boasts of incredible technology. It is a pinnacle of sophisticated approach to dental health. My Genius AI is presented in an attractive midnight black. The other edition is available in white. Perhaps the most outstanding feature of this toothbrush is the inbuilt Artificial Intelligence (hence AI.) This smart technology is used to track where and how you are actually brushing your teeth to provide you with detailed analysis of your technique. The feedback is provided via Oral-B app showing how you can achieve the best result every day. To be able to use the AI you have to download Oral-B app first on your smartphone running either iOS or Android operation systems. I found the pairing the toothbrush handle via Bluetooth to my smartphone a strait forward, easy procedure. Once paired, the program activates as soon as you start brushing your teeth. At the end of your session it provides you with the analysis of the efficiency of your brushing technique on the smartphone screen. It suggests where you could improve and even awards you medals, should you deserve any, at the end of your session. It is a pity that the software is rather dull. Brighter colours would enhance its attractiveness and would be appreciated particularly by the children. One is supposed to fit the smartphone to the supplied holder which is to be attached via the suction cap to a smooth surface, preferably a mirror. I tried in vain to attach this rather bulky holder to the ceramic tile. The suction failed on every occasion. Anyway, I consider this part to be unnecessary and adding to the cost of the product. I now simply rest the smartphone against the window without any need for the special holder. OK, the AI technology is indeed clever. However, I wonder how many users will be actually using it particularly in the morning when people do not have much time before rushing off to work. I am sure that the kids will love it though and it is an important tool to teach them good habits when it comes to brushing the teeth and oral hygiene. The toothbrush features six brushing modes which you may switch during your session to suit your individual needs. As I have sensitive gums, I am using the Sensitive mode. The other ones are Daily, Pro clean, 3D White, Gum care and the Tongue clean. The chosen mode is illuminated on the handle. The manufacturer claims 100% removal of plaque. Due to the Covid-19 restrictions I am unable to attest to this as it would require visit to the dentist. That in non-emergency cases is impossible. People may not realise that too much pressure may damage your gums. That is why the head incorporates a warning red light in its Smart ring. It also automatically reduces the speed of the brush rotation. The Smart ring can also be personalised for different colours via the Oral-B app. While this is nice it is gimmicky and again it adds to the cost of the product. So many things about this toothbrush are "smart." This even includes the Smart plug for power supply for all global mains voltage ranges, 100V-240V. Needless to say that will be welcomed by travellers. The toothbrush has the two minutes timer which is recommended time for brushing by dentists. It actually lets you know every 30 seconds by a shudder. Once again, a welcome feature. Fully charged the toothbrush runs for about two weeks before it has to be recharged. It lets you know when it is time by the flashing red light. Typically the recharging from empty takes about 12 hours. The charging may be done either through the small charging stand or through the Travel case. The Travel case is yet another very attractive accessory. Beautifully presented, it incorporates a charging pin and the USB port. The need for the USB port puzzles me as you cannot charge the toothbrush using it. Apparently it is handy for charging other devices. For the toothbrush to be charged inside the travel case, the case has to be connected to the Smart plug. While elegant, the Travel case is bulky and I will prefer using the Beauty bag (manufacturer's terminology) which is far from beautiful but it is more practical than the Travel case. The product comes with three special and smart again, brush heads, each having a different function. These oscillating brush heads ensure that your teeth will be free from plaque. Amazing engineering there. I can imagine that they will be expensive to replace. The toothbrush is noticeably lighter than my previous one, Oral-B smart Guide. The back is rubberised so it is tot slippery when wet. All this remarkable technology does not come cheap though! The toothbrush is loaded with features, some of which you may never even use, but for which you pay. I wonder how many people will be willing to spend at least $250 (on special) if they can get a lesser model Oral-B for much more sensible price. However, it should be noted that the toothbrush may be used by the whole family, each member just using his/her own brush head. The warranty is a reasonable 24 months. The Instruction manual is well presented and easy to understand. However, the print could be bigger to cater for short sighted customers. Yes, Genius AI is for the most fastidious buyer who wants to have the very best. So, if you have spare cash, I highly recommend this amazing toothbrush.

