Philips Sonicare DiamondClean vs DiamondClean Smart

Detailed comparison: what’s the difference between the Sonicare DiamondClean and DiamondClean Smart?

It is Sonicare and Oral-B that dominate the electric toothbrush market and for a long time, I have always felt that it is Sonicare that produce the overall better quality products.

Being compared today are the two most premium brushes within the Sonicare range.

The DiamondClean has for a long time been a solid offering that offered a little more finesse and class to the electric toothbrush category,  but it has in essence been superseded by the newer DiamondClean Smart.

Despite being pushed down from being Sonicare’s flagship model, the DiamondClean still has a lot going for it and can still be purchased from retail or virtual shelves.

The question is though, how do they really compare and which one should you spend your hard earned money on?

As the intro to this comparison clearly states our opinion is that the new DiamondClean Smart is the better buy, all things considered, but let us explain in a little more detail why this is.

First things first then, with both models there are a few different variants, the DiamondClean has 2 variants whilst the Smart has 3, not including the different color options.

I am comparing the more common DiamondClean and not the DiamondClean Wireless Charging Edition against the DiamondClean Smart 9500 Series, this mid-range model of the 3 versions of the Smart brush handle.

The different variants of each brush are explained in more detail in the hands-on reviews on this site.

The DiamondClean comes in 5 color options:

• Black (HX9352/10)
• White (HX9332/10)
• Pink (HX9362/10)
• Rose Gold (HX9392/05)
• Amethyst (HX9372/10)

The DiamondClean Smart comes in 4:

• White (HX9924/01)
• Black (HX9924/11)
• Pink( HX9924/21)
• Silver (some class it as Grey) (HX9924/41)

These colors relate to the handle of the brush only.

Sonicare, unlike Oral-B, do then try to color match their brush heads with the handle.

The heads are either White or Black in color.

With the DiamondClean, the Black and Amethyst come with Black colored brush heads with the Silver and Black coming with Black colored heads on the DiamondClean Smart.

Aesthetically the brushes look similar and you can clearly tell they are part of the same family of brushes but there are some design differences as a result of the features.

The Smart has an extra button on the handle (below the power button) to change the cleaning modes and the intensity of the cleaning.

3 different intensity settings (low, medium & high) these can be changed automatically or manually and each intensity is represented via an LED bar that lights up White.  These LED bars are positioned in between the power button and cleaning mode/intensity button on the Smart.

Whilst both brushes offer 5 cleaning modes, the name of the modes and how they work are slightly different.

The newer  DiamondClean Smart comes with:

• Clean,
• White+
• Deep Clean+
• Gum Health
• Tongue Care

Whilst the DiamondClean comes with:

• Clean
• White
• Sensitive
• Gum Care
• Deep Clean

We run through all of Sonicare's brushing modes here.

In the box with any brush, you expect to get brush heads and both models come with some provided but these differ too.

The DiamondClean comes with:

• 1 x AdaptiveClean
• 1 x DiamondClean
• 1 x InterCare

The DiamondClean Smart comes with:

• 1 x Premium Plaque Control
• 1 x Premium Gum Care
• 1 x Premium White
• 1 x TongueCare+ tongue brush

These heads are essentially evolutions of brush heads before them, but they are smarter than before.

Built into the brush head is a little microchip which is detected by the DiamondClean Smart handle.

When detected the brush automatically sets the ideal cleaning mode for that brush head.

So for example. Connect the TongueCare+ head and the Tongue Care cleaning mode is set.

You can manually override these and change the mode, but this is a new feature that the DiamondClean does not have.

However, as clever as this is and yes it does bring that added bit of convenience, the prices of the brush heads as you might expect are a little more expensive, typically costing about $2 per head more.

All brush heads are interchangeable with different brush models and cleaning modes, but the new Smart heads are essentially wasted on a brush that does not have the BrushSync mode pairing.

Those with BrushSync will also alert you when it is time to change the brush head for a new one, as it monitors usage time, brushing habits and more.

As the brush heads are attached, they also change the brushes power intensity, something that cannot be set on the DiamondClean.

