Roomba 690 vs 960 Review 2022

Do you know what’s a better choice in Roomba 690 vs 960 model? Well, our whole guide is explaining the same, and letting you know the better choice!

When you are shopping for the best robot vacuum cleaner, it could be tough to find the balance between features and cost. Many owners are looking for ultimate cleaning performance, high-tech usability, and an advanced aesthetic.

Other owners could sacrifice a few whistles and bells if it means saving hundreds of cash. Today’s comparison is a perfect example of this kind of robot vacuum cleaner battle as Roomba 960 and Roomba 690 face-off in a head-to-head. 

However, a short answer is 960 model (Amazon link). As it’s a higher version, you get better functionality in overall performance.

Also read: Is Roomba 665 truly an excellent choice?

Roomba 960

Roomba 690

 

What’s the Difference?

The Roomba 690 is a budget-friendly vacuum cleaner with wifi-connectivity, good cleaning performance, and voice control.

On the other hand, the Roomba 960 has an exceptional cleaning performance, smart memory-mapping tech, and more enhancements that make the Roomba 960 a smart and intuitive robot vacuum cleaner.

So, which robot vacuum cleaner is right for you? Keep reading as we dive inside this robot comparison, evaluating all from design and aesthetics to noise and the return policy, and all in between.

Also read: What do you think who wins? Roomba 670 vs 690

Credit: LucasGuide

From looking at the devices, you might not be capable of seeing too many differences. But, there are quite a few. Here is the rundown of the main differences:

WHAT ARE THE CORE DIFFERENCES?

• The Roomba 690 model has a micro-filtration AeroVac filter, while the Roomba 960 uses an anti-allergen HEPA filtration.
• The Roomba 690 uses the 3-stage cleaning AeroVac technology, while the Roomba 960 utilizes the newer, more modern AeroForce technology.
• Roomba 690 makes use of counter-rotating bristle extractors.
• The Roomba 960 has brush-less rollers.
• The Roomba 690 will not resume cleaning after a full charge unless manually command to do so.
• On the other hand, the Roomba 960 will recharge and Resume cleaning automatically where it left off.
• The Roomba 690 doesn’t have a full bin indicator and needs to be checked regularly, while the Roomba 960 will notify you when the gather bin is full.
• 690 model makes use of the iAdapt sensor technology for navigation and mapping.
• The Roomba 960 utilizes the more modern iAdapt 2.0 tech. While the Roomba 690 does have side brushes to clean the corners and edges, the Roomba 960 has the Edge Cleaning mode, which will concentrate on the hard to reach edges separately.
• The Roomba 960 has a top mount camera for navigation and mapping, however, the Roomba 690 does not.

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What About the Similarities Between Them?

There are many similarities between these two models, which are worth noting. Similarities will be a great help to you decide which of the functions you could live without to further narrow down your option before buying.

HERE’S THE MAJOR SIMILATIRIES:

• Both of these come with Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery packs.
• Both of these models have WiFi connectivity that permits you to use the iHome application to control the vacuum.
• The Roomba 960 and the Roomba 690 both permit for scheduling to automatically clean at a point in the future.
• Both of the Roomba models use spot cleaning mode using the iHome application on your cell phone.
• Both vacuum cleaners will sense when their batteries are pretty low on charge and then return to the dock on their own.
• Also, both of these models come with the Virtual Wall Barriers for place control.
• Each robot vacuums could link to smart home voice devices such as Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa for voice command control.

Let’s Take A Side By Side Look Between Roomba 690 And 960

The comparison chart below will show you the functions and choices side by side so you could quickly see which model has the functions you desire.

MAIN COMPARISON CHART:

Also read: What do you think which one is best suits your need Roomba E5 vs E6

Options And Features Comparison

What to Like About the Roomba 690

What to Like About the Roomba 960

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Let’s Go in Deep Differences

This particular segment will go through the differences between the Roomba 960 and Roomba 690, starting with the looks.

Roomba 690:

The Roomba 690 has a classic silver and black two-tone finish with a few green accents. In the center is a huge key with “Clean” written on it. This key initiates the default cleaning mode.

