Roomba 960 vs 880 Reviews, Differences, and a Comparison Chart
In this article, we are going to have a comparative review of the iRobot Roomba 960 vs 880 models.
The purpose of this comparison is to learn about the compatibilities, pros, and cons of each of these bots. If you are looking to buy an iRobot for your home, then this blog will help you in making an informed decision. Let’s begin by listing a brief comparison chart that describes the details in a much more understandable manner.
Comparison Chart: Roomba 960 vs 880
| Features | iRobot ROOMBA 880 | iRobot ROOMBA 960 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 13.9 x 13.9 x 3.6-inches | 13.8 x 13.8 x 3.6-inches |
| Weight | 8.4-pounds | 8.6-pounds |
| Battery Lifespan | 1hr to 1.30 hour | 1.30hr Lifespan |
| Accessories | 1 Extra Filter, 2 Virtual Wall Lighthouses | 1 Extra Filter, 1 Virtual Wall Lighthouse |
| Navigation Through Rooms | X | X |
| Wi-Fi & App connectivity | X | |
| Scheduling Facility | Automatic Scheduling Feature | Automatic Scheduling Feature |
| Cleaning System | 3-Stage Aero Force System | 3-Stage Aero Force System |
The chart described above highlights the differences and similarities between Roomba 880 and 960. Looking at it should give you a sufficient idea which iRobot might be more suited to your needs.
Having had a look at the comparison chart, we now proceed to discuss each of these robots in more detail. We’ll begin by looking at the differences leading to further viewpoints.
Key Differences Between Roomba 880 And Roomba 960
Cleaning
The cleaning performance is typically a point of contention on all Roomba product reviews, as Roomba robots offer varying degrees of cleaning ability.
By comparison with older devices, the Roomba 960 model happens to have a lower suction power than the Roomba 980. With only 5 times airpower, Roomba 960 has half of the airpower as compared to the 980. However, the difference is not really noticeable when cleaning different surfaces.
Roomba 880, on the other hand, has 5x less cleaning power. This robot’s cleaning performance is still good for common household surfaces, though.
Navigation Feature
iRobot’s products are famous for their iAdapt navigation system. The significance of this system is that it effectively covers both Roomba 960 and Roomba 880. However, there still are differences in the way these two robots employ this new navigation system.
The newer model has a better visual localization which facilitates better navigation. So Roomba 880’s navigation is less advanced as compared to a newer Roomba 960.
Duration Of Battery Life
It is true that Roomba 880 has a better battery duration and lifespan in comparison to the previous models. However, newer iRobot models have clearly taken the lead. Roomba 960 offers a far greater battery lifespan than the 880. The former Roomba model has a highly durable Lithium-ion battery which can last for well over 120 minutes! This battery lifespan is fairly more than the 880 model that can only last up to 90 minutes at best.
RELATED ARTICLE: 11 Best Robot Vacuums 2019 [DEEBOT vs ROOMBA vs SHARK]
The Design
When it comes to beauty, everyone wants to own a robot that performs with brilliance and has an elegant appearance. It is a natural desire to aim for a cleaning product that, in addition to being able to blend well with the furniture settings of a building, looks attractive and elegant.
When it comes to beautiful designs, fortunately, both Roomba 960 and 880 have impressive and attractive designs that are also visibly different from each other. The décor of your room will improve to a great degree when you have either of these robots workings in the area. One of these robots has a brownish gradient, whereas the other one comes with a classy, stylish black finish.
Accessories
Both Roomba 880 and 960 come with accessories that are not the same. However, it is worth noting that the two devices have ‘Extra Virtual Walls’ as a common accessory accompanying them.
Having had a brief consideration of the differences between the two robots, let’s now proceed to review each of the robots separately before announcing a verdict.
Review: Roomba 880
For those interested in buying a Roomba 880 for their homes or offices, here’s what you need to know.
