We’re looking at the matchup of two of the Top “R-” named robot vacuums: Roborock S6 vs Roomba 960. The S6 is pricier than the 960, but does that mean the S6 is a better vacuum?
We’ll find out in this Roomba 960 vs Roborock S6 comparison.
If you’re in a hurry, the Roborock S6 comes out the Winner in this matchup. It’s not actually close either as the S6 offers better features all-around. Read on to find out if you see the same value we saw in reviewing the Roborock S6 vs Roomba 960.
Features
Size Dimensions
The Roomba 960 is 13.8” wide by 3.6” tall, which makes it low enough to fit under coffee tables and couches in your home.
A space gray color fills the top panel, with a black highlight in the center which holds the buttons CLEAN, SPOT CLEAN and HOME. The design is pretty much similar to other Roomba models in the iRobot lineup.
The Roborock S6 measures up at 13.7” by 13.8” by 3.8” tall – which makes it just ever so slightly oblong shaped. The S6 is taller than the Roomba 960 but by just a slight margin.
It comes in both black and pure white colors – great for those who wish to have a white robot vacuum unit to fit their home color palette.
Weight
The Roomba 960 weighs in at 8.6lbs and the carrying handle attached to the robot vacuum unit makes for easy transporting around the house.
Coming in at a lighter weight of 7.9lbs, the Roborock S6 is light enough to be carried around different rooms in your home if you need to. However, there’s no carrying handle attached so it’ll be a two-handed operation when carrying this robot vacuum around.
Battery and Capacity
75 minutes of non-stop runtime is what the 14.8v lithium ion battery on the Roomba 960 provides.
Once the 960 detects that the battery is running low, it automatically finds its way back to the dock to recharge and takes about 2 to 3 hours to fully charge from empty.
After recharging, it resumes right back where it left off, at the same area where it stopped. The 960 has the Recharge and Resume feature that leads to more hands-off operation for you.
The Roborock S6 has an impressive runtime of 180 mins, which is twice that of the Roomba 960. It also automatically goes back to the dock for a recharge and it takes about 3 hours from empty to a full battery.
After recharging, the S6 will also pick up from where it left off. With that much difference in runtime, it’s clear to see who the winner is for this round.
Filtration
On the Roomba 960, a High-Efficiency Filter comes standard. This means that while your Roomba 960 is cleaning, 99% of airborne dust particles and allergens are captured from the air.
That’ll keep you and your family safe from breathing in the allergens and dust mites and particles.
The Roborock S6 features a HEPA filter designed specifically for allergy sufferers. It traps 99.99% of pet hair, dust, mites and harmful allergens that may otherwise be blown back out through the exhaust system of the S6.
The extra 0.99% on the S6 could make it a better option for if you have sever allergy sufferers at home.
Brushes, Suction, and Cleaning Technology
The Roomba 960 has great cleaning performance – 900 Pa of suction power lets it pick up dust, pet hair, cereal, rice and other debris easily.
A 3-stage cleaning system works to efficiently clean on all kinds of flooring – from hardwood to carpet easily.
The side brushes work together with the dual rubber brushrolls to sweep up debris from the front and sides of the Roomba as it moves along your home. The rubber brushes also help to prevent pet hair tangling inside the 960.
Roborock S6 has three cleaning options to choose from – with the highest MAX setting providing 2000 Pa of suction power to really get a good clean out of any floor type.
2000 Pa is a really impressive number, with most robot vacuums on the market not really getting even close to that mark. But constant cleaning at that power setting will reduce the battery life in that session, so you won’t get the full 150 min.
By default, it starts with the Balanced setting, which is also reliable for cleaning both hardwood and carpet. That’ll provide you more battery life for each cleaning session. The higher suction power provides an advantage on carpet. There’s no advantage on smooth flooring like hardwood.
One other great thing about the Roborock S6 is that it also does the mopping – that’s right, it does two jobs at once! Simply attach a cloth to the mopping module on the Roborock S6 and fill up the enclosed water tank with some water, and you’re all set for a full-clean of your home.
