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Compare Roomba i7 and i7+ with Roomba 960: What Are the Main Differences?
 Roomba 960 in Action (Photo Credits: iRobot) Roomba vacuuming robots were first introduced by iRobot in 2002, and a number of improved versions have been released since. The top Roomba models today come with advanced features such as poweful vacuum, Wi-Fi support, high efficiency filters, navigation control and the ability to resume automatically the cleaning job after the robot recharges itself where it was interrupted.
If you were considering to get one of the top Roombas, you will find this article useful as we wil compare here Roomba i7+, Roomba i7 and Roomba 960 which are three of the top models currently available on Amazon. Please Note:. If you'd rather see a detailed comparison of ALL the latest 2020/21 Romba robots offered by iRobot, please click: Comparing Latest Roomba Robots Offered by iRobot.
This article will first compare the Roomba i7+, i7 and 960 robots.
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Comparing the Selected Roomba Vacuuming Robots
The following pictures show all the Roomba robots that will be compared below:
ROOMBA i7+
ROOMBA i7
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ROOMBA 960
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Detailed Comparison of the Selected Roomba Robots
The following table compares the iRobot Roomba i7+, i7 and 960 vacuuming 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.
ROOMBA COMPARISON TABLE
Explanation of Notes 1 to 20 from Comparison Table:
N. 1:
The following is brief explanation of iAdapt 2.0 ad iAdapt 3.0:
- Roomba 960 was designed with the navigation iAdapt 2.0 technology which features vSLAM, a camera-based technology that is used to map out your home 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. With iAdapt 2.0, the robot uses a high-efficiency cleaning pattern and a full suite of sensors to adapt to real world clutter and furniture for thorough coverage, avoiding obstacles and stairs.
- Roomba i7 and i7+ are designed with more processing power and memory, and they feature the more advanced iAdapt 3.0 navigation technology. With iAdapt 3.0, like with iAdapt 2.0, the robot uses a high-efficiency cleaning pattern and a full suite of sensors to adapt to real world clutter and furniture for thorough coverage, avoiding obstacles and stairs. And it features the camera-based vSLAM technology which allows the robot to map its surroundings to seamlessly and efficiently clean an entire level of your home, creating visual landmarks to keep track of where it's been and where it has yet to clean.
But, iAdapt 3.0 also features the new Imprint™ Smart Mapping feature which lets you control selectively which rooms are cleaned and when: the robot can store up to 10 floor plans, and once the floor plans are stored, you can use the associated Home App to assign names to the various rooms associated with the floor plans and request to clean the rooms selectively by specifying their name! You could even use Alexa or Google Assistant to vocally request your robot to clean specific rooms by calling their names.
Once Roomba i7 and i7+ have uploaded detailed maps of your room layouts, they will assume a much more efficient cleaning pattern of pacing across each room in as straight lines as possible, which will save both energy and time.
An important feature of these robots is Dirt Detection: Roomba 960, i7 and i7+ come with sophisticated dirt detection ability. They are equipped with both acoustic and optical sensors, and therefore they are very powerful and effective in finding dirtier areas.
Finally, note that these Roomba robots use Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers to be kept away from rooms or areas they are not supposed to enter. Please see Note 16 below for more detailed explanation of these stand-alone little navigation direction control devices.
N. 2:
All Roomba robots considered here use a 3-stage vacuuming system:
- Counter rotating dual multi-surface brushes pick up dust, debris, dirt, pet hair from the floor.
- A spinning side brush cleans along wall edges.
- Finally, an efficient vacuum pulls dirt and hair off the brushes (or off the debris extractors) and directs it into the bin.
- Roomba 960 uses dual multi surface debris extractors which are non-bristle brushes that are tangle free. So, it is quite efficient in picking up pet hair and debris.
- i7 and i7+ use dual multi-surface rubber brushes that are similar to the debris extractors but that were further improved for better pickup.
- Note also that in Roomba i7+ and i7, when in Carpet Boost mode, the suction power is increased 5 times compared to the suction power in Roomba 960. But the suction power in Roomba 960 is considerable too: it is 5 times the suction power found in the previous 800 and 600 series Roomba robots.
