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Hands-On Review of Oral-B's iPhone-Connected Bluetooth Smart Toothbrush

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Bluetooth-enabled appliances and electronics that connect everyday household items to smartphones and tablets are becoming increasingly popular, giving us a whole range of connected things -- thermostats, coffee makers and mixing bowls, cars, and even connected toothbrushes, like the Oral-B SmartSeries toothbrush lineup, which features Bluetooth toothbrushes that are compatible with an iPhone app.

Oral-B showed off its first smart toothbrush in early 2014, and began shipping the $125 Oral-B Pro 5000 SmartSeries with Bluetooth later in the year. We caught up with Oral-B at CES in 2015 and got our hands on an Oral-B Pro 5000 so we could share the connected toothbrush experience with MacRumors readers.

Connected toothbrushes are set to take off in 2015, so this is a good time to explore available options and see what they can do for you. Oral-B has a second higher-end model coming out this year, and the Kolibree toothbrush, which gamifies brushing, is finally launching in a few months.

What's in the Box

The Oral-B Pro 5000 SmartSeries with Bluetooth ships with the toothbrush itself, a brush head, a stand for charging, a travel case, and a guide that walks you through how to pair the toothbrush to an iPhone. There's also a stand to hold multiple brush heads, but as you'll see later in this review, the brush and its accompanying app isn't really suited for more than one user.

whatsinthebox1-800x600.jpg
Box contents, along with iPhone​
​
The Toothbrush

The Oral-B Pro 5000 SmartSeries with Bluetooth is essentially the company's standard Oral-B Pro 5000 toothbrush with a Bluetooth upgrade. This brush has been around for quite some time and has racked up thousands of reviews on Amazon.

For that reason, we won't go into a great amount of detail on the brush itself, but we'll hit a few major points that are worth knowing. First of all, the Oral-B Pro 5000 is a rechargeable electric toothbrush that that oscillates and rotates to keep your teeth cleaner than a manual brush.


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Article Link: Hands-On Review of Oral-B's iPhone-Connected Bluetooth Smart Toothbrush
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2015/02/06/oral-b-pro-smart-toothbrush-review/
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Do you want your iPhone near water?

One of the "features" of this product is the iPhone app that will show when you're using too much pressure with the brush.

But do you really want your iPhone to be where you can see it while brushing, namely, on a sink vanity -- so near water?
 
murrayE said:
One of the "features" of this product is the iPhone app that will show when you're using too much pressure with the brush.

But do you really want your iPhone to be where you can see it while brushing, namely, on a sink vanity -- so near water?
Click to expand...

I didn't feel like my iPhone was in danger of falling in the sink or anything while using this toothbrush, but I did get drops of water and flecks of toothpaste on it. There's definitely some small amount of risk to it.

You don't need the app to know when you're applying too much pressure though -- the brush also flashes red, so you can get the pressure feature without having to have your app in the bathroom.
 
Jimmathy said:
Is no support for multiple users really a Con? Who shares their toothbrush?
Click to expand...

Not me! But I know a *lot* of people use these toothbrushes this way due to the cost. You swap out the head for each user.
 
I have an old iPhone 3G on my bathroom wall in a socket dock. Is there an account sync so that I can have the app on the iPhone 3G and sync the data to my every day iPhone 6 Plus to check on stats and get reminders?
 
ipedro said:
I have an old iPhone 3G on my bathroom wall in a socket dock. Is there an account sync so that I can have the app on the iPhone 3G and sync the data to my every day iPhone 6 Plus to check on stats and get reminders?
Click to expand...

You don't make an account with this app, so there's no way to sync data like that. Would certainly be a nice feature to have though.
 
I am all for the internet of things. But a tooth brush? Really?

This is ... stupid.

Now a washing machine that tells me I have damp clothes ready for the dryer or a fridge that tells me I'm out of milk, sign me up!
 
jclo said:
You don't make an account with this app, so there's no way to sync data like that. Would certainly be a nice feature to have though.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up. I think I'll wait then. I'd like for this to be something that integrates into HealthKit. After all, dental health is important to your over all health.
 
I hear some women use these as vibrators. Maybe thats what its really designed for. The app feedback could be interesting for them.
 
noisycats said:
I am all for the internet of things. But a tooth brush? Really?

This is ... stupid.

Now a washing machine that tells me I have damp clothes ready for the dryer or a fridge that tells me I'm out of milk, sign me up!
Click to expand...

I like the washer idea. I often forget to take my clothes out of the washer.
 
This whole smart device craze is getting out of hand.

This whole smart device craze is getting out of hand. What's the point of a $150 toothbrush connected to your smartphone to tell you how much pressure you are applying. Man has been doing fine for decades with a regular old fashion toothbrush, no need for this $150 monstrosity.
 
While some are fortunate to not have any problems using a regular $2-$5 toothbrush, I myself would love to have this toothbrush since my dentist is always telling me I apply too much pressure when brushing. If you're saying this is stupid then chances are it's not for you and that's okay but I would actually benefit from using this so in my opinion, no, it's not stupid.
 
Many buy electric toothbrushes so if it has some extra features that can help that seems good.

If you were buying it only for that feature could be more gadget person, but same benefits would be there regardless of the reason.

This just seems more useful than the "connected cup" that knows you are drinking beer, water, juice, etc. and tells you the consumption, calorie intake, etc. Which is more than the toothbrush MSRP.

Guess it's all in the eye of beholder the value....and also their money!
 
I want a bluetooth device to which I can attach dental floss.

I can tell how much length I've used; the average pull length per session, how much tarter has been dealt with, and all sorts of other USELESS INFORMATION.
 
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