The Philips Norelco Series 9000 Prestige shaver is a rechargeable electric shaver that delivers a clean, comfortable shave on either wet or dry skin. It is designed to glide smoothly over the skin, cutting hair as close to the skin as possible.
This results in a clean shave, even on 7-day beards, without causing irritation to the skin. Series 9000 shavers feature innovative design and 8-direction contouring and come with some of the most advanced blades in the industry.
The shavers are also fitted with BeardAdapt sensors—built-in sensor that is designed to automatically detect beard density about 15 times every second. In addition to its diverse range of capabilities, this Philips Norelco S9000 Prestige review will reveal why is one of the best electric shavers to buy
Philips Norelco S9000 Series Options
| Model | Cost | Included Accessories |
| Norelco SP9820/87 | From $299.99 | SmartClick precision trimmer, and a travel Case, |
| Norelco SP9860/86 | From $549.99 | SmartClick precision trimmer, QI charging pad, and a travel case |
| Norelco SP9820/88T | From $449.00 | SmartClick precision trimmer, travel case, and a facial cleansing brush |
Philips Norelco S9000 Prestige Benefits
- Features ContourDetect—a multi-direction contour following technology
- Comes with NanoTech precision blades for efficient beard shaving performance
- Offers three personal comfort settings: Sensitive, Normal and Fast settings
- Equipped with Superb SkinComfort rings and BeardAdapt sensors for the comfortable shaving experience
- Feature a 5-minute quick-charge functionality and an LED display
Possible Drawbacks
If not handled appropriately, the shaving head may come off while shaving. You may also have to replace the battery to or so years.
Included Accessories
Inside the premium Prestige 9000 shaver packaging, you will also get an extended warranty card, user guide booklets, and leaflets. Other Norelco Prestige 9000 models come with a few extra accessories. For instance, the Norelco SP9860/86 comes with a QI charging pad.
The Norelco SP9820/88T model, on the other hand, comes with a face cleansing brush as an accessory. With most of the 9000 series models, you will be required to replace the shaving head with a compatible head after every two years.
Philips Norelco Prestige 9000 Features and Capabilities
The Prestige 9000 series shavers are some of the most advanced and most effective beard shavers by the Philips brand. The shaver weighs about 1.6 pounds and features a compact design that fits perfectly into your hand.
These make the shaver easier to handle and operate, smoothly gliding over the skin to provide a clean shave every time. Despite being compact, the unit is packed with a myriad of features and capabilities you will come to like, including:
Ergonomics
The actual product looks and feels just as advertised, right from the packaging to the various components and accessories. The main shaver as well as the accessories are made of high-quality material for enhanced durability.
At the bottom of the unit is a Philips charging port. This is where you should connect the charging cord that comes with the product in order to charge the battery. However, models that feature inductive charging technology do not have this port.
Other superior ergonomic aspects of this unit include:
Conveniently Positioned Power Buttons
The main Power button is a prominent feature of the front part of the unit. The metallic button features a textured surface, allowing for easier slip-free operation. In addition to powering the shaving head, this button doubles as a safety travel lock.
To activate the travel lock, you need to press and hold this large, rounded button for three seconds. As soon as you press the power button, the display screen just below it will show the three seconds countdown. With the unit locked, the display will show a small padlock icon whenever you try to turn the razor on.
Deactivating the lock requires you to press and hold the same button for three seconds as well. Similarly, this will also display a three-second countdown on the display screen. Just below the main power button is a plastic +/- rocker button that may be used to select your preferred power setting.
Customizable Shave Performance
You may use the plastic +/- rocker button to personalize each shave. It allows you to choose between three power settings. The three power modes offered by this shaver are:
- Sensitive – allows for a gentle, yet thorough shaving experience.
- Normal – for thorough, everyday beard shaving, especially when you are not in a hurry.
- Fast – ideal for when you do not have much time to shave your beard. This mode allows you to carry out a quick shave, hence saves you time.
You may also alter the speed settings while shaving different parts of the face for better results, especially in the more sensitive areas. You will notice a clear change in the tonality of the device as you cycle through the three modes.
The high-speed Fast mode produces a higher-pitched whine sound while the other two settings produce a low-frequency sound.
Digital Display
know what is happening, and Interact with your shaver through an interactive display screen located on its front side. The digital display features intuitive icons for enhanced convenience and ease of use. It is primarily designed to display relevant information to help you get the best performance from your S900 shaver.
It features a three-digit % battery-level indicator, and battery-low alert capabilities. The display also has a replacement head indicator and a cleaning indicator. To help conserve battery power, the display is designed to sleep if the shaver remains idle for a few minutes.
The device also supports a lift-to-wake capability, which many users find to be very convenient. If the device Is On, but is in Sleep mode, you only need to lift it to reactivate it.
Compact and Lightweight Design
The shaver unit is designed to fit perfectly into any adult’s hand. It measures 10 x 6.3 x 4.2 inches making it easy to hold and maneuver in operation as well as carry around. It is also lightweight, weighing about 1.6 pounds to minimize fatigue during use.