My teeth have never felt cleaner – First of all the product is packaged very nicely, I like the fact that it can be opened up for a little sneak peak. It comes with 3 brush heads (cross action, 3D white and gum care). Phone holder that mounts to a mirror. A 240v charger and stand. Charging travel case (which works in conjunction with the supplied charger). Also a phone holder that… Read more ·  2

mounts to a mirror and a soft travel case / toiletries bag to store the other travel case an accessories in. The soft bag is great, it fits the hard travel case, accessories and more. The hard travel case doesn't actually hold my (iPhone SE) when it has the case on but it does hold it without the case. The mirror mount works no worries, it's actually really good!

The first thing I noticed is how powerful this toothbrush is! I have used Oral B electric toothbrushes in the past but quite some time ago. let me just say after giving it a go again my teeth have never felt cleaner! There is a bit of a negative to all that power, it does seem a bit noisy, I would be a little hesitant to use it at 5am in the morning when I'm getting ready for work with the rest of the family still asleep.

The instructions seemed to be easy to follow and adequate enough, considering the toothbrush heads aren't labelled I did appreciate the fact that the booklet had different heads listed along with the pictures because otherwise it would be a guessing game as to which is for what (if you haven't used any before).

Downloading the app was straight forward (I have an older iPhone SE), and I found it easy to navigate. The features seem pretty straight forward, it wasn't a drawn out process to get the first brushing session on the way. Over time I found Bluetooth connectivity can be a bit hit and miss when initially connecting, sometimes it doesn't connect straight away. I think it just takes a little time getting used to how it works.

The App seems to do a pretty good job at tracking what teeth you're brushing, I found it to be very responsive although you do have to have your mouth open and make sure you do the top and bottom separately. It's not perfect but I would say it's rather impressive that it can tell where I'm brushing!

I found the battery lasted about 12 days from first charge, that's a very decent amount of time. One thing I must mention is that my Husband has a Orab B shaver and I noticed that it has exactly the same charger, pretty handy to know for those who travel, it means you can take one charger for multiple products. Speaking of travel though I really wish that the charger to cradle connection was USB rather than what it is.....main reason being is that when I go camping etc we generally don't have 240v power but we have 12v and solar etc with USB charging ports, so that's something to consider....it would be great if I could use any USB cable to charge it....however on the other hand I suppose considering the battery life is almost two weeks well I guess most of the time we would probably be near 240v power within that time anyway.

Let's brush! Firstly it's very powerful, the app is great because it shows you where you're brushing and for how long. I like seeing the 100% coverage picture even though it takes more than 2 minutes to achieve that (oyou can actually set different brushing times which I haven't tried. Sometimes it's not convenient to use the app but that's ok, it will record your brushing sessions as an unguided session. I really like the fact that it vibrates at 30 second intervals and does about 3 consecutive vibrations when time is up. It just seems to provide a bit more encouragement compared to the cheaper ones I've had that only vibrate when time is up.

When using the app you know when you've done a great job and getting badges keeps it interesting. I really like the fact that it has different brushing modes (like daily, sensitive, 3d white etc). However you can only change the mode while using the brush, it would actually be really good if the mode could be changed while the brush wasn't spinning...like before you start brushing. In saying that the different modes aren't just for decoration, I actually really appreciate having the sensitive mode and there is a difference in how the brush works in the different modes (variations in speed, pulsing etc).

When it comes to other features I like the fact that the app has programs to help you whiten teeth or have fresh breath etc, but I can't say I'm much of a fan of tongue brushing so I won't be trying that.

Replacement brush heads seem readily available at the supermarket, I'm not sure black ones are as easy to find but to be honest that doesn't bother me too much.

It's recommended to rinse the brush under the tap (turned on) which I do and I'm impressed that it doesn't actually splash water everywhere! I also wipe it dry with a microfiber cloth and have found minimal issues with the stand getting dirty etc.

