iRobot Roomba i7+ vs Roborock S5 – Extensive Comparison

iRobot is one of the pioneer brands of robot vacuum cleaners. Roborock, on the other hand, is fairly new but has been doing great. The iRobot Roomba i7+ vs Roborock S5 comparison will bring you the best features of a robot vacuum.

roborock S5 Robot Vacuum and Mop, 2000Pa Super Power Suction &Wi-Fi Connectivity and Smart Navigating Robotic Vacuum Cleaner with 5200mAh Battery Capacity for Pet Hair, Carpet & Hard Floor (White)

iRobot is the first brand to design and market a domestic robot vacuum. It sure made its mark as that robot vacuum make a lot of sales. The rest, as they say, was history.

Now the brand offers a new robot vacuum that has the most advanced feature you can find on a robot. The Roomba i7+ is dubbed the new king of robot vacuums just for this new feature.

The Roborock S5 which used to be tipped as one of the best robot vacuums is now fighting for its place. It offers great features too and this is the reason it can compare to the i7+ in the first place.

If you want to get the best out of this iRobot Roomba i7+ vs Roborock S5 comparison, you should first be clear about what you need.

 

 

iRobot Roomba i7+ (7550) Robot Vacuum with Automatic Dirt Disposal-Empties Itself, Wi-Fi Connected, Smart Mapping, Works with Alexa, Ideal for Pet Hair, Carpets, Hard Floors, Black roborock S5 Robot Vacuum and Mop, 2000Pa Super Power Suction &Wi-Fi Connectivity and Smart Navigating Robotic Vacuum Cleaner with 5200mAh Battery Capacity for Pet Hair, Carpet & Hard Floor (White)
To get the i7+, click here To get the s5, click here

 

 

Comparison Overview – iRobot Roomba i7+ vs Roborock S5

These are two well matched robot vacuums. One just happens to cost way more than the other .

The Roomba offers great cleaning abilities, practicality, and then a feature you won’t find on any other robot vacuum, at least for now. If you are a fan of the bells and whistles, this might be your thing.

The Roborock S5 is straight up useful. It might not come with some fancy features but when it comes to what a robot vacuum does, this one does great.

The best part yet, this is a high-end robot vacuum that is affordable.

 

 

Comparison Table – iRobot Roomba i7+ vs Roborock S5

Roomba i7+ Roborock S5
Available Models Roomba i7 (does not have the auto-empty base) N/A

You can read our honest review of the Roborock S5.

Battery Life 75 minutes 150 minutes
Navigation iAdapt 3.0 navigation with Imprint Smart Mapping Laser scanning with SLAM algorithm
Filtration System High-performance filter E-11 grade washable filter
Dust Cup 0.2 liters 0.24 liters
Dimension 13.3 x 13.3 x 3.6 inches 13.8 x 13.7 x 3.8 inches
Weight 7.45 lbs 7 lbs

 

 

 

 

What Situation Is Each Best For? – iRobot Roomba i7+ vs Roborock S5

Roomba i7+ Roborock S5
The Roomba i7+ carries on the dirt detection feature from its predecessors as it has proven its worth over time.

 

As the name implies, it can identify a concentration of dirt on the floor and puts in more than the usual effort to keep that part of the floor clean.

 

So, if you have carpets that endure traffic, this robot is a better choice.

The Roborock S5 blows every other robot’s runtime rating out of the water. In fact, it offers twice the runtime of the Roomba i7+.

 

The S5 promises 150 minutes in low power and a whopping 110 minutes in high power.

Why this is so impressive is that the i7+ and the S5 (in max mode) have the same airflow. Yet the S5 delivers such an impressive runtime.

Robot vacuum cleaners are indeed autonomous. However, their independence is only limited to the vacuuming aspect of things. When it comes to emptying the dust cup, you will still have to do that for them.

 

That was the case until this robot came into the scene. The Roomba i7+ can empty its own dust cup! It does that every time it goes to dock. We will surely give you the juicy details in a later section.

