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Philips Ultrasound Machines

refurbished Philips Epiq 5

Compare all Philips Ultrasound Machines

Philips has been growing its diagnostic ultrasound division steadily since it acquired ATL in 1998. It has quickly jumped to prominence by improving and greatly expanding upon ATL’s already popular systems. Currently, Philips ultrasounds are top-level systems on par in quality if not quantity with GE ultrasounds. Here we review several models of Philips ultrasound series, including EPIQ, Affiniti, ClearVue, and HD Series.

The newest generations of Philips ultrasound machines consist of the Epiq line of premium ultrasound machines, the Affiniti line of High-end and Midrange ultrasound, and the ClearVue line of Midrange and Economy ultrasounds. The Sparq, HD5, CX50, and new the Visiq portable fit outside these main 3 product lines. Philips has gained the most reputation for its excellent cardiac ultrasound machines but almost all Philips ultrasound machines are shared service systems able to do all types of applications.

Philips product lines are separated by price point and feature depth rather than a specific line for a specific application. The previous generation of Philips ultrasound machines was broken into 2 lines; the “i” line with the well-known iE33 and iU22 covering the premium market, and the broad HD-series which covered high-end to economy price ranges. The CX or compact extreme line of portables was also present. This previous generation is still in production in some regions and because of its popularity will see use as remanufactured and used units for years to come.

Philips Affiniti Ultrasound Machines

The Affiniti ultrasound line replaces the top tier of the HD series; HD15 and HD11xe, but look almost identical to the more expensive Epiq ultrasounds. The Affiniti line launched in 2014 represented a trickle down technology approach along with cost saving measures to reach the high-end and midrange price points. This means that the Affiniti 70 and Affiniti 50 outclass everything in their segments outside of 4D for OB. They provide tremendous value as they use many of the same features and technologies as the Epiq line but at a much lower price. The Affiniti 70 and 50 differ externally only in color and the articulating arm of the more expensive 70.

Expensive midrange machines are at the top and feature depth and price get smaller the farther down you go. Ultrasounds with a check mark by them are top-rated in our best ultrasound machines buyer’s guides.

Philips Affiniti ultrasound system

Philips ClearVue Ultrasound Machines

The ClearVue product line was launched in 2012 as an energy-efficient, easy to maintain, modular system that would cover the Economy to Midrange segments previously covered by the HD series. The ClearVue 350 and ClearVue 550 were meant to replace the very popular HD7 and HD7xe though both would be produced side by side for several years. Earlier ClearVue models image quality actually suffered from cost cutting measures and was inferior in ways to the older HD7xe until recent versions. The new ClearVue 650 came later in 2014 as a replacement to the HD9 by adding 4D for OB/GYN to the ClearVue 550. The Philips Sparq was launched in 2011 as a precursor to the ClearVue series and remains a separate product though they clearly look similar in exterior design.

Expensive midrange machines are at the top and feature depth and price get smaller the farther down you go. Ultrasounds with a check mark by them are top-rated in our best ultrasound machines buyer’s guides.

Philips ClearVue ultrasound machine

Philips HD Series Ultrasound Machines

The Philips HD series was a vast expansion of the previous product line to provide different feature sets at many different price points. The HD line looked visually similar despite large differences in performance and features.

The HD15 is a high-end ultrasound and the only HD series with the advanced single crystal probes. It remains popular though it’s been in production for nearly a decade and has no touchscreen like most in it’s class. The HD11xe was the best selling ultrasound machine Philips made, the highest selling in the midrange cardiovascular segment, but like all Philips machines it is a true shared service machine performing 4D and cardiac and has a dizzying selection of probes from the aforementioned 4D convex to TEE and intraoperative probes. The HD11xe is still an ultrasound machine that can do anything, and has the DNA of the Envisor HD and HDI 5000, which came before it. The HD 7xe is an economy version of the HD11xe with good imaging though no TEE or 4D probes. The HD7 and HD6 were nearly identical, though the HD6 was slightly newer and short lived.

The HD9 and HD3 were actually manufactured by Medison and used the SonoAce X8 and SonoAce R3/R5 as their hardware. Though they looked very different on the outside, internally the HD9 and X8 or HD3 and R3/R5 were so similar that they could use the same probes interchangeably.

The HD series currently continues in production only with the newly launched HD5 which borrows ClearVue styling but has hardware similar to the HD6 that preceded it. The HD5 is the most economical Philips unit in production and continues to be refined. Just like the ClearVue lineup the HD5 has a very limited amount of available probes. All of the HD series except the HD9 and HD3 which saw limited production are still available as used and refurbished units with a very good price to performance ratio.

High-end machines are at the top and going down in features, size and price the farther down the list you go. Ultrasounds with a check mark by them are top-rated in our best Cardiac ultrasound machines or best Shared service ultrasound machines buyer’s guides.

Philips HD5: New version of the HD6 that looks similar to the ClearVue line

philips hd series ultrasound machine