Oral-B iO8 Electric Toothbrush Review: a high-tech brush that’s great, but not cheap

I’ve been using the Oral-B iO8 for a few weeks now, coming from a much older Oral-B Pro model that cost a fraction of the price. I wanted to see if all the hype about “magnetic technology”, app tracking and the colour screen actually changed anything in day-to-day brushing, or if it was just a very expensive way to do the same job. I’m not a dentist, just someone who drinks too much coffee and wants to keep their teeth in decent shape.

Right away, you can tell this brush is pitched as a premium bit of kit. The box talks about AI, 6 modes, healthier gums in one week, all that. In practice, what matters to me is: does it clean better than my old brush, is it comfortable on the gums, how annoying is it to charge, and is the app something I’ll actually open after the first two days. So I focused on that, not on the marketing promises.

After using it twice a day, what I noticed first was the feel: the head gives more of a smooth vibration than the “jackhammer” feeling of older Oral-B models. The pressure sensor and the little face on the screen are surprisingly useful to stop you from scrubbing too hard like a maniac. My gums definitely felt less sore compared to when I overdo it with a standard electric brush.

Is it perfect? No. The price is high, you only get one head, and some of the tech feels a bit overkill once the novelty wears off. But it does clean well, and if you’re already used to electric brushes, you’ll feel the difference in comfort and noise. The rest of this review is basically: here’s what’s genuinely good, what’s just “nice to have”, and what I think is a bit of a rip-off.

This is where things get a bit tricky. The Oral-B iO8 is clearly not cheap, and this specific pack only gives you one brush head. When you factor in the cost of replacement heads over time, you’re definitely paying a premium. If you compare it to basic Oral-B electric brushes that already do a decent cleaning job, you’re mostly paying extra for comfort, quieter operation, the screen, and the app features. The cleaning is better and more controlled, but not dramatically so.

For one person who really cares about gum health, likes gadgets, and will actually use the app at least for the first month, the price is easier to justify. You do get a nice-feeling handle, a polished user experience, and a brush that genuinely helps you avoid pressing too hard. If you’ve had warnings from your dentist about gum recession, that part alone might be worth the upgrade. But if you’re just someone who wants clean teeth and doesn’t care about a colour screen, there are cheaper Oral-B models that will get you 80–90% of the result.

The lack of extra heads in the box is honestly a bit stingy at this price point. Other packs or promo bundles sometimes include multiple heads, and if you can find those at a similar price, I’d go for them instead. The travel pouch is nice, but it’s just a pouch, not a hard case with built-in charging or anything fancy. So it doesn’t really offset the missing heads in terms of value.

Overall, I’d say the iO8 is a good product but expensive for what it offers. It makes brushing more pleasant and a bit smarter, but it’s not a night-and-day upgrade in pure cleaning compared to mid-range electrics. If you see it on a solid discount, it becomes a much easier recommendation. At full price, it’s more for people who like high-end gadgets in every part of their life, including their toothbrush.

The design is clearly meant to look like a high-end gadget rather than a bathroom tool. The violet handle I tested actually looks pretty nice on the sink, and the finish doesn’t scream “cheap plastic”, even though it is plastic. The round head is the usual Oral-B style, so nothing new there, but the body shape is slimmer and more modern compared to older chunky models. If you’re into matching your bathroom gear with your decor, this will probably fit better than the usual white/blue bricks.

The interactive colour display is the big visual difference. It shows the brushing mode, a countdown ring, and icons for pressure and head replacement. You can also choose a little greeting and some basic settings right on the handle. In daily use, the screen is handy mainly for two things: quickly changing modes without guessing, and checking the battery level. The rest (like the smiley face) is more of a nice extra than something crucial.

Button placement is decent. You’ve got a power button and a mode button below the screen. With wet hands, they’re still easy enough to press. I never accidentally changed the mode mid-brush, which used to happen with some older designs. The handle is also not overly slippery when wet, although there’s not a ton of rubber grip. If you have soapy hands, you’ll want to be a bit careful, but it’s not like a bar of soap flying around.

