It’s no secret that when it comes to robot vacuums, Roomba and Botvac rank at or near the top. These manufacturers produce high-quality, reliable, and high-performing devices that will thoroughly clean your home. Two of these robot vacuums were released this year and immediately shot to the top of the robot vacuum list.
The Roomba i7+ and the Botvac D7 are top of the line robot vacuums that provide a wide array of features. You’ll get all the bells and whistles you can handle if you decide to purchase one of these units, but keep in mind that you’ll shell out quite a bit as well. That said, let’s take a look at these two devices, what they have to offer, and how they compare with one another.
Main Differences Between Roomba i7+ vs Botvac D7
The Main Differences Between Roomba i7+ vs Botvac D7 are:
- Roomba i7+ uses an Hepa-Filter, whereas Botvac D7 has a high-performance filter.
- Roomba i7+ empties its own dustbin, whereas Botvac D7 has the ability to charge in the middle of a cycle.
- Roomba i7+ comes with a virtual wall, whereas Botvac D7 comes with a physical boundary strip you can place on the floor.
- Roomba i7+ has Imprint Smart Mapping technology, whereas Botvac D7 has a digital memory mapping.
I7+
If you’re looking for arguably the most advanced robot vacuum on the market today, then look no further than the Roomba i7+. This device not only performs at a high level but also offers a smart base that automatically empties its own dustbin.
This is a game changer since you no longer have to worry about emptying the dustbin each time the robot cleans your home. The i7+ does this for you. With the i7+ you’re getting a robot vacuum that offers strong suction performance, great usability, and advanced navigation. With all these features, the i7+ is tough to beat.
Design
When it comes to design, Roomba doesn’t stray too far from its standard circular shape, however, there are a few additional features that give the i7+ a distinct look. On top of this robot vacuum, you’ll notice a built-in camera, one large button labeled “Clean” and two smaller buttons. The smaller buttons are for spot clean mode and the other is to tell the i7+ to return to its home.
On the bottom of the unit, you’ll notice many similarities to other iRobot vacuums. You’ll see a spinning brush, two rubberized multi-surface brushes, the dustbin, the battery, and three wheels. However, there is one significant change. Also on the bottom is a slot located in the dustbin. This allows the i7+ to empty its dustbin after vacuuming.
The rest of the device is nearly identical to its Roomba counterparts. Around its perimeter is a bumper ring used for protecting both the i7+ and your furniture as it cleans, as well as several sensors that allow it to create a map of your home as it navigates its way around.
Base Design
The new self-emptying feature offered by the Roomba i7+ makes it the most advanced vacuum available on the market. This technology put the i7+ ahead of all other robot vacuums. iRobot has drastically changed the design of the charging base, as it’s used to hold the discarded debris.
iRobot made the base taller and created a ramp-style dock. This station removes the debris from the dustbin where its kept in a bag stored within the base. The beauty of the base station design is that even while the dustbin is being emptied, it still charges the i7+.
Size and Dimensions
The i7+ robot vacuum has a lot in common with other Roomba vacuums, however, it also feels a little different. The size and dimensions are consistent with what you would expect to see with a Roomba, but the base station is significantly different. From a size perspective, the Roomba i7+ is 13.34” in diameter, 3.63” tall, and checks in at a svelte 7.44 pounds.
Charging Base
The most noticeable difference lies in the charging base. With previous iterations of Roomba robot vacuums, the charging base was small and maybe a little bigger than the robot vacuum itself. The base that is included with the i7+ is roughly five times the height of the device.
Of course, there’s a reason for that. The larger size is due to the self-emptying feature that the i7+ offers. When the unit docks back into its base, suction from the station pulls the debris from the i7+ dustbin and up into the bagged container held within. The bag can hold up to 30 loads of dirt before you need to change it.
Parts and Accessories
Included with your Roomba i7+ are a charging base with a built-in disposal, two disposal bags, a HEPA filter, an extra spinning brush, and a virtual wall. With the exception of the disposal bags and the built-in disposal charging base, these part and accessories come standard with the vast majority of iRobot robot vacuums.
The spinning brush on the i7+ is the same as other iRobot models. It helps to sweep debris and dirt from corners and edges, which provides a high-quality clean throughout your home. Additionally, the HEPA filter is an improvement over other Roombas. This new filter is part of the new AeroForce filtration system that comes with the i7+.
The virtual wall that comes with the i7+ is a device that creates an invisible barrier for the device. It blocks off certain spots or areas which you don’t want to be cleaned. With this virtual wall you can create a linear boundary of up to ten feet or a radial area that expands up to four feet in diameter.
Last, but certainly not least, are the charging base and the disposable bags. The charging base is the unit that sucks the debris from the dustbin and stores it in the disposable bag. Within the base is a compartment which holds the disposable bag. Two bags come with the i7+ and each one can hold up to 30 cleaning cycles worth of debris before needing to be changed.
Features
The Roomba i7+ has a variety of many great features and benefits. Here are some that provide this robot vacuum with the high-quality performance users have come to expect with Roomba devices.
Scheduling
Most of the robot vacuums in Roomba’s advanced line have the ability to set up and schedule cleanings. With the i7+, you can create a schedule that runs a single time, or you can make a schedule that runs at a specific time on specific days. All of your scheduling needs can be addressed via the iRobot mobile application.
Smart Mapping
Roomba’s new Imprint Smart Mapping technology is a marked improvement over its Smart Mapping navigation previously employed by its smart vacuums. With Imprint Smart Mapping, you can assign a specific name to each room in your home. For instance, if you want the i7+ to clean your living room, you can instruct it to go to only that room.
Imprint Smart Mapping is a great feature, especially if you only have certain areas of your home that need to be cleaned more often due to high traffic. You can also control your device with your voice if you have an Amazon Alexa or Google Home smart assistant. Simply tell it to clean the living room, and watch as it heads off in that direction.
Self-Emptying
The ability to empty its own dustbin is a feature the i7+ offers that separate it from the rest of its Roomba counterparts. After the i7+ finishes a cleaning cycle, it heads back to the dock where the dirt and debris it collected is sucked up through the charging station and deposited into the disposable bag.
Performance
The cleaning performance of the i7+ is very impressive. It does a wonderful job cleaning hardwood floor, tile floors, and carpet. On all three surfaces, the robot vacuum gets into corners and crevices to clean up any stray dirt and has no trouble moving from one floor type to another.
On carpet, the i7+ is especially diligent. It will steadily work its away across the flooring, ensuring that it has picked up all the dirt and debris it can. However, after its initial pass, the device will make on more pass, just to be sure that no remaining contaminants are left.
Remember that a cleaning cycle for a robot vacuum might take a little longer than it would if you were doing it yourself with an upright. It might be worth it, though, considering the only finger you have to lift is the one that tells the i7+ to start cleaning.
Setup and Usability
The usability for the i7+ is much the same as you would expect from some of the more recent Roomba robot vacuum models. On top of the unit is a user interface that is simple and easy to use. The new smart base feature requires a little more learning, but it also makes things more hands-off than ever before.
Setup
To make things even more simple, there is little to no setup required when you start using the i7+. Essentially you remove the unit from the box, plug the charging base into an outlet, and then put your i7+ onto the charging base. That’s it.
Once you’ve completed these three steps, you’re pretty much ready to get started. Some robot vacuums require a few hours to charge up, but the Roomba i7+ arrives almost fully charged. That means once you put it on the dock, you can tell it to get started right away.
Roomba does recommend, however, that you let the unit sit on the device until it is completely charged. When it’s all charged up, let the i7+ clean for its entire battery runtime. When it gets low on juice, it’ll head back toward its charger.
Usability
As we stated, the i7+ is very easy to use. You can press the clean button on the unit itself, or you can use the mobile app to get the device started. If you don’t like either of those methods, you can always use Alexa or Google and just tell it to get to work.
Now all you have to do is sit back and relax. The i7+ will make its way around your home as it maps out every room and vacuums the floors. If the dustbin gets full before it finishes cleaning, the robot vacuum will head back to its charging dock, empty its dustbin, and pick up where it left off.
