Roomba 650 vs 690 Reviews, Differences, & a Comparison Chart

You might have seen our other pieces about the high-end series of roombas such as the one about the 800 or 900 series but this time we thought of bringing you something a little different. In this article, we are going to be talking about two roombas from the 600 series. There is a little known fact about the 600 series which is that it is largely responsible for the success that iRobot got from their roombas. The 600 series stands in the middle in terms of price and features which is why it is still such a popular series of roombas. It allows people to get a taste of what owning a good roomba can be like and the models in the series are dependable enough that they are still in demand to this day. This piece will focus on the Roomba 650 vs 690, both great roombas in their own regards, but deserving a little more attention to their finer points. That is why we will get down to brass tacks, show you exactly what is common in both the Roomba 650 vs 690 and what differences you can expect when you use either of them.

iRobot Roomba 650 vs 690 Comparison Chart:

This helpful comparison chart will give you a quick overview of what to expect from these roombas and what features and drawbacks you can expect from them.

Features	iRobot ROOMBA 650	iRobot ROOMBA 690
3 Stage Cleaning	X	X
Multi Surface Cleaning	X	X
Wi-Fi		X
Automatic Battery Recharge	X	X
Virtual Walls	1	1
Dirt Detect Technology	X	X
Price	Click to Check Price	Click to Check Price

Common Features:

These common features listed below do not reflect the whole 600 line. These features are only common to the 650 and the 690. Through these common features, you’ll get to see why these two were so popular when they came out and why they are still in high demand.

3 Stage Cleaning System:

The 3 stage cleaning system is a patented feature that is included in all of the roombas that comes from iRobot. This feature is the reason why roombas are so popular because it enables them to clean efficiently every time. The 3 stage cleaning system is divided as such. The first stage is called the agitation stage which enables the roomba to dislodge all the dirt, dust, and debris that is lying around on one of the multiple types of floors that the roomba may come across in your home. The agitation stage is an incredibly important one as it is the reason why roombas are so effective at cleaning. It allows the roomba to remove the dirt and dust from any type of material without scoring it in any way. That means that it can handle any type of flooring, from hardwood to carpet.

The second stage that takes place is the brush stage. The agitation stage works well against large pieces of debris and dirt but the brush stage is effective against the smaller pieces of dust that may be found lying around your home. The brush stage is particularly effective on any surface that hides dust such as carpet. It forces the surface to remove all of the dust and prepares all of the dirt, debris, and dust for the final suction stage. The suction stage is exactly that, it sucks in all the dirt, dust, and debris that was dislodged and brushed, and collects it inside the roomba’s collection bag. This 3 stage cleaning system is why the roomba is so effective at cleaning because it makes sure that every time it cleans, it does its best.

Triple Brush Action:

Both of these roomba models feature 3 individual brushes that have very important roles. These 3 brushes can be divided into two parts. The first is the Dual Multi-Surface Brushes that are located on the underside of the roomba. These brushes make up a main part of the roombas cleaning activities. These multi-surface brushes allow the roomba to clean all surfaces equally. The fact that there are two brushes that work in unison is actually an important one because they allow the roomba to clean more effectively than if these two brushes worked separately. These brushes make sure that everything under the roomba becomes clean no matter what. The brushes also have the unique quality which allows them to clean without leaving behind a trace which means that they won’t leave behind marks or scratches when the roomba is operating.

The edge brush is nothing to ignore either, it has a very important purpose. It is the brush that is responsible for all the corners that the roomba comes across. The edge brush has been specifically built to clean the areas the underside brushes cannot reach. The edge brush allows the roomba to clean the corners of rooms, edges of furniture, and everything else that is generally a hassle to clean with a standard vacuum cleaner. This way it really makes your life easier because it can get to hard to clean places with ease.

Related Article: iRobot Roomba Comparison

Powerful Vacuum Suction:

The roomba would not be complete without the suction that it holds. The different thing about the vacuum suctions that roombas sport is that the suction is much more powerful than the suctions that you would find on normal vacuums. It has been purposely built to be able to suction up the immense quantity of dirt, dust, and debris that the roomba liberates from the floor. The suction is also made to handle all the forms of surfaces that the roomba is expected to work on. That’s why the roomba is able to suck up all the debris that it cleans as the suction is built for it.

Automatic Adjustable Cleaning Head:

All the brushes that the roomba has are actually connected to an adjustable cleaning head that automatically changes according to the surface that it cleans. This is less reliant on what the material of the floor is but rather what shape it is in. That allows the roomba to seamlessly transition from one type of surface to the other. An example would make this clearer. Since the roomba houses brushes instead of just a vacuum it has to scrub the floor. It would not be effectively able to clean the floor if the brushes were either too far above or too close to the surface that it is cleaning. The adjustable cleaning head allows the roomba to adjust according to the surface that it is cleaning and always clean it as effectively as possible. This adjustable cleaning head is an important feature that can still be found even in the latest roomba models because of how effective it is.

