Without being as packed with functions as its high-end rivals from Oral-B, the Sonicare DiamondClean Smart 9350 electric toothbrush has a few advantages of its own: guided brushing, clear warnings for the steps and, coquettishly, a base -glass shaped charger.
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Let’s start with the detail which changes absolutely nothing in brushing but which is completely distinctive: the charging base of the Sonicare DiamondClean Smart 9350 toothbrush, manufactured by Philips. This base plugs into an electrical outlet and is supplied with two interchangeable covers, into which the brush is inserted. You have the choice between the transparent lid and the glass-shaped one. Glass in which the brush is placed, which is recharged at the same time, and which can be used to rinse your mouth.
Nothing revolutionary, but still well thought out.
The DiamondClean 9530, let’s call it by its short name, connects via Bluetooth to your phone and then sends all its data via the Sonicare application. This is where we subsequently find the history of all brushings, their duration, the frequency per day and the pressure applied. The app keeps track of the number of brushings to remind you to change your head. Good news here, the charging heads don’t cost a fortune, two for $32.95 which should be enough for about six months.
Amid numerous tips and videos, you can choose a guide that follows you meticulously during brushing. The mouth is divided into three lower and three upper parts and the app detects which ones you are brushing, the front and the back of the teeth.
The more you brush, the whiter the part becomes on your phone screen. If you force too much, the app warns you. At the end, the poorly cleaned parts appear yellow and the application offers you an extension of the session by two minutes.
If the idea of looking at your phone while brushing your teeth puts you off, which is understandable, you can obviously use the toothbrush without the app. This interrupts every 20 seconds to take you to another part of the mouth, divided into six. The interruption is sharp and hard to miss, unlike other brands we’ve tried. And once the two minutes are up, you can’t miss the signal: the toothbrush stops.
The brush offers three intensity settings and four different modes, namely Clead for standard daily brushing, White+ for removing stains, Deep Clean+ for a “deep clean” and Gum Health for cleaning the gums.
Rather than Oral-B’s rotating brushes, we chose to keep the classic shape of manual toothbrushes capable, according to the manufacturer, of giving “62,000 brushing movements”.
We cannot resolve here the big question about the effectiveness of electric toothbrushes, compared to each other and to manual models. Some professionals highly recommend them, others are more reserved. One thing is certain, a device like the DiamondClean 9350 encourages us to do what is ultimately most important: long brushings of at least two minutes, without forgetting our teeth.
The DiamondClean 9530 comes with a travel case which contains, well hidden in its lower part, a USB cable for charging.
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The charger base does not display any information: no stopwatch, no time, no brushing progress status.
At $269.99, this device isn’t exactly affordable.
One buys ?
Does the addition of a glass-shaped charging base and the few useful functions integrated into the app justify the purchase of the DiamondClean 9350? It would seem risky to us to recommend a toothbrush that retails at a high price. One thing is certain, this device fulfills its promises, is well designed and its software side is neat. Fans of connected electric toothbrushes will not be disappointed.