I was skeptical about a Bluetooth toothbrush — but the Philips Sonicare 7100 is genuinely transformative

To some, the idea of a Bluetooth-enabled toothbrush is the absolute nadir of our hyper-connected society. Why does this straightforward chore we've all done since childhood suddenly need optimising in adulthood? That was certainly my opinion when the Philips Sonicare 7100 arrived for review.

When shopping for a relatively expensive piece of tech, it's easy to dismiss features you might consider surplus to requirements — and a connected app can feel like this. However, as someone who has used both manual and other less advanced electric toothbrushes over the years, I can confidently say that the Philips Sonicare 7100 has converted me to the benefits of tech-enabled toothcare.

That said, what truly sets this brush apart is that, while the app has distinct benefits, the brush itself is packed with game-changing features and thoughtful accessories that will enhance your routine whether you're connected or not.

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In short, the app is the cherry on top of an already sumptuous cake — incidentally, something you won't need to worry about getting out of your gnashers with this machine.

Philips Sonicare 7100: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A Bluetooth-enabled electric toothbrush that connects to an app on your phone.
• What does it cost? $159 / £120 (available from Philips, Amazon, Target and other retailers)
• What does it do well? Delivers a superior clean with excellent battery life, four customisable brushing modes with three intensity settings, and an app that actively improves your brushing technique through live guidance and tracking.
• What are its weaknesses? The travel case can't charge the brush on the go, the handle may be too bulky for some, and it's probably not worth the money if you're not interested in the Bluetooth features.

Philips Sonicare 7100: Specs

Philips Sonicare 7100: Price & availability

There's no way of getting around the fact that the Philips Sonicare 7100 is a significant investment — and it's worth shopping around, as prices vary between retailers. Philips, Amazon and Target all carry it, and deals can be good, so it's worth checking each before you buy.

For that price you receive the toothbrush handset, one brush head, one travel case, its USB-A charging cable and one USB-A charging stand. You will need to download the accompanying Philips Sonicare app to utilise the Bluetooth features, but this is free.

As with any electric toothbrush, this initial cost shouldn't be considered one-off as you will need to replace the head approximately every three months. If you are concerned about being caught short without a spare, a useful feature of the app is that you can connect it to Amazon Alexa so it automatically orders more heads when it knows one is about to need replacing.

A minor criticism is that for this amount of money they could have included an additional brush head to truly deliver some additional value — but overall this feels like a reasonable cost.

Philips Sonicare 7100: Design & features

When it comes to using this brush, I should disclose that my views are informed by the fact that I am a man just under six-feet tall. For my hands, the weight of the unit (around 125g with the head attached) worked incredibly well — light, and while bigger in circumference than, say, a Suri toothbrush, it fitted in my grip making brushing a breeze.

The buttons to turn it on and change mode/intensity are easily accessible by your thumb and require minimal pressure to activate. Crisp white LED lights signify the mode and intensity selected, both buttons illuminate for late night brushing, and additional green LEDs signify battery charge level and when to replace the brush head.

One of the most useful design details is that despite its cylindrical shape, a small flat buttress of plastic at the bottom means you can lay it flat after use — keeping it far cleaner than brushes that must stand upright, and preventing the charging hole from getting blocked. A rinse under the tap is generally all you need.

The travel case is also well considered, shorter and easier to pack because the brush head stores underneath the body. It doesn't have a built-in battery for on-the-go charging, but the battery life is so good you likely won't need your charging cable even on longer trips.

One of the great advantages of the Philips Sonicare 7100 is the level of personalisation on offer. Four modes, each with three intensity settings: "Clean" is your standard two-minute programme, "Sensitive" uses softer vibrations, "White" runs forty seconds longer to tackle stains, and "Gum Health" adds a post-clean gum massage. Each mode vibrates to prompt you to move to a new area of your mouth and shuts off automatically when done.

As someone with sensitive teeth, having a dedicated sensitive mode, plus the ability to dial down intensity across all others, is a genuine bonus. The brush also has a purple light at the base that flashes if you press too hard, which made me realise pretty quickly that I'd been going too hard on my teeth my entire life.

As for the app — after syncing your toothbrush and phone, it detects when you're about to brush, displays a live diagram of where you should be brushing for each mode, and counts down until you're done. Afterwards it logs the session and feeds back on your routine.

It also counts down to your next brush head replacement and tracks the pressure you're using. Using it has become something of an obsession — I even tried a "blind brush" without the app and discovered I'd only been brushing for just over a minute. I was convinced it was far longer.

There are additional manual tracking features for flossing, mouthwash and dentist appointments — a little over-the-top for my needs, though some will love that level of detail.

Philips Sonicare 7100: Performance

One of the real advantages of this brush is its battery life. The stated 21 days is based on two two-minute brushing sessions per day — though in practice, if you're using the Gum Care setting, which runs almost twice as long as the standard Clean, you may find that figure is on the optimistic side.

At the time of writing, I've been using the brush for three weeks and the battery still hasn't gone down to the single flashing LED that indicates it needs a charge. That said, when it does, the Philips Sonicare 7100 takes around 24 hours to fully recharge — far longer than, say, a Suri 2.0, which maxes out in around 5 hours and delivers 40 days' usage.

Philips Sonicare 7100: Verdict

There are a lot of advantages to the Philips Sonicare 7100 — it’s a brilliant brush. The design of the handset is pleasingly ergonomic and the brush head tackles even the trickiest of angles with ease.

It has a brilliant battery life and the travel case is a useful and well-designed addition. The four brushing modes all feel useful depending on your need and the customisability of the three intensity settings makes the brush especially appealing for those like myself with sensitive teeth and gums.

However, the game-changing element for me is its Bluetooth functionality and the app connection. Brushing with this has categorically improved the technique I have been using day-in, day-out for my entire life — and, as someone approaching middle age who’s increasingly thinking about oral health, it really impressed me that a toothbrush can do that.

Of course, that technology comes at a cost that might seem too much for those not so invested in the digital side of this dental product, but all I’ll say is give the Philips Sonicare 7100 a chance to prove itself and you’ll be surprised at how transformative it can be.

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