Power, they say, is nothing without control. If you want more power options, this is your guy.

 

While the Roomba i7+ has just one power setting, the Roborock has 4.

 

For whatever it is worth, the S5 is one of the quietest robot vacuums you will ever find when it is working in its lowest power setting. It causes just 65 decibels of noise.

 

 

More Situational Comparison – iRobot Roomba i7+ vs Roborock S5

Roomba i7+ Roborock S5
If you have multiple floors in your home, of these two robots, this is your best bet.

 

The i7+ has an edge here as it can store up to 10 different floor plans! So, as long as the Roomba has scanned and created a map of the floor, it will remember it.

If you want more from your robot vacuum than just vacuuming, you can get it from the S5. That extra value that people want from their purchases lies within this robot.

 

If you have hard floors in your home, the extra value this robot offers will be quite useful to you. With this robot, you might not have to carry a mopping stick anymore.

 

Its mopping feature is not the type that you might find is some uncommitted vacuum. This one has superior mopping technology which we’ll tell you more about later on.

Price is usually a huge deciding factor for a lot of people. You might not necessarily need to compromise if you know what you need from a robot vacuum.

 

If the bells and whistles of the Roomba i7+ do not interest you, then you don’t have to pay for features you don’t need.

There have been lots of complaints from robot vacuum users that their robots usually have a hard time finding their way back to the docking station.

 

That is not a problem you will have with the Roborock S5. The reason is that firstly, the docking station transmits an infrared signal covering a distance of 4 meters at 180 degrees.

Secondly, the robot itself searches the area for the signal when it needs to go back for a recharge. That way, it never misses home!

 

 

Which Features Do They Have In Common? – iRobot Roomba i7+ vs Roborock S5

Great people have similar traits. In the same vein, great robot vacuums too have similar features.

These similarities might produce the same results, but they don’t necessarily go about the execution the same way.

Advanced Navigation and Mapping

roborock S5 Robot Vacuum and Mop, 2000Pa Super Power Suction &Wi-Fi Connectivity and Smart Navigating Robotic Vacuum Cleaner with 5200mAh Battery Capacity for Pet Hair, Carpet & Hard Floor (White)Here is the first display of “the same destination different routes” put in play by both brands. The Roomba i7+ and the Roborock S5 follow a logical pattern of movement as they find their way through your home. However, they use completely different technologies.

The Roomba i7+ uses the iAdapt 3.0 navigation system which is a new algorithm from iRobot. This system works in conjunction with an onboard camera to find its way around your home.

It also uses the Imprint Smart Mapping which makes the robot learn and adapt to your home.

As you can guess, the robot will find it easier navigating your floor every time it tries. A touch of AI there.

The camera scans its surroundings and stores a map of it in its memory.

To make this clear, the brand says that you can take the robot to a different home and it will still vacuum there.

As long as it has scanned the floor and created a map of it, it will remember. If that is not cool, we doubt if anything else can be.

On the other hand, the Roborock S5 does the same thing as the Roomba only that it uses a laser guiding system to navigate its way around. First, it too will scan your home and generate a map of your floor.

Furthermore, both robot vacuums follow a definite pattern of movement. That way you can rest assured they will cover the entire floor space.

 

iRobot Roomba i7+ (7550) Robot Vacuum with Automatic Dirt Disposal-Empties Itself, Wi-Fi Connected, Smart Mapping, Works with Alexa, Ideal for Pet Hair, Carpets, Hard Floors, BlackSuite of Sensors

There are also sensors on both the Roomba i7+ and the Roborock S5 that help them detect obstacles.

When these robots come in contact with some obstacles, they intelligently clean around them the best way they can. All without losing their bearing and then continue in their pattern.

There is also a sensor under both robots that help it detect changes in floor heights.

When they get to a stairwell, for instance, the sensors notice the fall and the robot turns and goes in a different direction. These robots are smart enough not to get themselves injured.

The Roborock S5 even has a specialized type of sensors that help it bump into things a lot less. We will talk on that later.

