Philips Sonicare 1100 vs Philips Sonicare 3100
Over three years, with heads at each maker's own pack price, the Philips Sonicare 1100 costs about $93 to the Philips Sonicare 3100's $113. The Philips Sonicare 3100 has a pressure sensor (pressure sensor (vibration or sound)); the maker lists none for the Philips Sonicare 1100. Every other published figure for both is in the table, with the rows where they differ tinted.
Philips Sonicare
Philips Sonicare 1100
~$20
Twenty dollars buys a genuine Sonicare handle here: 31,000 brush strokes a minute by Philips' count, a QuadPacer and SmarTimer, and a two-week battery.
Best for: The cheapest way onto Sonicare's click-on heads
Philips Sonicare
Philips Sonicare 3100
~$40
What the 3100 adds over the 1100 is a pressure sensor: the handle vibrates when you press too hard.
Best for: A Sonicare pressure sensor at the lowest price
| Specification | Philips Sonicare 1100 | Philips Sonicare 3100 |
|---|---|---|
| Approx. price | ~$20 | ~$40 |
| 3-year cost | ~$93 ($20 handle + 11 heads at $6.66) | ~$113 ($40 handle + 11 heads at $6.66) |
| Type | Sonic | Sonic |
| Motion | Sonic (vibrating head) | Sonic (vibrating head) |
| Speed (maker's figure) | 31,000 brush strokes per minute | not published |
| Pressure sensor | No pressure sensor | Pressure sensor (vibration or sound): Vibrates the handle to alert you when brushing too hard |
| ADA Seal | No listing found | No listing found |
| Timer | 2-minute timer | 2-minute timer |
| Quadrant pacer | Yes, every 30 seconds | Yes, every 30 seconds |
| Modes | 1: Clean | 1: Clean |
| Screen | None | None |
| App | No | No |
| Battery | 14-day battery (Philips spec: operating time 14 days) | 14-day battery (Philips spec: operating time up to 14 days) |
| Travel case | No | No |
| Heads in the box | 1 | 1 |
| Head family | Sonicare click-on | Sonicare click-on |
| Head compatibility | Any Philips Sonicare click-on head (C1 SimplyClean, C2, C3, G3, A3, W); not Philips One heads | Any Philips Sonicare click-on head (C1 SimplyClean, C2, C3, G3, A3, W); not Philips One heads |
| Price per head | $6.66 (Sonicare SimplyClean 6-pack (HX6016/77), $39.96 on usa.philips.com) | $6.66 (Sonicare SimplyClean 6-pack (HX6016/77), $39.96 on usa.philips.com) |
| Replace heads every | 3 months (maker) | 3 months (maker) |
| Warranty | 2 years | 2 years |
| First listed | 2021 | 2021 |
Philips Sonicare 1100: what it gives up
- No pressure sensor: the 3100 adds a vibrating one for $20 more and takes the same heads
- Single mode and no intensity settings; the 4100 adds two intensities for $30 more
- No travel case; the cheapest adult Sonicare with one is the $130 Series 6500
- Philips' spec lists "1 charger" without saying what kind
- No BrushSync head-change reminder, which the 4100 has
Philips Sonicare 3100: what it gives up
- One mode; a Gum Health setting starts with the $60 Sonicare 5000
- Philips lists it as support status, so stock may not last
- No brush-movement figure published
- Sonicare saves the travel case and app for adult handles from the $130 Series 6500
Full pages: Philips Sonicare 1100 · Philips Sonicare 3100