Below and Above the clean key is two smaller switches – home and spot clean. On the front side of the robot vacuum is a handle that helps you carry the whole robot vacuum so you could place it anywhere you like manually.

Roomba 960:

The 960 has a sleeker fantastic design with black, darker charcoal, and gray three-tone finish. There is a slight difference in how the keys are laid out. The huge “Clean” key is in the center and flanked by the spot keys and home.

It does not have a handle, so you will have to use both hands so you can carry it properly. Below the keys is the camera, which helps it map out the place it’s cleaning.

Navigation Comparison

The 690 is a child of the 600 series family, which uses infrared sensors to measure obstacle avoidance and distance. One of the sides of the robot vacuum is a wall sensor to help it detect obstacles and walls.

Underneath is a dirt-detect, or you can say acoustic sensor, which notifies the robot which places need more cleaning, such as any high-traffic zones. This is the identical principle of us using ears to hear the vacuum’s noise. If we hear the noise, we pass on the place.

A Quick Look Underneath the 690:

1. Adjustable rubber wheels
2. Charging pins
3. Side brush
4. Dust cup
5. Main cleaning brushes (blade and bristle combo)
6. Drop sensors (in white boxes)

These sensors continually fire away infrared signals so it can measure the distance between obstacle and robot vacuum– be it an object or a wall. Once the robot vacuum gets close, it automatically slows down and then moves in another direction.

Over many years, The iRobot has continually enhanced its technology. The early generation of the Roomba 600 and 500 series was notorious for scuffing furniture and baseboards.

That is not the case for the Roomba 690, as it slows down to a stop whenever it detects any substantial obstacle. However, if you’ve furniture, it might bump a little harder – you’re warned.

Also read: Very Shocking expert testing of iRobot Roomba 550

Does the Roomba 690 Learn the Floor Plan?

Nope, it doesn’t. The 690 uses a standard navigation method that moves in a random way. It toggles between going in a random direction and edge cleaning until the battery runs low, then it goes to docks.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t have the resume function. So you will have to turn on the robot vacuum again if the battery runs pretty low and docks without unfinished aces.

The major cleaning brush of the Roomba 690 is the bristle and blade combination. It works well on various dirt like powder or oats on bare floors. However, the hair will wrap around it.

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The Roomba 960 is a segment of the Roomba 900 series robot vacuums and uses the iAdapt 2.0 navigation technology. This technology is a vast enhancement as it is more effective, unlike the 690, which goes in a random direction.

On top of that, an onboard camera sitting at a forty-five-degree angle continually snaps photos. As it takes photos, it looks for distinctive designs. The VSLAM then guides the vacuum to use these snapshots to store its location.

The iAdapt 2.0 is unique from the 3.0 version found in the I-series robot vacuum as it could not save maps. So it has got to begin over every single run.

Also read: Is iRobot Roomba 890 worth buying?

Here’s a Quick Overview of the 960 Underneath:

1. Side brush
2. Charging pins
3. Rubber wheels
4. Dust bin
5. Counter-rotating extractors, rubberized with no bristles
6. Drop sensors (in white boxes)

The iRobot includes a second sensor at the bottom side that detects the robot vacuum’s motion and also helps it monitor movement and direction. These two particular sensors help the vacuum cleaner function even in low-light, where other robot cleaners might struggle.

6 drop sensors help prevent this robot vacuum from damaging itself or damaging any part of it, falling from edges or stairs.

The task of cleaning falls on the 2 counter-rotating rubberized extractors, which will help suck up hair, dirt, and all sorts of dust. These fantastic rollers are much more resistant to tangles than the Roomba 690s more traditional brush.

Comparing the Roomba 690 vs. 960’s Dimension

Both robot vacuums have identical dimensions measuring 3.6″ tall and 13.8″ wide.

1. Filtration (AeroVac vs. AeroForce)

One more difference between the Roomba 960 bs. 690 would be the filtration besides that. The Roomba 600 series vacuums use the AeroVac technology, which consists of a blade and bristle brush combination and one curved filter.