 

Smart Home Compatibility

If you don’t have at least one appliance in your home that is considered smart in the context of technology, you might need to stay a bit more present.

Nowadays, a lot of homes have a collection of ‘smart’ devices that are connected and controlled from a single hub.

If you have one such setup, then you can add either of these robot vacuums to the collection and control them using voice commands.

They are both compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. So, you can essentially talk to your robot through these smart devices.

We’ll suggest some: “Alexa, tell Roomba to start cleaning”. “Alexa, tell Roomba to go home”. “Alexa, tell Roborock to make me a Margarita”.

 

Wi-Fi and Smart App

It is almost a standard that robot vacuums have Wi-Fi capabilities. It is a well-accepted innovation that you can access your robot vacuum via your smartphone.

For this reason, any robot vacuum without such feature is a bit backward. But these two we are featuring can be said to be leading the charge of forward-moving robot vacuums.

If you are wondering how Wi-Fi can make a robot vacuum cleaner better, keep reading, you are about to find out.

Wi-Fi lets the robots connect to your smartphone so that you can use it to control and monitor it.

These robots have a dedicated app that you need to download on your phone (available for both Android and iOS).

When you download the app, you will have to pair it with your robot vacuum and this is where the Wi-Fi comes in.

 

The App

roborock S5 Robot Vacuum and Mop, 2000Pa Super Power Suction &Wi-Fi Connectivity and Smart Navigating Robotic Vacuum Cleaner with 5200mAh Battery Capacity for Pet Hair, Carpet & Hard Floor (White)The apps for these two robot vacuums are quite easy to use. Their interfaces are easy to navigate and quite intuitive.

On both apps, you can schedule the robot to clean at certain times for every day of the week. That’s not all, you can also have them clean however you want.

For instance, on the Roborock S5, you can have the robot vacuum or mop a certain area three times just to make sure it is squeaky clean.

On the Roomba app, once the robot has mapped your floor, you can name individual rooms. If you want, you could have the robot vacuum a specific room and not the others.

You can perform zone cleaning from the app on the S5. To do this, you only need to draw a box within the app on the map and the robot will get right to it.

This zone cleaning can be used to clean only certain rooms or even just a portion of it. That is awesome for touch up cleanings and keeping trafficked areas clean.

 

 

Virtual Barriers

You might have one reason or another why you don’t want your robot vacuum to get to certain parts of the home.

Whatever the reason is, you can curb your robot’s movement without running after it. All you have to do is to set a virtual barrier to keep it at bay.

As for the Roomba i7+, it uses a battery-powered device that creates a virtual wall barrier.

This works by placing the device in the area you don’t want the robot to get to. It sends a signal to the robot that makes it think there is an obstacle so, the robot turns away.

In the case of the Roborock S5, you get to set up the barrier virtually on the app. It is called the no-go lines and we think it is a super cool feature. We will talk more about it in the “Unique Features” section.

 

Recharge and Resume

iRobot Roomba i7+ (7550) Robot Vacuum with Automatic Dirt Disposal-Empties Itself, Wi-Fi Connected, Smart Mapping, Works with Alexa, Ideal for Pet Hair, Carpets, Hard Floors, BlackIt is part of the autonomy of robot vacuums to find their way back to their docking station for recharging.

All robot vacuums claim to be able to do this but not all of them gets to pull it off.

Different circumstances can cause a robot to lose its way. Quite a number of them might even be the user’s fault.

Both the Roomba i7+ and Roborock S5 are smart enough to always find their way home.

This is provided that you follow the instructions concerning the placement of the docking station.

There are times that your robot vacuum is unable to complete its chores before its battery runs low. As expected it will go back to the docking station and plug itself in.

That’s not all, once it is done recharging, it will go back to where it stopped and continue!

This is an awesome feature especially for those who will schedule the robots to work while they are not around. With this feature, you won’t always come back home to an unfinished job.

 

Highly Efficient Filter

If you are allergic or asthmatic, you want to pay extra attention to the filtration system of a vacuum cleaner.