N. 3:
Roomba i7+, i7 and 960 can resume automatically the cleaning job where it was interrupted before going to Home Base to recharge. They continue this way until the job is done and the entire level of your home is cleaned!
N. 4:
When Roomba i7+, i7 and 960 are connected via Wi-Fi to your smartphone or tablet, 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 or tablet.
When the App is used, 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.).
Note: You may be asking the question: Can we use these three Roomba robots without WiFi?". The answer is "Yes!", you can use them, but if you don't have WiFi, you will have to control them by using the control buttons on the robot or by purchasing a compatible remote-control device (see the Amazon products section below for compatible remote-control devices). Note however that certain operations on Roomba i7+, i7 and 960 are only available from the App on the smartphone which needs Wi-Fi.
N. 5:
Wi‐Fi connected Roomba vacuuming robots, Roomba i7+, i7 and 960, are all compatible with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant, so they are voice controllable. Simply ask Alexa or the Google Assistant to start, stop, or dock your robot.
N. 6:
When on carpet, thanks to the Carpet Boost feature, Roomba i7+ and i7 automatically increase their 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, these robots reduce their 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:
All Roomba robots are equipped with a side brush to clean wall edges. But Roomba i7+, i7 and 960 feature special final edge cleaning action to make sure that stubborn dirt and debris along wall edges are all removed. After these robots finish cleaning the open areas of your floor, they use the Final Edge Clean feature to ensure that they have cleaned along walls and around furniture legs. If you prefer a quicker clean, you can disable Final Edge Clean from the App. This feature is turned on by default.
N. 8:
The AeroForce High Efficiency filters on Roomba 960, i7 and i7+ do a great job capturing hair, pet fur, lint and carpet fuzz, and can capture 99% of allergens, pollen, and particles as small as 10 microns.
N. 9:
When batteries run low, all three Roomba robots return to their Home Base to dock and recharge.
Note that all three robots are able to resume automatically the cleaning job where it was interrupted before going to Home Base to recharge. They continue this way until the job is done and the whole level of your home is cleaned.
N. 10:
The dust bin that comes with Roomba i7+ presents some important enhancements: not only is it easier now to empty it manually, but it can also be emptied automatically without you being around! To enable automatic emptying of the dust bin, a new suction port has been added to the docking station. The docking station of the robot, known in the past as the Home Base, is now replaced with a new docking station called the Clean Base which is used not just to recharge the robot, but also to empty the dust bin. So, when the robot is docked, it attaches to the new suction port in the docking station that sucks up rapidly the contents of the dust bin into the Clean Base. All dirt and debris are then automatically transferred into a disposable bag that can hold up to 30 bins’ worth of dirt and debris. Once the disposable bag is full, you will get an alert on your smartphone for replacing the bag. Note that at the time of this writing the bags cost $14.99 for a pack of three.
N. 11:
As mentioned in Note 1 above, iAdapt 3.0 navigation technology used by Roomba i7 and i7+ comes with the new Imprint Smart Mapping feature which lets you selectively control which rooms are cleaned and when: the robot can store up to 10 floor plans, and once the floor plans are stored, you can use the associated Home App to assign names to the various rooms associated with the floor plans and request to clean the rooms selectively by specifying their name! You could even use Alexa or Google Assistant to vocally request your robot to clean specific rooms by calling their names.
N. 12:
In most cases, Roomba will remove dirt and debris with just one pass over each area of your home. With Roomba i7+, i7 and 960, 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:
With all three Roomba robots, scheduling can be pre-set up to 7 times per week. The robot starts vacuuming as soon as the scheduled time is reached.
N. 14:
All three Roomba robots are equipped with a docking button that can be pressed to force the robot to dock at its Home Base. Of course, the robot will also go automatically to its Home Base when battery runs low.
N. 15:
All three Roomba robots 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:
The navigation direction of these three Roomba robots considered here can be controlled by Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers which are battery run standalone little devices that can 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. Roomba 960, i7+ and i7 each come with one Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barrier.