Battery Performance
The Philips Norelco Series 9000 Prestige shaver comes with a powerful lithium-ion battery and a charging cord. As compared to other electric shavers in the same range, S9000 series models charge really fast.
The battery charges to capacity in about an hour and delivers up to 60 minutes of continuous shaving. The shaver can only run on the battery charge and you should not try to turn it on with the cord still connected. If you turn it on while charging, it will beep and flash a symbol on the display printing you to disconnect the charging cord immediately.
Through the display, you will be able to tell the amount of charge remaining at any given time. The battery level indicator will automatically turn orange when the battery is almost depleted. If the level falls below the critical percentage, the shaver will also produce a beeping sound when you turn it on.
Qi Cordless Charging
As you may have noticed, some models in the Philips Norelco Prestige S9000 series are charged wirelessly. Instead of a charging port and cord, such models are equipped with a QI charging pad. The downside to such models is that they take a bit longer to charge.
A Norelco Prestige S9000 shaver with a QI charging pad requires about three hours of charging time.
Quick Charge
If you forgot to charge your S9000 series shaver the previous night and need to shave, there is no need to panic. The device allows you to ’quick-charge’ the battery before using it to shave your beard. In this regard, you will need to connect it to the charging cord for five minutes.
This will charge the battery partially but will be enough for a single shave before you can charge the battery to capacity.
Comfortable Wet/Dry Shaving
As compared to earlier S9000 series shavers like the 9300, the new Prestige S9000 model delivers a close shaving experience you can feel. The model has been proven to deliver a comfortable shaving experienced whether used on dry or wet skin.
Choose how you prefer to shave, the Aquatec Wet & Dry technology by the manufacturer, you can shave dry or use it with gel or foam in the shower. The unit has been designed to deliver a clean shave in fewer passes.
This goes a long way in minimizing skin irritation while shaving. Other Capabilities that allow for a comfortable shaving experience with the new S9000 series shaver include:
Improved Efficiency
The innovative skin comfort system on this device allows for highly-efficient shaving performance. The unit has been proven to be very efficient even on the tougher and longer 7-day beards. Its new wider and rounder openings catch more hair per pass.
This results in enhanced skin comfort and the closest shave you can ever get with an electric shaver.
Adaptable Shaving Performance
Not only does this shaver allow you to select your preferred shaving mode, but it is also capable of making automatic adjustments depending on the hair density as you shave. It is equipped with a BeardAdapt Sensor, which continually checks hair density and makes the relevant adjustments.
The sensor checks the density of the hair you at shaving up to 15 times per second and automatically adjusts the shaver to such conditions. Again, this results in better shaving efficiency in an effort to reduce skin irritation and save time.
Ring Coating
The rings on the new S9000 shaver are coated using metallic pigments, which allow for better gliding while shaving. Get a shaver that glides extremely smoothly over your skin, thanks to the Superb SkinComfort rings.
The metallic pigment coating on its rings has an anti-friction property, allowing the device to glide almost freely as you shave.
ContourDetect
Basically shaving along the contours is known to reduce skin irritation and result in a comfortable shavings experience. However, this can be challenging since contours vary from one person to another. To ensure that you always shave along the contours, the Philips Norelco Prestige S9000 features multi-direction ContourDetect.
This feature helps you follow every contour as you shave and catch even the difficult hairs while at it. The device will automatically adapt to follow every contour on your face, hence produce an extremely close, smooth shave.
NanoTech Precision Blades
The new Prestige S9000 devices are fitted with durable, and highly-efficient blades that use the innovative NanoTech technology by the provider. In this regard, the blades are strengthened using nanoparticles.
This results in extra strong blades that have long-lasting sharp edges. It is such sharp edges that allow you to achieve ultimate closeness with every shave.
Click-On Trimmer
As mentioned earlier in this review, the Prestige S9000 comes with a detachable precision trimmer, the SmartClick precision trimmer. This attachment is particularly useful when trimming sideburns and maintaining the mustache.
Well, this is just a basic precision trimmer, nothing like the beard styling tools you get with costlier Philips models. As such, you may find the SmartClick trimmer to be too thick for your comfort.
Cleaning
As opposed to some of the leading high-end beard shavers the Prestige S9000 does the kit come with a cleaning station. However, you will find the unit rather easy to clean under the tap in your bathroom. To allow for this, the model features a specially-designed inner chamber.
To clean your Prestige S9000 shaver, you first need to detach the shaving head (as directed in the user manual). You should then rinse both sides under running water, ideally from a bathroom tap.
Final Verdict
Not only is the Prestige S9000 produces by a reputable brand; it has also been proven to be intuitive, efficient, and comfortable to use. The 90-day money-back guarantee offered by the manufacturer shows just how confident they are about this shaver.
With regards to performance, the unit offers customizable speed settings, guaranteeing a close shave with minimal irritation to the skin. The Prestige S9000 also works great on longer facial hair, up to 7-day beards.
It features an appealing polished aluminum appeal and boasts of quality construction. Well, the Philips Norelco Prestige S9000 is not one of the affordable electric shavers out there but is definitely worth every penny.