At a glance
Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Excellent brushing performance
- Bright, clear OLED screen
- Highly visible pressure sensor
- 7 brushing modes
- 3-hour magnetic fast charging
Cons
- Charging base feedback lags
- No USB charging options
- Battery life not industry-best
- Hugely expensive
Our Verdict
It’s very hard to say that any toothbrush is worth this exorbitant price, especially when you can get the same excellent brushing performance and many of the same great features with a cheaper iO model. But if you want a luxury brush, this is the one to buy. If you’re happy with a two-week battery life and no USB charging option, this is about as good as electric toothbrushes get.
Price When Reviewed
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Best Pricing Today
Best Prices Today: Oral-B iO Series 10 Special Edition
There are nine models in the Oral-B iO series, ranging from the most budget-friendly, the iO2, to the flagship iO10. Or at least there were, until Oral-B tweaked the functionality and look of its highest-end model and reissued it as a limited edition.
I’ve been using the iO10 Limited Edition for two months and in this review, I’ll discuss what it’s like to use, how it compares to other iO models, and how it compares to the standard iO10.
If you’re choosing a brush, read our Oral-B iO comparison guide, which outlines the features each model has and their regular and sale prices. You can see our top Oral-B recommendations in our best Oral-B toothbrush round-up.
Design, Accessories and Brushing Modes
- Seven brushing modes
- Brighter, clearer OLED screen
- Sensitive, visible pressure sensor
The iO10 Limited Edition has a matt gold handle – the colour is much more muted and subtle than you’d imagine if you heard the off-putting and Trumpian words ‘gold electric toothbrush’. There are two colourways: Lunar Gold, which comes with a black brush head, charging base, travel case and brush head case, and Eclipse Gold, whose accessories are white.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Incidentally, there’s only one brush head in the box, which feels less than generous considering the price and the fact that it’s the iO flagship. The luxury experience should really be extended to the inclusion of a second brush head.
On the same subject, you can plug in the travel case and charge your brush that way, which is handy for trips, but it doesn’t have the luxe feel of the beautifully made travel case with UV cleaning light that comes with the Suri 2.0.
I’ll use the Suri 2.0 as a comparison throughout this article as it’s a new, similarly high-end brush (although it’s considerably less spendy), but I think the iO models have a better brushing performance and some great features that the Suri lacks.
The display is very easy to read and the text and icons are sharp and detailed
The Limited Edition has a very different look from the original models, which come in black or white, with matching accessories and a contrasting, dotted starburst design on the handle.
On the handle is a full-colour OLED screen, with a power button above it and a mode button below to scroll through options. The screen on the Limited Edition appears brighter and clearer than the original, but Oral-B doesn’t disclose peak brightness in nits.
However, the display is very easy to read and the text and icons are sharp and detailed. The screen greets you when you pick up the brush, and shows remaining battery life and the number of days until you need to replace your toothbrush head.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
It has seven brushing modes: smart adapt, daily clean, sensitive, whiten, gum care, intense and tongue clean. That’s an impressive number of options, and it makes it easy to find something that works for you, or choose a gentler option on days when your teeth might be more sensitive or you have a headache.
You can also customise brushing time, choose whether the brush pauses after the brushing session is complete and switch off vibration alerts – all in the app.
There’s a light ring around the neck of the brush, whose colour you can change, but its main function is as a highly visible pressure sensor that glows red when you press too hard and green when you get it just right.
It’s very sensitive and it really will help you to better look after your teeth if you tend to press too hard when you brush. But it’s not exclusive to this model – it’s an excellent feature that all iO models from the iO3 up share.
The iO10 weighs 138g, which is around the same as most iO models. But it’s considerably chunkier and heavier than rivals such as the Suri 2.0, so personal preference is important here. I found it comfortable to hold and use.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
It’s worth saying here that you can find a considerable number of complaints online from people who say their iO brush is difficult to keep clean, or that the connector between handle and brush head winds up mouldy.
I’ve been using iO brushes for years and have never found this to happen, although I do follow guidance and take the brush head off regularly and rinse both parts out and let them dry. So it may be that there’s a little more maintenance required than with some rival brushes. Be prepared for that if you buy.
