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Neato Botvac D7 Vs Roomba 980 – Compare 2 Most Advanced Robot Vac Units
Introduction
When searching for high-end robot vacuum, Roomba 980 and Neato Botvac D7 are two most popular units on the market.
Surprisingly, while Roomba model is circular shaped, Neato Botvac D7 is a D-shaped version. There is a bias that circular robot vac is better than D-shaped robot vac. But is it a truth?
Roomba 980 is rated the best robotic vacuum cleaner for a few years regarding of its performance and smart features when comparing with other brands.
Neato botvac D7 is the newest robotic vacuum from Neato in the high-end section. Despite Neato Botvac D7 is just released recently (2018).
While Neato model poses a weirder design, a lot of users love this new model because Neato Robotics has put many new features into this device, for example no-go line, turbo mode, longer run time.
Let’s discuss these high-end robotic unit to see their pros and cons.
1. Roomba 980
Roomba 980 is the premium robotic unit from iRobot (and also it is the most expensive one).
This model is the most advanced version among Roomba models, by adding more suction power, longer run time, a smarter navigation technology, virtual wall, wifi connection, auto-recharge and resume cleaning.
Like any Roomba unit, Roomba 980 performs better on bright color floor rather than dark floor surfaces.
While there are cheaper robotic unit from iRobot, Roomba 980 is still very popular.
The main difference of Roomba 980 with other previous models are all about the smart navigation technology (iRobot called 2.0 iAdapt). This second generation smart sensors allow the unit to map the floor better, giving a throughout cleaning.
photo: iRobot – Roomba 980 uses SLAM technology, a camera on the top to detect and map the home environment. Once the model is familiar with your home, it can clean the whole floor without your touch any longer.
The second benefit of Roomba 980 is that it has the auto-resume feature. It means that when the robot unit is out of battery, it is able to recharge, and to keep cleaning after fully charged.
Thanks to that, you can clean home with big footage without your present there.
Roomba 980 is recommended for users who need to clean big footage (more than 1600 sq ft.) at once.
Roomba 980 is very pricey therefore if you are an iRobot fan, you may check for Roomba 690 model.
Roomba 690 is the sweet spot because it is much cheaper (⅓ price of roomba 980), but still have nearly all of the fancy benefits from iRobot.
Roomba 980 Advantages Vs. Neato D7
Pros
Cons
Check Offer Price [Amazon]2. Neato Botvac D7
Neato Botvac D7 is a newly released robotic vacuum unit. Neato Botvac models are standing out of the robotic industry by the design.
Neato Botvac D7 has a D shape body (while everyone else has circular body), enabling it to clean corners and edges (Neato Botvac D7 only has one side brush, while others often have 2 side brushes).
This model is an update from Neato Botvac D5, therefore you may expect it to have all of the features from D5 version such as smart navigation, auto-recharge and resume cleaning, wifi connection, Alexa voice, ultra performance filtration.
This unit has a longer run time (120 minutes, similar to Roomba 980), and it has the no-go line feature, which means you can setup floor sections where you don’t want the robot to enter (for example, wet area).
Neato Botvac D7 Advantages Vs Roomba 980
Pros
Cons
Main Difference Between Roomba 980 And Neato Botvac D7
There are 2 main differences between two models
Mapping Technology
- Neato uses laser mapping technology to make maps for navigation
- Roomba 980 uses VSLAM and camera technology to make maps.
The use of difference technologies in mapping and navigation leads to the difference in cleaning efficiency.No-Go Line
Neato Botvac D7 has no-go line, which allows you to create the virtual wall on the map.
However, when using in reality, some users find this feature is not very responsive.
Roomba 980 needs a bit practice to be familiar with the environment, and it performs not very well on dark areas.
On the other hand, Neato Botvac D7 can clean dark rugs, dark areas better than Roomba model.
Verdicts
If you need a robot vacuum cleaner for bare floor and low pile carpets, then both of the models work equally well (same run time, mapping technology, wifi, Alexa voice …)
However, if this is your main cleaning task, it is recommended to check for cheaper unit to cut the cost down.
Some recommended units are Roomba 690, Eufy Powerboost 11+, Deebot N79s which are just about ⅓ price.
If you need to clean a lot of carpet surfaces and large areas, then Roomba 980 is a better option.
If you need to clean a lot of dark areas and dark carpets, then Neato Botvac D7 is a better option.
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