Features
Let’s begin by recounting certain features that Roomba 880 offers. This iRobot is equipped with the power to clean more than one room at a time. That’s one of its many incredible features. Roomba 880 also has the capability of self-charging and a working scheduling system that can be programmed easily.
Just like other Roomba products, the Roomba 880 also comes with the 3-stage cleaning system. Additionally, this Roomba also comes with tangle-free AeroForce extractors. These extractors are why this device is reckoned as a brushless robot vacuum. Since both these technologies are highly efficient in terms of servicing, this is the reason why they are placed on almost every iRobot. The 880 can easily suck all types of small debris without any difficulty.
It is also worth mentioning that this device uses highly efficient filters. However, these filters cannot be washed. Keep that in mind.
Vacuum
The iRobot 880 is indeed a high-end vacuum cleaner. It is the second most sophisticated device launched by the iRobot brand. At an iRobot store, this vacuum cleaner can be bought for $699.99! When you are using this device, you are liberated from the worries of charging it as it is capable of self-charging. The Roomba 880’s multiple-room navigation features allow it to efficiently clean up to three rooms comfortably.
This device has a strong vacuum cleaning facility as it has an iRobot X-Life extended battery life. The Roomba 880 is truly a great mixture of outstanding features.
The Design
With a weight of 8.4-pounds, the Roomba 880 is a cute and highly efficient vacuum cleaner. The device has an elegant design and very stylish features. It is 3.6-inches in height and has a width of 13.9-inches with a black finish. The Roomba 880 comes with a carrying handle so that you are able to transport it to any location easily.
In terms of style, the Roomba 880 is not very different from iRobot’s current design pattern. This device gives you a rounded look and comes with a power button fixed in the middle. The design structure of the Roomba 880 goes on to suggest that the manufacturers are largely interested in keeping their tradition of Roomba’s minimalist design, and sturdy construction.
Usability
Easy usability is one of the many great things about the Roomba 880. All you need to do is to set the device on spot clean, regular clean, or your own schedule. It’ll do the job just fine. There are certain accessories that you can rely on to ensure the smooth usability of the Roomba 880.
The 880 doesn’t really need to be supervised too strictly. As a matter of fact, this device is fairly self-sufficient requiring little to no interaction from you. For further accessibility, you are also allowed to use a remote to control the robot.
Performance
In terms of performance, the 880 is just great. It has built-in sensors that can function flawlessly. There are cliff sensors that ensure that the device doesn’t come anywhere near the stairs to prevent from falling. These cliff sensors work excellently every time the Roomba gets near to an edge. Users can also use virtual walls or lighthouses so that the device is confined only to the areas that you want to visit.
General Review And Description
When experts and shoppers were asked to give their opinion of the Roomba 880, the machine earned an amazing rating of 8.7! Its score was high in terms of being proficient in cleaning hardwood floors. Moreover, the Roomba 880 also scored fairly high in terms of ease of operations and programming. When it came to durability, the device scored 9.6 comparte to an average of 9.0!
However, its performance was not very impressive on noise levels and maneuverability.
Check Best Price of Roomba 880
Final Opinion on Roomba 880
If you are looking for reliability and durability in a vacuum cleaner, then the Roomba 880 is truly a great recommendation. Since the device is easy to program and can be used with a handy remote, the Roomba 880 is an ideal device for households with busy schedules.
Having had a review of the Roomba 880, let us now proceed to the second device Roomba 960.
Review: Roomba 960
This device is the company’s one of the elite offerings and the device is inclusive of features such as Wi-Fi connectivity, navigation through a camera, smartphone app controllability, and voice control. Let’s look at the device in a more detailed manner.
Design Of Roomba 960
All the successive generations of the Roomba robots have been designed on more or less the same pattern as the first-generation Roomba robots. However, the successive Roomba robots are an improvement on the previous models in terms of specifications and features.
