What’s the difference between iRobot Roomba i7+ & s9+?

Considering a robot vacuum, and in particular one from iRobot? They’re one of the major brands when it comes to robot floor cleaning technology. Their two most recent models are the Roomba s9+ and the Roomba i7+ but how can you choose between them?

What’s the difference between iRobot Roomba i7+ & s9+?

We’ll take a look at some of the differences between these two devices to help you make a smart choice when it comes to automated home cleaning.

Roomba s9+ vs Roomba i7+ : Both come with base station

First off it’s worth pointing out these robots both come with a base station The Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal that acts as both a charging dock and an automated garbage bin. (That’s what the “+” indicates. You can get both Roombas without the bin for a lower price; you’ll find those listed as merely s9 and i7 models.)

The Base will automatically empty your robot’s onboard dust bin when it’s full by returning to the doc and activating the empty cycle. This is a very convenient feature that keeps dust down from previous iterations where you had to physically dump the bin into the trash.

Both Roombas are app connected, using iRobot’s app, and can be scheduled to clean at certain times.

Both also have Imprint® Smart Mapping which enables the robot to learn, map and adapt to your home, allowing you to choose which rooms are cleaned and when. Keep Out Zones offer added control to actively avoid specific areas and objects in your home like pesky tasseled rugs or the dog’s water dish.

Key differences: Roomba s9+ and the Roomba i7+: Shape & Edge tech

One of the first and most noticeable differences is in the shape of the bots. The i7+ is round, while the s9+ has a squared front. What difference does shape make? The square front and sides of the s9+ allows it to get more of its’ brushes in contact with trim, walls and edges, leading to a better clean. While both bots do clean very well, you can see that the technology iRobot calls ‘PerfectEdge’ gets closer than before.

Key differences: Roomba s9+ and the Roomba i7+: Side brushes vs corner brush

The brush structure of the two Roomba vacuums is slightly different

The i7+ has a 3-arm corner brush to dig out dirt, while the newer s9+ has a more compact brush with more arms and bristles. Its placement in the corner maximizes its reach into your corners.

Take a look at the rollers. They’re narrower on the  i7+ than they are on the newer s9+. On the s9 they’re designed to cover a wider area.

Key differences: Roomba s9+ and the Roomba i7+: Suction power

Not surprisingly, the newest Roomba has more powerful suction. The s9+ gives you 40x the suction (compared to the iRobot 600 series models) and it automatically increases suction power when it detects carpets to power dirt from the fibres. This is called Power Boost and it’s only on the s9+.

The i7+ has 10X more power than the 600 series, but no power boost and no Perfect edges.

Key differences: Roomba s9+ and the Roomba i7+: Anti-allergen system

There’s a built in anti-allergen system on the s9+ that’s not available on the s7+. The Anti-Allergen System is said to trap and lock dirt, debris and allergens from escaping from the robot or its Clean Base, keeping dirty air from escaping back into the home. Even so, both employ vacuum bags inside the Clean Base to trap dirt, using a High-Efficiency Filter hidden inside which iRobot says traps 99% of mold, pollen and dust mite allergens.

Key differences: Roomba s9+ and the Roomba i7+: Price

There’s another significant difference between these two robots and that’s price. The i7+ sells for about $999CAD while the newer S9+ is $1399CAD. $400 is no small chunk of change, so you’ll really need to decide for yourself if the wider brushes, anti allergen filter, better edge cleaning, power boost and more suction power is worth the extra money.

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