Roomba 694 vs. i3: What's the Best Low Budget Roomba? (2024)

round-shaped

The Roomba 694 comes in a round-shaped design. It has a low profile design with a 13.4-inches diameter and stands at 3.6-inches. The weight is 6.7lbs, while the color is light/silver grey.

The Roomba i3 is also a round-shaped robot vacuum. It is also round but with a more low-profile design. It has a 13.26-inch diameter and is also 3.6-inch thin. The finish is black/grey with a woven-texture top.

vacuum-only

The Roomba 694 is a vacuum-only robot vacuum, so don’t expect it to mop. Instead, you will have to purchase a different robot mop and manually launch the robot mop’s mopping session.

When it comes to specialty, the Roomba 694 is designed for bare floors, low pile carpets, and homes with pets.

The Roomba i3 is also a vacuum-only robot cleaner, but there’s a unique feature for aiding handsfree simultaneous vacuuming and mopping. This is Imprint Link Technology, which syncs the i3 to the Braava M6.

In this setup, the Braava M6 robot mops as the Roomba i3 vacuums.

550pa

Roomba 694 relies on a 1st Gen motor that delivers a maximum of 550pa. This is low suction, but the good thing is, the operation noise is also lower, so pets won’t feel intimidated.

Under the hood, the Roomba i3 comes with a 2nd Gen motor that puts up 850-900pa, delivering ten times more air power than the Roomba 694. However, operation noise is a little bit higher.

no

Roomba 694 is a vacuum-only cleaner. You will have to purchase a robot mop if you want all-round cleaning. Unfortunately, it can’t sync with the Braava M6 as it has not been engineered with Imprint Link Technology.

The Roomba i3 is also a vacuum-only cleaner, but then it can sync with the Braava M6 for simultaneous vacuuming and mopping. This is courtesy of Imprint Link Technology.

iAdapt 1.0

The Roomba 694 comes with iAdapt 1.0 navigation system that consists of obstacle and collision avoidance sensors. There is also a retractable bumper that absorbs impact if the robot hits obstacles such as furniture.

The Roomba i3 also uses iAdapt 1.0 navigation system. There are sensors and a retractable bumper for absorbing impact.

no

The Roomba 694 doesn’t have any intelligent mapping features; it will clean randomly. It also lacks digital barriers. Instead, it comes with the Roomba Virtual Walls that use physical barriers to set boundaries.

But still, it doesn’t come with any Virtual Walls. You will have to purchase them separately.

The Roomba i3 can’t be trusted in high-traffic apartments as it doesn’t create or store maps; instead, it cleans in a random pattern.

As for boundary marking, the Roomba i3 also doesn’t come with digital barriers.

AeroVac

The Roomba 694 comes with AeroVac efficiency filters that capture allergens and dust mites but are less efficient than true-HEPA filters.

As for the Roomba i3, there’s a shift to an AeroForce filtration system. These high-efficiency filters filter up to 99% of allergens, dust mites, and other elements that cause a bad odor or trigger allergies.

3-stage cleaning system

Roomba 694 relies on the AeroVac 3-stage cleaning system. It consists of a dual multisurface brushroll and a side sweeping brush for the wall edges and corners.

On the other hand, the i3 is a new model that uses an AeroForce 3-stage cleaning system. Here again, we have a dual multisurface brushroll with anti-tangle technology.

0.3L bin

The Roomba 694 comes with a 0.3L bin with a full bin indicator. Unfortunately, this bin has to be emptied manually after each vacuuming session.

Roomba i3 has a larger 0.5L bin with a full bin indicator. It empties itself automatically, courtesy of iRobot’s innovative automatic self-emptying. With the Clean Base™ Automatic Dirt Disposal, you won’t have to worry about daily bin emptying.

iRobot Home App

The Roomba 694 comes with 2.4GHz WiFi for remote smart operation via the iRobot Home App. You can also sync the Roomba 694 with any voice assistant, be it Alexa or Google Assistant. Furthermore, you can schedule this robot vacuum for one week straight.

The Roomba i3 is not different from the Roomba 694 in terms of smart features and convenience. It also comes with WiFi for smartphone app operation and voice assistant compatibility. The i3 also has the schedule function.

90 minutes

The Roomba 694 comes with a 1800mah lithium-ion battery that offers 90 minutes runtime on bare floors and slightly lower on carpets. As for power management, the 694 can recharge automatically, but then, it won’t resume cleaning. The recharge time is 2-3 hours.

The Roomba i3, on the other hand, comes with the same 1800mAh battery, the one used in the Roomba 694. However, the runtime is shorter, 75 minutes to be precise. As for power management, the i3 will recharge and resume cleaning automatically. The recharge time is 3 hours.

Roomba 694 comes with:

Roomba i3+ comes with:

Roomba 694 does not have a room mapping feature. Instead, it uses a random cleaning pattern to navigate around your home. It can still effectively clean most areas of your home, but it won’t remember the layout of your rooms like some of the higher-end Roomba models that have the mapping feature.

The Roomba 694 comes with a 1st Gen motor that delivers around 550-600pa.

Yes. You can upgrade the Roomba i3 to the i3+ by purchasing the Clean Base™ Automatic Dirt Disposal unit.

Compared to the high-end Roombas, Roomba i3 disappoints. But considering its low price and the automatic self-emptying feature, it’s a worthy vacuum for less busy homes.

Absolutely, the Roomba 694 does a good job at collecting pet hair. It employs a 3-stage cleaning process that can effectively loosen, lift, and suction different types of debris, including dog hair, from both carpet and hard floors.

Roomba 694

5.0

2 reviews

5

4

3

2

1

Roomba i3

0.0

0 reviews

5

4

3

2

1

Send your feedback

Reply

Reply

Reply