The following picture illustrates how the Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barrier device can protect where the dog food might be:
(Photo credits: iRobot)
N. 17:
Roomba i7+, i7 and 960 can be remotely controlled from your smartphone or tablet using the iRobot Home App.
No explicit remote-control device is provided. However, they are also compatible with Roomba remote control devices that can be purchased separatey if desired (see below).
N. 18:
iRobot has specified the battery run times at full charge for Roomba i7+, i7 as 120 minutes. The run time for Roomba 960 is specified as 75 minutes.
Note also that for all robots run times can vary 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.
Roomba robots can use Lithium-Ion or Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) batteries. Roomba i7+, i7 and 960 come with a Lithium-Ion battery.
In general, Lithium-Ion batteries last longer before needing to be replaced.
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.
N. 17:
Roomba i7+, i7 and 960 can be remotely controlled from your smartphone or tablet using the iRobot Home App.
No explicit remote-control device is provided. However, they are also compatible with Roomba remote control devices that can be purchased separatey if desired (see below).
N. 18:
iRobot has specified the battery run times at full charge for Roomba i7+, i7 as 120 minutes. The run time for Roomba 960 is specified as 75 minutes.
Note also that for all robots run times can vary 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.
Roomba robots can use Lithium-Ion or Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) batteries. Roomba i7+, i7 and 960 come with a Lithium-Ion battery.
In general, Lithium-Ion batteries last longer before needing to be replaced.
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.
So which Roomba is best for your home?
As the above comparison table shows, the three Roomba robots considered here come with mostly similar features:
You will find in the Amazon products section below Amazon links for all the three Roomba robots compared above which you can click for exact price information or to purchase.
- They use camera based visual localization which helps the robot seamlessly and efficiently navigate an entire level of your home and keep track of its location.
- They use a high-efficiency cleaning pattern and a full suite of sensors to adapt to real world clutter and furniture for thorough coverage.
- They have high efficiency filters.
- They have the capability, after they recharge themselves 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, these robots are all capable of completing the job without human interference. - They support Wi-Fi and can be controlled from your smartphone or tablet.
- Roomba i7+ is the only Roomba that comes with the automatic dirt disposal feature: The docking station of this robot, known in the past as the Home Base, is now replaced with a new docking station called the Clean Base which is used not just to recharge the robot, but also to empty the dust bin. So, when the robot is docked, it attaches to a new suction port in the docking station that sucks up rapidly the contents of the dust bin into the Clean Base. All dirt and debris are then automatically transferred into a disposable bag that can hold up to 30 bins’ worth of dirt and debris. Once the disposable bag is full, you will get an alert on your smartphone for replacing the bag. Note that at the time of this writing the bags cost $14.99 for a pack of three.
- Roomba i7 and i7+ come with the new Imprint Smart Mapping feature which lets you selectively control which rooms are cleaned and when: the robot can store up to 10 floor plans, and once the floor plans are stored, you can use the associated Home App to assign names to the various rooms associated with the floor plans and request to clean the rooms selectively by specifying their name! You could even use Alexa or Google Assistant to vocally request your robot to clean specific rooms by calling their names.
- They have the ability to boost the vacuuming power up to 10 times when carpets and rugs are detected (twice the maximum power available on Roomba 960).
- They can run for about 120 minutes before going back to Home Base to recharge, while Roomba 960 can run 75 minutes.
You will find in the Amazon products section below Amazon links for all the three Roomba robots compared above which you can click for exact price information or to purchase.
Roomba i7+, i7 and Roomba 960 Robots 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 i7+ |
Roomba i7 |
Roomba 960
Roomba Virtual Wall and Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barrier on Amazon
Roomba Dual Mode
Virtual Wall Barrier
Optional Roomba Remote Control Device
Have you not found yet what you were looking for?
Global Amazon Search
If you have not found what you are looking for among the above offerings, you can still search for it or for ANY OTHER PRODUCT you may need by clicking below and searching for what you need on Amazon.com:
