Philips Shaver i9000 Prestige Ultra XP9404/46

The shaving result is a lot smoother than I am used to from other Philips shavers. I get handy guidance via the pressure sensor and app, so that I shave better. I do have to press quite hard before I get the green light on the pressure sensor.

Smooth shaving with the right setting I take the shaver out of the box and the luxurious appearance of the device immediately catches my eye. I have always had Philips shavers, so I was curious about the result of this model. After the first shave, I immediately felt that this device shaves smoother than I was used to. This keeps my face smooth for longer. The pressure sensor uses a light ring to indicate whether I am applying the right pressure while shaving. I do have to press quite hard before the light ring turns green. This does not always feel comfortable. Fortunately, this shaver has different shaving settings. When I put it in the sensitive setting, I shave a lot more comfortably. If my beard is a bit longer, I use the intense setting. This makes it easy to shave longer hairs. It also comes with a beard trimmer attachment. Because I have light beard growth, I do not need this attachment.

Guidance in the app I can easily connect the shaver to the app via Bluetooth. While shaving, I get useful feedback on my shave in the app. This way, I can see whether I am applying the right pressure and making the right circular movements while shaving. This helps me improve my shaving technique and get a better result. The app also indicates how long I shave each time. This prevents me from shaving for too long. I can also easily adjust the shaving mode in the app. I can also see how long the shaving head will last and how many cleaning sessions are left in the cleaning station.

Cleaning and killing bacteria There are handy accessories with which I can clean the shaver. After each shave, the cleaning station cleans the shaving head within one minute. For example, it removes any remaining hairs. There is also a UV charging case. The UV light in the case kills the bacteria on the shaving head within 10 minutes. In the meantime, it also charges the shaver. With the cleaning station and the UV case I keep the shaver clean and I always shave hygienically.

I'd been using the same Philips shaver for 20 years. The shaving heads were also at least eight years old, so I thought, let's buy a whole new one. Since I've been using one for a long time, I went for the top-of-the-line model. That does make a difference. The shaving performance is clearly better than my old one, and the whole thing feels exceptionally luxurious.

Yet, I haven't become any happier with it. Essentially, a shaver is simple: a shaving head, motor, battery, and an on/off button, and that's about it. But not with this one. Philips clearly wondered how they could sell such a simple device for so much money. They made the casing extra luxurious, with a display and a beautiful finish. As a result, you can no longer casually toss the device in your toiletry bag; it needs its own hard case for protection. Because it's also much larger than my previous one, half my toiletry bag is now filled with a shaver. Then there's the sideburn trimmer. On my previous device, it was simply on the back and flipped out with a button. I never realized how clever that was until I bought this one. With this device, you first have to remove the entire shaving head, probably accidentally pressing the button to open the reservoir, causing all the hairs to fall out, and then you have to attach a separate trimmer head. That's a pretty neat feature, but it's just extra work, and you have to put it somewhere and remember where you put it. So, in practice, I still use my old device for this. The cleaning station seemed like a nice addition. It is, and it gets your device nice and clean, but honestly, I've never missed it in all these years, so I don't think I'll ever buy a new cartridge for it. Rinsing with water also works fine. The only downside is that the device will probably complain about cleaning forever. And then there's the app. When manufacturers create an app for a device that can function independently offline, you know: that app isn't there for you. It's there for the manufacturer to collect data. This is no different. The app doesn't really provide any information other than the device itself and doesn't really add anything. Finally, a note about the charging cable. While it's nice that it's a USB cable, the shaver's charging cable isn't. So if you go on vacation and forget the cable, you still can't charge your device with anything else, because this cable is so specific that you'll never find it anywhere. All in all, it's a very nice device. It shaves fantastically, but it does require a lot of attention. While I never used to think about my shaver, it's now become a real issue. Maybe I should have just bought a new shaving head for my old one. I wonder if this device will last 20 years. I don't think so.

Beautiful machine that shaves perfectly. UV case is great. Also for taking with you on a trip. Battery sometimes goes empty even in the UV case that is both charged and on the charger. App is fun, but mainly a gimmick for the first few days.