Best Philips beard trimmers 2023: Tried and tested by GQ's editors

Feb 20, 2024

By Owen Gough

Rounding up the best Philips beard trimmers, tested by our editors, to guide you to facial fuzz nirvana.

Any man with a beard will make it their personal goal in life to keep their facial fuzz looking as tidy and glorious as they possibly can. From sharp 5 o'clock shadows reminiscent of David Gandy's heyday to Viking-length wisdom beads that would make Big Daddy Kratos proud, there's only one way to keep things in check and that's with the best beard trimmer available.

The frustration is that not all trimmers are made equally, and some brands have more prestigious pedigree when it comes to looking after your chin wisps. Philips has long been our favourite men's grooming brand for managing our various follicle-related issues, mostly because there's a huge family of great products designed to make your grooming routine as stress-free as possible.

We're sure you've followed our roundups of the best hair clippers, electric shavers and nose hair trimmers with great interest, but if you're looking to find a brand to stay loyal to and call home, then allow us to guide you on a journey through Philips top-tier beard trimmers.

Skip to: How we test the best Philips beard trimmer? | What is the best brand of beard trimmer? | What's the difference between a beard trimmer and a hair clipper? | How do you clean a beard trimmer? | What are the best grooming items in 2023?

Before we get going, you can be secure in the knowledge that we wouldn't recommend anything we wouldn't shave with ourselves, so we've meticulously tested every trimmer on this list. Throughout testing, we've assessed the quality of the shave, the ease of use and any additional features or extras that can make shaving easier, like guiding combs, cleaning brushes and travel pouches. Elsewhere, we've compared these factors against the total cost of the device versus its value to make sure we've pointed you in the direction of the best devices for their chosen task.

A quick Google search of the best beard trimmers will throw up a range of brands promising to take good care of your precious beard, but as we've mentioned, some are more adept at this task than others. At GQ, we're big fans of top brands like Braun, Wahl, Panasonic and Remington, and there are plenty of great gadgets to admire, but we've got a special spot in our beardy hearts for Philips.

Whether it's trimming your nostril hair, perfecting a skin fade or eradicating your body hair to become as slick as a seal in oil, Philips has you covered with a vast family of gear to cater to almost any grooming need you might have.

Beard trimmers are, as the name suggests, largely focused on maintaining a solid beard. In all cases, these devices will have sharp, fast-moving blades that sit beneath guiding teeth to coax your beard hair in the right direction to avoid tugging the hair. Beard trimmers often have a decent range of cutting lengths, but will stay below 3cm, because there aren't many of us who can grow a Gandalf-esque beard of glory.

On the other hand, hair clippers cater to longer hair lengths and will usually have guiding combs that deal with anything beyond a few mm. The motors will probably be a little more powerful to contend with thicker, longer hair and they might be corded in order to maintain that power over a longer trimming session.

Keeping your beard-trimming blades clean and sharp is the key to guaranteeing consistent results, and it couldn't be a simpler task. Most beard trimmers below have removable heads that need to be held under a warm tap to clear out gunk and debris from your shave and then pat-dried with a towel. We'd suggest you go through this process every few weeks or so, or at the very most after each shave.

To keep the blades sharp, you'll need to buy blade oil, which should be slathered on and left to work its magic every fortnight. Some devices have self-sharpening blades that don't require the rigamarole, but it's good practice to maintain to ensure you don't get dull blades that result in nicks and tugs in all the wrong places.

if we've inspired you to dive deeper into the world of men's grooming and keeping your unwanted hair under control, then you'll be happy to learn we have plenty of guides, tips and roundups to help you get to grips with clippers, trimmers and shapers.

Beards are one of the most sought-after men's grooming essentials, but if you struggle to keep yours from looking like a bird's nest, you'll need one of the best beard trimmers. Partner that up with some of our favourite nose hair trimmers and that's the bottom half of your head sorted. Next up, a set of the best hair clippers will keep your barnet in check away from your monthly trip to the barbers.

Seeing as it's summer, you might be keen to eradicate any unsightly hairs around the rest of your body for when you plan to get your kit off, so our selection of the best body hair trimmers will help you on your way to looking your best.

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What we liked: Weighty, premium-feel handle | Supreme, alloy-steel blades | Decent battery | 30 cutting lengthsWhat we didn't like: Often hard to clean | Pricey

Key specs

We've been covering men's grooming tools for a while now, but nothing has garnered quite the same level of popularity as Philips' 9000 Prestige. The clue is in the name here: quality rarely comes from skimping on price, and if you're after a prestige shaving experience, it's the 9000 that will give it to you.