Performance and Features
- Real-time in-app brushing feedback is excellent
- Feedback via the charging puck is less so
- Other app features of limited usefulness
The big differentiator between the iO10 and iO9 is the iO Sense magnetic charger that comes with this model. It’s a puck-shaped device that plugs into a shaver socket and has a digital clock on its side, which is a handy feature if you set it up in your bathroom.
But I don’t love the fact that the brush is very easy to knock off the charger and would prefer something a bit more sturdy to protect something so expensive.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
It also features a blue light display around the rim, with six segments corresponding to sections of the mouth. As you brush, the lights turn white, providing you with visual feedback while you brush.
But as my colleague Chris noted in his review of the original Oral-B iO10, there’s some lag between the brush movements and the charger’s light response. The in-app brushing feedback is much more accurate, so I’d suggest using that instead.
If your dentist regularly tells you off, this brush could well be worth investing in
Speaking of that, I do think that the in-app brushing feedback could help anyone whose technique needs an overhaul. If your dentist regularly tells you off, this brush could well be worth investing in. It’s much cheaper than any dental work you might need.
To use the app features, you’ll need to download the free Oral-B app for iOS or Android, register and pair your brush. In the app, as well as real-time 3D tracking tech, you’ll get granular brushing feedback, custom settings, toothbrush head replacement reminders and other, less useful features such as badges and goals.
If you really want to take better care of your teeth, you’ll find it useful but I think most people will abandon the app once they have their brush settings the way they like them.
The other key difference between the regular iO10 and the Limited Edition is the Smart Adapt brushing mode, which is exclusive to this model. It should intelligently adapt the brush’s pressure to your technique. As I tend to press too hard when I brush, I used it daily. Sadly, I didn’t find that the Smart Adapt mode improved my tendency to over-brush at all.
In other respects, the iO10 Limited Edition has the same virtues and the same flaws as other iO models. Its main virtue is its brushing performance, which is excellent.
My dentist recommends the iO line, as did another dentist I met at a rival brand event, but bear in mind that every brush from the iO Series 3 (which you can buy for £50) upwards will give your teeth the same really good clean. The iO2 has a different motor and a gentler cleaning performance, and I wouldn’t recommend it as enthusiastically.
I think most people will abandon the app once they have their brush settings the way they like them
The iO10’s key limitation is its battery life, which lasts for around 10-14 days, depending on how long you brush for, and is by no means industry-best. The Suri 2.0 lasts for over a month.
Also, it only charges via shaver socket in the UK, with no USB charging options. However, it does fast-charge in three hours, which is the same or better than its fastest rivals.
Price and Availability
The Oral-B iO10 Limited Edition has an RRP of £800 in the UK, but you’ll find that it’s on almost permanent half-price sale, so it’s regularly available for around £400 – and this is its actual price. By way of comparison, in the US, the iO10 has an MSRP of around $400 and that’s what it costs year-round (Best Buy, $368.99).
But prices shift wildly in the UK. At the time of writing, you can buy the iO10 Limited Edition in Eclipse Gold (with white accessories) for £300 from Oral-B. The Lunar Gold model, with black accessories, is currently £400 from Boots. If you want this brush, I’d advise scoping it out for a few days to get the best price possible.
See our Oral-B iO comparison guide, and our best Oral-B toothbrush round-up to compare it with other recommended models.
Should you buy the Oral-B iO Series 10 Limited Edition?
There are two types of people who should buy the iO Series 10 Limited Edition. The first are those who want the most high-end, luxury electric toothbrush model on the market. This is it. There are some compromises to be made with battery life and charging, but if you’re aware of that before you buy, you won’t be disappointed with its performance and features.
But the iO Series 10 Limited Edition could also be genuinely useful for anyone who’s neglected their teeth and wants at-home help to turn things around. Its brushing feedback and the granular dental care data it collects in the app can provide the guidance and structure you need. But even then, you’d do just as well with an iO Series 9 or a regular iO Series 10 if you find one on offer.
Still, it’s a pleasure to use and, although the OLED screen and all-round high-end experience are far from essential, I’ll really miss them. It’s easy to get used to luxury.
