Roborock or Roomba or Deebot? If you’ve ever asked yourself this question, this review is for you. In today’s comparison, we’ll try to examine three popular models of these companies – Roomba i7, Roborock S6, and Deebot N79, – and choose the best model.
Page Table of Contents
Roomba i7
Roomba i7 was presented in 2019 and won worldwide popularity all at once. The robot features several significant changes that make it a true flagship of the iRobot.
In comparison with the previous Roomba vacuums, iRobot Roomba i7 has improved and enlarged a double turbo brush. The counter-rotating silicone rollers provide a more complete contact with the floor surface regardless of its texture and catch even hair.
This modification of iRobot has a considerable suction power up to 1700 Pa and can work on any coatings. The bot notices the change of the surface and alters the suction as well as the mode. There are Auto, Spot, Edge, and Carpet Boost modes of cleaning. So the floor and the air in your dwelling will be perfectly safe and clean thanks to the suction and the high-quality three-stage HEPA filtration system.
The robot has just the 3300 mAh battery, which lasts for 75 minutes and recharges for 3 hours.
The robot also has an advanced navigation system provided by iAdapt 3.0 and vSLAM technologies. They allow the robot to avoid obstacles or hitting the furniture. For building a detailed map and systematical cleaning, the i7 uses Imprint Smart Mapping.
However, the most significant improvements affected the dustbin construction and emptying technology. The bin itself can contain no more than 400 ml of debris. But engineers added the so-called Automatic Dirt Disposal system to the dock station when the robot independently empties its dustbin from dirt. You’ll either have to buy the Clean Base additionally in the Roomba i7 or buy Roomba i7+ set with all the parts included.
You can run your device through the iRobot HOME app or devices compatible with Alexa and Google Assistants.
This robot is almost perfect as it can satisfy all requirements at the same time, staying fully independent and invisible.
Roomba i7 pros:
· well-thought-out turbo brush design
· high suction power
· HEPA filtering
· adaptation to the cleaning of any surfaces
· thoughtful navigation
· mapping of rooms
· app and voice control
· Dirt Disposal Base
Roomba i7 cons:
· small dustbin
· weak battery
· high price
Roborock S6
This year, the Xiaomi company returned to the market with the Roborock S6. The new model formed its base from the best characteristics of the previous Roborock S5 vacuum cleaner while adding advanced mapping control, restricted areas, and a more capacious battery. At the same time, the price of the new model remained impressively low.
Among the best qualities of the vacuum cleaner, we note outstanding performance. Powerful 2000 Pa suction and rotating brush ensure the best results and excellent dirt collection on hard floors and carpets.
The dustbin keeps 500 ml of dirt, and the HEPA filter separates dangerous particles. Besides, the robot is also capable of effective mopping. A moisturized microfiber cloth collects surface dirt and freshens the floor.
The Map Management 3.0 navigation system of this model will delight you too. Intelligent mapping based on the laser navigation allows the Roborock S6 to build a plan of your rooms and preform the cleaning route. Later you’ll be able to clean separate rooms or selected areas as well as create restricted areas and set virtual barriers. Primary support for Amazon Alexa and Google assistants allows you to control the cleaning by voice commands.
A powerful battery provides more than 120 minutes of battery life in various modes, which is enough for houses up to 129 sq. Meters.
Roborock S6 pros:
· vacuuming and mopping modes
· an improved set of brushes
· high suction
· powerful battery
· laser navigation
· Mapping technology
· mobile app and voice control
· silent work
Roborock S6 cons:
· very similar to Roborock S5 model
· mopping may be inefficient in the case of complicated pollutions
· small dustbin
Deebot N79
Deebot N79 is an excellent representative of the budget models. Even though it doesn’t feature some hi-tech innovations, this bot possesses the basic functions. If you’re looking for something simple and cheap but effective, try this robot.