This is for your own protection so that the air coming out of the vacuum does not contain dust or allergens.

You can feel safe with either of these robots as their filters are up to standard.

They are efficient enough to trap allergens and dust preventing them from getting back into your home.

The filters in both vacuums are capable of trapping more than 90% of the dust and allergens that pass through it down to 10 microns.

This is not as efficient as a HEPA filter, but it will do a great job preventing allergic and asthmatic reactions.

To help you understand how small a particle these filters can trap, the average human hair is 50 microns in diameter.

So, for these filters to be able to trap something as small as 10 microns, you can rest assured you are well protected.

 

Spot Clean Mode

For most homes, especially the ones with kids and pets, spot cleaning is something you will have your robot vacuum do often.

In this case, the Roborock S5 carries out this function almost as good as you would if you did it yourself.

If there is an obstacle, say a table, in the area it is supposed to spot clean, it will clean around the legs of the table first.

Afterward, it will cover the area in an end to end pattern until the dirt is all cleaned up.

The Roomba i7+ does great with spot clean too, especially that it has a dirt detection feature.

Roomba carries out its spot clean by going in a circular motion, which honestly is a good idea.

Both robots do great with spot cleaning and this is a mode you will find useful every once in a while.

 

 

iRobot Roomba i7+ (7550) Robot Vacuum with Automatic Dirt Disposal-Empties Itself, Wi-Fi Connected, Smart Mapping, Works with Alexa, Ideal for Pet Hair, Carpets, Hard Floors, Black roborock S5 Robot Vacuum and Mop, 2000Pa Super Power Suction &Wi-Fi Connectivity and Smart Navigating Robotic Vacuum Cleaner with 5200mAh Battery Capacity for Pet Hair, Carpet & Hard Floor (White)
To get the i7+, click here To get the s5, click here

 

 

 

What’s Unique To Each Product? – iRobot Roomba i7+ vs Roborock S5

Features Unique To Roomba i7+

Auto-Adjusting Cleaner Head

The Roomba i7+ continues the trend of its predecessors as it also has a cleaning head above the brush rolls.

It is responsible for adjusting the height of the brush roll. This creates an optimal position which improves the efficacy of the brush rolls as they impact the floor.

This cleaning head is capable of responding to changes in floor types. As you know, what it takes to clean hard floors is different from carpets.

So, as this robot transitions from hard floors to carpets, the cleaning head adjusts accordingly. This makes for a precise cleaning effect at all times.

 

Dual Rubberized Brush Roll

The Roomba i7+ uses a double brush roll located underneath it. We all know that brush rolls can become a hassle when they are often used to clean hairs.

Cleaning off tangles of hair afterward is something most people don’t find delight in doing.

The brush rolls on this Roomba do not have bristles. Instead of bristles, there are ridges on the brush rolls to comb through carpets instead.

The result simply is a good clean of pet hairs without tangles to deal with afterward. If you have had to cut through hair on a brush roll, this feature will surely please you.

 

Dust Cup Emptying Dock

There have been many robot vacuum innovations in the past. Honestly, none of them has brought robot vacuums this close to pure autonomy. This is the feature that separates the i7+ from every other robot vacuum.

iRobot has come up with another first yet again. The Roomba i7+ can be forgiven for having a small dust cup as it can automatically empty it several times before you need to intervene.

We know you have been itching to know how it works, you are about to find out.

How it works

The docking station is obviously larger than usual. This is because it is not only a docking station, it is also a dust cup emptying station.

Whenever the robot goes out to vacuum, it gathers dirt in its dust cup. Every time it comes back to dock, it dumps the contents in its dust cup.

There is an opening underneath the robot that fits right on top of another opening on the docking station.

It is through these openings that the content of the robot’s dust cup is sucked into the dirtbag.

There is a motor in the oversized docking station that pumps dirt out of the Roomba into a bag inside the ‘tower’.

So, every time the robot goes out to vacuum, it is doing so with an empty dust cup.

iRobot claims that the collection bag in the ‘tower’ can hold up to 30 dust cups of dirt! Let’s do the math, the Roomba i7+ has a dust cup capacity of 0.2 liters. If we multiply that by 30, that amounts to 6 liters.

Unless your home is constantly dirty, we don’t see how you will fill that up any time soon. 30 is a big number in this case, we are talking about weeks here.

If you don’t have pets or kids, maybe even months before you need to change the bag.

This feature is fantastic on different levels. One of which is the fact that you won’t be babysitting this robot at all.

Secondly, you can have more confidence to schedule the robot as you won’t need to bother about emptying. Not anymore will your robot stop work halfway because of a filled dust cup.

 

Dirt Detection

The dirt detection technology has been a distinct feature of Roombas since the Roomba 600 series. It has done a great job for the Roomba’s cleaning capacity.

What this piece of technology does is to help the robot identify a concentration of dirt on the floor. Once identified, the robot will make extra effort to get the place sufficiently clean by spending more time there.

This is a great feature to have if you have highly trafficked floor areas in your home. You can rest assured the Roomba will keep it as clean as the rest of the house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Features Unique To Roborock S5

No-go Lines

Now let us talk about the no-go lines. These are virtual boundaries that you can set for your robot to keep them from going where you don’t need them to be.

Other robots use magnetic tapes or external devices to create virtual boundaries. You can achieve that with the Roborock S5 vacuum right from your phone!

You already have a map of your floors, all you need to do is draw as many lines as you want across the floor. The coolest thing about this feature is how accurate it is.

This is a great feature to have if there are areas in your home that the robot could get stuck at. That way, you won’t come back home to meet your robot stuck in an area after only doing ¼ of its job.

 

Always Finds The Base

Almost every robot vacuum can find its way back to the docking station for a recharge now. At least they can do that in theory. However, in reality, that might turn out different.

There are certain reasons that can affect a robot such that it won’t make it to its dock. If you read the instruction manual, you will be sure how to place the docking station and ensure it makes it home more often.

You won’t witness any issue of such with the Roborock S5. This is because its docking station emits infrared that helps the robot locate home easily.

The reach of the signal is 180 degrees around the docking station and go out as far as 2 meters.

When the S5 needs to get back to base, it just needs to pick up the signal and it will follow it all the way back. That way, the robot will not just make it home, it will on time.

 

Can Mop

roborock S5 Robot Vacuum and Mop, 2000Pa Super Power Suction &Wi-Fi Connectivity and Smart Navigating Robotic Vacuum Cleaner with 5200mAh Battery Capacity for Pet Hair, Carpet & Hard Floor (White)You will definitely get more than you paid for with the S5. There are quite a number of robot vacuums that cost more. However, not all of them can mop too.

For a robot that navigates and vacuums this well, it is amazing that it can mop too.

This is the reason it is touted as one of the best robot vacuums available.

The mopping mode uses the biomimetic system which was inspired by the method plants use in getting water and nutrients from the soil.

The result of this innovative feature is that the perfect amount of water is let out onto the microfiber cloth it mops with.

The water tank is easy to refill as you won’t even need to turn the robot over. You can easily slide it out from underneath the robot.

If you are concerned about the robot mopping your carpet, you will be right to. What you can do to avoid this is simply to set up no-go zones on the app around your carpets and you are good.

This feature will surely save a lot of time. So, feel free to add something else to your schedule.

 

Spring Loaded Wheels

The wheels on the S5 makes the robot extra dexterous. The wheels’ height can adjust depending on the prevailing conditions.

The springs serve as a sort of shock absorber similar to the ones in vehicles. This allows it to scale barriers of up to 2cm high.

So, the ledges at your doorway will not stop it from making its way in and getting its job done.

 

Collision Avoidance Sensor

Some robot vacuums still have to bump into something to know it is there.

If you have expensive furniture you don’t want to be scratched or knocked over, you probably will be setting barriers around them against your robot.

If you are using the Roborock S5, you won’t have to bother about that.

The robot vacuum has a ring of sensor in its front side so it can tell when it is close to an obstacle and then slow down.

