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Review: Philips' Latest Sonicare FlexCare Platinum Brush Connects to Your iPhone via Bluetooth

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Philips recently announced its first Bluetooth-connected Sonicare toothbrush aimed at adults, which interfaces with an iPhone to monitor brushing habits, offer brushing tips, and make sure you're brushing right.

Priced at $199, the Sonicare FlexCare Platinum Connected takes the well-known and popular FlexCare brush and introduces iPhone connectivity through a Sonicare app that tracks everything from how long you brush to where you brush to how hard you brush.

sonicarebox-800x571.jpg

Design and Features

I've used Sonicare brushes for upwards of 10 years so I'm familiar with most of the brushes and brush heads, and the FlexCare is one step down from the top of the line brush, the DiamondClean (my day to day brush). To be honest, I'm disappointed that Philips added Bluetooth connectivity to the FlexCare instead of the DiamondClean because it doesn't have quite as many features (3 modes instead of 5) and the non-unibody design isn't as nice.

flexcareanddiamondclean-800x571.jpg
The FlexCare Platinum Connected next to a Diamondclean brush​

The FlexCare looks like your standard electric toothbrush, with a removable brush head that needs to be replaced every three months or so, a power button, and buttons for adjusting settings like intensity. Since brush heads are removable, you can share your FlexCare Connected base among several family members if you want to.


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Article Link: Review: Philips' Latest Sonicare FlexCare Platinum Brush Connects to Your iPhone via Bluetooth
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/review/philips-sonicare-bluetooth-toothbrush/
Why?

(Btw I use a Listerine REACH Interdental brush, that's the perfect brush, if Jony Ive designed a brush, it would be that, if marketing departments wouldn't exist, all brushes would be like this, some say that it was the ONLY brush admitted by Steve Jobs, Bruce McLaren and Elon Musk, everything that's different, actually makes a worse brush, it cleans much better and much faster than anything ever invented, and it's not the cheapest brush ever, but it's affordable, the brush actually lasts some time, the head is big and doesn't break, it's easy to hold, it doesn't slip, it doesn't come with a bazillion of colours and "3D" things that actually don't do anything, it is not over-designed, it comes in different colors so you don't mistake it for another family member's brush.

This is what I'm talking about, because there are multiple brushes branded as "REACH" trough the world:

3574660183375.jpg
56156011_0_640x640.jpg
)
 
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There are a lot of people out there who use (and are satisfied with) manual toothbrushes that cost a handful of dollars, which can make a $200 toothbrush (and the replacement brush heads) sound absolutely outrageous, but as a long time devotee of the electric toothbrush and the Sonicare line in general, I believe it's worth the price point if you're looking for something that is unquestionably going to improve your dental hygiene and potentially cut down on dentist bills.
Click to expand...

That's something right there that is difficult to argue with. Dental hygiene and health is quite important to overall body health, and so important so, that in the military we were mandated to ensure our teeth were in good health before deployment because if you get a serious tooth problem, the pain potentially could be so bad that it would cause you to become ineffective in combat.

I'm not arguing that $200 isn't expensive for a toothbrush; it just puts it into perspective at how much importance one places on their dental health, provided this toothbrush delivers on its promises, of course.
 
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Wow... This reminds me of the bluetooth-equipped fork. Not everything in life needs to be connected.

I do love my basic sonicare but paying $20 for 3 replacement heads is a straight rip-off. It's like having to replace razor blades or ink cartridges. I might be downgrading back to a manual brush soon because of it. I have to save that money for Apple Watch 2 :D
 
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Oral B has had a Bluetooth toothbrush out for over a year and they're coming out with their second gen in a month. I have the first gen model and it's largely a useless feature. I wanted the different brushing modes though so I had to accept I was paying for Bluetooth whether I wanted to or not.

The Oral-B 7000 series is a great brush overall and I've noticed a big improvement in my dental health.
 
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I used sonic care in the past. I used lots of electric brushes. But ultimately, the best hygiene comes from brushing 2 minutes, twice a day and flossing. I find the manual to be more comfortable and easier to use. This is cool, but does it reduce problems? Does it reduce trips to the dentist or total dental cost per year? I have yet to see anything that says it does.
 
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The manual brush will do, but if you're like me who likes gadgets and could be at times lazy, then this [I mean all SoniCare] brush will do it quicker.

I love the SoniCare brushes. Very unique vibrations ;)

I got the black one last xmas.

As to the Bluetooth and the app, it'll be good for monitoring your kids for example
 
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Considering the Philips iOS software for their bluetooth-connected respiratory devices, I'm not expecting any earth-shattering analytics on the backend of this magic toothbrush
 
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Zirel said:
Why?

(Btw I use a Listerine REACH Interdental brush, that's the perfect brush, if Jony Ive designed a brush, it would be that, if marketing departments wouldn't exist, all brushes would be like this, some say that it was the ONLY brush admitted by Steve Jobs, Bruce McLaren and Elon Musk, everything that's different, actually makes a worse brush, it cleans much better and much faster than anything ever invented, and it's not the cheapest brush ever, but it's affordable, the brush actually lasts some time, the head is big and doesn't break, it's easy to hold, it doesn't slip, it doesn't come with a bazillion of colours and "3D" things that actually don't do anything, it comes in different colors so you don't mistake it for another family member's brush.

This is what I'm talking about, because there are multiple brushes branded as "REACH" trough the world:

3574660183375.jpg
56156011_0_640x640.jpg
)
Click to expand...

Who do you consider to be your greatest literary influence?
 
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Just... Lol.

I bet parents will love this.

"No presents for Christmas unless you brush every day!"
 
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DogHouseDub said:
Considering the Philips iOS software for their bluetooth-connected respiratory devices, I'm not expecting any earth-shattering analytics on the backend of this magic toothbrush
Click to expand...
Sometimes, Philips is like two companies... some really great design but then they totally f-up things like cord to device connections, plastic on an attachment that embrittles after a few years (not long out of warranty), not available as a service part, rendering a perfectly serviceable device useless... such that I'm always leery about buying anything from them.
 
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People will upgrade their toothbrushes for the most stupid of reasons, this is one.
What an uncomfortable way to brush teeth.
Not to users, this app won't prevent tooth decay.
 
smacrumon said:
People will upgrade their toothbrushes for the most stupid of reasons, this is one.
What an uncomfortable way to brush teeth.
Not to users, this app won't prevent tooth decay.
Click to expand...
Uncomfortable way to brush teeth?
[doublepost=1471550162][/doublepost]
Cuban Missles said:
I used sonic care in the past. I used lots of electric brushes. But ultimately, the best hygiene comes from brushing 2 minutes, twice a day and flossing. I find the manual to be more comfortable and easier to use. This is cool, but does it reduce problems? Does it reduce trips to the dentist or total dental cost per year? I have yet to see anything that says it does.
Click to expand...
Proper manual brushing does the trick, but most people don't really do that, so an electronic toothbrush certainly helps at least with better brushing in the more of the typical circumstances for more of the typical populace.
 
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