When it comes to robot vacuum cleaners, iRobot is considered an industry leader. Thanks to the many models available from the company in all market segments. It was also among the first companies to sell robot vacuums hence buyers were exposed to their products first before other robot manufacturers came into the picture.
Today, we will compare the iRobot Roomba e6 6198 and the Roomba 980. Both these robots are made by iRobot, and they are quite popular in the mid to high-range section. If you are unsure which of these to get, keep reading to find out the differences and any similarities between these two models.
Design
Roomba 980
This Roomba is made using the familiar design we have come to expect from iRobot. It is round in shape, but the top looks a bit different. In addition to the three familiar buttons, there’s a small camera for the Visual Localization technology.
The dust bin is at the back, and it has three wheels and one spinning edge sweeping brush to sweep dirt and debris from areas where the rubber brushes can’t reach. The wheels are large enough to enable the Roomba to climb onto your carpet and go over small obstacles with ease.
Roomba e6 6198
The Roomba e6 on the other hand has a round shape, but the overall design looks more simple than the Roomba 980. The top of this robot also comes with three buttons for cleaning, docking, and spot cleaning.
The dust bin is founded on the back of the device. It comes with two rubber brushes that rotate in the opposite direction to dislodge any dirt and debris from the floor so it can be sucked up by the vacuum. This Roomba also has one edge spinning brush and large wheels that help it overcome obstacles.
Conclusion: Both these Roombas come with the familiar round design, but the 980 looks more sophisticated than the e6.
However, when it comes to how it all affects the function, they are all pretty much similar. However, the 980 comes with a navigation camera that we will discuss thoroughly below.
Battery Life
Roomba 980
Battery life is the principal component of a robot vacuum, and the Roomba 980 does not disappoint. It comes with a Lithium-ion battery that will clean continuously for 2 hours before running out of juice.
If your home is too large to be cleaned in 2 hours, this robot will detect when the battery is running low and go back to the charging dock for a charge before resuming the cleaning job from where it had stopped.
Roomba e6 6198
Like the 980, this Roomba also comes with a Lithium-ion battery. However, the battery on this Roomba will give you a runtime of 90 minutes before you need to recharge. It will also go back to the charging dock when the battery runs low, but it does not resume cleaning if it stopped halfway because of a low battery.
Conclusion: The Roomba 980 is a clear winner here because of the longer runtime and the ability to recharge and resume cleaning on large cleaning jobs. However, this is only important if you have a large house with large rooms.
If your home can be cleaned in less than 90 minutes, there will be no significant difference between these two Roombas.
Sensors
Roomba 980
Sensors help the robot vacuum get around in your home and prevent accidents from happening, so they are pretty important in the operation of your Roomba. The 980 comes with several sensors. It has the standard anti-collision sensors that prevent it from running into obstacles, anti-drop sensors that detect edges and prevent it from falling off the top of the staircase, and a camera for Visual Navigation technology.
This technology is part of iRobot’s iAdapt 2.0 Navigation where robots take images of your home as it cleans and builds a virtual map of your home so it can keep track of its location by recalling objects along its cleaning path.
Roomba e6 6198
The e6 also comes with some sensors that include anti-collision and anti-drop sensors. It does not come with a camera for navigation, but it does a decent job finding its way around your home. Although it might occasionally get lost, most of the time it will be able to clean and find its way back to the charging dock.
Conclusion: Both these robots come with sensors that make them smart enough to move around your home without causing any damage.
Both can also connect to Wi-Fi to give you notifications on your smartphone and even more options for controlling the vacuums. They also come with dual-mode virtual wall barriers that can be used to keep the robots from certain areas of your home.
The 980 does a better job finding its way around your home thanks to the Visual Navigation technology.
Suction
Roomba 980
The quality of the cleaning job done by any vacuum will be determined by the amount of suction it can develop. The Roomba 980 comes with the AeroForce Cleaning System gives the vacuum 10x more air power. It also comes with Power Boost technology that will detect when the vacuum goes over a carpet and increase the suction for deeper cleaning.
Roomba e6 6198
The e6 also comes with a decent amount of suction. According to iRobot, this vacuum comes with 5x more suction clean hard floors and deep clean carpets.
Conclusion: The Roomba 980 comes with more vacuum power, but that does not mean that the e6 will do a mediocre job. It makes up for the slightly lower suction with a movable cleaning head and brushes that do a great job working on different types of debris on different floor types.
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How Smart is It?
Let’s finish this comparison by looking at how smart these robots are.
The iRobot Roomba 980 Robot Vacuum will connect to your home Wi-Fi and allow you to set schedules and customize your cleaning preferences. It also allows voice controls through an Amazon Alexa device or the Google Assistant.
The Roomba e6 6198 is also a Wi-Fi enabled device hence it will also connect to your home Wi-Fi network and allow you to control the vacuum remotely, set cleaning schedules, and get alerts when something goes wrong.
You can also connect to an Amazon Alexa device or Google Assistant and give voice controls to the robot.
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