I think this toothbrush would also be particularly great for getting kids into a good tooth brushing routine. So in that regard I think the app could use some improvement, it would be great if the app had extra functionality for multiple users (with their own brush heads).

In summary this is a very powerful toothbrush with quite a few features and it does do a pretty amazing job at telling you when you have brushed your teeth properly, I'd recommended it to getting you into a good habit because I know having had cheaper electric brushes before it's too easy to get lazy, this keeps you a bit more accountable. But at the same time if you do get lazy and you don't use the app it will actually still sync your brushing sessions to the app next time you do actually use it....which is great because sometimes you just want to brush your teeth and get out the door and after using the app for a while you probably get the routine down pact as well so it's good that you can simply check on the progress instead of using the guided mode all the time.

This brush excels in the very best cleaning result! – Before I do this review I will declare that I have the Oral B rechargeable toothbrush and have had for at least 3 years. However it is the cheapest version that I purchased for about $20 and it has served me well. Also I am a consistent 6 month visitor to my dentist. I am one of these people that has absolutely no fear of going to the dentist… Read more

and I am fussy about my teeth. Not so much in how they look but I don't tolerate any chips, or other issues. To me a visit to the dentist is as much a social chat as it is teeth care as my dentist and I really hit it off. My teeth are given an x ray every 12 months and cleaned and polished every 6 months. Every now and then I need the odd small filling or repair job. I have only had 2 wisdom teeth removed in my 58 years and my teeth rarely cause issues. Furthermore I clean them twice a day and use floss regularly. They are not perfect but they look OK and do their job. I must also declare that I am writing this review as a Product Review Ambassador and these are my individual opinions based on my testing.

When I was asked to review this new model brush I was some what cynical as I did not believe that my current brush could be bettered. The cheapest brush did an excellent job and was a bargain. Oral B release all sorts of models and I presume they all brushed the same but had some added features. Its not unusual to see 3 or 4 different Oral B models at Chemist Warehouse.

The brush arrived in a glossy, classy box with lots of cardboard and plastic but it looked very upmarket as did the products inside, all in black. Included was a soft carry case for the accessories, a charger/cord, instruction manual, 3 brush heads, a holder for a mobile phone whist using the App(more on that later), and my favourite was the hard carry case that was able to hold 2 brush heads and was also a built in charger when the main body was placed inside. Of course the main part was the black and 'grippy' main body which was more heavy and slightly longer compared to my basic model but was very well balanced.

Following my unboxing I then downloaded the Oral B App for my Android Mobile. The App scored a very low public rating but on my old Samsung J7 Pro it worked flawlessly and did so for the entire assessment. It connected to my brush, recognised the model, and gave me some interesting information as well as some amusing tips, some of which were very handy and some just a gimmick. Whilst brushing it showed me where I was missing and scored me at the end. These scores were recorded for later. I really liked the information regarding how hard I was pressing. Although it recommends not brushing for more than 2 minutes I could not do better than 2 minutes 30 seconds to get a 100% score. Admittedly that could be my technique.

Anyway now down to the brushing! The first thing I noticed is that this brush had a powerful motor. Considerably more so than cheaper models. I used the 3 brush heads bundled with the brush. On starting you also start the App and it follows progress. There is some vibration that is felt through your mouth but this thing really is the gear! It gets to places that a normal brush would never reach and cleans your teeth with perfection. It has settings for gentler brushing, shining, tongue cleaning and gums but by far my favourite was the normal brush setting. It also has a flashing ring light that advises you of information but I found that a distraction and unnecessary. The brush removes any food or grit and definitely gives you a feel that you have had a scale and polish at the dentist. No problems with gum bleeding. Personally I did not notice much difference between the different style brush heads. I used my normal Colgate White Cleaning tooth paste but I am sure any quality brand would do the job due to the efficiency of the brush. It feels like it is many steps up from the cheaper Oral B brush. At the end the App gives you a cleaning rating in percentage and after 2 1/2 minutes I always attained 100%. Despite my initial scepticism this is a serious piece of kit. I did use the other settings but the normal clean suited me the best. This brush has a battery life of 2 weeks and mine went 1 day longer than this despite the longer cleaning times. I also noticed that the chargers for other Oral B brushes also charges for this brush and the cheaper heads also work fine. This is a cost saver as the brushes for this model can be much dearer. This may explain the longer brush time though.

