Review on 🪥 Rechargeable Oral B 8000 with Connectivity and Replenishment by Laura Huddleston

Like the Sonicare DiamondClean smart brush, the smart version of Oral-B comes with a Bluetooth app to track brushing activity (Android or iPhone). The app has more features than Sonicare, but has similar Bluetooth connectivity issues as previous versions of Sonicare software. 10/10 for the brush - good cleaning properties, more variety of brushes, cheaper than Sonicare, multiple modes, good battery life. 6/10 for the app - somewhat confusing UI, fuzzy connectivity (face recognition and position recognition can be frustrating and more of a hassle than actually useful - Oral B often can't tell top from bottom or right from left). The app seems to be optimized for the iPhone, while I and over 60% of the rest of the smartphone world use Android devices. It has a useful timer, decent tracker, and combines other utilities like weather and news while you brush your teeth. In comparison I would give the Sonicare app 8/10 (points for inadvertently inaccurate brushing data) with the significant upgrades listed below. Both apps require you to look at your phone or tablet while brushing your teeth, which is less than practical in front of a bathroom mirror. The Oral-B is a bulky but effective and surprisingly strong suction cup that lets you hold your phone to the mirror, but with Sonicare you basically have to prop your phone or tablet up somewhere on the bathroom countertop. The Oral-B app relies on a location camera, so you'll need accurate phone orientation for it to recognize where you're brushing your teeth (hence the suction cup). Their standard timer feature, familiar to Oral-B users, works without a location. Sonicare uses the accelerometers in the pen to determine where you're brushing, so it works without specific phone or tablet orientation, but you need to be able to see the app to accurately record the brushing. The Oral B app records offline brushing sessions (up to 30 sessions) and later transfers them to the app. If an app goes astray while brushing with location sensors, you'll have to start over to accurately record your brushing session -- something you might not want to do multiple times when you're on your way to work or late for a meeting. . You can also store some personal information about your health (aka your brushing sessions) in the "cloud," so if you're worried about foreign governments cracking your teeth, not for you. Given that people generally spend little time brushing their teeth, you may find yourself just missing the phone/Bluetooth. Both brushes have desktop chargers - Sonicare can have a charger or stationary charger and requires minimal desk space as well as the integration of a rinsing cup. The Oral-B has built-in brush storage but takes up twice as much counter space – you can separate the charger from the brush compartment for a more compact profile. Both take about the same time to charge, but the Sonicare brush lasts about 50 percent longer on a charge; Both let you travel for a week or more for an additional fee, and both come with a travel charging case (Sonicare is optional on the cheapest 9300 series - about $45; included on the 9500 and 9700). The Oral-B travel case has a great clip to hold your phone vertically, but most real phones come with a pouch (mine has one) so they won't fit the clip (mine didn't): note for Oral- B Oral B case has a spare USB port for phone or other devices. No one has a handpiece sterilizer (Sonicare has for other models), but the jury of dental literature still doesn't know if it's even useful. The Sonicare brush used, for those familiar, uses its "sonic" technology, which essentially vibrates. Dirt is removed with the regular nozzle, while Oral-B uses its rotating round brush to clean, which I've found to be slightly more effective at removing stubborn stains and plaque. The Sonicare pen is a little smarter than the Oral-B because it recognizes which brush head is paired with the pen, adjusts the brush head type, and keeps track of how many times each brush head has been used, even if you switch. The "ungenial" Oral-B only counts how many times you've used the pen, no matter what head is attached, it doesn't "know" what kind of head you're using, and there's no way to reset it readings. Attaching a new one is questionable if you use this to replace when using multiple heads. However, Revain's app includes Revain's automatic replacement order when the handle changes "x" times and resets the brush head. I suspect most users will switch brush heads when the blue indicator bristles turn white, like on the "dumb" Oral B. On the other hand, the Sonicare app doesn't store sessions in the pen, so if you brush without using your phone, that session will not recorded in the app, you cannot go back to view previous sessions and you cannot delete sessions. Sonicare is a little less noisy, but they're electric toothbrushes, so bzzzz. Incidentally, electric toothbrushes tend to be more effective at brushing teeth, so for most people both are an improvement over manual toothbrushes. -B/P&G for cleaning action to remove stubborn plaque and stains and multiple brushes. Each connected app is clearly in its infancy, with a slight touch of stability over Sonicare in favor of utility on Oral B, and hopes that both will have more features in future updates. Both brushes are about the same value for money, with Oral-B being significantly cheaper in most places and the brushes being slightly cheaper (which can represent a significant expense over the course of a year). Sonicare for design and ergonomics; it's the "Apple" of toothbrushes and Oral-B is the "PC" equivalent. Good ergonomics for both and it's a matter of personal preference. I currently use both: I find the Sonicare's individual head tracking useful and better position, while the Oral B handle has a better form factor and the head offers slightly better cleaning and maneuverability. Your choice depends on what you value in a toothbrush and represents a significant oral health investment you won't regret.