Author: Maurice Savaryego, M.Sc.Eng. (Learn More)
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Compare iRobot Roomba 980 and 690: What Are the Main Differences?
 Roomba 980 in Action (Photo Credits: iRobot)
If you have decided to get an iRobot Roomba vacuuming robot that will help you enjoy a life of relaxation in a permanently clean environment, without wasting time doing one of the most tiring and boring home cleaning jobs, you might face a big question: which Roomba to get?
This article will compare Roomba 980 which is currently one of the the top Roomba vacuuming robots and which comes with all the features you'll ever need, and Roomba 690 which costs quite a bit less than Roomba 980, but still comes with those basic must-have features that every self respecting vacuuming robot should have, such as avoiding stairs and obstacles, self-recharging and scheduling. Note that while Roomba 980 and Roomba 690 have been very popular and are still available on Amazon, they are older models not anymore offered by iRobot. If you'd rather see a detailed comparison of ALL the latest 2019 Romba robots offered by iRobot, please click: Comparing Latest 2019 Roomba Robots Offered by iRobot.
This article will compare Roomba 980 and 690.
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Comparing Roomba 980 and 690
The following pictures show the Roomba 980 and 690 robots that will be compared below:
Roomba 980
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Roomba 690
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Detailed Comparison of Roomba 980 and 690
The following table compares the iRobot Roomba 980 and 690 robots.
The (N.#) notation used in the table refers to the clarification notes provided following the table. Please read these notes carefully in order to understand better the features that come with each Roomba.
The (N.#) notation used in the table refers to the clarification notes provided following the table. Please read these notes carefully in order to understand better the features that come with each Roomba.
Explanation of Notes 1 to 20 from Comparison Table:
N. 1:
An important aspect of these robots is Dirt Detection:
Finally, note that both Roomba 980 and 690 use Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers to be kept away from rooms or areas they are not supposed to enter. Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers are more effective than Virtual Walls used with some of the other Roomba robots. Not only can they be used to block off an open doorway, but they can also be used as Virtual Wall Halos to protect some restricted area within the room, like for instance the area where the dog food might be. Please see the Roomba Navigation Control Section below for more detailed explanation of these stand alone little devices.
N. 2:
Both Roomba robots considered here use a 3-stage vacuuming system described below :
N. 3:
Roomba 690 needs to be restarted after it recharges itself at its Home Base (unless of course it had been previously scheduled to restart at a later time). Roomba 980 is able to resume automatically the cleaning job where it was interrupted before going to Home Base to recharge. It continues this way until the job is done and the entire level of your home is cleaned!
N. 1:
- iAdapt technology found on Roomba 690 is composed of sophisticated software as well as sensors and allows the robot to clean more thoroughly the room, making multiple passes, avoiding stairs, getting under and around furniture, and cleaning along wall edges and corners. The low profile design of the robot allows cleaning under most furniture. It also automatically adjusts to all floor types - carpet, tile, hardwood, laminate and more.
- iAdapt 2.0 technology found on Roomba 980, features a visual localization camera used to map out your home in order to ensure complete coverage. It allows the robot to seamlessly and efficiently navigate an entire level of your home and keep track of its location. Roomba 980 uses a high-efficiency cleaning pattern and a full suite of sensors to adapt to real world clutter and furniture for thorough coverage.
An important aspect of these robots is Dirt Detection:
- Roomba 690 is equipped with acoustic sensors which allow the robot to find dirtier areas and spend more time cleaning them.
- Roomba 980 comes with more sophisticated dirt detection ability. It is equipped with both acoustic and optical sensors, and therefore it is more powerful and effective in finding dirtier areas.
Finally, note that both Roomba 980 and 690 use Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers to be kept away from rooms or areas they are not supposed to enter. Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers are more effective than Virtual Walls used with some of the other Roomba robots. Not only can they be used to block off an open doorway, but they can also be used as Virtual Wall Halos to protect some restricted area within the room, like for instance the area where the dog food might be. Please see the Roomba Navigation Control Section below for more detailed explanation of these stand alone little devices.
