Philips Lumea Prestige vs Braun Silk Expert Pro 5

The brands

Braun and Philips are top brands for at-home IPL. They’ve released several IPL devices over the last decade, and these are older models.

See instead: Braun vs Philips IPL: Pro 7 IPL vs Lumea 9000 Series

The Philips Lumea Prestige and Braun Pro 5 IPL use intense pulsed light energy (IPL) to damage and disable your hair follicles, slowing and then stopping hair regrowth. Periodic top-up treatments keep your skin smooth. Learn more about how home IPL works here.

Prestige vs Pro 5 IPL comparison table

Here’s a quick look at the comparison spec for the Braun Pro 5 IPL and Philips Lumea Prestige.

Quality & lamp lifetime

Both devices have neat, attactive packaging with clear, concise information and comprehensive user manuals. Philips are just a tad more comprehensive around tanning and shaving vs waxing.

And both have a storage pouch. I prefer the Braun’s because it stores everything, including the powerpack and cable. This means less protective plastic in the packaging ♻. You also get a Venus razor with the Braun Pro 5. That’s a nice extra to ensure you get a super-smooth shave.

The materials and build-quality of both are excellent – the best you can buy. They feel solid, robust and expensive. Even the 2 metre-long power cables with each are excellent quality. They’re thick and supple and won’t tangle or twist. And the handle shape of each device keeps the cord out of the way. So, you don’t get tied up in knots.

The power cable on the Braun Pro 5 is fixed into the device so the weight of the power pack won’t pull it out as you work (the previous models problem).

The Prestige has a different cable design, so the power pack isn’t an issue. It’s a snug, secure fit which easily detaches too. And that’s because you can also use the Prestige cordless. More on that later.

And there’s no need to worry about the flashes running out either. The lamp lifetime is superb for both devices. The Braun Pro 5 gives 400,000 flashes and the Prestige 250,000 to 450,000. That’s plenty to complete your start-up and do many years of top-ups.

The later Prestige models have the most amount of flashes (450,000) and can treat the most surface area of your body. But all these devices give you many more flashes than you’ll ever need. That’s because once you’ve done around a year of maintenance top-ups, your skin stays smooth for several months at a time, and even up to one year. So, you’ll probably only need a couple of top-ups per year! Therefore, you’ll never use up all those flashes!

Both devices come with a 2 year warranty and UK 100-day money back guarantees. The Braun also has a US 100-day money-back guarantee too.

See instead: Braun vs Philips IPL: Pro 7 IPL vs Lumea 9000 Series

Shape & design

The shapes are very different, and therefore, so is how you manoeuvre and grip each device.

The Prestige’s gun-shape is intuitive. It feels relaxed with a secure grip on the long, tapered handle, which also gives excellent leverage. The trigger is easy to find because there’s a braille-like flower on it. Press it comfortably with your index or middle finger, or thumb if you rotate your grip. The controls and the flash window are easy to see.

But it’s much heavier than other devices at 560g. That’s because of the rechargeable lithium battery inside. However, the gun-shape is perfectly balanced and secure to grip. I find there’s no strain as you rotate and pivot your wrist. It’s comfortable and easy to work around your body.

In contrast, the Braun Pro 5 IPL is compact and light-weight. But not flimsy. The sleek wand-shape is well-balanced and fits perfectly in your hand. At just 285g there’s no risk of strain or tiredness. It’s easy to manoeuvre around your body. The flash button is large and easy to press. There are varied grips suited to different body areas. But it’s very comfortable to handle.

Both are superb – the best available. But for me, the gun-shape of the Prestige is slightly more comfortable and easier to use.

Corded vs cordless

The Braun Pro 5 works on mains-power only. This means you get non-stop operation and can finish your zapping in one session without need to recharge any battery. Get yourself set up comfortably with privacy, a mirror and an extension cable. Off you go.

The Prestige works on mains-power. But it gives you extra flexibility using it cordless too.

Just remove the cord for smaller and/or hard to reach places. So, you can nip into the bathroom, lock the door and zap that ladytache. Or flash your bits. Literally.

However, you get only 30 mins of power from each battery charge. Therefore, it’s best suited for small areas only.