Automatic Recharge:

Roombas run on a rechargeable battery that can only work for a few hours at a time. To truly make the roomba automatic iRobot introduced an automatic recharge feature that allows the roomba to know when its power is running low. Once it gets the prompt that it needs it immediately rushes to the charging dock that comes with all roombas. It then recharges its battery to the maximum and gets ready for the next time you plan on using it.

iAdapt Navigation:

iAdapt navigation is a technology that takes advantage of all the sensors that are found on the roomba. Roombas actually have a bunch of audio and visual sensors located on its body. These sensors help the roomba navigate and allow it to map out the room so that it can reduce the chances of bumping into walls and furniture. The iAdapt technology that the roomba hosts is responsible for all of this. It takes all the information from the sensors and tells the roomba exactly where there is something and where there isn’t. This helps the roomba to be able to move freely and clean better than it would without this navigation technology.

Dirt Detection Technology:

Both the 650 and the 690 have dirt detection capabilities which allow them to tell exactly where there is dirt and where there isn’t. This is accomplished through the sensors that can be found on and all around the roomba. These sensors tell the roomba where the surface may seem uneven because of dirt and the roomba goes to those places in order to clean them. That is also the reason for the uneven and seemingly random way that roombas clean.

Related Article: Best Robot Vacuums 2019

Scheduling:

Both of these roombas are advanced enough that they can be set according to specific schedules. This scheduling allows you to set the roomba to clean at a specific time each day. Therefore you can have the roomba clean when you’re at work. This allows you to remove the impact your physical location has on the roombas work. It doesn’t matter where you go, the roomba will always clean at the time that you set it at.

Virtual Walls:

Both of these models are capable of recognizing and avoiding any virtual walls that you place. That means that as many virtual walls you put down they will avoid them. For those that are uninitiated, virtual walls is a technology that is unique to roombas. This technology involves sensors that are located on the roomba as well as a device that emits an ultraviolet light that is invisible to the naked eye. When this light is detected by the roomba it avoids the light and acts as if there is a wall in front of it. This technology is really useful because it allows you to ‘create’ walls where none exist.  This way you can control where the roomba cleans and can thus have it focus on one area whenever you want to.

iRobot Roomba 650 Features, Drawbacks, and Review

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The first, most appealing feature about the 650 is the price. Right now on Amazon, you can find the roomba for sale at around $200. That is a great price for a roomba like this one. The amount of features coupled with a good battery life makes this roomba a great purchase.  There is only one difference in features, but it is one that may be too advanced for a lot of people.

One huge drawback to the price, however, is that this model will rarely be found in brand new condition. The company has discontinued the manufacture of these units, instead, it is refurbishing the old units that people trade-in for a new one. They do an excellent job and make the unit so that you can’t even tell the difference but the knowledge that an electronic was pre-owned scares me. It may be an unnatural fear but the fact remains that iRobot wouldn’t have replaced every single part otherwise they would just sell new ones. So you will rarely find brand new 650s on sale. Other than that drawback there isn’t anything that I can say against the 650.

With all of these things in mind, I would still give the 650 an 8 out of 10. The fact that most of them are refurbished makes little difference because of the low price that this model is available for as well as the fact that you can get a 90-day warranty on the product for free makes me sure that the 650 is deserving of the 8.

iRobot Roomba 690 Features, Drawbacks, and Review

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There is a complex feature that cannot be found on the 650 but can be found on the 690. That feature is that of Wi-Fi connectivity, a feature that allows you to control the roomba wherever you go. This technology allows the roomba to be able to connect to Alexa or the Google Home Assistant and through that, you can control it over Wi-Fi. That means you can start and stop the roomba whenever you want, check to see if the battery is running low, or even check to see if the collection bag is full. This feature can come in handy a lot because it allows you complete control and freedom to dictate the way the roomba behaves all the time.

There are two main drawbacks that become apparent in the 690. The first is the fact that the filters it has are nothing special. The filters are good but they aren’t HEPA filters which brings us to the second drawback, the price. At this price, you expect it to at least have HEPA filters, a necessity for people with allergies. If you have dust allergies then this roomba is not suitable for you because when you clean the collection tray it is sure to trigger an allergic reaction.

Other than the two things the 690 is a great piece of technology. If you don’t have allergies then you should definitely check out the roomba. It has a ton of great features that can make cleaning the house a breeze. The price may put you off a little but if you spend a lot of time away from the house then the Wi-Fi connectivity feature is definitely something that you should look into.

Our Pick – The iRobot Roomba 690

This time we would have to go with the 690. The fact that most of the units for the 640 are pre-owned scared us a little. I personally would like to have a brand new electronics because it is a trust thing. It is a matter of confidence and if I can’t rely on something that I expect to work for years then I might as well not buy the thing. That is a big reason why the 690 is our pick. The extra features also make up a fair share of why we went with the 690.

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