Ask anybody to name five robot vacuum brands, and you can be sure that the name Roomba will appear on many of the lists. This is not hard to explain because Roombas are some of the most popular robot vacuums in the market today.
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Roombas are made by iRobot and this company has come up with some of the bestselling robot vacuum cleaners in the market. From simple devices that are practical and affordable to high-end models that come packed with futuristic features, you can count on finding something from this company in any market segment that you find yourself in.
Today, we will be looking at three of their high-end models. These are robot vacuums that come with amazing features and capabilities that will make you feel like you have stepped into the future when you come home.
These Roombas are the Roomba s9+, the Roomba i7 and the Roomba 980. Each of these models has been the flagship model from the company for a period so you can be sure that the company spent a substantial amount of effort and resources in designing and building them so that they can stand out from all the other models available at the time.
Let’s jump in and find out what each of these high-end robot vacuums brings to the table.
Design and Navigation
When it comes to navigation, all three Roombas come with advanced optical navigation and mapping that scans the room and allows you to create virtual maps of your home so that you can tell them exactly where you would like to vacuum.
The three vacuums are very different when it comes to the design. Let’s take a closer look at these differences.
Roomba s9+
This Roomba comes with the unique design when compared to the other two. Rather than the round shape that is common among earlier generation Roombas, the iRobot Roomba s9+ comes with a D-shape similar to what Neato Robotics Botvac vacuums look like.
Although this new shape is unfamiliar among Roombas, it is very practical, and as a result, the device comes with several significant benefits over its round counterparts. For example, it can do a better job cleaning edges and corners because the wider brushes are closer to the edge.
The underside of this Roomba also has the outlet for the automatic dirt disposal system that empties the bin automatically when it comes to the charging dock with a full bin. This feature is present in the i7+ but lacks in the Roomba 980.
On one corner you’ll find the spinning edge brush that ensures that the vacuum reaches all parts of your floor surface when cleaning corners and along the edges. This brush is similar to the side brushes on the Roomba i7 and 980, but it is much smaller in size since the large rubber brushes are closer to the edge of the vacuum.
On the top surface in the corner above the spinning side brush, you’ll find the three buttons for controlling this Roomba. There is a big ‘Clean’ button for starting, pausing or resuming a cleaning run, a smaller ‘Home’ button for sending the Roomba to the charging dock and a third button for spot cleaning small areas.
Roomba i7+
The iRobot Roomba i7plus comes with the familiar round shape that most Roombas come in. However, don’t mistake this simple design to mean that it is just as ordinary as your regular robot vacuum. Flip it over, and you will see the outlet for the automatic dirt disposal system to tell you that this is much more than your ordinary robot vacuum.
This Roomba also comes with a spinning side brush on one side to sweep dirt and other debris towards the main brush so that it can be acted on by the suction. On the top face, you’ll also find the familiar three buttons for starting a regular clean cycle, docking the robot and for spot cleaning.
Roomba 980
It may not be as sophisticated as the other two, but the Roomba 980 is still impressive. The design is quite simple because it looks similar to the other round Roombas we know. However, it has a depression on the top face where the camera for visual navigation lies.
Suction and Battery Life
The results that you will get from a vacuum will be determined to a great extent by the amount of suction that the device can develop. The battery life is another important feature of a robot vacuums because it determines how fast you will be able to clean. Let’s see how these three compare.
Roomba s9+
When it comes to cleaning, the Roomba s9+ does incredibly with up to 40 times the suction strength available in the Roomba 600 series. It comes with intelligent logic to make the best of this immense power without being too noisy or wasting precious battery life. From one charge you will be able to get 75 minutes of runtime, but the robot is capable of going back to the dock, recharging and resuming the cleaning job when the battery runs low.
Roomba i7+
Although it doesn’t come with as much suction as the s9+ the i7+ is also quite impressive. It comes with ten times the suction available in the Roomba 600 series which is also quite impressive regardless of the floor type or thickness of the carpets involved. It has a battery life of 75 minutes and will also interrupt the cleaning cycle, recharge and resume from where it had stopped.
Roomba 980
It may be the simplest of the three, but it comes with the highest runtime when compared to the other two. This Roomba will clean for 120 minutes before it has to go back to the dock for a charge. It will also recharge and resume if it breaks a cycle because of a low battery. When it comes to suction, this robot comes close to the i7+ in that it is packed with 10 times the suction available in the Roomba 600 series.
Filtration and Dirt Disposal
Being high-end robot vacuums all three devices come with HEPA filters to ensure that no fine dust particles make it back into your home to pollute the air. If you or someone in your family suffers from asthma or allergies, you will have no reason to complain when you buy any of these devices.
When it comes to dirt disposal, the Roomba s9+ and Roomba i7+ have the edge over the Roomba 980 in that they have the Automatic Dirt Disposal feature that makes the vacuuming process even more hands-free for you.
Here, dirt from the bin is automatically emptied into a bag located above the charging dock after the cleaning cycle is done so you never have to think about vacuuming for weeks. This bag can hold up to 30 bins of dirt so it will be a while before you have to do any maintenance on your Roomba.
Conclusion
Although they come with high price tags, these Roombas also come with high-end features that you will most certainly not find in most other vacuums. The Roomba s9+ is the newest and as you would expect, it is the most advanced when it comes to features. It also costs more, but if you can pay for it, you will be able to enjoy many great features that you can’t find elsewhere.
If you are excited about the automatic dirt disposal feature but don’t want to spend too much, then the Roomba i7+ will be a great compromise. On the other hand, if you just want the amazing cleaning performance with advanced navigation, then the Roomba 980 will be a great alternative.
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Last update on 2024-04-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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