Braun Pro 7 vs Pro 5 IPL: What’s the difference?

The Braun brand

Braun (who is part of Procter & Gamble or P&G) is an established UK, European and American personal care brand. They’ve released several at-home IPL devices in the UK, Europe and the USA, since 2012.

The Braun silk expert Pro 5 IPL is the predecessor of the Braun SKin i-expert Pro 7 IPL. So naturally the Pro 7 replaces the Pro 5 as the flagship device. But, where most new releases bring with them additional or upgraded features, not much has changed with the new Pro 7 IPL. The specification and performance of both devices is identical (yup, I checked with Braun). And that means identical results. There’s more on results later.

The major difference between the Braun Pro 7 vs Pro 5 IPL is the upgraded smart app experience with the Pro 7. The Pro 7 and app connect via Bluetooth, then the app walks you through your treatments. There’s more on the app experiences later.

Both devices use the same powerful light energy called Intense Pulsed Light (IPL). When flashed against your skin, the energy heats and damages your hair follicles, which slows and reduces your hair growth. It takes several regular sessions, during which your hairs stop growing. Then, periodic use keeps you fuzz and stubble free.

Learn more about how home IPL works here.

In this review, we’ll first take a quick look at what’s the same, and a comparison table for the Braun Pro 7 IPL and Pro 5. Then, I’ll list and explain the differences to help you decide between them.

What’s the same?

The Pro 7 and the Pro 5 are safe for the same skin tone range and work on dark hairs only.

Safe on light to dark skin:

Works on darker hair:

Both devices have the same design and technology; shape, power cords, flash heads, auto-match skin tone sensor, power modes, lamp lifetime, and strong IPL power range. Braun also packages them in their storage pouches / cases to reduce wasteful plastic. You get a razor with both too.

And because the design, power and technology are the same, so is the sensation from each, the treatment schedules, and their hair reduction results.

You can see all of this in this handy comparison table…

Braun Pro 7 vs Pro 5 IPL comparison table

This table collates all the specification data from Braun, plus more insight from my thorough testing of both devices. Most of it is identical.

Image gallery: What’s the same?

Next, onto the differences…

What’s different?

The differences between the Pro 7 and the Pro 5 are:

• Different styling, including fancier LEDs on the Pro 7
• The Pro 7 is ever so slightly lighter
• Different names for the same modes e.g. gentle vs sensitive
• The Pro 7 connects via Bluetooth to the Braun IPL app
• The Pro 5 lacks Bluetooth and uses a simplified Braun IPL app
• The Pro 7 IPL costs more

Image gallery: Different styling

Let’s look at the Braun IPL app experiences with both devices in more detail…

Pro 7 vs Pro 5 & Braun IPL app

You can use the Braun IPL app with both the Pro 7 and the Pro 5 IPL devices. The look is similar. However, the features, flows and experiences with both are very different.

To use the app with the Pro 7 IPL, you must first connect the app via bluetooth to your device. With Bluetooth, the app can read your device’s settings, including flash data. This makes it ‘smart’ and it powers a quick, helpful walkthrough guide and accurate session tracker.

The Pro 5 IPL device doesn’t connect to the app. You use the app as a simple guide alongside your device, but it doesn’t read any data or settings. Therefore, there are stripped back features and screens compared to the Pro 7 IPL.

Here’s an app features comparison table:

Braun touts its smart app as the Braun Pro 7 IPL’s main selling point. And it’s slick, quick, and easy to use.

It’s slick because the screens are logical, concise, and contextual. And during the session walkthroughs, the app verifies your device settings (mode and flash head), and schedules or adjusts your start-up sessions based on your hair density updates.

And the session tracker is neat, too. The bluetooth flash counter calculates your percentage progress against the typical flashes needed per body area. It won’t stop you missing bits, but it’s a helpful coverage gauge.

However, improvements I’d like are video tutorials and contextual, comprehensive aftercare/contraindication information. Without this, you must still read the user guide for this crucial info.

The Pro 5 app screens don’t walkthrough your sensitivity test or every option during planning. You must follow the user guide to do that. You can plan your sessions, start a session, and view your progress through the schedule. But there is no flash counter or session tracker.

It’s clear the Pro 7 ‘smart’ app experience is more thorough. But bear in mind, I think this smart app is over-hyped and you really don’t really need it at all. That’s because mastering the Pro 7 is so quick and simple. And, although the app is helpful initially, it becomes cumbersome after a session or two. That’s because you must start/stop for every treatment area. I prefer to zap all in one go, then mark my sessions complete. You can do this in the Pro 5 app screens. But unfortunately, you must wait until the following days to do this for the Pro 7.

Here is a selection of different screens from the Braun IPL app for both devices:

Image gallery: Screens from Braun IPL app

Different advertised results?

The Pro 7 and Pro 5 advertised results differ across Braun UK and US marketing.

*Following recommended regimen, individual results may vary.

The US claims are at least consistent for both the Pro 7 and Pro 5. Braun US says both devices give 2 years of salon-like smooth skin. But it’s less in the UK, and the Pro 7 apparently gives 6 months more than the Pro 5. So, why the inconsistency?

It’s not obvious why. These claims don’t reference any clinical data sources. However, a universal statement is both devices give “Up to 95% hair reduction in just 1 month”. The cited source for this is the same clinical study on lower legs (2022-2024). So, I suspect those inconsistent claims are simply marketing smoke and mirrors. The UK markets the Pro 7 as a significant upgrade over the Pro 5 (but really there’s just the snazzy smart app).

Both devices are the same (aside from the Pro 7’s Bluetooth capability). So, you can expect the same long-lasting results from either.

Which should you buy?

If you have the cash and like the idea of the smart app, go for the Pro 7 IPL. It’s an excellent device, and one of my highest rated.

However, if you want a cheaper option, or you feel the bluetooth smart app is a little gimmicky, choose the Braun Pro 5 IPL.

For 100s cheaper, the Pro 5 gives you exactly the same specification device and results as the Pro 7, minus the bluetooth smart app. Stock is selling fast and there are fewer models around. So, grab it while you can. Check out the deals on my Pro 5 links below.

I hope you’ve found this Braun Pro 7 vs Pro 5 IPL review helpful. If you spot something that looks wrong, or if you’ve got a question, let me know!

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