There are just a few downsides. First is the excessive double packaging of the device. Its a premium device so comes with a premium presentation. These brushes are not cheap. A quick check online showed prices ranging from $199 to $249. The full price was over $400+! How much value do you put on your teeth. The cheaper price is just one visit to the dentist for a check and clean! I would consider paying for this product if it came on special. It may however be a victim of its own success as there are heaps of other Oral B models out there and people may opt for the cheaper product, and opt out of the Bluetooth features. I am sure they would be happy to not have use of the App etc and would still get a quality product. Finally, and this is my biggest gripe. In this age of Covid 19 I am surprised that this brush does not come with a cover for the brush head when its sitting on the charger or wherever its stored in the bathroom. Such a simple thing that is lacking for extra protection. This could be incorporated with the brush head packages or could be bundled with the device. I would be happy to leave out the phone holder or soft carry bag to include this item. I also think its a shame that you have to remove the brush head when the main body is stored in the hard carry case.

Overall though this is a very well made device that easily does what it achieves to do albeit at a substantial cost but personally I really like it and will get many years of service from it. I have only recently visited the dentist but will take it with me in 6 months and also ask if my teeth have benefited. To me it feels like they have. If you choose to purchase this item please shop around for brush heads as they can cost a bomb and there are many imitations out there. My advice is to wait until they are on special at Chemist Warehouse or similar and avoid EBay unless you are really sure they are genuine. Also be careful mounting your mobile phone into the phone holder if you have it attached to your mirror as it has a long way to fall. Its imperative that you follow the instructions re mounting this to any surface. The hard carry case also has a mobile phone holder and I think that this would suffice. I found that after using the Oral B App for a week or so I stopped using it as I am not of the generation of people that carry their mobile everywhere I go. After a while I just didn't bother retrieving the phone to use the App.

I like this device, it does a great job of cleaning and although there are some minor issues if you can get it at a price that your happy with then go for it. Your teeth will thank you for the extra attention.

Electric Toothbrush is good, the app is poor – At first glance, the new Oral-B Genius AI toothbrush is impressive. While slightly longer than the previous regular Oral-B electric toothbrush, it sits in the hand well and is comfortable to use. The previous Oral-B toothbrush I used had one button - a power switch to turn on and off the device. This new toothbrush has two buttons, the same on/off… Read more