We've tested it over several trimming sessions and we're constantly impressed with how sturdy and weighty the handle feels; like a proper bit of kit your local barber might use to finesse the mightiest of beards. Immediately obvious at an initial glance is the haptic dial wheel to help you select the right cutting length on the fly. You can choo and change as you shave for a textured shave, though you only get one guiding comb to help with longer beards, do keep that in mind.

We love the sense of power we get when trimming with the 9000, slicing through unwanted hair quicker than we can down a perfect pint of Guinness. It's got hours of battery, charges up quickly and will do you proud when it comes to slicing up the flyaways. If you're going to buy a premium trimmer, make it this one.

Read GQ's Philips 9000 Prestige Trimmer review

What we liked: Affordably priced | 7 grooming tools including a nose hair trimmer | Skin-safe blades What we didn't like: 10 hour recharge time | Low battery

Key specs

Sometimes your beard-trimming routine incorporates more than just the growth on your chin. If your hair is getting a bit out of control elsewhere, like your nose, eyebrows, on top of your head or around your body, then the Philips Series 3000 has you completely covered.

You can basically complete seven different tasks from the same handle, with a wealth of additional combs and heads to slice through the difficulty of maintaining a proper beard. It's got 10 length settings that can be adjusted mid-shave with the dial wheel, and its low price point makes it an excellent stop-gap between trips to the barber.

If we had to gripe, it would be on the battery, which is frustratingly short for a full-body trim and takes a whopping 10 hours to get back up to full charge. This is definitely the sort of trimmer you want to keep plugged in when not in use.

What we liked: Great travel shaver | Cheap replacement heads | LED displayWhat we didn't like: Expensive | Doesn't excel at trimming longer beards

Key specs

This is the most recent beard trimmer we've been testing and it's among our favourites already, largely because it's a quick and versatile trimmer for getting the job done in a pinch. The upgraded brushed-metal handle feels weighty and solid as we gracefully glide around our jaw, with the blade heads oscillating at over 1,200 motions a minute for a guaranteed smooth shave.

Got a planned trip coming up? Keep the beard tame throughout, as the Pro 360 is one of the best travel-friendly models around, with a travel lock to stop it suspiciously vibrating in transit, and a case to keep things safe and secure.

The heads are designed to last roughly four months, but replacements are affordable and quick to pop on and off, keeping ongoing costs down for this £130 trimmer. It's also not best suited to longer beards, as the guides only stretch to 10mm. However, if you're working with short stubble, thinner beards or after a close shave away from the wet razor, this is one of the best options around.

Read GQ's OneBlade Pro 360 review

What we liked: Huge cutting length range | Precision trimming | Self-sharpening blades | Can be used cordless | LED displayWhat we didn't like: Better suited to hair clipping than beard trimming | Bulky design

Key specs

Not to be confused with the Philips 9000 Prestige beard trimmer further up, the 9000 Precision clipper is the sort of device you'd find in a top barber's must-have kit. It's easily one of the best hair clippers around for chopping your mop at home, but it's also pretty swish at dealing with longer beards to secure that perfectly faded, textured facial hair of your dreams.

There's plenty of tech built-in to make your shaving experience as smooth as possible, with a turbo boost that doubles the cutting speed to slice through your follicles like a ninja on steroids, though do be careful with this setting if you're tidying your beard, as it has a tendency to snag if you're too cavalier. You get a staggering 400 lengths to choose from that can be set as you shave for greater customisation, and the battery charge time is wonderfully rapid.

By Olivia Pym

By Lucy Ford

By Zak Maoui

What we liked: Capable of handling a full-body shave | Plenty of cutting length options | Sturdy handleWhat we didn't like: Short-ish battery life | Motor is not as powerful as we'd like

Key specs

Chances are, if you're concerned about keeping your beard in check, you'll likely want to manage hair across the rest of your body as well. Thankfully, Philips is aware of the issues that arise from using a traditional beard trimmer on your chest or legs, so it made the Series 7000, a multi-grooming dream that can handle two different tasks from the same device.

We loved using the dual head design, which has a foil head on one side for a close shave and a typical blade trimmer on the other to cut down on the longer parts of your body. It offers the perfect balance between cutting down your beard length along your cheeks and then eradicating stubble on your neck or cheeks in one go, and results for us were always top tier. You can adjust the length of your trim as you shave, and it's waterproof for a total shower shave across all the areas of your body that might concern you.