For the price you will pay for these brushes it is fair to assume a travel case comes included and with both models such is provided.

Unlike most other travel cases, these are smarter and allow for the brush to be charged whilst in the case.  As innovative as this is and was when the DiamondClean first introduced it, the DiamondClean Smart benefits from a slight case enhancement to improve the process.

The Smart comes with a hard case finished in soft touch leather, the color of the leather depends on what color brush handle you opt for.

With the DiamondClean the material is a bit harsher to touch but actually is quite grippy and looked a little unique.  I am not sure what the material is, it feels more of a more synthetic man made product.  The color also matched the brush handle.

Both connect to a USB port on a computer or mains socket for in the case charging.  The DiamondClean has a detachable microUSB to USB cable  The negative here is the cable can be mislaid.

A removable panel on the underside of the DiamondClean Smart’s case allows access to the 60cm length of cable, which has the USB connection at the other end.  It is a smart upgrade and the cable neatly tucks away inside the case.

In favor of the original DiamondClean is the in the box inclusion of a mains adapter that allowed this USB cable to be connected to a 2 pin US mains socket.  No such adapter is included with the Smart.

Many people have such adapters due to smartphone charger designs, but it would be a nice extra even if it was not relied upon.

Something rarely seen on a Sonicare brush handle is a pressure sensor, but the DiamondClean Smart does offer this a feature the original DiamondClean does not have.

As a user brushes it will detect how much force/pressure is being used.  When too much is applied a Purple light from the base of the brush handle will be emitted.  It then stops when the pressure is relieved.  It is a handy addition but is not implemented as well as it could be in our opinion and Oral-B have on the whole done a better job.

The last and biggest difference between these two models is what gives the DiamondClean Smart it’s ‘Smart’ name.  It is Bluetooth connectivity.

For a long time available on Oral-B brushes, it was first introduced by Sonicare on the FlexCare Platinum Connected but is now available on this flagship model.

Added technology inside the brush handle allows the DiamondClean Smart to connect to an application available for download on Android and iOS mobile devices.

Using Bluetooth the brush communicates with the app to offer a variety of features, most notably realtime cleaning tracking and logging of cleaning.

There are special sensors within the brush handle that can detect the orientation and position of the brush relative to the mouth to give the real-time feedback.

The aim of the app is to educate and monitor cleaning to make every user better and achieve overall better oral health.

It is clever and most certainly one of the better implementations, but unless you want such the benefits are limited.

If you want to know more about this and how it works, we have covered it extensively in our DiamondClean Smart hands-on review.

Does one clean better than the other?

From what I can tell, neither brush actually cleans the teeth better than the other.

The newer DiamondClean Smart does have ‘new’ brush heads which offer cleaning benefits that appear to be similar to the equivalent brush heads for the standard DiamondClean.

There are also new cleaning modes.

Sonicare have not boasted any stats to suggest that the Smart cleans better than the regular version.

Both brushes have powerful motors it is more likely to be the particular brush head and users individual circumstances that will influence any cleaning results.

Compared to a manual brush you will feel and likely see improvements within weeks if not sooner.

However, the DiamondClean Smart’s features allow you to be better and more efficient in the way that you clean your teeth.  As a consequence it could be argued the DiamondClean Smart offers a better clean, but once you have mastered the technique you could get equivalent results from the regular DiamondClean.

Aside from this, the brushes boast a lot of similarities.  A built-in timer, pacer, 3 week battery life, water resistance, premium feel in hand, 2 year warranty, an Easy-Start program and more.

Is one better priced than the other?

Yes, the original DiamondClean, without the smart features is the cheaper of the two models.

Officially, going by Sonicares recommended retail price there is a $70 premium to get the DiamondClean Smart.

Thankfully retail prices and promotions are such that it is possible to obtain with a premium of just $30.

Of course, retail prices are always subject to change and the variances may be greater or smaller if you opt for a different variant of either of these models.

Please note that all prices quoted are approximates and will vary based on location, supplier and time of purchase.  These figures were correct at the time of writing and should not be relied upon as hard fact, but used as a guide during your decision process.