power switch and a mode button to enable you to cycle through the different modes: - Standard, - high-speed, - low-speed (labelled ‘sensitive’), - one called ‘3D White’ (a pretentious name, I think) supposedly used for polishing, - gum care, and - tongue clean. A symbol on the handle is illuminated to show which mode has been chosen. To get the most out of this toothbrush, one is supposed to download the Oral-B app and connect the toothbrush to a mobile phone using Bluetooth. Then the app tries to determine how well you brush your teeth keeps a record. The supplied smartphone holder uses a suction-cup to allow it to be mounted on the mirror in the bathroom. I was extremely hesitant to try this feature, knowing that if the mounting wasn’t secure, there was a very large number of hard surfaces in the bathroom that would cause the phone screen to smash if it were to fall off. The alternative to using the suction-cup mount is to mount the phone in the supplied travel case, in a slot designed to hold the phone. One thing to note when pairing the toothbrush with the app on your smartphone is that you must give permission for the app to know your location. I don’t understand why this is necessary. If I’m using a mapping app, or a weather app, I can see why it might need to know my location to work properly. I cannot see why a toothbrushing app needs to know my location. But you can be absolutely sure (because I tried), that if you deny permission to the app to know your location, the Bluetooth pairing will fail. It was only when I went back to the settings and granted permission for the app to know my location that Bluetooth pairing was successful. I resented that. So the smartphone was mounted, it was paired with the toothbrush and the app was started with the phone’s camera watching me brush. On the screen, the app is supposed to be showing me how I’m brushing as I go, and with little animations, the diagram of my teeth changes various shades of colour to indicate how thoroughly I’m brushing. Problem was that what was appearing on the screen didn’t seem to bear much resemblance to what I was actually doing with the toothbrush. I believe that I brushed quite thoroughly and evenly over all my teeth, but at the end it gave me a coverage score of 79% and condescendingly told me that it hoped I would do better next time. Each time since that first time that I have used the app, I have had similar results. It seems that it matters not how thoroughly I clean my teeth, it doesn’t seem to actually detect properly what’s really going on. On other occasions when I haven’t used the app, but just used the toothbrush on its own, I’ve been more impressed with it. In the absence of the connected app, the instruction manual indicates that I should stay in one quadrant of my mouth until the toothbrush announces via a special vibration that thirty seconds has passed, indicating that I should move to the next quadrant of my mouth. The assumption is that if I have thoroughly cleaned each quadrant for thirty seconds, then at the end of two minutes my teeth will be clean. There is a ring of white light at the top of the handle (referred to in the manual as a ‘Smart Ring’) that changes colour to red if too much pressure is applied to the teeth, returning to white when the pressure is reduced. When the app is connected, it keeps a record of how many times too much pressure has been applied. After normal usage, the toothbrush would be placed back on a small stand that also acts as its charger. But they’ve also supplied a travel case which neatly fits the handle and two brushes. Cleverly, using a power socket on the outside of the case, the toothbrush handle can be charged while it’s secured inside the closed travel case. An additional USB port on the outside of the case can be used to simultaneously charge another device. Three different toothbrush heads were supplied in the box. The instruction manual described the features of several brushes, with a visual diagram of each. Trouble is that the drawing of each brush in the manual didn’t look anything like the actual brushes I had, so I was unsure what type each brush was. In addition to the problem of the app not correctly identifying what I was actually doing while brushing, there were other issues with using the app. It is well known that exposing yourself to bright, white light close to bed time suppresses the brain’s release of the body's sleep-inducing hormone, melatonin. Since I usually brush my teeth just before going to bed, I do not want to be staring at my smartphone screen while I’m brushing my teeth. Even in the absence of the app, the white ‘Smart Ring’ at the top of the handle is right in front of my eyes while I’m brushing. I do know that most people stand up in the bathroom while brushing their teeth, so I know I’m a bit strange in this way, but when I stand up in the bathroom brushing my teeth, I can’t stop toothpaste leaking out of my mouth. Consequently, I usually brush my teeth while lying on my bed. This precludes any possibility of using the app because the phone has to be mounted in such a way that the camera can see what I’m doing.

PROS Sturdy, well constructed. Cleans teeth well, like previous Oral-B electric toothbrushes. Different modes can be selected. A single charge lasts for several days of use. Travel case allows the handle to be charged while neatly holding the handle and two brushes.

CONS What the app displays as I brush my teeth bears little resemblance to what is actually happening. The app must be given permission to know your location or else Bluetooth pairing will fail. Exposure to smartphone screens at bed time can affect sleep. One day that suction-cup mount may fail, and the phone will come crashing down to the numerous hard surfaces of the bathroom.

SUMMARY This is a well-built toothbrush. It’s good to be able to adjust the speed using the different modes, and the built-in timer is helpful. The travel case is also well designed and I like the ability to charge the handle while it’s inside the travel case. The app is poorly designed and in my opinion is not able to accurately detect what’s happening in my mouth and is therefore not useful, and the need to expose myself to the bright, white light of my smartphone just before bedtime is a deal-breaker for me. The model name, ‘Genius AI’ implies a level of artificial intelligence, and that is very much overstating it’s ability. If you already have a working Oral-B toothbrush, I cannot see any reason to change to this one. If you don’t already have an electric toothbrush, I can’t see how this one is giving me my money’s worth, when a perfectly good Oral-B electric toothbrush (albeit the basic model) can be purchased for close to one-tenth the price of this so-called ‘Genius AI’ model.