Power & safety

Both devices have a similar IPL intensity range and both have impressive safety features. Here’s a quick Philips Lumea Prestige vs Braun Silk Expert Pro 5 comparison of the two:

The Lumea Prestige with a power range of 2.5 to 6.5 J/cm² and the Pro 5 IPL with a range of 3 to 6 J/cm², are the highest-powered at-home IPL devices available. So, they’re super choices if you have light skin and can use the highest levels. That’s because the higher levels give the fastest, longest-lasting results after the start-up regimen. you’ll still need top-ups, but less frequently than with lower powered devices.

The Prestige has 5 intensity levels in that range. But the Braun Pro 5 has 10. This means the Pro 5 has more increments for a more precise match to dvaried skin tones I to V on the Fitzpatrick rage. And selecting the right one is easy too, because of the advanced skin tone sensor.

Both have advanced skin tone sensors

To recap, both the Braun Pro and Prestige are safe for light to dark skin, but not the darkest. And their skin tone sensors protect darker skin.

Like other skin tone sensors, they check your skin tone and won’t flash if it’s too dark. But they also do more to keep you safe, albeit in slightly different ways.

The Prestige recommends the best of the 5 intensity levels for your skin. Place on your skin and press the 🔎 button. The skin tone sensor checks and highlights your best skin tone intensity. This takes the stress out of choosingyour intensity. And on more sensitive areas you can still manually lower it a notch too.

The Braun Pro 5 auto-selects the best of the 10 intensity levels, before every flash. It’s the perfect balance of power and safety in every flash, straightforward and simple. And a neat feature if you have different tones across body areas. All you need do is position and zap.

If it feels too intense you can select one of the gentle modes. Gentle mode shifts it down a few intensity levels, and extra gentle drops it to the lowest level (1).

I think the Braun Pro 5 is best if you have varied skin tones across your body areas. Because there’s no need to faff about with checks and levels. It does it all for you.

See instead: Braun vs Philips IPL: Pro 7 IPL vs Lumea 9000 Series

Flash windows

There are various models of the Prestige and Pro 5 IPL, and they come with different flash windows.

The Prestige has total 5 different windows and the Pro 5 IPL has 3 different windows. Here’s a quick overview of the full range of flash windows available with the Philips Lumea Prestige vs Braun Silk Expert Pro 5:

All these flash windows are varied shapes and sizes to better fit different body areas. But the Prestige’s flash windows are even better for 3 reasons:

#1 Two of the flash windows have added clear or red filters in the flash window to adapt the light energy so it’s more comfortable on face and coarse, stubborn hair in bikini areas.

#2 Most of the windows (excluding the facial window) are also curved to better fit your body contours. This makes it easier to get a flash, and works particularly well with the large body attachment for fast and easy leg zappings.

#3 And lastly, all the windows have unique chips which, when inserted into the device, adapt the IPL light energy to match different body areas and hair types.

There’s no comparison data showing how much more comfy or better results are with these features. But they do sound rather special (which I guess is the point). However, the contour hugging curves do make it easier to flash and get thorough skin coverage.

All the Prestige models come with the large curved body and small flat face window. Some models also have either the medium size precision window for both bikini and underarms, or the separate bikini and separate underarms flash windows. Check out this Lumea Prestige models comparison to see which model has which.

All the Pro 5 IPL models come with the medium-size standard and the small precision/face flash window. Some also have the wide flash window, and the rest have the wide and an additional precision flash window which you can use on your bikini line. Check out this Braun Pro 5 IPL models comparison review to see which model has which.

Do you need all these flash windows?

Probably not.

Both devices’ flash windows work well. But really, you get everything you need with both the Pro 5 and Prestige models that have a larger window for body areas and a small window for face and uneven areas, or where precision is important (e.g. bikini area).

The Pro 5 IPL wide flash window gives slightly faster coverage on upper legs and torso. However, it’s still fast to cover these areas with the 3 cm² standard flash window. The standard flash window is also easier to position and flash on lower legs, so I prefer to keep zapping it on my upper legs too, rather than stop and swap to the wide window. It’s easy on bikini line, arms and underarms too.

You can also opt for a Pro 5 model with two precision flash windows, if you fancy. You can use one on your face and the other on your bikini line. But unless you have a skin condition you want to contain, there’s really no need for two identical flash windows.