The battery is firmly mid in our opinion, and the motor isn't quite as impressive to keep you going through thicker hair across both shaving heads, but those with thinner beards or if you're keeping on top of a few hairy areas, you should be good to go.

What we liked: Super affordable | Replacement heads are cheap | Great for detailing and short stubbleWhat we didn't like: Won't deal with longer beards | Really long recharge

Key specs

A body-trimming upgrade to the original OneBlade, the Hybrid offers more versatility to your grooming arsenal for only a few more quid, turning it into a properly good trimmer for short hair and stubble. The trimmer heads are flat, with oscillating blades on the top and bottom that slice through the hair quickly for an incredibly close and precise shave. Each head pops off quickly with a pop clutch, though we'd argue it's not a solid option if your beard is longer than 5mm, as you'll be flying solo with no guide to help you.

However, away from its length limitations, it's a great buy for the price, excelling at detailing styled stubble and close shaves, as well as handily dealing with chest and body hair if that's your bag. We'd suggest keeping this fairly close to a two-pin plug, as the battery leaves a lot to be desired and it's an eight-hour wait to top it back up.

What we liked: Precision trimmer for nose and ear hair and detailing | Battery-operated | WaterproofWhat we didn't like: Won't handle proper beard trimming | Cheap-ish material

Key specs

The oft-forgotten aspect of beard trimming is tidying up edges, sideburns and those little whiskers that protrude from your nostrils that are simply unsightly. Philips has you covered in this regard with the NT5000, a nose hair trimmer with the chops to keep your nose squeaky clean and feeling fine.

The NT5000 is a battery-operated shaver with guiding teeth to lift the unwanted hair and slice it off without pulling or nicking your skin. We found it surprisingly comfortable to stick a blade up your nose, who knew? There are various heads to tackle other follicle issues, like trimming your eyebrows, ear hair and detailing your sideburns and other short stubble with confidence, though we'd suggest you don't tackle longer beards with it if you can help it.

Given its affordable price tag, slimline design and use of AA batteries, it's a solid travel companion if maintaining short stubble and nose hair is your game, and it comes with its own dinky storage pouch to protect your luggage from runaway hair debris.

Read GQ's Philips NT500 nose hair trimmer review

By Olivia Pym

By Lucy Ford

By Zak Maoui

What we liked: Affordably priced | Great travel option | Solid trimmer for stubbleWhat we didn't like: Not great for longer beards | Disposable

Key specs

More than a few Philips trimmers cost significantly more than a few trips to the barber, so if it's budget-friendly options you're after, you won't find many better than the original OneBlade. Where it lacks in specs, it more than makes up for in sheer value for money and no-frills performance where stubble is concerned.

There's almost no versatility when it comes to features, it's ostensibly a motor with a blade on the end, so it does the basics with confidence and not much more, which is fine if you've only got £30 to spend on a trimmer.

So what do you get? Three guiding combs to contend with 1-5mm of length and a 2-pin plug to top up the battery within eight hours. The actual blade is the same flat plate on all other OneBlade models, so it is well suited for close shaves and detailing. It's waterproof and semi-adept at dealing with longer hair if you've got a steady hand and an eye for straight lines without guidance, but through our testing, this does require a fair amount of practice.

What we liked: Affordable price | Small form factor makes it easy to use | Easy to cleanWhat we didn't like: Not the most powerful device | Can't cope with longer beards

Key specs

Not all beard trimmers cost as much as an economy flight to Paris, some are affordable and do a perfectly good job of maintaining shorter beards without the glam and pizzazz of pricier models, thank you very much.

Philips' affordable sets don't come more basic than the Series 1000, but there's nothing wrong with basic when the device does what it needs to this well. We love how thin and small the handle is, making it a surprisingly nimble tool for getting under the chin, inside the nostril or around your edges with agility. The head can be removed quickly to clip on different heads for your various tasks – beard trimming, nose hair clipping or with an additional guidance comb – which also makes it a dream to clean. Our bathroom rarely resembles a graveyard for hair when we use this one.

It's reasonably cheap to run, thanks to the required AA battery power source, and it can deal with up to 21mm of length so short beards are open for trimming here. Sure, it's cheap and it doesn't have too many features to write home about, but a cheap and cheerful trimmer to keep the wisps at bay is nothing to sniff at.

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