N. 2:
Both Roomba robots considered here use a 3-stage vacuuming system described below :
- Roomba 690 uses dual counter-rotating multi-surface brushes. One to loosen dirt and the other to pick it up. The brushes work together to grab and remove dirt, dust, hair, and large debris from your floors.
Roomba 980 uses dual counter-rotating multi-surface tangle-free brushes (also known as debris extractors) that pick up dust, debris, dirt, pet hair from the floor. They grab and break down debris eliminating hair tangles and jams. - Both Roomba 980 and 690 use a spinning side brush that cleans along wall edges.
- Finally, in both robots considered here, an efficient vacuum pulls dirt and hair off the brushes (or off the debris extractors) and directs it into the bin.
- AeroVac technology used by Roomba 690 allows for optimized airflow that pulls hair off the brushes and sends it into the bin. This allows the bin to fill more evenly requiring less frequent emptying of the bin.
- AeroForce technology used by Roomba 980 introduces the debris extractors and delivers an ideal balance of vacuum suction and debris extraction: Tangle free extractors grab and break down debris eliminating hair tangles and jams, and an airflow accelerator creates a sealed channel that concentrates the airflow, sucking in more debris. Thanks to the high efficiency vacuum, the air power is increased more than 5 times in the 900 series robots compared to the 600 series robots. In addition, when the Carpet Boost feature found on Roomba 980 is activated, the air power is increased up to 10 times!
N. 3:
Roomba 690 needs to be restarted after it recharges itself at its Home Base (unless of course it had been previously scheduled to restart at a later time). Roomba 980 is able to resume automatically the cleaning job where it was interrupted before going to Home Base to recharge. It continues this way until the job is done and the entire level of your home is cleaned!
N. 4:
When Roomba 980 and 690 are connected via Wi-Fi to your smartphone, you can use the iRobot Home App for Android and iOS to invoke remotely operations (such as cleaning, scheduling, etc.) from wherever you are, using your smartphone.
When the App is used with Roomba 980, you can also see the status of cleaning jobs, and you can customize your cleaning preferences (such as setting the number of cleaning passes, choosing special edge cleaning action, etc.).
N. 5:
- The AeroVac filter found in Roomba 690 handles quite adequately hair, pet fur, lint and carpet fuzz, but not as well as the AeroForce High Efficency filters found on Roomba 980.
- Roomba 980 is equipped with AeroForce High Efficency filters that can capture 99% of allergens, pollen, and particles as small as 10 microns.
N. 6:
When on carpet, thanks to the Carpet Boost feature, Roomba 980 automatically increases its vacuum power to provide a deeper clean. Carpet Boost provides up to 10 times the air power by automatically increasing performance on carpet and rugs, where dust and dirt hide.
On hard surfaces, Roomba 980 reduces its vacuum power to decrease battery consumption while still delivering excellent cleaning performance. Carpet Boost feature is turned on by default and can be turned off from the App.
N. 7:
Both Roomba robots considered here are equipped with a side brush to clean wall edges. But Roomba 980 features special edge cleaning action to make sure that stubborn dirt and debris along wall edges are all removed. After the robot finishes cleaning the open areas of your floor, it uses the Final Edge Clean feature to ensure that it has cleaned properly along walls and around furniture legs. If you prefer a quicker clean, you can disable Final Edge Clean from the App. Note that this feature is turned on by default.
N. 8:
When the bin gets full, Roomba 980 provides you with two options regarding the action to be taken by the robot:
- Finish Job: Even if the bin is full, Roomba will continue cleaning until it has covered the entire space. Once the bin is emptied, Roomba is ready for a new cleaning job. The full bin behavior is “Finish Job” by default.
- Pause Immediately: As soon as the bin is full, Roomba will return to where it started and pause its cleaning job. Once the bin is emptied, you just need to press CLEAN to resume.