The vacuum applies the three-stage cleaning system with one central roller and two side brushes. The dirt is accumulated in the 300 ml dustbin. The suction depends on the chosen mode, which is the Auto mode for general cleaning, Spot mode for the determined area, Single Room mode to remove dirt in one room, and Edge mode for walls and baseboards. The maximum power is 900 Pa.
The navigation is limited by cliff sensors that prevent risks of falling from stairs and other elevations. Room cleaning is performed through Smart Motion technology. The N79 cleans rooms of any shape and size, completing repetitive and random passes.
Like all modern robot vacuums, Deebot N79 filters the air and provides autonomous recharging. The battery needs 180 minutes to replenish energy, later giving 100 minutes of runtime.
ECOVACS App broadens the remote control over the vacuum with its schedule, tracking, status, and alert notifications, as well as battery life, accessories replacement, and so on. But mind that the manufacturer didn’t provide this model with voice control support.
Deebot N79 will be most effective in small and medium dwellings up to 120 sq. meters. We recommend to use it on hard floors and low-pile carpets.
Deebot N79 pros:
· very compact case
· effective brushes
· several cleaning modes
· nice suction
· HEPA filter
· powerful battery
· mobile app control
Deebot N79 cons:
· small dustbin
· very weak navigation
· no voice control
· no virtual walls
Design, Size, and Dimensions
All three robots have round black plastic cases.
The most compact and light robot is Deebot N79. It measures record 12.9×3.1 inches, which means it can pass into any place and under the lowest furniture. The vacuum cleaner’s weight is 6.17 pounds.
Roomba i7 has a bit bigger but still quite comfortable dimensions. Its width and height are 13.31×3.62 inches, while the item weight is 7.28 pounds.
Roborock S6 turns out to be the biggest and heaviest of the three models, with its 13.8×3.8 inches and 7,94 pounds.
The review of the navigation systems shows the considerable difference between the vacuums.
Being one of the best and the most expensive models of their companies, Roomba i7 and Roborock S6 apply the most thorough navigation technologies. Aside from cliff and hit sensors, the Roomba uses the iAdapt 3.0, Imprint Smart Mapping, and vSLAM functions of building a room map.
Roborock S6 has the same mapping technology called Map Management 3.0 and laser navigation. These features help the robots analyze and remember up to several floors by rooms, their names, and location.
Unfortunately, Deebot N79 is significantly inferior to its opponents in the question of navigation. The only system it uses is sensor-based random orientation. Such an approach decreases both cleaning effectiveness and control opportunities.
Roborock S6 and Roomba i7 also work with virtual walls. The i7 supports both magnetic barriers and limiters put on the map. The S6 makes it possible to set restrictive zones through the app. Deebot N79 doesn’t give us one of the options.
Dirt Detection
Roomba i7 is equipped with the Dirt Detect function. This robot can analyze the degree of pollution and enhance the efforts to guarantee the best result in the shortest period.
The other two vacuum models don’t use the Dirt Detection, but Roborock S6 has the Carpet Boost mode to cope better with carpets.
Filter System
All three vacs clean no only the floor, but also the air. So they can literally save you from many dangerous consequences of breathing with dust such as asthma, allergies, suffocation, respiratory diseases, etc. The vacuum cleaners use HEPA filters and keep up to 99.97% of particles.
Connectivity
Roomba i7, Roborock S6, and Deebot N79 can be run by traditional and innovative ways. The first and the plainest method is running with the help of mechanical buttons on the cases. But to give us more opportunities and freedom, all manufacturers added Wi-Fi connection to their devices and created mobile apps, where one can change settings and perform remote control over the robot.
Nowadays, almost all modern robot vacuum cleaners support smart speakers such as Amazon Alexa and Google Voice Assistant to allow the users to give voice commands. So do the Roomba and Roborock. Deebot N79 turns out to be not so innovative and doesn’t support this type of connection.
Suction Power
Of the three robots, Roborock S6 wins the title of the most powerful vacuum cleaner. Not only does it reach 2000 Pa suction, but it also can increase the efforts during carpet cleaning. Carpet Boost and other modes contribute to the effectiveness and energy/time-saving.