Mobile Application
The iRobot mobile app, which is available for both Android and iOS, is just like the device: easy to use. You’ll get a straightforward interface with plenty of features. Once you open the app, you can have the i7+ begin to clean by clicking the large “Clean” button. You can also set up your schedule and perform a variety of other tasks through the mobile app.
Pros and Cons
Here’s a quick look at some of the pros and cons for the iRobot Roomba i7+.
Pros
- Mobile app for both iOS and Android
- Strong and powerful cleaning performance
- Imprint Mapping lets you name each room
- Advanced navigation lets you tell the device to clean specific rooms
- Work with Amazon Alexa and Google Home
- Self-emptying dustbin
Cons
- Disposal bags have to be replaced as they wear out
- Very expensive
Verdict
The Roomba i7+ is the first robot vacuum to employ a self-emptying dustbin. The home base for the unit serves as both a place to recharge and to dump the contents of its dustbin. Additionally, the i7+ is easy to use, provides a strong cleaning performance on all flooring types, and offers advanced mapping and voice controls.
If you’re in the market for a high-quality robot vacuum that boasts all the newest features, then the Roomba i7+ is a device that should be given serious consideration.
Botvac D7
We’ve already discussed one of the best robot vacuums on the market with the Roomba i7+, but the Neato Botvac D7 is no slouch. The D7 is the most expensive, most advanced robot vacuum that Neato offers. This unit offers new features that have never before been available on any Neato robot.
Design and Features
Like most of the robot vacuums in the Neato lineup, the Botvac D7 has a D-shaped body. The D7 is the most advanced and smartest robot that Neato currently offers. It comes with digital memory mapping, scheduled cleanings, advanced navigation, a two-hour runtime, wireless connectivity, and the ability to charge in the middle of a cycle and then pick up where it left off.
One of the coolest and most advanced features available on the D7 is the “No Go” lines available in the mobile applications. You can draw these digital lines on your smartphone once the D7 has mapped out your floorplan. With the No Go lines, you can easily section off certain areas you don’t want the robot vacuum to clean.
The Botvac D7 has various methods with which you can schedule a cleaning, start the device, or stop it. You can press the button on top of the unit, use the provided remote control, use voice control via Google Home or Amazon Alexa, or use your smartphone app.
Cleaning Method and Performance
When it cleans, the D7 uses its full-width brush roll which is located at one end of the robot vacuum. This brush roll is what gives the unit the ability to clean a wider swath in front of the D7. On the side of the device, a small brush helps to collect dirt and debris that gathers in corners so the robot can suck them up.
On top of the D7 is a built-in camera that the device uses for digital memory mapping and navigation purposes. Thanks to its advanced technology, the D7 vacuums in straight lines, unlike the random ping pong action you see with other robot vacuums.
With its digital mapping capabilities, the D7 creates a map that you can see on your smartphone or tablet. You can view exactly where the unit has cleaned and identify any trouble spots it might encounter on its cycle.
Once your floorplan is created, you can then use the No Go lines to tell the D7 where it is and isn’t allowed to clean. All you have to do is drag your finger across the screen to makes the lines and mark off each area.
Size and Dimensions
The Neato Botvac D7 checks in about where you would expect it to when it comes to dimensions of the robot vacuum. It sits at 3.9 inches tall, 13.2 inches wide, and 12.5 inches deep. Its extended brush roll length is 10.9 inches, and the unit checks in at 8 pounds.
Parts and Accessories
You’ll have no shortage of parts and accessories when it comes to your Botvac D7. Included with the device are a spinning brush, spiral combo brush roll, boundary strip, filter, and cleaning brush.
The spinning brush is used to catch dirt and debris from edges and corners and direct them into the path of the D7, while the spiral brush roll agitates and gathers debris on the floor and sucks it up into the dustbin.
If you decide you would rather not use the app to tell the D7 where to go, the unit does come with a physical boundary strip you can place on the floor. The filter that comes with the unit is labeled as a high-performance filter and isn’t found on other Botvac models at this time.
