Oral-B Genius X vs Sonicare DiamondClean Smart

Detailed comparison: what’s the difference between the Oral-B Genius X and Sonicare DiamondClean Smart?

As I intimated in the verdict at the start of this comparison, both of these brushes are excellent and are most certainly premium electric toothbrushes.

Both models offer way more than what you need but do offer a lot of extras that make the whole package more appealing and desirable.

The Genius X takes the crown purely on value for money because although I feel the DiamondClean Smart is the better brush overall, it isn’t worth the £75-100 premium usually commanded of it, in my opinion.

So, let me explain in more detail how these 2 brushes differ and help you better understand what sets them apart and ultimately, which is best for you.

The first and perhaps most obvious thing is the look of the 2 electric toothbrushes.

Whilst they both are similarly shaped and designed there are some key differences.

In my opinion, the Sonicare DiamondClean looks more premium at first glance, where the Genius X looks much busier, with more going on.

This is a good and a bad thing really. As much as it is nice to have a smart-looking toothbrush, you want it to be functional also, and the Genius X appears to tick this box.

The Genius X measures up as follows:

• Height (without head) – 20.5cm
• Height (with head) – 23.5cm
• Width – 2.7cm
• Thickness – 3.2cm
• Weight (without head) – 133g
• Weight (with head) – 138g

Whereas the DiamondClean Smart comes in at:

• Height (without head) – 19cm
• Height (with head) – 25.5cm
• Width – 2.7cm
• Thickness – 3cm
• Weight (without head) – 137g
• Weight (with head) – 142g

As you can see from the size and weight specs listed the 2 brushes are really much of a muchness here.

There are more gloss plastics with the Genius X which degrade the overall appearance a little, but the large rubber grip that adorns the side and back of the X is very appealing and it is more reassuring in hand, particularly when the brush handle is wet.

Both have a separate power and mode button to power the brush on and change the cleaning mode.

A small but subtle difference here is that the brushing modes can be changed on the DiamondClean when the toothbrush is turned off. With the Genius X 20000, you can only change the cleaning mode once the brush is powered on.

On the front of the brush handle are icons for the cleaning modes available on each brush. Both are backlit by a white light once selected.

Unlike the Genius, the DiamondClean Smart has the actual name of the brushing mode, making it very clear and easy to see which is selected. The X, on the other hand, has icons which make it a touch more difficult to remember what each icon really means.

To make things just a touch more complicated, Oral-B only have 5 icons on the handle despite there being 6 cleaning modes available, there is no icon for the standard Daily Clean mode.

Both feel solid in hand and I have little in the way of concern for the durability and reliability of these models.

A fairly major aesthetic difference is the LED smart ring and visible pressure sensor on the Genius X, compared to the Sonicare DiamondClean.

Around the neck of the brush handle, just below the brush head is a translucent panel that runs a full 360 degrees around the handle.

Via the smartphone app, this can be programmed 1 of 12 different colours. But, it also turns red when the built in pressure sensor is activated.

The DiamondClean has a visible pressure sensor, but this is located at the very bottom edge of the brush handle and emits a purple light as opposed to the red light of the Genius X.

The brush heads also look quite different, more on that shortly.

You will also notice the handle colour is potentially different also.

Both the DiamondClean Smart and Genius 20000 come in 3 different colour options. However, in both instances, there are also some box contents differences.

There are 4 variants of the Genius X.

• Oral-B Genius X – Black
  • Black coloured brush handle
  • 1 x black coloured CrossAction brush head
  • Black coloured charging travel case
• Oral-B Genius X – Rose Gold
  • Rose Gold coloured brush handle
  • 1 x white Sensi UltraThin brush head
  • White coloured charging travel case
• Oral-B Genius X Luxe Edition – Anthracite Grey
  • Anthracite Grey coloured brush handle
  • 4 x black coloured CrossAction brush heads
  • A pattern on black coloured charging travel case
• Oral-B Genius X Luxe Edition – Rose Gold
  • Rose Gold coloured brush handle
  • 4 x white coloured Sensi UltraThin brush heads
  • A pattern on white coloured charging travel case

With the Sonicare, there are 4 variants. 1 model has a lot less in the box, 2 share the same box contents, but differ in colour only and the 4th variant comes with an extra accessory in the box and is available in an exclusive colour.

