Roomba 690 vs 960 – What is the difference Between Roomba Robot Vacuums?

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Overview

The direct answer to the question What is the difference between Roomba 690 and Roomba 960 is that Roomba 960 has more advanced features, especially the smart navigation system of Roomba 960 is very efficient, allowing the robot to learn the floorplan and optimize cleaning performance over time. Besides, Roomba 960 has HEPA filter, less-tangling brushless extractor, big dust bin (2 fold more than Roomba 690), lower noise level.

If possible, we highly recommend you to opt for the Roomba 960 over the 690. It can clean in dark environment, smarter and more effective when picking up hairs and clean thick carpets. In 2021, the Roomba 960 price is now very affordable.

On the contrary, the Roomba 690 is still a nice option if you are in a budget. This robot vacuum is suitable for homes with bare floors, thin carpet, wide areas (it can run up to 90 minutes), short hair and can be controlled via Alexa Voice. Despite being an older model and a bit hard to find, it continues to

However, if you are looking for an entry level Roomba, the iRobot Roomba 675 Robot Vacuum with Wi-Fi Connectivity is a good budget friendly price and much more readily available since it is still being made.

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Comparison chart of Roomba 690 vs 960 

Roomba 690Roomba 960
Mapping / Path planning noyes
Mapping Sensor Type ascouticcamera
Recharge & Resume noyes
Automatically Docks and Recharges yesyes
Noise Level 68 db62  db  
Side Brushes (one or two) 1 pcs1  pcs
Voice Prompts yesyes
   Cleaning Features
Suction Power 600 Pa900  Pa  
Сleaning Area 1292  ft 2  / 120  m 21615  ft2  / 150  m2
Home Size small, mediummedium, big
Cleaning Modes auto, spot cleaningauto, spot cleaning
Dustbin Capacity 600  ml600  ml
Wet Mopping no
Barrier-cross Height 0.63 in / 16 mm0.79  in  / 20  mm
HEPA Filter noyes
Сarpet Floor Types low-pile, medium-pilelow-pile, medium-pile
Bare Floor Types hardwood, marble tile, vynil, ceramic tile, laminate, linoleumhardwood, vynil, marble tile, ceramic tile, laminate, linoleum
  Battery
Battery Capacity 1800 mAh2600  mAh
Runtime 90 min75  min   (Works longer than 21% of robots)
Charging Time 120 min120  min
  Control
Scheduling yesyes
IR Remote Control nono
Wi-Fi / Smartphone App yesyes
Amazon Alexa Support yesyes
Google Assistant Support yesyes
Virtual Wall yesyes
  Sensors
Carpet Boost nono
Anti-drop / Cliff Sensor yesyes
Dirt Detect yesyes
Full Bin Indicator noyes
  Other Specifications
Robot Weight 7.72  lbs  / 3.5  kg8.38  lbs  / 3.8  kg
Robot Width 12.99  in  / 33  cm13.78  in  / 35  cm
Robot Height 3.66  in  / 9.3  cm3.50  in  / 8.9  cm
In the box charging station, line cord, extra filter, cleaning tool, owner’s guide, documentation package, dual-mode virtual wallcharging station, line cord, extra filter, cleaning tool, owner’s guide, documentation package, dual-mode virtual wall, extra side brush
Warranty 12  months12  months

Side-by-side comparison of Roomba 690 vs 960

The cleaning effectiveness of Roomba 690

Roomba 690 cleans bare floors surfaces and thin carpets very well. It is capable of picking hairs, however, Roomba 690 uses a couple of classic brush, causing the hair to tangle around. After cleaning for a while, you have to use scissors to cut the hair and remove manually.

When dealing with high traffic areas or large debris, Roomba 690 uses its Dirt Detect I sensors to concentrate cleaning. Because the Dirt Detect I technology is based on acoustic noise, you will notice the model will move around the area several times.

Because Roomba 690 uses a weak motor (600 Pa), it is unable to perform deep cleaning. If you have thick carpets, Roomba 690 may fail to clean fine dust, pet hair completely.

The cleaning effectiveness of Roomba 960

Roomba 960 cleans both bare floors and medium-pile carpets very well. The unit successfully picks up fine dust, pet hair, human hair, thanks to the use of a standard motor (900 Pa), combined with the brushless extractor. You will still have hair tangling issue with long hair, however, removing wrapped hair out of a brushless extractor is quite easy.

Unlike other series, the Roomba 960 model uses a VSLAM technology, a camera on the top of the robot, to record and identify the surrounding environment. This is the crucial advantage of Roomba 960. Thanks to the VSLAM, Roomba 960 can map the floor plan, enable quicker, more efficient cleaning by days when it is familiar with your floor plan.

The VSLAM also lets you clean in a dark environment which is a great benefit to users who live in some states during winter.

Usage benefits of Roomba 690

Roomba 690 is wifi connected. You can schedule cleaning on iRobot app via your smartphone.

Image Credit: iRobot

To limit the no-go zone, you can use the dual-mode virtual barrier included in the package.

Roomba 690 does have automatic recharging feature, but it does not have resume feature like Roomba 960.

You have to check for the dust bin of Roomba 690 manually because it does not have a full-bin indicator feature.

On overall, Roomba 690 works nicely if you have time to babysit the unit for a few cleaning processes to see its cleaning patterns, its issue and how to resolve it (for example, removing wire and cord, removing thick carpet, close the door and so on)

Usage benefits of Roomba 960

Roomba 960 has more advantages when talking about usability. The unit is wifi connected, Alexa skill and Google Assistant compatible. It has automatically recharged and resume feature. Therefore, the robot can clean for the whole floor until it finishes without the need for constant checking like Roomba 690.

Image Credit: iRobot

When dealing with medium pile carpets, the Robot will identify the surface and activate its carpet boost feature to give more suction power. Dirt, allergen, pet hair are trapped in a HEPA filter to ensure air quality. We highly recommend you to pick Roomba 960 if you have asthma or breathing problems.


Coupon for Roomba 960

When we last checked, we didn’t find any specific coupons for the Roomba 960. However, we often see it on sale at Amazon, especially around Black Friday and for the holidays.


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