REASONS TO BUY
Great cleaning power
Stylish
Solidly comfortable
REASONS TO AVOID
Exorbitantly expensive
Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart 9500 Review
This top-notch toothbrush is packed with smart features but comes at a hefty price
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
By David Wise ⋅ Senior Review Editor ⋅ January 5, 2022
Contributions From: Austin Palmer
Our Verdict
Finishing in the upper echelon of our review of top-ranked electric toothbrushes, the Sonicare DiamondClean Smart is undeniably a great toothbrush. It did very well in our cleaning tests and is both comfortable to brush with and convenient to use, with a solid battery life to boot. It's got a sleek and stylish appearance and includes a comprehensive set of smart features. Unfortunately, all of this performance comes at a price and the DiamondClean Smart is prohibitively expensive for most people.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The DiamondClean Smart finished just ahead of the Brio SmartClean in our testing process. While the Brio is the most comfortable of this trio, the Sonicare DiamondClean Smart did do the best in our cleaning test. The DiamondClean Smart is by far the most expensive model in our fleet, costing significantly more than any other model we tested.
The DiamondClean Smart also uses an inductive charging cup.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
The DiamondClean is one of the more comfortable brushes of the review.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Cleaning
The DiamondClean Smart removed virtually all of the stained plaque for most of our testers, with only one person missing a few of the harder-to-reach places on the inside surfaces of their teeth, putting it on par with the best brushes that we have seen to date.
This toothbrush did quite well in our cleaning challenge.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
This brush is very easy and convenient to use.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Comfort
None of our panel of judges had any major issues with this toothbrush, with most of them rating it as one of the more comfortable models.
We particularly liked how this toothbrush felt to hold, with its matte finish and size feeling very ergonomic in your hand. However, some of our testers with more petite mouths did find it slightly unpleasant when brushing their back molars and this brush is just powerful enough to be a little too much for those with the most sensitive gums. However, you can use the sensitive mode to mitigate this if you find that it bothers you.
It's about average in terms of noise, being overall one of the quieter brushes in terms of amplitude. However, we did find this brush to have a high pitch whine that can be a bit irritating. This toothbrush also won some extra points by having a pressure sensor that will slow the brush down if you are pressing too hard.
The companion app shows your brushing progress.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Ease of Use
It is quite easy and intuitive to switch between modes using the additional mode select button. You simply press the button to cycle through the different cleaning options, of which there are five, and the mode indicator you are in will light up accordingly.
The DiamondClean Smart has one of the sleekest interfaces of the group.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
The charging cup does not have any storage for additional brush heads, but the USB charging case does have spots to store two brush heads.
The travel case can both charge the toothbrush and store two brush heads.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
This Sonicare toothbrush has an integrated timer with quadrant pacing to help you brush for the prescribed amount each day.
This DiamondClean Smart has a solid battery life, even with all of its smart features.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Battery Life
This toothbrush lasted for 24 days in our test — impressive, considering the standby power draw of the smart features.
Value
This brush is the absolute worst option if you are shopping on a budget. Period.
Conclusion
While the DiamondClean Smart is a very cool, top-rated toothbrush that scores well across the board, its extraordinarily high price tag makes it quite hard to recommend.
—David Wise and Austin Palmer
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