• DiamondClean Smart 9100 – HX9901/14
  • Black coloured brush handle
  • 4 brushing modes
  • 1 x W3 premium white brush head
• DiamondClean Smart 9500 – HX9924/44
  • Silver (also known as cashmere grey) coloured brush handle
  • 5 brushing modes
  • USB charging travel case
  • 1 x C3 Premium Plaque Control brush head
  • 1 x G3 Premium Gum Care brush head
  • 1 x W3 Premium White brush head
  • 1 x TongueCare+ tongue brush head
  • Antibacterial spray
• DiamondClean Smart 9500 – HX9924/14
  • Black coloured brush handle
  • 5 brushing modes
  • USB charging travel case
  • 1 x C3 Premium Plaque Control brush head
  • 1 x G3 Premium Gum Care brush head
  • 1 x W3 Premium White brush head
  • 1 x TongueCare+ tongue brush head
  • Antibacterial spray
• DiamondClean Smart 9700 – HX9954/53
  • Lunar blue coloured brush handle
  • 5 brushing modes
  • USB charging travel case
  • 1 x C3 Premium Plaque Control brush head
  • 1 x G3 Premium Gum Care brush head
  • 1 x W3 Premium White brush head
  • 1 x TongueCare+ tongue brush head
  • Brush head storage compartment
  • Antibacterial spray

I will come back to the items in the box, but I think it is important to consider one of the other major ways in which these brushes differ, and that is their cleaning action.

Sonicare uses a sonic cleaning action whereas the Oral-B toothbrushes have an oscillating-rotating and pulsating cleaning action.

The Sonicare brush heads are larger, sort of more ovalish shaped compared to the smaller, circular brush heads found on Oral-B.

The sonic technology seen on Sonicare brushes uses 2 methods to clean the teeth. The first is a mechanical side-to-side cleaning motion of the brush and the second is a non-contact approach that uses the sonic technology that disrupts plaque beyond the tip of the bristles.

Oral-B’s cleaning is completed via an oscillating-rotating and also pulsating series of movements.

Oral-B brushes have a small, round brush head that moves back and forth (side to side movements) in a circular motion to help remove plaque and dental debris. The movement of the bristles and the head itself essentially scrub the teeth clean. You don’t need to repeatedly move the bush up and down, back and forth.

Pulsations offer a more sophisticated motion and gives another dimension to the brushing. Essentially a ‘non-contact’ form of brushing and relies on pulsations/vibrations like Sonicare brushes do.

I explain the differences and the clinical research into both a bit more in my post comparing Oral-B to Sonicare.

Whilst the cleaning action found on the Oral-B Genius X is more highly regarded clinically, both do a fantastic job. Whilst technically it is a fundamental difference between the 2, don’t get too worried about which approach is best.

A small win also is that Oral-B heads tend to be a bit cheaper than Sonicare, but both come with 4 brush heads included in the box (DiamondClean 9100 being the exception). Sonicare heads and in particular the heads suitable for the DiamondClean Smart are more expensive because of the RFID chips built-in.

You see the DiamondClean Smart has something called BrushSync technology which works in 2 ways.

The first is that the chip built into the brush head communicates with the handle to track how long it has been used for. Once used for 3 months, a light on the brush handle is lit to alert you. This is incredibly clever and useful.

The second part is that depending on what brush head is fitted, the best-suited brushing mode is automatically selected. So, for example, fit the tongue brush and the tongue cleaning mode will be selected.

Whilst the Oral-B brush heads have fading indicator bristles and an in-app reminder, the Genius X does not alert you via a light when the head needs replacing, nor does it change the brushing mode based on the head you attach.

With either brush, you can use any of the brush heads on any of the cleaning modes available on the toothbrushes.