With the Prestige, I like the idea of the added filters and configured flashes for hair types, but in practice I don’t feel any difference in sensation when using them by body area. But I do love those body-hugging curves, especially on legs. They make close skin contact so it’s easier to glide and flash. It even helps on knobbly knees!

It’s possible to zap your underams and bikini line with a combo of the large body and the smaller face window too. However, the medium-sized curved-out precision or bikini attachement (both the same shape and with the added clear filter) does come in handy, especially on the bikini line. But it’s not essential.

In summary, with both devices you don’t need the extra flash windows, especially if there’s a big difference in price. A larger body and smaller face flash window do the job very well indeed.

Which gives the fastest treatments?

Both are fast and super choices for treating large areas or your full body, but the Braun Pro 5 IPL is fastest. Here’s a quick comparison:

For both devices, keep the flash button pressed for continuous flashes as you glide the flash window along your skin.

With the Braun Pro 5 IPL on the highest intensity levels, I can do a thorough full leg in around 10 mins, and my full body in 25 mins. It has slightly faster flashes and a smoother gliding motion over your skin. than the Prestige.

However, the speed of the flashes can vary a bit. This is determined by skin colour, (it’s faster on the lower IPL levels) and also how close the sensors are to your skin. If it’s not totally flush, the flashes come a little quicker. So, you need to keep good contact to keep the flashes consistent. Otherwise, you can glide too far or not far enough in between flashes. It takes a tiny bit of practise.

With the Lumea Prestige, on the highest intensity level, I can do a thorough full leg in around 12 mins, and my full body in under 40 mins. I find on legs it’s a controlled glide motion where you need to pause slightly for each flash. It makes for a controlled, consustent glide-and-zap rhythm.

With both, you can easily finish a full body session before getting tired or bored. But the Pro 5 is faster and so easier to fit in.

The shape and design of both devices matches their speed and maneouvrability. The Braun Pro 5 is small, light-weight and handy so you can keep-up with the fast flashes. The Prestige combines precision with slightly slower flashes matching the weight and bigger gun-shape design. You need concentration with both to ensure full coverage with no gaps and missed hairy bits!

The Prestige and Braun Pro 5 IPL are amongst the fastest home IPL devices you can choose. But if speed is most important to you, the Braun Pro 5 is the clear winner.

Treatment schedules & results

Use the Prestige for 4 or 5 sessions, 1 every 2 weeks (taking up to 8 weeks) to get smooth skin. A whole-body session takes around 40 minutes.

Use the Braun Pro 5 between 4 to 12 weekly sessions until you have smooth, hairless skin (typically 6 sessions). A whole-body session takes under 30 minutes.

During your start-up phase, you’ll notice hairs grow slower, softer, finer and lighter after a few sessions. Shaving is easier without vicious stubble, rash or ingrown hairs. Eventually bald patches appear and get bigger. You may see these results very quickly, or slower and more gradually over the course. And speed of results can differ by body area too.

Then, switch to top-up sessions. With both the Prestige and the Pro 5 IPL you’ll need these every month or two. It’s very important to stick with them. If you do, and after you’ve done several, you’ll find you can go many months between top-ups.

Related: learn why top-ups are crucial & more about long term results

Both the Prestige and Braun Pro 5 IPL devices are amongst the lowest effort at-home devices to get and maintain smooth, hair-free skin. With a bit of organisation, both are easy to commit to for silky smooth skin results.

To sum up…

It’s a tough one! How to decide?! Both the Prestige and Braun Pro 5 are premium and powerful devices for all body areas. Choose the Prestige for the comfy gun-shape, precise control and cordless option. Or choose the Pro 5 IPL for light-weight and super-fast sessions. They’re both top choices.

Don’t forget: there’s an updated review  Braun Pro 7 IPL vs Philips Lumea 9000 Series.

Here’s the scores breakdown from my tests, and the key pros and cons to help you decide.

View Prestige & Braun Pro 5 IPL deals

Please shop via my links below to support furture reviews. These are affiliate links so I earn a small commission when you buy (but your price stays the same). And I really appreciate your support 🙏!

The Philips Lumea Prestige is not available anymore, so instead I’ve listed deals for the Lumea 9000 Series (which is the newer version device).