Oral-B iO3 review: An entry-level electric toothbrush that delivers the goods

Smart technology has taken over all rooms in the home, including the bathroom. Nowadays, you can even get smart toilets so the idea of having toothbrushes with smart or AI features in them isn’t that wild anymore.

But sometimes, it’s best to go back to basics, and that’s where the Oral-B iO3 comes in. Launched in 2024, the Oral-B iO3 is the brand’s entry-level model in its iO electric toothbrush series. Since its launch, there have been many more iO releases – the newest model being the iO10 – but the Oral-B iO3 doesn’t disappoint when it comes to a deep clean, good charge and affordable price.

Oral-B iO3 review: price and availability

The Oral-B iO3 is available to buy for £160 at Oral-B and select retailers like Amazon, John Lewis and Boots. It’s available in black, grey, pink and blue colours, and comes with a travel case and charger. In the US, it’s between $75 - $90.

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It’s rare that you’ll see the Oral-B iO3 at full price. As of writing, it’s discounted to £65 at Amazon and Boots, and £59 at John Lewis. As it only comes with one brush head, you’ll need to buy replacements which you can get in two, six, eight and 10 packs. Prices on these typically start at £14.50 and you can buy them at most retailers.

Oral-B iO3 review: design and features

The Oral-B iO3 is an advanced electric toothbrush which measures 24cm in height and has a depth and width of 2.8cm. It weighs just 136g, making it extremely lightweight. The brush head of the Oral-B iO3 can be removed to swap out new heads and for travelling.

The main body of the Oral-B iO3 has the controls which consists of two buttons. The one at the top is for turning it on and off, and the bottom one cycles through its brushing modes – daily clean, sensitive and whitening.

Where the brush head meets the body of the Oral-B iO3, there’s a 360 degree LED light ring that acts as a visible pressure sensor for your teeth and gums. When it flashes green, it means the pressure is perfect, while red indicates you’re using too much pressure. The white light shows if you’re using too little pressure.

The Oral-B iO3 uses gentle micro-vibrations to clean your teeth. It has a round dentist approved brush head which has individually powered bristles. It has a two minute timer built in and the brush and noise slightly pauses every 30 seconds to tell you when to switch to a different zone in your mouth.

The Oral-B iO3 is easy to charge, and comes with a charging stand. It takes up to 16 hours to charge fully, and it delivers up to two weeks of brushing on a single charge. When charging, the light ring pulses red while charging and turns green when it’s fully charged.

There’s much debate between electric vs manual brushing, but Oral-B claims that the Oral-B iO3 offers 100% cleaner teeth and healthier gums than a regular manual toothbrush – here’s why I think they’re right.

Oral-B iO3 review: performance

I’ve tested many electric toothbrushes from Oclean, Quip and Philips, but the iO3 is my first model from Oral-B. My husband has had the iO7 for years and has loved it, so I was excited to see what all the hype was about.

As electric toothbrushes go, the Oral-B iO3 certainly looks the part. It has a simple design with just two buttons so you can’t really go wrong with it. Its noise isn’t too offensive and the brief pauses to tell you when to switch brush position is very helpful. The LED ring is the icing on the cake as it clearly shows how much pressure you’re using without overloading you with information.

I found the Oral-B iO3 to have a good amount of charge. It definitely lasted for over two weeks before I needed to recharge it. This isn’t huge compared to some of the other models I’ve tried, but it’s still pretty impressive. The charger and travel case that comes with the Oral-B iO3 are also well designed and easy to travel with.

The Oral-B iO3 definitely made my mouth and teeth feel very clean. The micro-vibrations are strong but they don’t feel too intense. At the risk of being laughed at, I felt that the brush heads felt a bit too large in my mouth. As mentioned, I’ve tested many electric toothbrushes that have had a lot slimmer heads, so in comparison, the Oral-B iO3 felt chunkier which made everything a bit messy.

Now, are there more advanced models on the market? Yes, but I like the simplicity of the Oral-B iO3. Sometimes, you don’t need your devices to be able to talk to you or to come with an app. While my husband’s iO7 is very impressive and it has the smiley face screen that everyone loves, the ease of use that comes with the Oral-B iO3 is great, and as the entry-level option to the range, you can’t really ask for much more.

Oral-B iO3 review: verdict

If you want a professional electric toothbrush which is simple to use and won’t break the bank, you can’t go wrong with the Oral-B iO3. It might not be the newest, smartest option on the market but it leaves your mouth feeling clean, fresh and hygienic – what else could you want, really?

It may take some time to get used to the brush heads and the mess can be a bit much, but the Oral-B iO3 is a brilliant option for those who want to improve their oral hygiene. It really wins points for its price as well.

Oral-B iO3 review: alternatives to consider

If you fancy similar simple controls, the Suri 2.0 is the best of the best. It looks great, performs professionally and its latest version has a new case, charging stand and pressure sensor.

If brush head size is important to you, the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9900 Prestige has similar controls and design to the Oral-B iO3 but comes with slimmer brush heads. It’s more expensive, a little heavier and comes with AI, so it’s not ‘simple’ by any means, but it does look it.

A more advanced version of the Oral-B iO3 is the Oral-B iO9. This model comes with the interactive screen that smiles or frowns at you to let you know how your brush went. It’s also more expensive and has app control.