N. 9:
Roomba 980 is equipped with a visual localization camera that maps out more thoroughly your home in order to ensure complete coverage. It allows the robot to seamlessly and efficiently navigate an entire level of your home and keep track of its location. Note that for the camera functionality to work properly some light in the room where the robot will be vacuuming may be needed.
N. 10:
Counter rotating multi-surface tangle-free brushes (known also as debris extractors) were introduced starting with 800 series Roomba robots, and they replaced the brushes found in the previous 600 series robots. They grab and break down debris, eliminating hair tangles and jams. Together with debris extractors, an airflow accelerator that creates a sealed channel that concentrates airflow, sucking in more debris was introduced.
N. 11:
Scheduling can be pre-set up to 7 times per week. The robot starts vacuuming as soon as the scheduled time is reached.
N. 12:
In most cases, Roomba robots will remove dirt and debris with just one pass over each area of your home. However, with Roomba 980, two-pass cleaning can be requested and can be particularly helpful in homes with pets or for periodic deep cleaning. The number of cleaning passes is one by default. This feature can be invoked from the App.
N. 13:
When batteries run low, all Roomba robots return to their Home Base to dock and recharge.
Note that, Roomba 690 needs to be restarted after it recharges itself at its Home Base (unless of course it had been previously scheduled to restart at a later time). On the other hand, both Roomba 980 is able to resume automatically the cleaning job where it was interrupted before going to Home Base to recharge. It continue this way until the job is done and the whole level of your home is cleaned.
N. 14:
Both Roomba robots considered here are equipped with a Home button that can be pressed to force the robot to dock at Home Base. Of course, the robot will also go automatically to Home Base when battery runs low.
N. 15:
Both Roomba robots considered here can be asked to spot clean. When spot clean is invoked, the robot will spiral approximately 3 feet in diameter and then spiral back to where it started for an intense, localized clean for those quick fixes.
N. 16:
Note that Lithium-Ion batteries are designed to provide longer cleaning sessions than Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) batteries and last longer before needing to be replaced.
Battery Run Times:
iRobot has specified the battery run time for Roomba 980 as 120 minutes.
For Roomba 690, the average time is about 60 minutes, but note that for all robots (including Roomba 980) run times can vary extensively depending on the amount of work the robot has to do to clean the floors. That is because different types of carpets, different floor plans and different amounts of dirt may require different amounts of effort from the robot and hence different amounts of ''juice'' from the battery.
However, keep in mind that Lithium-Ion batteries are designed to provide longer cleaning sessions
N. 17:
Roomba 980 and 690 can be remotely controlled from your smartphone or tablet using the iRobot Home App. No explicit remote control device is provided.
N. 18:
Both Wi‐Fi connected Roomba robots considered here (Roomba 980 and 690) are now compatible with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant. Simply ask Alexa or the Google Assistant to start, stop, or dock your robot.
N. 19:
The "d" in the dimensions refers to the diameter, and "h" to the height of the unit. All measurements are in inches.
N. 20:
The 1-year limited warranty is on the robot. There is also a 6-month warranty on the battery.
Roomba Navigation Control Devices
Both Roomba robots considered here come with one or more Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers.
Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers are more effective than Virtual Walls used with some of the other Roomba robots. Not only can they be used to block off an open doorway, but they can also be used as Virtual Wall Halos to protect some restricted area within the room, like for instance the area where the dog food might be.
The following table shows the number of Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers that come with each of the two robots considered here (if needed, additional Dual Mode Virtual Wall barriers can be purchased below in the Amazon products section):
Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers are more effective than Virtual Walls used with some of the other Roomba robots. Not only can they be used to block off an open doorway, but they can also be used as Virtual Wall Halos to protect some restricted area within the room, like for instance the area where the dog food might be.