One thing I noticed: the stand and charger design is compact, which is good for small bathrooms, but the brush sits quite upright and light. If you bump it, it can topple more easily than heavier bases. Not a dealbreaker, just something I noticed when cleaning the sink. Overall, the design looks good and feels more modern than cheaper models, but some of the fancy touches are more about style than actual function.

Battery life is okay, but I wouldn’t call it outstanding, especially considering the price tag. With two brushes a day on mainly Daily Clean mode, I was getting roughly 10–12 days before the battery icon dropped low enough that I felt I should recharge. That’s fine, but I’ve used cheaper sonic brushes that lasted closer to three weeks. So it’s not terrible at all, just not something that stands out.

The charging system is simple: a magnetic base that the brush sits on. It looks neat on the sink and doesn’t take up much space. The connection is easy; you just drop the handle onto the stand and it snaps into place. No fiddling with pins. From pretty low battery to full charge, it took around 3 hours in my case, which is reasonable. You’re not going to be stuck without a toothbrush for half a day unless you totally forget to charge it.

The 2-pin UK plug is the usual bathroom shaver style, so if you don’t already have a shaver socket, you’ll need an adapter for a regular plug. That’s not specific to this model, but it’s worth mentioning if you live in a place with limited bathroom sockets. The cable length is enough for most setups, but don’t expect something super long you can route across the room.

One thing I liked is that the display clearly shows the battery percentage, not just a vague bar. You know when you’re at 20% and when you’re at 5%, so you can plan your recharge before a trip. For travel, the included pouch protects the handle, but it doesn’t charge it, so you need to bring the stand if you’re away for more than a week or so. Overall, the battery is solid enough for normal use, but if you’re expecting a month of life between charges, this isn’t it.

Comfort-wise, this is where I actually felt a clear difference compared to my old cheap Oral-B brush. The iO8 uses these micro-vibrations with the round head, and the sensation is smoother. It still feels like a proper electric brush, not a soft massage, but it’s less harsh on the gums. I tend to press too hard when I’m half-asleep in the morning, and with my old brush I’d sometimes get slight gum irritation. With the iO8 and its pressure sensor lighting up, I quickly adjusted my grip and noticed less soreness after a few days.

The noise level is also better. Older Oral-B brushes have that loud mechanical whirring/grinding sound. The iO8 is more of a higher-pitched hum, and overall a bit quieter. It’s not silent, but if you live with someone who is easily annoyed by bathroom noises early in the morning, this is easier on the ears. You can still hear it through a thin door, but it’s not as aggressive.

In the mouth, the Ultimate Clean head feels firm but not brutal. The bristles are medium, and if you have very sensitive gums, you might want to switch to a softer head later. For me, Daily Clean mode plus the default head was fine, and Sensitive mode was actually quite comfortable when my gums felt a bit tender. The two-minute timer and the 30-second quadrant pauses help you avoid overdoing one area, which also plays into comfort, especially if you tend to scrub the front teeth too much.

Grip-wise, the handle is a good size for an adult hand, not too chunky and not a thin stick. It’s easy to hold even when your hands are wet, though as I said, there isn’t a ton of rubberized texture. After a full two-minute session, my hand didn’t feel tired or strained. So in terms of comfort, I’d say it’s a clear step up from cheaper Oral-B models, especially if your gums are on the sensitive side or you’re prone to pressing too hard.

Performance for me is a mix of brushing modes, how the sensor system works, and whether the app is actually useful or just another thing on your phone. The 6 modes all work as advertised: Daily Clean for everyday use, Sensitive and Gum Care for gentler brushing, Intense Clean for a more powerful session, and Whitening for focusing on front teeth. In reality, I used three of them regularly and ignored the rest. It’s nice to have the choice, but it’s not like each mode is a totally different machine.

The pressure sensor is one of the more useful features. It has a coloured light ring that changes when you press too hard. At first, I triggered it a lot, which was a bit of a wake-up call on how rough I was being. After a few days, I adjusted my grip and angle, and the light stayed in the “good” range most of the time. This probably does more for your gums long-term than any fancy AI buzzword in the marketing text.

