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Oral-B Genius X vs. Genius 9600 vs. Genius 8000 – A top series review and comparison of Oral-B electric toothbrushes


In this article, we will look at four high-end Oral-B brushes, the Genius 8000, Genius 9600, Genius X 10000, and Genius X Luxe.

That’s four geniuses, which gives you a clue as to who they’re aimed at people who want clever toothbrushes!

And these really are. They are all high-end offerings for people with deep pockets. So, if you’re someone who is looking to splash out on your next electric toothbrush, but you can’t decide which one offers the best value, then read on. This article will review and compare them to help you choose the one that suits you best.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Appearance and Color Options

It has to be said that all four brushes look attractive, but then you would expect that, considering that recommended prices start at the official price of $180 for the cheapest one, the Genius 8000. Here it is in black.

It’s also available in white, Sakura pink, orchid purple, rose gold. In fact, all of these four models are.

The difference is that with the two Genius X models you can also choose a different shade of black called “Anthracite”. That’s one of the extra things that you get with these more prestigious models.

The Genius 8000 used to be Oral-B’s top model, so you’re bound to get some extra good looks. Here is the next one up, the Genius 9600, and as you can see, it’s impossible to tell them apart.

And here is the even newer Genius X 10000 in orchid purple.

…and the limited edition Genius X Luxe in Sakura pink.

As you can see, they all share the same basic look. It’s a fairly sleek and attractive handle that does not feel chunky in the hand, has an easy-to-use on/off control button and a mode change button (with the down arrow on it). Press it to cycle through the different modes and each one lights up to show you when it’s active.

Cleaning Modes and Brushing Speed

All these four high-end brushed provides the same most comprehensive six cleaning modes. Oral-B gives them all names and assigns them a duty.

Daily Clean is meant to be your go to, every day, all-purpose mode for if you just want to get your teeth clean with no special requirements. Pro-Clean is a few thousand movements faster, and it feels like it! Sensitive slows the oscillation speed down a lot but you still get quick pulsations. I assume that’s because they’ve researched it and discovered that its kinder to sensitive gums. (I know from my own experience that it does seem a bit more forgiving). Whitening is designed to be tougher stains, Gum Care is gentler and is meant to stimulate blood flow to the gums and gentlest of all is Tongue Cleaning, which is exactly as it sounds. I didn’t think I’d be interested in using this one but it’s actually quite pleasant!

Brush speeds vary because how fast they work depends on which brush head and mode you are using. Oral-B brushes pulsate and oscillate.

  • Daily Clean gets up to 9,900 oscillations per minute, and 45,000 pulsations per minute.
  • Pro-Clean manages 10,500 oscillations per minute, and 48,000 pulsations per minute.
  • Sensitive does 7,400 oscillations per minute, and 33,000 pulsations per minute.
  • Whitening hits 7,000-9,900 oscillations per minute (speed alternates), and 32,000-45,000 pulsations per minute (because the speed alternates).
  • Gum Care does a more sedate 5,400-9,900 oscillations per minute (and again, the speed alternates), and 24,000-45,000 pulsations per minute for the same reason.
  • Tongue Cleaning is 8,200 oscillations per minute, and 37,000 pulsations per minute.

That’s quite a wide range that covers the softest to the most vigorous, so you should find one that’s comfortable for you in amongst them.

Cleaning performance

Like many other Oral-B models, all four of these high-end offerings feature the Smart Timer to make sure that you do the dentist-recommended two minutes, and the Quad Pacer to ensure that you spend 30 seconds in each of top left, top right, then bottom left, bottom right.

Each of them boasts the same Smart Ring, which can be customized to display one of 12 colors, so if you share the handle with the rest of your family, each member can have their own hue. The ring also doubles as an alert. Oral-B’s pressure sensor technology can tell if you’re brushing too hard and it makes the ring glow red when you do, so you can see clearly when you need to ease off.

Bluetooth & App support

Speaking of the pressure sensor, you absolutely can’t fail to notice when you’re brushing too hard because as well as the Smart Ring, the brush slows down, and if you’ve got the Bluetooth app connected as well, it will also tell you that you’re brushing too hard and record it.

I’m not really sure whether three ways of telling you the same information is completely necessary because I felt that the glow from the Smart Ring was enough of a cue, but maybe some people will think it’s nice to have a choice.

You might not always want to be connected to the app and if that’s the case the handle will remember data from the last 20 brushing sessions anyway. I might be one of those people because it was a bit fiddly to attach my phone to the provided suction cup every time and keep my face in the same place.

The app relies on this, using your phone’s camera to make sure your head is in the right spot, and then listening to the brush so that it can tell when each 30-second segment of your routine has passed. That can get a bit tiresome because setting it up obviously takes more time.


The Genius X 10,000 and Luxe don’t use that technology anymore and instead, rely on positional sensing built into the brush itself to work out where it is in your mouth.