Usability and Setup
Once you have your D7 connected and setup, it’s very easy to use. The robot vacuum only has a few parts you have to worry about, which means there are fewer parts that require attention. It also means the model is easier to use and understand.
Controls
You can control the Botvac D7 robot vacuum in a variety of ways. You can always use the physical buttons located on the device if all else fails. You can also use voice control with our Google Home or Amazon Alexa, as well as the mobile app on either your smartphone or tablet.
Mobile Application
The mobile application is easy to set up and use as well. Just download the Neato app from either the iOS or Android marketplaces, launch the app, and create your account. Follow the on-screen guide to connect the D7 to our wireless network. Once connected, you can control your device right from your smartphone or tablet or tell it what to do via voice commands.
Cleaning Cycles
To create customized cleaning cycles, use the No Go lines within the Neato mobile application. If you don’t want to use the app, you can use the boundary strips that are included with the unit. You can place the strips right on the floor and when the D7 identifies them, it will change direction. The device will not continue beyond the boundary marker.
Pros and Cons
Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons for the Neato Botvac D7 Connected robot vacuum.
Pros
- No Go lines give you the ability to tell the unit where not to go
- Advanced mapping features
- Works with Google Home and Amazon Alexa
- Two-hour runtime
- Mobile application works with both iOS and Android
- Boundary marker included to physically mark where you don’t want the D7 to clean
- Variety of control methods including physical buttons, voice control, and mobile app
Cons
- High price tag
- D style body does not allow for tight turns
Verdict
The Botvac D7 connected is a hard robot vacuum to beat. It has the ability to map out the floor plan of your home, avoid areas which you block off with your finger, and has a two-hour runtime that means it can clean longer than ever before. The D7 doesn’t require a lot of babysitting and offers users a variety of options from a control standpoint.
Unfortunately, the D7 is pitted against the Roomba i7+, one of, if not the only robot vacuum on the market that could be considered superior. Otherwise, the D7 is an excellent robot vacuum and will provide an excellent and thorough clean of your home with minimal effort required on your part.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Does The Limited Warranty Depend on Where I Bought My Roomba Robot?
Only by buying the robot from an authorized resell store or directly from the Roomba company in North America, you can enjoy a 60-day money-back guarantee and limited warranty. Remember to always store the proof of purchase.
Do I Have To Register My Robot To Activate The Limited Warranty?
This a very easy but necessary step if you want to activate the limited warranty. You can do it by providing the serial number of your robot at this phone number: 1.877.855.8593. Or on their website here.
Comparison Chart
These two robot vacuums offer lots of features and capabilities. Let’s see how they stand up to one another in a side-by-side comparison chart.
| i7+ | D7 Connected | |
| Manufacturer | iRobot | Neato |
| Battery | 3300 mAh | 4200 mAh |
| Smart Assistant | Google Home, Amazon Alexa | Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Neato Chatbot |
| Navigation | Smart Imprint Mapping | Digital Mapping |
| Height | 3.63” | 3.9” |
| Weight | 7.44 pounds | 8 lbs |
| Length | 13.34” | 13.2” |
| Depth | 13.34” | 12.5” |
| Floor Types | All (Indoor) | All (Indoor) |
| Boundaries | Virtual walls | No Go lines, physical boundary marker |
| Wifi | Yes | Yes |
| Smartphone App | iOS, Android | iOS, Android |
| Dustbin Size | 0.5L | 700ml |
| Self-Emptying | Yes | No |
Conclusion
As we mentioned the Botvac D7 Connected smart robot vacuum is a great device. It offers plenty of features and benefits anyone would want in a robot vacuum. It is top-of-the-line in all its features and capabilities, delivering high-quality functionality and thorough cleaning. It can be controlled in a variety of methods, including through voice control and via a smartphone app.
However, the i7+ is simply the best robot vacuum on the market right now with its self-emptying capability. The fact that you don’t have to worry about emptying the bag for thirty cleaning cycles makes it even more appealing. The biggest drawback to the i7+ is its price tag. But if you’re in the market for a state of the art robot vacuum and money is no object, the Roomba i7+ is the one for you.
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