Expert rating
Benefits
- Excellent cleaning performance
- Pressure sensor
- Brushing timer
Disadvantages
- 16 hour charging time
- Battery life of 2 weeks
- No USB charging
Our Verdict
If you don’t want smart features, the iO3 is the iO brush for you. It offers excellent brushing performance and can be shared by the whole family. However, its battery life will only be a few weeks (and that’s if only one person uses it) and its charging time is long – but that won’t be a problem if you’re happy to keep it . on the stand.
Price when reviewed
This value will display geotagged pricing text for the undefined product
Best price today
$59.99
$59.99 ($59.99/count)
Best prices today: Oral-B iO Series 3
$59.99
$59.99 ($59.99/count)
Oral-B’s iO series has seen a complete overhaul of the brand’s classic design, with a new brush head, new features and, most importantly, improved brushing performance that combines oscillations with micro-vibrations for a powerful effect. The brushes are an improvement over previous Oral-B models in every way – except perhaps charging time on the cheaper models and battery life on most.
If you want to compare brush features and prices as well as their pros and cons, check out our Oral-B iO Series guide. Here we compare all the iO models, explain how they differ and advise you on what you should pay for each. You can also check out our best Oral-B brushes roundup, which contains our top recommendations for all Oral-B electric toothbrushes.
There are now nine models in Oral-B’s iO range – which ranges from the affordable iO2 to the luxurious iO10 – each with a different feature set and price. Most have smart features, increasing in quality and depth as the price increases. The more expensive models (from the iO7) have fast charging and from the iO8 they have a color OLED display for feedback and settings.
In this review, we look at the iO Series 3, the newest – and most budget-friendly – in the series.
In some ways, this is the brush we’ve been waiting for. It’s one of the cheapest and simplest iOs yet. If you want all the brilliant brushing performance of the iO range and its key features, but don’t mind missing out on connected technology, this iO model could be for you.
Design and build
- Three brushing modes
- UK/US Standard Two Pin Razor Plug
- No USB charging
The iO3, like all iO brushes, is built by Braun. It’s available in black, pink or blue – and a white model is also available in the US. Keep in mind that because iO brush heads only come in black or white, if you opt for pink or blue, you’ll have a two-tone brush.
Also, iO brush heads don’t come with the colored plastic rings you use to differentiate your brush head from your partner’s. Instead, there are symbols on the neck like a plus, an umbrella or wavy lines that help you identify yours.
It’s not as easy to share the smart iO models with other family members, as one of their main benefits is tracking your brushing performance. If more than one of you use the same brush, you will get mixed data. But the iO3 is a great brush for sharing, except you’ll need to recharge it regularly.
The design of the iO brush is different from older Oral-B models. The brush head is thicker at the base, so it flows into the brush handle more organically than older, thin brush heads. It weighs 135g, which is about 10g heavier than the older Oral-B Pro 3 model, which shouldn’t be noticeable. It has the same construction as the other iO models.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
It has a smooth (but not shiny) handle. Some people have expressed a preference for the older, grippy style, but I didn’t find it slippery to hold when brushing.
At the front of the brush handle, where the OLED screen is on more expensive models, there is a rubber panel with two operating buttons.
The real reason to buy the iO3 is its brushing power. It’s much more effective than older Oral-B models – and better than the competition, too.
The first turns the brush on and off and the second lets you switch between cleaning modes.
At the top of the brush handle is the light ring. There’s no way to customize the color on this model, which you can do in the Oral-B app or on the brush handle on other iO models. Instead, it glows white when you turn it on – but its other colors are used for different functions on the brush.
All brushes come with a charger. In the UK it has a shaver socket. In the United States, it has a standard two-prong plug. You can also get a travel case included with your brush, depending on which pack you pick up. It’s basic molded plastic but there’s room inside for two brush heads.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Performance and Features
- Approx. 16 hour charging time
- Red/green pressure sensor
- Brushing timer
The real reason to buy the iO3 is its brushing power. It’s much more effective than older Oral-B models – and better than the competition too – leaving teeth smooth and clean. After testing a number of electric toothbrushes, the iO series is the one I always come back to. My teeth are never this clean with other brushes.
The iO3 has three brushing modes: daily clean, whiten and sensitive. The only difficulty is knowing which is which. You’ll need to tell them apart using the vibration change as you move through each setting – which I didn’t find particularly easy at first.
If you’re shopping for an electric toothbrush, there are certain features we think are essential – and the iO3 has them.
The first is an easy-to-read pressure sensor. If you brush too hard, the light ring around the iO’s neck will glow bright red. But what sets the iO models apart from their competitors is the additional adjustment of the pressure sensor: if you achieve the ideal brushing pressure, the light ring will light up green.
The iO3 will also time your brushing. Every 30 seconds, there is a stutter in the vibration, to cue you to move on to brushing the next quadrant of your mouth. After the dentist-approved two-minute brushing time has elapsed, a longer interruption will let you know that you have brushed enough.
The iO3 is a great brush for sharing, except you’ll need to recharge it regularly
The brush doesn’t turn off automatically, but if you turn it off after two minutes, the light ring will cycle through its colors in a mini-celebration of a brushing well done.
The iO also has a battery indicator light. When it needs to be charged, the on/off switch will flash red. But if you can’t hook him up right away, you’ll still get a brushing session or two before he gives up completely. This is an improvement over previous Oral-B models, where the battery light lit up just before turning off.
Battery life and charging are about the only things I don’t like about this brush. This should last about 18 days (twice a day, two minutes of brushing), but during our testing period I tended to last about 10-14 days at best.
You will only be able to extend battery life if you never brush more than twice a day and never more than four minutes a day. If you’re sharing with a partner, you’ll only have a week, or a week and a half at most, before you need to recharge.
As for charging, Oral-B claims it can take up to 16 hours for a full charge. This isn’t ideal if you don’t tend to leave it on the stand to charge between brushings, as it can’t complete a full charge between a morning brushing and an evening brushing.
Pricing and availability
In the United States, the iO3 is generally priced between $75 and $79.99. As of this writing, Walmart is selling it for $78.97 and Target is selling it for $79.99, but the best prices are on Amazon where it’s around $75.
Things are a little different in the UK, where Oral-B has an RRP of £160, although it has ‘reduced the price’ to £75 – which is what this toothbrush is worth. You can also buy it from Boots for £75. That’s what you should pay, and not a penny more. At the time of writing, Amazon is selling it for £69.99.
But should you really pay $75/£75 for a toothbrush? Electric toothbrush prices are high – and rising. You can buy a good quality electric toothbrush for less, although decent models still tend to cost around $50/£50, so the difference isn’t huge. Check out our Oral-B iO guide to see prices for all iOs in one handy summary.
We have more options in our selection of the best cheap electric toothbrushes. But one way or another, most of us will end up paying to take care of our teeth and investing in a great brush could save you money in the long run.
Verdict
As far as I’m concerned, in terms of brushing performance and features, Oral-B has the upper hand over the competition. iO brushes are the best on the market and the iO3 has everything you need to keep your teeth in tip-top shape.
However, there are much better options when it comes to battery life, charging time, and charging methods (we wish there was a USB charging option). If you’re happy to keep your iO3 on its charging stand, there’s no reason not to buy it, but it won’t be suitable for people who travel a lot or want fast charging.
iO brushes from series 7 have fast charging. You can see our top recommendations for all Oral-B models in our Oral-B brush roundup. If you’re not using an Oral-B brush, check out our roundup of all the best electric toothbrushes we’ve tested.
Table of Contents