The brush heads themselves fit only to the respective brands, but both are easy to replace, pulling off and the replacement pushing back on.

With the most premium DiamondClean Smart, the HX9954/53, which comes in lunar blue colour, you receive a brush head storage compartment that will hold up to 3 heads. A plastic lid sits over the top to protect the heads. Sadly no such offering is available with the Genius X or the other DiamondClean Smart models.

With all the DiamondClean units (not the 9100) you also get a bottle of Sonicare’s antibacterial spray.

The Genius X offers 6 cleaning modes as opposed to the 5 on the DiamondClean Smart 9500 and 9700. We explain Oral-B cleaning modes here and Sonicare cleaning modes here.

Where the Genius X offers a sensitive and a gum care mode (very similar) the DiamondClean offers just Gum Health.

The modes on each brush are as follows:

• Genius X
  • Daily Clean
  • Gum Care
  • Sensitive
  • Whitening
  • Pro Clean
  • Tongue Clean
• DiamondClean
  • Clean
  • White+
  • Deep Clean+
  • Gum Health
  • Tongue Care

The DiamondClean Smart 9100 is the exception to this rule and offers just 4 modes (Clean, Deep Clean+, Gum Health & White+).

An additional feature on the Sonicare is the brushing intensity settings. In any of the modes, you can press the cleaning mode button to change between low, medium and high intensity.

Essentially the power of the brushing mode is altered to be more gentle or more intense depending on your preference.

The brush does automatically select the best intensity, but you can override it.

Another 2 small, but quite useful features that the DiamondClean has, that Genius X does not have are the automatic power off and the easystart features.

As the name implies, at the end of the cleaning cycle, the brush will automatically turn itself off, so you don’t have to. It is a clear sign that the cleaning cycle is complete.

When you use the brush for the first time, the easystart feature kicks in. This is a mode that gradually increases the power of the toothbrush over a 2 week period so you can get used to the power.

Much quieter when running the DiamondClean produces and audible humming sound, whereas the Genius is much louder, producing a more mechanical sound when powered on.

Whether this is wasted energy or not, I am not sure, but considering the handles are virtually the same size, the battery life is quite different.

The DiamondClean Smart has a claimed battery life of 2 weeks, but managed 25 days in my hands-on testing.

Compare this to Oral-B’s somewhat weaker 16 days of battery life. It does not exceed the claimed life.

Perhaps slight redemption by the Genius X is that its battery status icon is broken down into 3 bars, giving a little more feedback in terms of available power than Sonicare’s single bar battery icon, that only changes colour to yellow when at approximately 10%.

Both models will, of course, need charging at some point and both come with 2 options to charge the toothbrush. Both have a charging stand that the brush sits on to be charged and both come with a travel case that allows the brush to be recharged whilst inside the case.

The Genius X comes with a more traditional charging stand. The white plastic unit has a 2 pin plug on it that connects to a bathroom socket. The stand has a protuberance that fits into the recess on the base of the toothbrush handle.

The DiamondClean comes with a quite different charging stand. More stylish but bulkier, the charging glass looks like a tumbler you might have a stiff drink from. The brush sits in the glass at an angle and uses the same inductive charging technology as the Genius X does sat on it’s stand, but there is no prong to align with the base of the brush handle.

The Oral-B X takes up to 12 hours to be fully charged whilst the DiamondClean Smart can take up to 24 hours.

Both charging stands have a 2 pin power connector that connects to a 2 pin bathroom socket. The Genius X supports 220-240V compared to the Sonicare which has a more internationally accepted 100-240V support.

With either brush, the travel case is of a premium construction feeling solid and robust in hand. Both have a soft-touch finish. Coated in leatherette is the Sonicare case, Oral-B’s is finished in a synthetic rubbery feeling material.

Holding the handle and up to two brush heads, the DiamondClean Smart’s case is better. Hardwired into the base is the charging cable that can be accessed and unwound to offer a USB connector that can be plugged into a mains socket, power adapter or computer’s USB connection.

The Genius X, on the other hand, has a separate proprietary charger that supports 100-240v and connects to a 2 pin socket.