This device is 13.8 x 3.6-inches into measurement with a weight of about 8.5lbs. One can clearly notice a huge ‘clean’ button that is eminently fixed between the ‘spot cleaning’ and ‘home’ buttons on the top of the device. These buttons allow users to manually handle the vacuum cleaner. However, using hands-free methods could be more advantageous. The Roomba 960’s navigation is made easier by a camera that is embedded at the device’s front. Also, one could use the dustbin that is attached to its back.
Hurdle-Free Functionality
The smoothness of the device is one of the most prominent features that make it highly useful. When you are using the Roomba 960, it will barely hit an object. The device never tries to roll over anything that clutters its path. The sensors will detect the object, allowing the Roomba 960 to come up with the best possible way to do the cleaning around it.
In buildings with multiple floor types, the Roomba smoothly transits from one type of floor to another. The device is capable of going from the lip between the hardwood entryway and the living-room carpet without facing any challenge.
Users can put in place the vacuum cleaner’s ‘Virtual Wall Barrier’ to prevent it from going into the areas that you don’t want it to clean. This wall barrier emits a cone-shaped barrier that is visible only to the Roomba. In other words, the Roomba 960 features excellent functionality free of obstacles and hurdles.
Duration Of Battery & Controlling Through Mobile
The Roomba 960 has the ability to operate between 70 to 75 minutes on a single charge. If the cleaning is pending, and the battery runs low, the device returns to the dock for a recharge and gets back to the job once the charging is finished. This goes on until there is no more cleaning to be done.
Generally, the cleaning span of a traditional space is about 45 to 60 minutes. That also depends on how dirty the floor is. The Roomba has a dust bin attached to its bath which keeps filling during the vacuuming process. If it is filled before the cleaning is over, the device notifies the owner through a phone alert.
The user can then pause the cleaning from the app, clear the dust bin and then resume the cleaning process. All can be done from the application on the smartphone. If you have placed the cleaning pass to automatic, the Roomba device will be able to successfully do the cleaning of areas such as downstairs flooring, picking up debris, etc.
RELATED ARTICLE: 13 Best iRobot Roomba Models to Buy – COMPARE ROOMBA MODELS
Multi-Stage Cleaning
Just as its predecessors, the Roomba 960 comes equipped with the AeroForce 3-stage cleaning ability. For all practical reasons, this capability is the same as the one in the 800 series. However, the only difference is that in Roomba 960, this is far more powerful than it was in the older models of the Roomba.
The device is capable of producing 5 times air suction power. This allows it to suck in hard-to-eliminate pet hair or debris. There are two rubber brushes extractors which enable the device to generate this much power. This iRobot includes side-spinning brushes which facilitate the cleaning of the edges so that your rug fringe and general edge dirt problems are taken care of.
Strong Optical Sensors
Just like the Roomba 800 series, strong optical sensors are also installed in the Roomba 960. There are also acoustic sensors. These powerful sensors enable the Roomba to differentiate between the rug and the hardwood floor.
Though this device also has a persistent pass but the Roomba 960 has a straight-line pattern to follow. The manufacturer’s update is why this happens. In addition to having tracking sensors, iRobot 960 also features vSLAM technology which enables the device to better its cleaning efficiency.
Check Best Price of Roomba 960
Final Verdict
If you are looking for a vacuum cleaner which is capable of cleaning an entire level, there is very little chance you will find something better than the iRobot models. This amazing capability comes in addition to the iRobot’s strength to efficiently clean multiple floors with different surfaces. Whether you need the Roomba to clean a black carpet or you want it for removing a rug’s filth.
The fact that these Roomba’s can support Wi-Fi connected remote control using an Android or iOS-enabled device should be a sufficient reason for you to get them.
Even though both Roomba 880 and 960 are advanced level vacuum cleaners, there are still differences between them. Being the most newly introduced iRobot device on the market, the Roomba 960 is more reliable and better as compared to the Roomba 880.
We think so because, despite being equipped with the same accessories, the Roomba 960 has capabilities to perform the cleaning with much greater force and strength when compared to the older Roomba 880.
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