Roomba has been an undisputed leader in the market of robot vacuums for its excellent quality and wide range of products offering various models to many users to address their many needs. 

 

While there are several manufacturers in the market which compete with Roomba products, there are two Roomba models that closely compete against each other for their promising potential and outstanding features. 

 

While the Roomba i7 comes with a hefty price tag, the Roomba 980 is understandably a more affordable option to consider. Here is a detailed comparison between two of iRobot’s best known and most popular models, discussing why they are such an excellent choice for robovac users. 

 

Virtual Wall Barrier: 

 

Virtual barriers play a vital role in blocking the sensitive areas in your home that you don’t want the Roomba to enter. These wall barriers help to turn around the robot should it reach prohibited areas in your house or any restricted places where the Roomba might get stuck. This is one aspect where the models vary from each other; while the Roomba i7 comes with a single virtual barrier, the Roomba 980 comes with two virtual barriers. 

 

iAdapt Technology: 

 

While the iRobot i7 is among some of the select models which have been selected for the advance iAdapt technology to help this vacuum map its surroundings efficiently. Its 3.0 upgrade allows the robot to remember all the landmarks it has already made a pass on with a specified region for advanced tracking. 

 

The Roomba 980, on the other hand, only adapted to the 2.0 update of iAdapt technology, which doesn’t enable the cleaner to remember landmarks. However, the cleaner can map the home to deliver an efficient experience. 

 

Battery Life:

On a single charge, the Roomba i7 can work nonstop for up to 75 minutes while the Roomba 980 is capable of working up to 120 minutes, leading the race in terms of battery life. If you’re concerned about any battery issues or have a bigger home, you can be sure that the Roomba 980 can clean up everything, thanks to its extended battery life of 65% more than the Roomba i7.

 

Automatic Dirt Disposal:

One of the unique features that the Roomba i7 possesses is Automatic Dirt Disposal. Having the ability to empty its robot bin from time to time is a practical addition in its cleaning regime that ensures maximum efficiency. While some robots come with a notification system to indicate when the bin is full, others need to be checked frequently to make sure the container isn’t full. 

 

This robot vacuum is capable of emptying itself in an enclosed disposable bag with a capacity of 30 full bins, which is one less cleaning hassle that you never have to worry about. However, the Roomba 980 doesn’t support this function and will need to be emptied manually whenever it becomes full. 

 

Smart Mapping Imprint:

As one of the newer Roomba models, Roomba i7 comes with smart imprint mapping to prompt it to clean various rooms. Using iAdapt 3.0, the Roomba i7 provides strong navigation that allows the robot to remember individual layouts of each room. Using this smart feature, the user can easily assign labels in each room for cleaning, helping the Roomba set up schedules to clean any room you please. 

 

All you have to do is activate the schedule cleaning feature using a smart app that you can download — it works with Google Assistant or Alexa, then it will get to work right away! Unfortunately, for the Roomba 980, this is another feature it lacks compared to it’s more advanced cousin. 

 

Size & Weight:

 

When it comes to weight and compactness, the Roomba i7 also takes the lead with a weight of just 7.55 pounds and a diameter of 13.3″. The Roomba 980 is slightly heavier at 8.7 pounds and has a diameter of 13.8″. However, these differences are very minimal and don’t affect the vacuums in their performance. 

 

All in all, the newer Roomba i7 has many advantages over the Roomba 980, but choosing the perfect robot vacuum comes down to the user and their preferences as well as the purpose the Roombas will serve. Either way, you are taking home a brilliant device that makes cleaning manually a thing of the past.