Electric Shaver Review

Philips i9000 Ultra Review – Is This The Best Rotary Shaver Yet?

If you are considering a high-end electric shaver, you’ve probably come across the Philips i9000 Prestige Ultra. As Philips’ current flagship model in 2025, it sits at the very top of their lineup, positioned above the standard i9000 and the i9000 Prestige.

I’ve covered the Prestige models (Prestige S9000 and i9000 Prestige) before, but this one promises to provide enhanced performance (companies will say that, won’t they).

The bottom line for me was that it delivered a similar performance to the S9000 Prestige and i9000 Prestige, but excelled in comfort and reduced post-shave irritation. This improved comfort has me sold on the i9000 Ultra!

In this review, I’ll outline the pros and cons of the i9000 Ultra features (as I experienced them), its actual performance, and who I believe it’s best suited for. As always, this is based on my own hands-on experience — no fluff, no hype, just a real perspective.

Description & Features

I purchased the top-end bundle (model XP9402/46), which included the UV charger and the cleaning pod. The first part of that number, XP94, is key. As long as you see XP94, you know you’re getting the Philips i9000 Ultra—it is the same shaver and performance.

Philips may introduce further models (with possible changes) that will increase the numbers to XP95 and possibly XP96.

Philips does make some bold claims on their high-end shavers, especially on this i9000 Ultra, which includes:

The 7-day shave is definitely a sales tactic. We are best to use a trimmer on any stubble that grows above a trimmer without a comb attached—if we prefer our shavers and blades not to work so hard, thereby reducing wear. However, it will shave off 7 days of growth, especially if you have softer, finer hair.

We can’t really go wrong and complain with that type of warranty (i.e., up to 7 years).

Tech Features: Usefulness vs Gimmick

One of the selling points of the Ultra is its tech: Bluetooth connectivity, AI sensors, light rings, app feedback, etc.

I tested all of it.

Bluetooth & App Integration

You can link the shaver to the “GroomTribe” app. Through the app, you receive metrics on your shave, including the amount of pressure applied and the use of circular strokes. For a new user, this might provide extra insight. However, being experienced at shaving, I didn’t find anything useful after testing it for review purposes.

This app will provide you with shaving guidance, device health information, and real-time guidance, among other features.

In practice, it’s more of an accessory or training tool than a core tool that will significantly contribute to a good shave.

I imagine most guys (apart from real tech nerds) might share my thoughts and experience and get bored with this quite quickly, seeing it as a time-wasting extra app on a phone.

Keep in mind that my background and experience include shaving with all types of shavers and razors, including straight and safety razors, so these tech features won’t impress me.

Pressure-Guard & Motion Sensor / Light Ring

This is a ring light around the shaving head that changes color depending on the pressure applied and circular motions used:

• Blue = too little pressure
• Green = optimal
• Orange = too much

I experimented with following the light’s guidance with this i9000 Ultra and previously with the i9000 Prestige. It makes you more aware of the pressure applied, which is a good thing. However, strictly adhering to it meant my shave wasn’t as close as I liked, because I tended to favor slightly more pressure (with additional skin stretching) to achieve the desired result.

Following the circular motion thing and advice won’t get me a close shave. However, as one of my YouTube videos showed, some guys are very attached to shaving in circles with a rotary shaver, which means they might find the motion sensor helpful. For my thoughts on circular motions, you can watch this video – Shaving With A Rotary Shaver – Circular Motions or Follow Hair Growth Direction?

If your skin is sensitive, this light guide may be more helpful in preventing irritation. However, if you prefer to push a little further (carefully), you might find it more of a hindrance than helpful.

You can also turn the light off, which is good — if you find this “slightly helpful” feature just consumes battery or distracts you. You can also optimize the light settings in the GroomTribe App.

Five Shaving Modes – Another Dubious Feature or Useful?

The shaver offers five options for shaving speed or mode, accessible through the additional button under the power button and advanced LED screen:

• Modes: Foam (for wet shaving), Sensitive, Regular, Intense, and Custom.

I found that I usually stuck to the Intense mode because I simply want the highest power and efficiency possible. The custom mode, which can only be customized via the GroomTribe app, does push the shaver a little faster—and that was interesting to try out.

It doesn’t make sense to me to reduce the power, as I might as well be using a shaver with less power.

One use case for changing modes might be for guys who shave daily for a few days and prefer sensitive mode, then switch to higher modes when shaving with two or three days of growth.

The foam mode, when used wet shaving with shaving cream, was just a slower shave than when I ramped it up with the intense and custom settings, so I see no value in that mode.

Design & Ergonomics

The Prestige Ultra’s body is nice and slim. The top end features a rubberized grip that allows my forefinger to fit naturally, providing good control. It tapers down toward the end, fitting comfortably enough in the hand (see next video clip).

While I found the older S9000 Prestige slightly slimmer and offering a snugger fit (see next video clip), the Ultra’s shape works well when I am maneuvering the head around the various contours of my face.

Head and Blades

The redesign of the shaver heads compared to the S9000 Prestige is a subtle but beneficial upgrade. The heads now taper slightly and are slightly slimmer, and the corners have been rounded off further. This small adjustment appears to help maintain constant skin contact; however, I don’t see it making a huge difference compared to the S9000 (the adjustment makes total sense, though).

The mechanical flexibility is top-tier. The entire head moves in all directions, which is great for navigating areas like the jaw and chin. Additionally, each of the three blade heads flex and press in slightly.

All these components work together perfectly to follow contours and ensure constant skin contact.

The head is easily removable and can be replaced with other attachments, such as the beard trimmer.

The Trimmer Situation (Pro & Con)

A drawback in the design for some users might be the lack of a built-in, pop-up trimmer. The Ultra uses a click-on beard-trimmer attachment instead (named the Precision Beard Styler).

Removing the head and attaching the trimmer is easy, as shown in the next video clip.

While I understand this design reduces the shaver’s body size, I found the click-on attachment awkward to use for trimming sideburns or tidying up under the nose. It feels cumbersome compared to a simple integrated trimmer.

I ended up doing my usual at home. I used the top back Gillette Fusion 5 trimmer blade to cut my sideburns. Still, if I were away from home, I would make do with the beard styler without a comb or skip precise trimming of the sideburns.

The i9000 Prestige (non-Ultra) does have a built-in trimmer, which is worth mentioning if it matters (see next photo below).

Cleaning and Maintenance

If you opt for a bundle that includes the Quick Clean Pod, it’s a useful accessory.

If you don’t opt for the cleaning pod and/or you need to manually clean, it is straightforward, and this is my routine:

1. Pop the head open using the touch button.
2. Blow out and brush away any loose debris.
3. Add a couple of blobs of antibacterial hand soap and a splash of water inside the head.
4. Run the shaver for about 10 seconds.
5. Rinse thoroughly and leave the head popped open to air dry for a couple of hours.

About once a month, the individual cutters need to be deep-cleaned. You can release them by turning the cog in the direction of the arrows. I strongly recommend taking out, cleaning, and replacing one cutter at a time. This prevents losing small components and ensures you don’t mix them up, which could affect performance.

The replacement cutters are the SH91 part number. They are the same as those used for the i9000 and Prestige i9000. These last up to 2 years, depending on your beard type and use frequency.

Charging, LED Indicators, and Travel Lock

The charging time and runtime are pretty much standard for this level of shaver.

• 1 hour of charge equals 1 hour of runtime (my testing confirmed this).
• 5-minute quick charge for one shave.

We get a USB-A charging cord with the shaver, but no adapter is included. The power lead has a Philips connector for the port; however, it is not Type-C, and it works on all the i9000 models I have, but not the older S9000 Prestige.

We get an advanced LED screen showing the percentage charge and a button to cycle through functions: show charge, enable/disable travel lock, turn off the pressure ring light, connect to Bluetooth, and view information about the i9000 Ultra model (see next video clip).

It’s the most advanced LED screen I have seen on a shaver, so if you are a tech person, you’ll like this. I am mostly happy to see the percentage charge and travel lock, as these are the functions that matter most to me—the rest are bells and whistles.

The LED also triggers when the shaver is moved (unless the travel lock is on), which is a small but handy touch (pick it up and see how much battery is left).

I accidentally activated the pickup and display feature, and my shaver displayed “Good evening, Jason” on the screen. When it is connected to the app, it will greet us—which was quite odd but pretty cool—and aligns with today’s advanced tech.

Accessories/Bundles

Various bundles offer a mix of accessories; it is worth deciding which are most important to you and then weighing up the costs.

Possible/Included Accessories

• Precision trimmer (click-on) — for mustache, sideburns, and detailing
• Beard styler/trimmer attachment (with adjustable length settings)
• Nose and ear hair trimmer attachment
• Standard travel case or larger premium travel case
• Charging stand with light
• Quick Clean Pod (non-electric)
• Cleaning cartridge (for use with the Clean Pod)
• UV sanitizing charging case (included in some premium bundles)
• USB charging cable
• Small cleaning brush (for manual cleaning and debris removal)

While I got the beard styler with my kit, the basic trimmer would be just as good for my sideburns. I did not get the charging stand, but from experience, I know they are useful.

If you can get the larger case rather than the smaller travel case, it would be useful for keeping more than just the shaver contained (plus the attachments). The bundle I purchased did not come with a travel case, which is not an issue, as I have other spare cases.

I like having the Quick Clean Pod for the extra cleansing and lubrication it provides, which helps keep the cutters in good condition — especially useful for those living in hard-water areas. Of course, the additional costs of cleaning pod cartridge replacements should be considered (See Philips Quick Clean Pod Review and Demo Setup).

I got the UV Power Charger with my kit, which is nice and solid. While I find it slightly useful and like the idea of having my shaver sanitized (killing off bacteria), as a new buyer, I would only include one in a bundle if the bundle price was not significantly higher.

Interestingly, when we remove the shaver from the UV Power Charger, the LED displays both the shaver’s and the UV case’s charge levels.

Shaving Experiences

I spent weeks with the i900 Prestige Ultra because I wanted to understand all the tech stuff on it to share with you. This meant I got plenty of time to test shaving.

I tested the shaver daily, every other day, and after letting my beard grow for three to four days. While Philips claims it can handle up to seven days of growth—and technically it can—it definitely makes the job tougher and more time-consuming (there’s a reason beard trimmers exist), especially for someone like me with coarse hair.

• 2–3 days of growth: Outstanding results—close, comfortable, and fast.
• 4+ days of growth: It started to struggle a bit, leaving a few stray hairs and patches that needed extra attention. Guys with finer hair or lighter growth will likely find it easier.
• Daily shaving: Very good overall. I usually get too much irritation after three consecutive days of testing; however, for some unknown reason, my skin was fine with this saver.

Ultimately, shaving every two days was the sweet spot for me—it allowed the i9000 Ultra to give me a quick, effortless shave every time.

Contours and Skin Contact

When it comes to adapting to facial contours, I’m not sure a shaver could do it any better than the i9000 Ultra. It glides smoothly over the jawline and c, maintaining consistent skin contact throughout the shave.

The flexible head and blades work together beautifully to maintain that contact and follow every curve — it’s about as close to perfect as it gets.

Comfort

Comfort is one of the main selling points for me when comparing this model with other i9000 models and the previous S9000 Prestige models.

So far, it seems to provide more comfort than the i9000 Prestige I recently used and reviewed, which doesn’t make sense, as they both share the same shaver head.

Tricky Hairs/Areas and Leftovers

The only time I noticed any leftover hairs was after shaving three or more days of growth (around the four-day mark). Even then, the Ultra still did a better job tackling those stubborn patches than foil shavers I’ve tried, like the Braun series and Panasonic, when going back over the area.

That said, I did spot a few stray hairs about ten minutes later — ones that either the shaver or I missed (probably both).

With less than three days of growth, though, it handled everything cleanly — no stragglers, no tricky areas. I found I had an odd stubble patch on my neck, which I cleaned up easily enough.

I also found it surprisingly easy to shave under the nose — an area where rotary shavers often struggle (see the next video clip below). I guess the slightly more rounded and slimmer heads are helpful here compared to the previous, more square and thicker heads.

Speed and Closeness

Shaving speed naturally depends on beard length, but overall, I’d call it a fast shave every time — no stopwatch needed. It is the lack of the need to spend time on clearing up patches that matters to me, too.

As for closeness, it’s impressively close to manual-razor levels. On most areas, especially the cheeks, the finish was practically indistinguishable from a traditional blade shave.

If you’ve got finer hair, you’ll likely get a result that’s almost identical to a manual razor. That said, as with most electric shavers, the 5 o’clock shadow does show up a bit sooner.

Post-Shave Feel, Debris, and Noise

The slight stinging sensation right after shaving, which I usually get, was minimal and non-existent on some shaves, which was surprising. I tend to press in a bit and stretch the skin to chase that very close result, so I can expect some effect from this. Still, the Ultra handled my additional pressure and style very well.

Debris collection was excellent — most of it stayed neatly contained inside the shaving head, as you’d expect from a Philips model (and in my experience, better than what I’ve seen from Braun).

Noise levels are also worth mentioning. Philips has always been known for quieter shavers, and the i9000 Ultra continues that tradition — noticeably softer and smoother-sounding than any foil shaver I’ve used.

I compare the sound of the i9000 Ultra, the Braun S9 Pro +, and the S9000 Prestige in the next video clip below. The S9000 is actually the most pleasant-sounding shaver.

Wet Shaving

Like most modern electric shavers, the i9000 can be used both wet and dry. I gave it a try with shaving cream, but honestly, I didn’t find much benefit. It just added mess, which kind of defeats one of the main perks of going electric in the first place — convenience.

That said, if you prefer wet shaving or want to give it a try, the Ultra handles it really well. You might even get a slightly closer shave out of it — though in my case, I didn’t notice much difference.

Head Shaving

The i9000 is the first rotary facial shaver for which I have found documentation explicitly referring to head shaving. I was greatly relieved to see this, as it eliminates the need to include a disclaimer that the company may void the warranty for non-approved use. (I did note that Philips advises against using the shaver on hair growth exceeding 1.5 mm).

My head shaves with the i9000 were excellent. I found the experience very comfortable and reasonably quick, and the shaver followed the contours of my scalp and maintained skin contact very well. It took somewhat longer to shave around the back of the head than with any of the dedicated head havers I have used and reviewed, and that is partly due to the dedicated types mostly having a wider blade area span..

The closeness of the shave was not quite as good as what I get from my Braun Series 8 or Series 9 Pro head shaves, but the Ultra clearly beat them in contouring.

My bottom line is this: if this shaver ticks all the boxes for me as a facial shaver, then I believe it also pairs well as a good head shaver. However, I would not recommend it to someone who only wants to use it for head shaving, as I know of better dedicated options I have personally used and reviewed.

Value for Money

As always, keep in mind that prices fluctuate somewhat and vary depending on the accessories included.

The i9000 Ultra models are mostly priced over $300 (£300) and can exceed $700 (£700). I couldn’t believe my eyes when I first saw these priced up at over $700 (£700), and my whole being cried out—no wayyyy, not for a shaver.

However, while some of the models are expensive and cost more than other higher-end shavers (think Braun S9 Pro + Panasonic Arc 5), the i9000 Prestige (non-Ultra), the tech stuff, and the UV Charger are probably costly to produce.

If I could say that the i9000 Prestige priced up at under $300 (£300) shaved just the same, and the main difference was the tech stuff—then I would say skip the Ultra if you dont need the tech stuff; however, the i9000 Ultra (so far) has exceeded any other Philips shaver in terms of comfort—and that additional comfort matters to me.

The SH91 replacement cutters are also a recurring expense to consider, at approximately $65/£60 a set.

For users who use the Quick Clean Pod for automatic cleaning, a 3-pack of cartridges costs around $20−$25/£15−£23 and provides up to 9 months of cleaning. Other size packs are also available.

Final Thoughts – Verdict (Whose It For?)

For me, the Philips Prestige i9000 Ultra delivers impressively. It doesn’t feel like a total gimmick-laden toy — it’s a serious shaver with real strengths.

The smart tech features are a nice add-on, but not a replacement for shaving skill. The core function — cutting facial hair cleanly and comfortably — holds up well.

It is worth keeping in mind, as I mentioned from experience, that the tech stuff could prove to be a hindrance. You might even decide to switch it all off and just get on with shaving, finding it time-wasting and a pointless, power- and data-consuming experience, rather than helpful.

I would say the closeness is not quite as close as the S9 Pro + and Panasonic Arc 5. Still, it excels in comfort and fewer leftover tricky hairs, plus a much easier, quicker experience removing leftovers—compared to the higher-end foil shavers.

I have the i9000, i9000 Prestige, and S9000 Prestige. The i9000 Ultra is a step up from the i9000 Prestige and S9000 Prestige in terms of comfort and less irritation, which has me sold on it (not that my bank account agrees).

If you have the i9000 Prestige or S9000 Prestige, I would not recommend upgrading unless money is not an issue and the additional tech features, plus the comfort the Ultra offers, are for you.

The title of this review is: “Is This The Best Rotary Shaver Yet?” — I would say yes!

Do drop a comment below if you have further questions about the i9000 Prestige or if you have any experience with the shaver you would like to share.

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