Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 review

Two-minute review

The Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 is a powerful, good-looking electric toothbrush with a wide array of modes and intensity settings so you can tailor it to suit you. It's a versatile brush, robustly built, and our tests with disclosing tablets revealed that it did an excellent job removing plaque when used regularly.

It holds its charge well (although the charging base is rather large) and comes with an excellent rechargeable carry case to keep it powered up on the move, with a built-in cable so there's no need to pack a separate charger.

Connect the brush to your phone and you'll have access to some extra tools within the Sonicare app, but sadly this is largely limited to a timer, basic feedback on your brushing, and a calendar showing your brushing history over the last week. There are tips, but if you want to improve your technique, the Oral-B iO Series 9 is a better choice, costing around the same and providing real-time feedback as you clean.

The app can do a lot more when connected to a higher-end Sonicare brush, but with the DiamondClean 9000 its most useful feature is the ability to identify brush heads and track their lifespan based on your brushing habits. It can even re-order more automatically, if you like.

Overall, this is an excellent toothbrush for everyday use, but if you want to get the best app experience, there are 'smarter' options available for the same price.

Here we’ve reviewed the 2020 edition of the DiamondClean 9000 – the previous model lacked the pressure sensor and brush head replacement reminders.

Price and release date

This edition of the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 was released in May 2020, with a recommended retail price of $475 / £340 (about AU$640). However, it’s been discounted substantially since then, and is now available for around half the initial price – or even less during sales events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

It’s worth bearing in mind that additional heads are quite expensive, costing around $45 / £30 (about AU$60) for a set of four at the time of writing.

Design

The Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 has a stylish, modern design that looks much like the higher-end Sonicare 9900 Prestige, but is somewhat larger. This is no doubt due to the additional controls on the handle; while you have to delve into the Sonicare mobile app to change settings on the 9900 Prestige, here you can select a mode and intensity level with a press of the lower button.

The current mode is highlighted by an LED on the lower half of the handle, and the current charge level is indicated by four small bars on the upper half. The handle has a satin texture, and is available in two colorways: black and pink.

The brush comes with one Premium Plaque Defence head, but Philips offers a range of four to suit different needs. We particularly liked the narrow neck of the brush head, which makes it easy and comfortable to use with your mouth closed (always an advantage with a sonic toothbrush to avoid mess).

It’s worth noting that there’s a small gap between the brush head and handle to allow for movement when the brush is running. It’s only a millimeter or so, but could be susceptible to a build-up of toothpaste and water residue, so it’s a good idea to clean and dry the area regularly.

The brush is supplied with a puck-style charger that comes in two parts: a circular base with a two-prong wall plug, and a transparent plastic top that holds the toothbrush. It’s a practical design – the top can be easily removed for cleaning, and the toothbrush is held securely in place – but quite large – around 3in in diameter and 1.25in tall when assembled – so you’ll need plenty of space on your bathroom counter.

The Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 also comes with a smart-looking rechargeable carry case to keep the handle powered up on the move. Again, this is quite large (around 9in x 3in x 2in) but it’s well built, with a magnetic lid and sturdy feel. There’s room inside for the brush handle plus two heads, and the base of the case unfastens to reveal an integrated USB charging cable – a thoughtful touch that means you don’t need to worry about packing an additional charger for long trips.

Performance

The Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 is a premium-feeling all-purpose toothbrush that’s well built and adaptable thanks to its range of brushing modes and intensity options. In our tests, we found ourselves leaning in favor of the White+ mode, which gave a very clean feeling and produced impressive results when tested using disclosing tablets, with minimal plaque left behind.

The brush defaults to its highest intensity setting, which some people may find too vigorous, so give the option button a few presses the first time you brush to find the setting that works best for you.

The Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 is fairly quiet, producing about as much noise as a typical oscillating brush at its highest intensity, but noticeable more than the higher-end Sonicare 9900 Prestige.

It’s interesting to note that, when used with the smartphone app, the toothbrush vibrates every 30 seconds and turns off after two minutes. If used by itself, it will vibrate twice every 30 seconds but keep running. Most electric toothbrushes give you a particular indication once two minutes are up (such as a triple vibration), but if you’re not paying attention you might not realise you’ve already been brushing for the recommended amount of time.

There’s also no light on the brush to indicate that you’re using too much pressure. There is a pressure sensor, but you’ll only know if you’ve triggered it when you’re using the app.

Smartphone app

To get the most out of the Sonicare DiamondClean 9000, you’ll need to install the Sonicare mobile app, create an account, and connect the toothbrush to your phone via Bluetooth. This is a straightforward process that only requires your first name, an email address and a password. Once that’s done, turning the brush on will make it visible to the app, and you’re ready to connect. We had no trouble syncing the brush with the app, and the whole process took only a couple of minutes.

The app presents with various brushing tips, with personalized suggestions underneath. You’ll also see feedback on your last brushing session, and a separate tab contains a calendar showing your brushing habits over the last week.

The app also detects the type of brush head attached and how long you’ve been using it, using your brushing habits to calculate how many more sessions remain before it needs replacing. The app can also be set to order replacement heads automatically through Amazon Dash.

Aside from some privacy settings related to promotional emails, that’s about it. Unlike the more advanced Sonicare 9900 Prestige, this brush doesn’t have an accelerometer to determine the its position in your mouth, so you don’t get a map in the app showing which areas you should focus on and you won’t receive real-time feedback to help improve your technique.

However, if you choose to upgrade to a more advanced Sonicare brush at a later date, these options will appear and your brushing history will be carried over.

First reviewed July 2021

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