Technology

Oral-B iO Series 2 Electric Toothbrush Review: Diet iO

Published

1 week ago

August 22, 2024

At a glance

Expert assessment

Positives

Excellent battery life
Three brushing modes
Pressure sensor

Disadvantages

Very gentle brushing
Pressure sensor not easy to see during use
Charging from empty to full 24 hours a day

Our verdict

The most budget-friendly iO doesn’t quite feel like the rest of the iO models. It lacks the visible red/green pressure sensor and the brushing performance feels much softer. But it also has its positives, most notably its battery life, which is by far the best in the series – and makes it a better option for sharing.

Price upon review

$59.94

Best prices today: Oral-B iO Series 2

$59.99

$64.97

Oral-B’s iO series offers excellent brushing performance to date, along with a highly visible and effective pressure sensor, a choice of brushing modes, brushing timer and a range of other features depending on the model you choose.

There are so many iO models available (nine, including the recently released iO2) that you’re sure to find one that perfectly suits your preferences. However, it is not easy to choose between the two if you do not know what they all have to offer. Check out our Oral-B electric toothbrush guide to find the right model for you.

I’ve been looking forward to the release of the iO2, the most budget-friendly iO brush available now. But when I started testing it, I discovered that it wasn’t exactly what I expected. Read on to find out why.

Design and construction

Three brushing modes
Brush timer warnings
Pressure sensor – but this is difficult to see while brushing

At first glance, the iO2 looks just like any other iO brush. It’s the same size, with the same matte handle, and uses the same iO brush heads.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

But it’s a little lighter. At 117 g (without brush head), it weighs 10 g less than the iO4 (127 g).

The other major, visible difference is that it lacks the light ring around the neck that every other iO brush has. The light ring has a number of functions. It is decorative (you can personalize the color in the app). It cycles through a rainbow of colors when you complete the dentist-approved two-minute brushing time. And most importantly, it acts as a bright red/green pressure sensor: when you apply the right amount of pressure, it glows solid green. If you press too hard, the light ring will turn red.

It’s hands down one of the best iO features – and the iO2 doesn’t have it. Instead there is a small 1x5mm indicator light that flashes red if you press too hard. Because it is on the front of the brush, it is not visible in the mirror most of the time while brushing. It’s just not nearly as good.

Oral-B says that if you press too hard, the motor will also slow down to protect your gums. You may hear a change in the vibration, but because the brushing performance is already so gentle, it’s hard to feel a big difference.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

The iO2 is easy to operate, with a single button to turn it on, cycle through the three brushing modes and – with a long press – turn it off.

You can buy the iO2 in black, white or a new forest green color. Please note that because iO brush heads only come in black or white, if you choose green you will get a two-tone brush.

If you find the vibrations of more powerful brushes too strong, the iO2 may be the electric toothbrush for you

The iO2 has three brushing modes: super sensitive, gentle and daily clean. It also features a quadrant alert in the form of a vibration change every thirty seconds to let you know that you need to move to a new area of your teeth. After two minutes, a longer warning will sound to let you know you have finished brushing. But the cleaning doesn’t stop automatically, so you could miss the warning if you swerve.

As you would expect for this price, the brush has no smart features.

Performance and features

Very gentle
Long battery life
Full charging takes 24 hours

The visible differences between the iO2 and other iO brushes are one thing, but there are also invisible differences.

The iO2 has a different engine than the rest of the series, which may explain why it is slightly lighter. There aren’t many details of Oral-B on the motor, but as soon as you turn it on you notice that the brush is not as powerful as other iOs and delivers a much gentler cleaning performance.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing: Oral-B has positioned the iO2 as an electric alternative for people who usually use a handheld brush. If you find the vibrations of more powerful brushes too strong, the iO2 may be the electric toothbrush for you.

Personally, I prefer the feel of a standard iO – although that doesn’t mean the iO2 doesn’t clean your teeth just as well. After using it for several weeks during the test period, I think it brushes well.

The iO2 has one major advantage over all other brushes in the iO line: its battery life, which Oral-B claims lasts a month. This makes it a good option for sharing and taking with you when traveling.

Roughly speaking, you have a lifespan of about two weeks between charges of any other iO brush. We tend to find that the brushes with higher specs and more bells and whistles don’t last as long. However, the 7, 8, 9 and 10 models have 3 hours of fast charging, which alleviates this considerably.

When the battery needs to be charged, the pressure sensor indicator lights up red. And while charging it flashes green on the stand. But since it takes 24 hours to fully charge, this is one brush you don’t want to let run completely empty.

It’s best to keep it on the included charging stand, or at least charge it regularly. It uses the same charging standard as all less expensive iO brushes, which comes with a standard two-pin plug in the US and a shaver plug in the UK. We wish iO brushes had USB charging capabilities, but even the top models don’t at this stage.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

Price and availability

The iO2 has not yet been released in the UK.

In the US, you can buy the iO2 starter kit – consisting of the handle, two brush heads and a charger – from Amazon for around $64-$65, depending on whether you choose the white, black or green color option. This is a more affordable option than buying at Target or Walgreens for $59.99 because you only get one brush head with your purchase.

Should you buy the Oral-B iO2?

If you currently use a manual brush and want a soft electric toothbrush with long battery life, the iO2 is a solid choice. But keep in mind that replacement brush heads for traditional Oral-B brushes will be cheaper, so a traditional (non-iO) Oral-B brush will save you money in the long run.

For those looking for the best features of an iO without paying a huge sum, we’d say spending an extra $20 for the iO3 is the better bet. But we have more budget-friendly recommendations in our roundup of the best Oral-B brushes.