In its favour, the case does have a stand for a smartphone built-in as well as a USB port into which you could connect a device such as your smartphone for charging.

The downside is this large power adapter that must be carried and the case must be connected to mains power to charge the brush and connected USB device.

Simply put, the Sonicare option is more refined and practical.

Now a key selling point for both brushes is the fact that they are smart.

Using Bluetooth, both will pair with a smartphone, providing you download the relevant app from the app store.

Both apps are designed to take data collected by sensors in the brush handle, interpret it and give real-time and post brushing feedback on what can be done to improve the brushing and overall oral care of the user.

The aim of both is for you and me to achieve better oral health care at home. Think of it a little like having a dental professional on hand at all times to give guidance.

Without getting bogged down in the details, both do a pretty good job overall.

Oral-B suggests the Genius X uses artificial intelligence (AI) as part of its process to monitor brushing and to give the feedback and it does. It all sounds very impressive and Sonicare are much less bullish about their app and what it offers.

In reality, I like both, but do think the Sonicare app is more refined.

Graphically perhaps Oral-B has the edge, but I feel the way the Sonicare app shows the feedback is more intuitive and it is much clearer to see what areas of the teeth you have missed and could give more focus now or in the future.

Neither is perfect, but both are very good.

With many differences already covered, there are just a couple more to go.

Both models come with a 2 year warranty as standard, but the Genius X has the option of extending this to 3 years (for free) by registering the brush online.

Sonicare has recently introduced a 6 month extension to the warranty if you register through the smartphone app.

So here the Genius X potentially has another 6 months warranty.

Lastly then the price.

The DiamondClean Smart has a recommended retail price of anywhere between £250 through to £380, subject to which variant you go for.

The DiamondClean Smart 9100 is the newer model with less box contents and is the lower £250 price.

The Genius X suggested selling price is £339.99 and £359.99 for the standard and luxe model respectively.

However, the actual price they sell for differs quite considerably with the Genius X generally being in the region of £75-100 cheaper.

The Sonicare price has actually settled (at the time of writing) around £250-280ish.

Does one clean better than the other?

It depends on who you ask!

If you asked the respective brands directly, they would each suggest their model does.

Studies have shown that Oral-B generally speaking have the edge here.

This is because of the smaller brush head size and the motion it results in greater improvements of users oral health than a Sonicare model.

This is however under clinical study conditions and in real-world use, both offer an excellent clean.

My general preference is for the Genius X cleaning action. I come away with my teeth feeling cleaner after use. It is a bit more of an aggressive clean or so it feels, but the Sonicare is by no means bad.

This will really be personal preference and only if using side by side will you really notice any significant difference.

If one of these is to be your first electric toothbrush, either will offer significant benefits compared to manual brush.

Any user will benefit most from ensuring they are adopting the right brushing technique with an electric toothbrush than choosing between Sonicare or Oral-B.

Is one better priced than the other?

Yes, the Genius X is cheaper (most of the time).

The recommended retail price of the Genius X is £339.99 and £359.99 for the luxe variants.

The actual selling price tends to be around 50% less at £165 and £169.

The Sonicare DiamondClean Smart has had a retail price of £360-380 until 2019 when the DiamondClean Smart 9100 was introduced with a price of £250.

The 9100 offers less in the box, hence the lower retail price.

However, the actual selling prices are quite interesting.

The 9100 remains at its £250 price point, whilst the other variants have taken approximately a 20-30% drop in price and sell at around £250-280.

Prices are always subject to change, particularly the actual selling price when comparing retailers etc. But, what this means is that on the whole compared to the Genius X they are commanding at least an £85 premium if not more.

There is a lot to like about the DiamondClean Smart, but that is a big chunk of change.

This does not take into account the cost of the brush heads either.

Sonicare does offer some innovation here, but as a general rule is commanding approximately £10 per brush head more. Over the typical life of a toothbrush handle that is in excess of £100 extra spending on brush heads alone.

With even the most creative reasoning this is not justifiable.

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.