Oral-B iO Series 2 Review: Small Upgrade, Big Difference

This is my first proper foray into the world of electric toothbrushes. Yes, I have spent an embarrassing amount of time testing phones that cost more than some motorcycles, driven cars with more screens than a small cinema, and played around with all manner of smart gadgets. But when it came to brushing my teeth, I was still firmly in the old-school camp: toothpaste, a manual toothbrush and two minutes of pretending I was doing a sufficiently good job.

So the Oral-B iO Series 2 was an interesting experiment. Priced at ₹2,449, it is the entry point into Oral-B’s iO range, and importantly, it doesn’t try to overwhelm you with displays, apps and a dozen different modes. Instead, it is essentially an attempt to make the transition from a manual toothbrush to an electric one as painless as possible. And after using it for a while, I have to admit: going back to a manual toothbrush now will feel a little primitive.

Design

The iO2 isn’t trying to win any beauty contests, but I actually quite like how understated it is. It has the familiar chunky cylindrical shape of an Oral-B toothbrush, with a matte finish that makes it feel more like a proper piece of tech than a cheap bathroom appliance.

More importantly, it is comfortable to hold. There is enough texture and rubberisation around the handle to give you a secure grip even when your hands are wet, and the shape sits naturally in the palm. The ergonomics are fairly straightforward, which is exactly what you want from something you’re going to be waving around inside your mouth twice a day.

It also isn’t particularly heavy. The handle weighs 117g without the brush head and 124g with it, which is light enough that I never really found myself getting tired while brushing.

That might sound like an oddly specific thing to point out about a toothbrush, but weight actually matters here. You don’t want something that feels like you’re operating a power tool at 8 AM every morning.

The iO2 also keeps things refreshingly simple. There is essentially one main button, which powers the toothbrush on and lets you cycle through the three brushing modes. There is no display, no touchscreen and no smartphone app trying to turn brushing your teeth into a quantified-self exercise. I quite like that.

The one design compromise is the pressure indicator. Unlike more expensive iO models, which have a much more obvious illuminated ring, the iO2 uses a small indicator that flashes red when you’re applying too much pressure. It works, but it’s not particularly easy to see while you’re brushing, especially because your hand can partially obscure it.

One thing I really appreciate is how easy it is to clean after use. Once I’m done brushing, I just remove the head, rinse both the head and the handle under running water, and let them dry. The smooth body doesn’t really give toothpaste much room to hide, so a quick rinse is usually enough. And when you’re travelling, there’s a pretty cool carrying case included in the box, which keeps the toothbrush and brush head neatly tucked away instead of having them loose in your toiletry bag. It’s a small touch, but one that makes the iO2 feel like a well-thought-out everyday product.

The charging setup is probably my least favourite bit of the iO2. The charging station is rather bulky, especially when you consider how compact the toothbrush itself is, and it takes up a fair bit of space on the bathroom counter. It does the job, of course, but I just wish Oral-B had gone the modern route and given us a simple USB Type-C charging cable.

Functionality

This is where the iO2 starts making a convincing case for itself. There are three brushing modes: Super Sensitive, Gentle and Daily Clean. I started with the gentler settings because, well, I had no idea what to expect. The first thing I noticed was that this doesn’t feel like the violently vibrating electric toothbrushes I had imagined.

In fact, it’s surprisingly gentle. The iO2 combines Oral-B’s round brush head with its oscillating and micro-vibrating cleaning system, and the sensation is quite different from manually brushing your teeth.

At first, I wasn’t convinced. There is something psychologically reassuring about vigorously scrubbing your teeth with a manual brush. The iO2 feels almost too polite by comparison. But after a few days, I started appreciating the difference. You don’t really need to apply much pressure or movement yourself. You just guide the brush around your teeth and let the motor do the work.

And the result is noticeably satisfying. My teeth feel smoother after brushing, particularly around areas where I would probably be a little lazy with a manual toothbrush.

The two-minute timer is another feature I didn’t think I would care about but now rather like. The brush gives you a vibration change every 30 seconds, effectively splitting your mouth into four sections. After two minutes, you get the final alert. It sounds trivial, but it exposes one of the problems with brushing manually: most of us have absolutely no idea how long we actually brush for. The pressure sensor is also useful. If you push too hard, the iO2 slows the motor down and flashes the warning indicator.

The only problem is that the warning light isn’t as obvious as I’d like. You can hear and feel the change in the motor when you press too hard, so after a while I found myself relying more on that sensation than actually looking for the light.

Battery Life

Battery life, meanwhile, is one of the iO2’s biggest strengths. Oral-B rates it at up to four weeks from a single charge, although actual endurance will obviously depend on how often and how long you brush. The catch is charging. This isn’t a USB-C gadget that you can plug into your laptop or power bank. A full charge can take roughly 24 hours, so this is one of those devices where you really want to remember to put it back on the charger rather than waiting until it’s completely dead. But once charged, the endurance is excellent.