Now, the app and “artificial intelligence” part. It uses your phone’s sensors plus the brush data to estimate which areas you’ve brushed. When you do a full two-minute session with your phone in front of you, it shows a 3D map of your mouth and gradually fills in the zones you’ve covered. The first week, I found it pretty helpful. I realised I was rushing the inside surfaces of my upper molars. Once I corrected that habit, I honestly stopped opening the app every time. It’s still good if you’re geeky about tracking or if your dentist keeps giving you lectures about missed areas.

One annoyance: for the tracking to be accurate, you kind of need your phone nearby and to stand fairly still in front of the mirror. If you’re the type who wanders around the flat while brushing, the tracking gets confused. So in daily life, the tech is useful more as a training tool at the start rather than something you’ll obsess over forever. Overall performance is solid, but don’t buy it just for the AI thing unless you know you’ll actually use it.

Out of the box, the Oral-B iO8 package is fairly simple: you get the handle, one Ultimate Clean brush head, the charger, a magnetic travel pouch, and a small holder for refills. That’s it. For the price, I honestly expected at least two extra heads, so the “without extra refills” part in the title is important. If you don’t already have compatible heads at home, you’ll be buying more pretty quickly, especially if two people share the handle.

The handle itself feels solid and a bit heavier than cheaper Oral-B models, but not in a bad way. It’s more like a smartphone-level gadget than a basic bathroom tool. The colour display on the handle shows brushing modes, battery level, and a little timer animation. It also shows a sad or happy face depending on how well you brush or if you press too hard. It’s slightly gimmicky, but it did make me pay more attention to my brushing time the first week.

In terms of modes, you get 6: Daily Clean, Sensitive, Gum Care, Intense Clean, Whitening, and another that’s basically a variation on gentle cleaning. In real life, I ended up using Daily Clean most of the time, Sensitive when my gums felt a bit sore, and Intense Clean after heavy coffee days. The others are there if you like to tinker, but I wouldn’t buy the brush just for the extra modes.

The app connection is straightforward: you pair it via Bluetooth, and it tracks where you’ve brushed. It uses a 3D map of your mouth and shows which zones you’ve missed. It’s interesting at the start, especially if your dentist keeps telling you that you’re missing certain areas. But once you’ve corrected your bad habits, it’s the kind of thing you may stop checking every day. Overall, the presentation is clearly premium, but you do feel they cut corners by giving only one head in the box.

On the cleaning side, the iO8 does a solid job. After brushing, my teeth feel smooth, especially along the gum line and behind the lower front teeth where plaque tends to hang around. Compared to my older Oral-B Pro, I’d say the end result feels slightly better, mainly because I’m brushing more evenly thanks to the pressure sensor and the app feedback. But if you already use a half-decent electric brush with a timer, the difference is not night and day.

The claim about “100% healthier gums in one week” is hard to measure without a dentist and proper tools, but I can say this: my gums looked less red in a couple of areas where I usually over-scrub. I think that’s more down to the brush forcing me to stop pressing like crazy than some magic tech. The AI in the app shows which zones you’re missing, and after a few days of being told I was skipping the inside surfaces, I did actually change my routine. So in that sense, it helps you be more consistent, which probably improves overall cleaning.

The Whitening mode is fine, but don’t expect miracles. It’s more of an intense clean cycle that focuses a bit more on the front teeth. After two weeks, surface stains from coffee were slightly reduced, but nothing you wouldn’t get from regular good brushing and a whitening toothpaste. If you’re expecting a bright Hollywood smile from just switching brushes, you’ll be disappointed. It helps maintain what you have rather than giving you a new shade of white.

For plaque removal and general cleanliness, I’d rate it as very good. You feel that “just left the dentist” smoothness, especially if you stick to the full two minutes and pay attention to all sides of the teeth. But if you’re on a tight budget and you already own a working electric brush, this is more of an upgrade in comfort and guidance than a massive leap in raw cleaning power.