Roomba i7 also possesses one of the greatest suction with its 1700 Pa. Such suction works in Carpet Boost mode.
Deebot N79 is the weakest robot of the three, but in comparison with the average suction of the budget vacuums, its 900 Pa can be called sufficient for thorough cleaning. It would hardly cope with high-piled carpets or pet hair, but perform delicate vacuuming of hard floors and low carpets.
Run Time
Roborock S6 is equipped with a powerful 5200 mAh battery. It is enough to provide 150 minutes of vacuuming and 50 minutes of mopping. Recharging will also take 150 minutes.
Roomba i7 has a smaller 3300 mAh battery. Frankly speaking, the runtime is a weak point of the model, as 75 minutes are not what you expect from a vacuum for $500. Thus, Deebot N79 uses only 2600 mAh battery, but it gives us up to 100 minutes of work. The i7 needs two hours to recharge. The Deebot recharging takes 180 minutes.
Dustbin Indicator
Roborock and Deebot vacs don’t have Full Bin Indicators to inform the users about the degree of fullness of the dustbins. And if the S6 has a 500 ml container and needs rather rare emptying, then Deebot N79 contains as little as 300 ml, which means you’ll have to clean the bin after every cleaning session or even during it.
Unlike the opponents, Roomba i7 is equipped with the Full Bin Indicator. And as we’ve mentioned above, it also can empty the 400 ml bin itself on a special Auto Dirt Disposal Base.
Noise
One of the main improvements in Roborock S6 is its noise level. This vacuum is considered to be one of the Xiaomi quietest models as it works by producing no more than 50 decibels. Even at Carpet Boost mode, it’ll stay silent.
Deebot N79 noise level reaches 64 decibels. It’s a standard level for the majority of vacuums that is quite comfortable for human hearing.
And surprise, surprise, Roomba i7 becomes the loudest vacuum of our review. This vacuum cleaner has a noise level of 68 decibels, but users note that the greatest noise happens during self-emptying. The rest of the time, it produces the same 64 decibels.
Accessories
Aside from the robot, the Roomba i7 kit includes a charging dock, non-American line cord, dual-mode virtual barrier, one additional HEPA filter, extra side brush, and 12-month warranty.
Roborock S6 provides a charging dock, a power cable, one 160 ml water tank, mop, 2 mopping pads,10 disposable wipes, and a 24-month warranty card.
Deebot N79 includes a docking station, one remote control, 4 side brushes, a power adapter, and a 12-month warranty.
Tests on different types of floors
Tests on various types of surfaces show that each robot easily copes with hard floor cleaning. At the same time, Roborock S6 has some advantages, as it can additionally carry out mopping.
As for carpets, we see a different situation here. Roomba i7 and Roborock S6 show perfect cleaning even on high pile thanks to the initially powerful suction and Carpet Boost technology.
And the Deebot N79 model is suitable only for use on low carpets, as its power and functionality don’t allow it to extract dirt from the more complicated coating.
Conclusion
So, which robot offers better value for you – Roomba or Roborock or Deebot? Based on the considered characteristics and comparison, we concluded that Roborock S6 would be the best option. This vacuum cleaner combines the excellent quality of the flagship model, the most advanced technologies, a 2-in-1 cleaning system (vacuuming and mopping), and an affordable price of $450.
The Roomba i7 model will cost you a little more, even though for the money, you get less suction, less battery life, and more noise. However, the Automatic Dirt Disposal function, Dirt Detection, and Full Bin Indicator are true advantages of this model.
Deebot N79 is a representative of a completely different class of vacuum cleaners. As we saw from the review, it’s equipped with the most necessary minimum of functions and cannot boast of any innovations.
Anyway, it doesn’t really need them. This $170 robot can handle the cleaning of small homes and is suitable for those who are looking for simplicity and quality. However, it’s worth noting that today, for the same money, you can buy a device with a broader set of functions. But, as they say, it’s a matter of taste.