The following table shows the number of Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers that come with each of the two robots considered here (if needed, additional Dual Mode Virtual Wall barriers can be purchased below in the Amazon products section):
The following picture explains and illustrates how the Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barrier protects the off-limits areas:
(Photo Credits: iRobot)
So which Roomba should you get?
Roomba robots are high quality products as shown by the average rating of at least 4.5 stars (out of 5 stars) each of the Roomba robots considered here had received from Amazon customers at the time this article was written. As you progress from Roomba 690 all the way up to Roomba 980, you will basically notice more powerful vacuuming and more thorough floor coverage.
As the above comparison table shows, the two Roomba robots considered here come with some similar, but also a few different features. So we suggest you carefully study the above table and clarification notes before you decide which Roomba will respond best to your needs. However, keep in mind that Roomba 980 comes with some additional features not found on Roomba 690:
Also keep in mind that an important difference between Roomba 690 and Roomba 980 is that Roomba 980 uses the more powerful AeroForce vacuuming technology with debris extractors. It also has better dirt detection ability, a full-bin indicator and a more efficient filter.
While Roomba 980 comes with the additional features listed above that may be very useful in larger homes, for the average smaller home, Roomba 690 may be quite sufficient. Though it is less powerful than Roomba 980 which uses the AeroForce vacuuming technology, Roomba 690 does support the basic but important features, such avoiding stairs, self-recharging and scheduling.
As the above comparison table shows, the two Roomba robots considered here come with some similar, but also a few different features. So we suggest you carefully study the above table and clarification notes before you decide which Roomba will respond best to your needs. However, keep in mind that Roomba 980 comes with some additional features not found on Roomba 690:
- It uses camera based visual localization which helps the robot seamlessly and efficiently navigate an entire level of your home and keep track of its location (note that for the camera functionality to work properly some light in the room where the robot will be vacuuming is needed).
- It uses a high-efficiency cleaning pattern and a full suite of sensors to adapt to real world clutter and furniture for thorough coverage.
- It has the capability, after it recharges itself at Home Base, to resume operation automatically where it had been interrupted. So, if you have large areas in your home that require the robot to recharge multiple times, and you don't want to bother with having to restart the robot after each recharge, you might want to consider either the 980, as it is capable of completing the job without human interference, except for emptying the bin when it gets full. And even if the bin gets full, and for some reason you aren't available to empty it, the robot will continue vacuuming until the entire space is covered and the job is finished, unless you have requested from the App to stop vacuuming at full bin.
- Roomba 980 has also the ability to boost the vacuuming intensity up to 10 times when carpets and rugs are detected.
Also keep in mind that an important difference between Roomba 690 and Roomba 980 is that Roomba 980 uses the more powerful AeroForce vacuuming technology with debris extractors. It also has better dirt detection ability, a full-bin indicator and a more efficient filter.
While Roomba 980 comes with the additional features listed above that may be very useful in larger homes, for the average smaller home, Roomba 690 may be quite sufficient. Though it is less powerful than Roomba 980 which uses the AeroForce vacuuming technology, Roomba 690 does support the basic but important features, such avoiding stairs, self-recharging and scheduling.
You will find in the Amazon products section that follows both Roomba robots compared above which you can click for exact price information or to purchase:
Roomba 980 and 690 on Amazon
Please click the Amazon link image below for the Roomba robot of your choice to see exact price information or to purchase.
Roomba 980 |
Roomba 690 |
Authentic Roomba Replenishment Kits on Amazon USA
Accessories and replacement parts manufactured by 3rd parties may have a negative impact on product performance and can cause damage to your robot. Always ensure that replacement parts such as batteries, filters, and brushes are Authentic iRobot Parts. Note also that the use of 3rd party replacement parts could void your robot's warranty.
Please click the images below to see price information or to purchase:
Please click the images below to see price information or to purchase:
Authentic Roomba
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Authentic Roomba
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Additional Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers on Amazon
Additional Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers can be purchased below:
Roomba Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barrier
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