Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 vs DiamondClean

Detailed comparison: what’s the difference between the Sonicare DiamondClean and DiamondClean 9000?

If you are not already confused with all the mentions of DiamondClean, I am going to make things a little simpler by referring to the latest DiamondClean 9000 model as DC9 from now on!

The first difference between these 2 models are the cleaning modes available.

The original DiamondClean has 5 modes, they are:

• Clean
• White
• Deep Clean
• Gum Health
• Sensitive

The DC9 on the other hand has 4 modes.  They are:

• Clean
• White+
• Gum Health
• Deep Clean+

As you will see, sensitive mode is missing.

This is similar to the gum health mode, so it is not a significant loss.

In fact there is limited data to really suggest that any of these extra modes are indeed beneficial, although I am sure Sonicare would argue otherwise.

The ‘+’ added to the end of the names makes no difference either as far as I can tell.  

Our Sonicare brushing modes explained article goes into some extra detail, should you wish to learn more.

Where the DC9 gains is with the ability to change the intensity of any cleaning mode.

With the choice of low, medium and high, you can change the power delivered to the bristles.

Essentially, the 4 modes now become 12.

What this ultimately means is you can find the perfect brushing experience for you.

This does have a knock on effect to the look of the brush handle.

Whilst both are very similar, the DC9 has an extra button below the power button.

This new button controls the brushing intensities and the cleaning modes.

You can change the cleaning modes when the brush is turned off and the intensity when the brush is turned on.

In between the 2 buttons are 3 vertical bars that are lit with a white light when the intensity is selected/changed.

The DC9 does benefit from a few other features.

Possibly the most significant of which is the Bluetooth connectivity, something not found on the 3rd generation model.

Whilst brushing the handle tracks and stores certain pieces of data.

After a brushing session is complete, this data is sent to the Sonicare smartphone application, if a paired smartphone is within range.

The data is collated and displayed on screen, with any other data it has from the last 7 days.  It then allows for you to review this and gain insights and an understanding of your habits.

Green icons means everything is good and you are taking good care of your mouth.  Grey and orange colours indicate areas for improvement.

By reviewing this you should be able to understand how you can improve, if you need to.

BrushSync technology is another feature of the DC9.

There are 2 parts to it.  

The first part is the brush head replacement reminder, which tracks the brush heads that are attached to the brush handle.  These brush heads have a microchip in them.

Based on the brushing time elapsed and pressure used a warning light will be lit, when the head should be replaced.  This should activate at around 3 months/90 days.

The principle is that this reduces the chances of using an old/worn out brush head for too long.  

The second and less useful part of this technology is the pairing feature, whereby the most appropriate cleaning mode is selected based on the style of brush head attached.

Brushing with too much force, particularly over extended periods of time can damage the teeth and gums.  This is why the DC9 has a pressure sensor built-in.  

When excessive force is detected, the brush handle will vibrate in a very obvious way that changes the overall sound of the brush too.  This is your alert to reduce the pressure and in turn reduce the risk to your teeth and gums.

A particularly useful feature on both of these brushes is that the travel case allows you to charge the brush whilst inside.  This is reliant on the provided USB cable being connected to a power outlet though.

Such a feature is particularly handy for those who travel a lot or perhaps do not have a shaver socket in their bathroom.

The design of the cases are slightly different, but both hold the handle and up to 2 brush heads.

The key difference here is that the 2019 DiamondClean has a detachable USB cable, whereas the DC9 has the cable hardwired into it.

The cable with the DC9 is stowed on the bottom of the case and is accessed via a removable panel.  

Both do the same job, just there is no chance or losing or forgetting the cable with the DC9.

The last significant difference is the colours of the brush handles.

The original DiamondClean comes in 4 colour options:

• Black
• White
• Pink
• Rose Gold

The DC9 on the other hand is available only in:

• Pink
• Black

Does one clean better than the other?

No.  

Whilst they have slightly different offerings, these brushes essentially clean the teeth as well as each other.

As far as I am aware both brushes use the same motor that delivers up to 31,000 brush strokes or 62,000 movements per minute.

And the additional sensitive cleaning mode on offer on the DiamondClean isn’t going to make any significant difference in terms of brushing for someone.

Where the possible differences and benefits of the DiamondClean 9000 come in are around some of the extra features that it offers.  

What they can do is help educate and encourage you and in ways the original DiamondClean does not, so as a consequence they improve the experience and indirectly help you brush better.

These extra features include the BrushSync technology which will actively make you aware when you need to replace your brush head.  Therefore you replace your head more regularly than you might have previous and potentially increase the efficacy of the cleaning.

The choice of 3 different brushing intentisites, low, medium and high allows you to find the ideal brushing experience.  It ultimately offers 12 different cleaning configurations compared to the 5 that are on the DiamondClean.

Vibrations through the brush handle alert you when your brush too hard.  This then reduces the likelihood of you brushing the teeth with too much force and doing unnecessary damage to the teeth and gums.

The last and likely most significant difference, depending on your point of view is the smartphone application.

The data it offers for review perhaps gives the opportunity for you to become more aware of how well or not you are brushing.  Clear visuals make it easier to determine where you need to make improvements.

Not getting all green ticks or bars might just be that extra nudge you need to perfect your technique.

The possible benefits are more circumstantial than clinically proven.

Is one better priced than the other?

Yes.

The suggested retail price of the DC9 is £340 compared to the £300 of the DiamondClean.  This is not all that surprising.

The £40 premium, is in my opinion, justifiable given the ‘extras’ that the DC9 offers.

However, the reality is the typical selling price is not the retail price.

Of course, prices can vary from one seller to another and there are at times promotional periods where prices are more varied than they would normally be.

Discounts of 20% are common for Sonicare products.  At times that discount can be as much as 50%.

At the time of writing the original DiamondCleans average selling price is around £100, some £200 (67%) less than the retail price.

This is one of the biggest discounts I have seen on such products.

The DC9 on the other hand is being sold for or very close to it’s suggested selling price, with basically no discount.  Therefore the difference is much more significant and there is no justifiable reason to purchase the DC9 over the 2019 DiamondClean.

Taking the logic that a 20-50% discount is common, the newer DC9 should at some point drop to a price anywhere between £272 to £170.  

Whilst these prices are clearly a big saving on the retail price, they still a significant increase over the DiamondClean.

What I am saying here is that there is no reason to go for the newer model, as I can see it, when such price differences exist.

If the DC9 is only about £40 more expensive than the DiamondClean, then that is an acceptable premium to pay.

Based on the prices at the time of writing, the DC9 would have to be £140 or less.  

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.