That’s not all, the front side is also a sort of spring-loaded bumper, a fender can be a fitting name.

This significantly reduces the number of times the robot bumps into anything. In the event that it does, the fender will reduce damage to both your furniture and the robot itself.

 

 

 

 

 

iRobot Roomba i7+ vs Roborock S5 – Unique Pros

Roomba i7+

i. It can empty its dust cup automatically.

ii. The rubberized brush rolls reduce the rate of hair tangles.

iii. Its dirt detection comes in handy for spot cleaning.

 

Roborock S5

i. The robot has sensors that prevent it from bumping into things.

ii. Its wheels can adjust its height for easy movement.

iii. The docking station plays a part in helping the robot find home.

 

iRobot Roomba i7+ vs Roborock S5 – Unique Cons

Roomba i7+

i. It cannot mop.

ii. The price is a bit on the high side.

 

Roborock S5

i. The dust cup is quite small.

 

roborock S5 Robot Vacuum and Mop, 2000Pa Super Power Suction &Wi-Fi Connectivity and Smart Navigating Robotic Vacuum Cleaner with 5200mAh Battery Capacity for Pet Hair, Carpet & Hard Floor (White)

 

iRobot Roomba i7+ vs Roborock S5 – Pros Common To Both Products

Roomba i7+ Roborock S5
The Roomba i7+ cleans pretty well on all floor types. It was able to pick up all the different types of dirt we put on hard floors and carpets. It also did so in good time with decent efficiency. Same as the Roomba.

 

However, the S5 vacuumed with greater efficiency as it scattered dirt on hard floors a lot less.

You already know how the dust cup of the Roomba i7+ empties. We are sure you will agree with us to call it convenient. It cannot be any other way since you are not even involved in the process. With the Roborock S5, it is also easy to empty the dust cup. However, you will still have to do it the manual way.
The Roomba is slim and can get under furniture easily. This is one of the good things about this robot vacuum as it can truly clean your entire floor space. It is low profile enough to even get under low profile furniture. Same as the Roomba i7+

 

 

 

iRobot Roomba i7+ vs Roborock S5 – Cons Common To Both Products

Roomba i7+ Roborock S5
The Roomba i7+ had a bit of an issue clearing dirt in corners. This is not really a big deal as that is a general problem with round robots. Same as the Roomba.

 

 

iRobot Roomba i7+ (7550) Robot Vacuum with Automatic Dirt Disposal-Empties Itself, Wi-Fi Connected, Smart Mapping, Works with Alexa, Ideal for Pet Hair, Carpets, Hard Floors, Black roborock S5 Robot Vacuum and Mop, 2000Pa Super Power Suction &Wi-Fi Connectivity and Smart Navigating Robotic Vacuum Cleaner with 5200mAh Battery Capacity for Pet Hair, Carpet & Hard Floor (White)
To get the i7+, click here To get the s5, click here

 

 

 

 

 

iRobot Roomba i7+ vs Roborock S5 – General Feeling Among Users

Roomba i7+ Roborock S5
It is not a surprise that users love the fact that the Roomba i7+ can empty its own dust cup. They are really enjoying the relief that comes with it. With all you have read so far about the S5 wouldn’t you be surprised that it costs a lot less than the Roomba i7+?

 

Well, a lot of users are happy with the pricing of this robot as they say that it offers way more than it costs with its performance.

This Roomba got a lot of thumbs up for how well it cleans as well as its advanced navigation. A few users love that it can mop too. One of them said it does great with mopping and especially like the app feature that lets you tell it to mop a certain area three times over.

 

 

iRobot Roomba i7+ vs Roborock S5 – Bottom Line

Roomba i7+ Roborock S5
The all-new Roomba costs a bit but if you feel that what it has to offer is more important to you than its price tag, then you can go for it.

 

You certainly will love that decision.

The S5 has proven itself many times over. It is a great robot and it comes at a relatively affordable price.

 

So, if you are looking for a great robot vacuum that won’t hurt your pocket, this might be what you need.