Well, what a surprise! – Well, this certainly was a surprise. When I received the Oral B Genius AI electric toothbrush and learned it should be Bluetoothed to a Smartphone I initially thought –‘this has to be technology taken a step too far’. How wrong I was. But first things first. It comes in an impressive package which includes in addition to the electric toothbrush… Read more ·  2

‘handle’, 4 oscillating- rotating brush heads (a Cross Action; Floss Action; 3D White; and Gum Care), soft fabric ‘beauty bag’ for short trips away from home; charging station (suitable for 100V – 240V); an attractive ‘Smart’ travel case which includes a charging port for the handle and a USB port for charging other devices; and a Smartphone suction holder for fixing the Smartphone to a bathroom mirror. All are constructed to a high quality. A note regarding the suction holder – make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions exactly to ensure it affixes securely to the mirror. I didn’t and at first with the weight of the Smartphone it fell off. I then followed the instructions and that didn’t happen again. And now 1 year later I have not been using it at all as I have no need for it. I have been a very happy user of the Oral B Pro 2 2000 but the Oral B Genius AI is a remarkable step up. It is a better device in many ways. Notably it has a better battery life and will last 2 weeks between charges brushing twice a day for 2 minutes. The first thing to do is to download the Oral-B app, which syncs with the toothbrush and gives you instant feedback as you brush your teeth. Once the app is downloaded and it finds the Genius AI via Bluetooth, open the app and simply brush as you usually would, twice a day. My Smartphone is a budget model Samsung and it managed this connectivity very well. As you brush the data is synced to your Smartphone and displays on a diagrammatic illustration of your lower and upper rows of teeth. Using the app you can choose your preferred LED-lit handle colour. I used the App for about 1 month, but see more detail below. If you choose to use the suction holder it allows you to stand upright while brushing so that you can look horizontally at the app display. I tried this and it was fine, but I also tried leaving the Smartphone on the bench top near the sink – it worked just as well in that position as I tend to stoop over the basin as I brush. You can choose from six brushing modes to find one that best suits your oral care needs – I chose ‘Sensitive’ and the sensitive symbol illuminated on the handle and displayed on the app to confirm that I was using the preferred mode. The app has a timer and the manufacturer recommends that you brush for 2 minutes minimum allowing 30 seconds for each quarter, or you can time yourself if your dentist recommends more/less time. When you start, the app displays the top and bottom rows of your teeth in a dark blue colour, but as you progress the colour lightens until it reaches white, signifying that the job is done. Similarly to my Oral B Pro 2 2000 the handle has a pressure sensor with a red LED light which lights up if you’re brushing too hard, and there is a red alert within the app that displays the tooth or area of your teeth you're brushing. If you’ve cleaned all your teeth to the satisfaction of the app, it displays the top and bottom rows in white, and as you progress to completion the app is rating your performance up to 100%. I was surprised at how accurately the Oral-B app tracked the toothbrush in my mouth in real time, and how it was instantly able to tell me where I needed to pay more attention. The Genius AI would be very useful in teaching children how to clean their teeth properly, and also where a carer has to clean someone else’s teeth. I see it having a really important use with people who are unable to clean their own teeth. The app will score you out of 100% taking account of how long you brush for, whether you press too hard and how effective your overall brushing coverage is. It can tell you exactly how long you were applying too much pressure for and where, as well as the repercussions of this. It will also ask you if your gum bled during brushing, and give appropriate feedback on how to deal with that next time. There is also a check list for flossing and brushing your tongue and gums. I found that I kept trying to achieve 100% which means I was striving for good oral care every time I used the Genius AI. I usually scored around 85% after 2 minutes and took 3 minutes to reach 100%. After having used the Genius AI for about a month I stopped using the App as it had now retrained me in the best brushing technique and this had become habitual. The app also allows you to select an option to send your brushing stats to Bauer for feedback on how to improve brushing performance. I have chosen to do this but it’s too early to comment further as I have yet to receive feedback. This is not a cheap toothbrush – but the Genius AI used as instructed will assist good oral health and the cost is trifling by comparison to the dental costs of poor oral care. Highly recommended.