All the Roomba robot vacuums before the 800 series utilize the AeroVac technology. If you look closely at the Roomba 690’s filter, there is not much density and any surface area. The 960 uses the newer AeroForce technology, which has a high-efficiency filter and bristle-less rollers.

Looking closely at those filters, it got more surface area, and the material is much denser. So it will do a better operation of keeping contaminants inside the dustbin.

Also read: What’s so fabulous about iRobot Roomba 860?

2. Cleaning Performance 

Roomba 690:

To understand how well the Roomba 690 cleans, we let it clean a tiny room with dirt strategically situated on different places in the edges, center, and corners. We let the robot vacuum run for about twenty-five minutes to try and also mimic a real-world configuration.

Doing this does 2 things. First, it is letting you know places that the robot vacuum will tend to miss. Secondly, it helps to measure cleaning performance in open places. Out of the forty grams of dust, the Roomba 690 sucked up 39 grams or 97%.

The 690 did well at picking up floor dirt on the carpets, such as pet hair, Fruit loops, and dust bunnies. It had a decent score in the deep cleaning carpet, sucking up 84% of embedded sand on the medium-pile carpet.

Roomba 960:

talking about the overall performance, Roomba 960 model entirely dominates over the 690 model, and why not? After all, better technology is used, and the model is smarter. Considering overall cleaning on the basis of price, still we’d say, go with 960 if you have bigger cleaning requirements, and yes, the 960 model is better value.

3. Usability

Roomba 690:

Out of the box, the 690 is much easier to use. You could begin using it without even charging it as it comes in loaded. All the main parts of the robot vacuum are already in place.

One part you will have to attach will be the side brush, but that is easy to connect with the Philips screwdriver. After deducting all the contents out of the box, plug the robot vacuum, charge it then hit the clean key.

The application is easy peasy to install. Just search for the iRobot Home app in the app store or scan the QR-code provided in the manual guide. All the Roomba robots use the same application, but functionality will be different depending on that model.

Roomba 960:

The 960, like the Roomba 690, is smooth to use from the box. Each thing comes pre-assembled, and that comes with the two major extractors and side brush. All you require to do is plug-in the charging station, charge the robot vacuum, and then clean. Do not forget to download the iRobot Home application to get access to all the features.

4. Maintenance 

How much Maintenance is required in Roomba 690?

There are jobs you require to do periodically for maintenance. These range from removing debris and hair caught up on to the roller brushes to deducting the side brush to deduct any hair that might wrap around it.

One more part that requires some TLC would be the filter. The iRobot suggests replacing it every 2 months. You will need to empty the dustbin after each cleaning operation, and once a week (twice if you’ve pets), provide the filter a thorough deep cleaning.

Take note that the filter of the Roomba 690 isn’t washable. To extend its life, you will have to utilize a brush to remove contaminants and dust that stick on the filter or use the handheld vacuum. You will also require to wipe down the 4 cliff sensors using the cotton buds.

How much Maintenance is required in Roomba 960?

Emptying the dustbin should be as frequent as what we mentioned up there in the case of the 690 models. Besides that, the filters don’t demand cleaning as frequently as that of the 690 models. Overall, the 960 model is a less maintenance vacuum, but nothing is wrong in taking care; oh yeah!

Also read: These testing results of iRobot Roomba 805 will shock you!

5. Run Time and Battery

Firstly, let’s know Roomba 690’s battery and run time:

The 1,800 mAh lithium-ion battery included in the Roomba 690 provides it a longer run time than the 650. Fully charged, it’ll run for about ninety mins. Recharging would take between 2 to 3 hours.

The runtime of the Roomba 690 is much longer than the expensive Roomba 960 since it has a much less powerful motor that does not consume as much power. One neat thing about owning a Roomba 690 is the availability of the parts.

Even If the battery dies, there are tons of choices from third-party and OEM brands. You could even opt for a much higher capacity battery without spending a ton. You could smoothly replace the 690 battery just by loosening 4 screws.

Now, here’s what you get in Roomba 960:

The 960 has a slightly larger lithium-ion battery at 2,600 mill amperes. It would run for only seventy-five minutes because it has a bigger motor.