They are billed as having Artificial Intelligence, but that seems like a bit of a stretch of the term. It doesn’t learn from how you brush your teeth, but it does compare your brushing style to the styles of thousands of other people that Oral-B monitored. It recognizes your style comparison to theirs and coaches you on how to do a better job. So, it’s like a ‘light’ version of AI, and you could at least call it ‘smart’.

Battery performance and charging system

Battery life feels much improved over some of the older models that I’ve tried. You can go over two weeks of use now, whereas in the past the handle would have struggled to keep humming after 10 days.

Each model comes with two chargers. There is a standard little plinth for the brush to sit on, and then there’s the USB travel case which can charge both the brush and your smartphone at the same time. That’s quite a useful feature and I found it very handy.

The Genius 8000 this slightly different from the others in that its voltage is US-only. The Genius 9000 and the two X models also have 200-240 volts so they can all be used overseas. If you’re a regular traveler then this is worth bearing in mind.

Comments of Four High-End Oral-B Electric Toothbrushes

Oral-B Genius 8000

Oral-B Genius 8000 What’s in the Box?

  • Oral-B Genius 8000 X 1
  • CrossAction Brush head X 1
  • 3D White Brush head X 1
  • Precision Clean brush head X 1
  • Smart Travel Case with USB Port X 1
  • Smartphone holder X 1
  • Brush Head Refill Stand X 1
  • Base Charger X 1

Although this is the cheapest of the bunch it still feels like a good electric toothbrush and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. It gets your teeth clean and it’s simple to use. My dentist told me that the motor in all Oral-B brushes is the same (it’s made by Braun) across the range, so from the cheapest of the most expensive you’re getting pretty much the same level of cleaning.

Other features of Genius 8000:

  • Dimension: 7.7w x 4.0d x 10h (inches)
  • Unit Weight: 1.8 pounds

For more specifications, please see our comprehensive analysis of:

Oral-B Genius 9600

What’s in the Box?

For around $20 more than the Genius 8000 you’ll be getting the ability to plug your toothbrush in abroad and a unique “UltraThin” brush head,
gum protection system and the multi-voltage charger. This does not seem like great value on the face of it. That’s not to detract from the fact that this is still a really good toothbrush that does an excellent job, but you honestly might as well just pick up the Genius 8000 and then buy a travel adapter to take with you when you fly!

Other features of Genius 9600:

  • Dimension: 9.2w x 4.0d x 10h (inches)
  • Unit Weight: 1.8 pounds

Oral-B Genius X 10000

What’s in the Box?

The Genius X 10000 is a worthy successor to the previous model, because it does away with the tricky app-syncing, and there’s no need to attach your phone to a suction cup any more. It’s still essentially the same brush as the previous two in terms of performance, but you’re paying a manufacturer’s recommended retail price of $219.94 for it, which is the same as the Genius 9600. (Note that online discounts are always available for most models, but the difference between them is going to be consistent.) The fact that it’s priced the same as the old top model makes it interesting because it is a slightly better package.

Other features of Genius X 10000:

    • Dimension: 7.0w x 4.0d x 10h (inches)
    • Unit Weight: 1.3 pounds

Genius X Luxe


What’s in the Box?

Weighing in at $249.94 (MSRP) the limited-edition Genius X Luxe is a bit harder to justify buying because the extra $30 on top of the cost of the Genius X 10000 only gets you some different patterning on the travel case, and an extra four brush heads. It is pretty to look at, but it feels like a needless indulgence to spend the extra money, because you don’t get much for it.

Other features of Genius X 10000:

  • Dimension: 7.0w x 4.0d x 10h (inches)
  • Unit Weight: 1.3 pounds

Choosing Between Them

With all of these brushes being so similar, it would be tempting to just recommend going for the cheapest one, the Genius 8000. It’s fully $50 cheaper than the limited-edition flagship Genius X Luxe, but you aren’t going to get your teeth feeling and looking $50 cleaner.

However, it isn’t quite that simple because if you’re buying toothbrushes at these prices then there’s a good chance you are in the market for and electric toothbrush with a Bluetooth app that is going to coach you and give you feedback. And the ‘AI’ enhanced version is definitely better than the tracking that you get in the 8000 and 9600.

Using the phone camera approach was frustrating at times because it couldn’t always detect my face and so no data was recorded. The Genius X 10000 solves the problem of sensor detection much more simply and could well be worth $20 more than the price of the 8000.

Conclusion

With discounts available online, you could soon be the proud owner of an Oral-B Genius X 10000. The company has recently made huge strides in developing smart technology for their toothbrushes, and even though their app isn’t perfect, it’s still a good solution for people who want to be able to improve their brushing, share statistics with their dentist or just keep themselves to a rigid brushing schedule. All of the others are still good brushes, but this is the one that offers the best overall value.

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