First, there was toothbrush. A couple hundred years later, there was electric toothbrush, and the world has lived comfortably for a long time. What’s next, you ask? AI electric toothbrush, of course. Spearheaded by the folks at Philips, which, incidentally, makes one of our favourite (but notably AI-free) face shavers in the OneBlade.
Earlier this month, the company showed off the Philips Sonicare Next-Generation DiamondClean 9900 Prestige (our rank in Call of Duty). It’s the company’s first-ever toothbrush to include on-device artificial intelligence, built to provide real-time feedback on your brushing game. (Pssst: it (probably) sucks.)
Broad strokes just won’t cut it here
If being told off by a toothbrush isn’t enough to bruise your ego, you’ll probably enjoy Philips’ take on the modern toothbrush. Using Philips’ third-generation AI and machine-learning model, the 9900 Prestige puts that glowing ring on its base to good use, with different pulses and colours letting you know how you’re doing mid-brush.
And when you’re done, a little touchscreen on the device provides a report of how well you think you did. It’ll highlight the areas of the mouth that maybe need a tad more attention. The AI is spatially aware, allowing it to create a full “Mouth Map” of you-know-where.
Read More: Xiaomi Oscillation Electric Toothbrush Pro review – Keeps those chompers clean
Philips SenseIQ sensors are in charge of making sure the user isn’t pressing too lightly. If so, it’ll ramp up or de-escalate the intensity, using one of the three prescribed levels. There are eight modes, including gum health and max clean to fiddle with, too, also accessible via the touchscreen with a simple swipe.
Philips is, perhaps wisely, keeping the price under wraps for the moment. The company plans to have these out before the end of the year in Europe and the US, targeting a spring release. A wider global release is on the books, but we won’t see it ’til 2027. That should give you more than enough time to start saving. The AI-less 9900 Prestige still sells for R7,000 on Amazon — plus whatever it takes to have it shipped here.