But the shorter runtime is probably negated by the resume function where the robot vacuum continues cleaning after the charging if it doesn’t initially complete the job.

COMPARISON CHART

6. Performance 

How do these two robot vacuums compare on several surfaces and cleaning circumstances? Let’s take a look at their extraordinary performance.

Carpets

When it comes to cleaning the carpets in your home, both of these robot vacuums will do their task. The Roomba 690 will clean any throw, area rug, or wall-to-wall, which is low or medium-pile.

The Roomba 960 will also clean these carpet styles as well as high-pile carpet. The major difference is the suction performance and the rubber extractors of the Roomba 960 that perform much better than the Roomba 690 counterparts.

With some tangles and more power, the Roomba 960 is ultimate when it comes to cleaning carpets.

Hardwood Floors

These two robot vacuums are equally matched on the hardwood flooring. Both of these will take on any kind of hard flooring without issues. While the Roomba 960 has more suction, and it will clean in a more human-like method, the dust and debris collection is about equal.

Where the Roomba 690 falls short is when it comes to the softer surfaces. The bristles have been reported (although pretty rare) to leave tiny scratches on the softwood flooring and a few sealants.

Pet Hair Removal

Where the pet hair (or the human hair, string) is concerned, the Roomba 690 is no match for the capabilities of the Roomba 960.

The rubber extractors are pretty less likely to get tangled, snagged, or clogged with the pet hair, and when wrapped hair is happening, it takes a few seconds to remove.

On top of that, rubber paddles separate and lift pet hair with ease, permitting the robot to gather more hair and operate more thoroughly than the Roomba 690 could.

If you have shedding pets and require the additional cleaning of the rubber extractors, the Roomba 960 is the one and the only ideal choice for you.

Area Size

The size of your house will play a part in your perfect decision. For bigger homes, houses with so many rooms, or those which have a ton of floor-based obstacles (potted plants, lamps, etc.), the 960 is the best option.

With the Recharge & their Resume function, it does not really matter how big your floor plan is; the Roomba 960 would get the task done.

For tinier places such as condos, apartments, or single-family houses with few bedrooms, the Roomba 690 might be a better choice.

Instead of paying for runtimes and power you will not need or make use of, you could save a little bit of cash and buy the capable Roomba 690.

Tips for Using a Roomba

Daily use of your Roomba would keep it in tip-top shape. There are some other recommendations to help you get the most out of your robotic vacuum.

• Don’t cover the Roomba when it is in use (this means cats, too) or when it is recharging.
• Perform maintenance once a week.
• Run the robot vacuum every single day if possible. A minimum of 3 times per week is suggested for optimal battery life.
• Pick up any things the robot should not try to collect (toys, socks, etc.) before a cleaning operation.
• If you are away for a week or some more, place the robot vacuum in idle mode. Check the user manual guide for model-specific instructions.
• If you’ve fringe on your rugs, you should tuck them under the rug before the robot vacuum gets tangled in them.

Also read: What did we find superb about iRobot Roomba 805 Vs 880?

Roomba Maintenance Tips

It is critical for the longevity and performance of your robot vacuum that you’ve on a regular maintenance routine. The more diligent you’re with maintenance, the less likely you’re to have problems with the robot vacuum, and the longer your Roomba will last you.

• Clean the sensors and body once a week to prevent dirt build-up.
• Whenever you empty the dustbin, wipe it out with the help of a dry cloth and make sure you wipe off the sensors.
• Check the filter for tear and wear and replace it every four months.
• If the extractors become worn, you must replace them. The brush rollers of the Roomba 690 must last between twelve to eighteen months. The rubber extractors of the Roomba 960 should be replaced between fifteen to twenty-four months.
• The side brush would last a while, but it should be checked weekly. Replacement is recommended every nine months.

Troubleshooting Your Roomba

From time to time, there might be some issues with the device. When this happens, they’ll send out a trouble code. The Roomba 690 will beep at you when the Roomba 960 will beep as well as flash a trouble code icon in the LCD panel. The beeps or blinks will correspond to the problem at hand.

Use the chart below to identify which issue your Roomba has with recommendations on how to fix that particular issue.

The Verdict

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