The iAdapt 2.0 navigation system (with vSLAM) is built into the Roomba 960 to allow it to navigate across your home while it cleans. The 960 will choose the most efficient cleaning paths to cut down on time needed to clean.
Acoustic sensors are used in conjunction with the onboard front-facing camera to ensure that it avoids bumping into walls and obstacles. The sensors help the 960 to virtually map out a floor plan of your home that it refers to for more efficient cleaning in the future.
The Roborock S6 uses Smart LDS Navigation laser guidance to navigate around your home. It has 14 types of laster sensors that provide precise and intelligent navigation for your S6. The virtual maps created also provide efficient cleaning routes for the S6.
The S6 will also remember the maps of the various floors and rooms, allowing you to customize the cleaning sessions. You can choose the specific rooms to clean and the sequence in which you want to clean the various rooms.
Mobile App and Voice Assistant Control
Using the iRobot HOME app (for iOS and Android), you are able to control your Roomba 960 at the touch of your smartphone from anywhere and at any time. You can turn it off and on, schedule cleaning times, check the cleaning history and also see the virtual map it has drawn out of your home.
The Roborock S6 uses the Mi Home app (iOS and Android) for it to be controlled by your smartphone. The Mi app itself is a creation of its parent company, Xiaomi (from China), and the lack of a dedicated Roborock app seems to point towards a disappointing lack of thought from the engineers of the Roborock S6.
The app itself is great for basic controls like scheduling and spot cleaning, but may prove to be a challenge to navigate the mapping functions. The current virtual mapping version seems more like a beta version than a finished product.
You can use voice commands via Google Home or Alexa to control both the Roomba 960 and the Roborock S6 for a fully hands-free experience.
Maintenance
The Roomba 960 requires minimal maintenance apart from emptying out the 600 mL dustbin every week or so.
Wiping down the electronic contact points and checking to ensure no pet hair is stuck on the brush roll is recommended.
On the Roborock S6, the main brush is designed to be self-cleaning but it’s always recommended to check the side brushes and the underside brushes. Check to see if there are any blockages that might affect the performance of the S6 in any way.
It holds about 480 mL of debris in its dustbin, so cleaning it out might be a little more frequent than the Roomba.
Additional Features
A purchase of the Roomba 960 includes the dual-mode virtual wall device. The virtual wall device uses infrared rays to create no-entry barriers for certain rooms, hallways or fragile items around your home that you don’t want the 960 to enter.
There’re two modes, the wall mode and the halo mode. The halo serves a circular wall.
The Roborock S6 holds most of its features on the app itself, where you can draw out virtual no-go zones through the virtual map, eliminating the need for any extra devices lying about in your house.
As mentioned earlier, you can also use the app’s virtual map to pin a particular area you want your Roborock S6 to clean as well.
The S6 is also quieter than many other robot vacuums at just 56 decibels. The 960 clocks in at 65 db, not much louder. The range is about the sound level of a normal conversation.
Price
The Roborock S6 comes in at a significantly higher price point than the Roomba 960. That’s understandable as the S6 is jam-packed with features, including mopping.
Pros and Cons
Roomba 960
Pros
- Trusted iRobot Roomba Brand
- Good app design with consistent updates
Cons
- Not as many features compared to Roborock
Roborock S6
Pros
- Mops and cleans at the same time
- Laser sensor accuracy for navigation
Cons
- Virtual map design is a little clunky and outdated
Roborock S6 vs Roomba 960 Who is Each For?
Roomba 960 : For those who want a well-known, trusted brand in robot vacuums providing great bang for buck.
Roborock S6: For those who have a higher budget for more advanced features from a relatively newer brand.
Final Thoughts
If you followed along with the tally in this Roomba 960 vs Roborock S6 comparison, you see the S6 wins almost every category across the board.
The Roborock S6’s advanced features stand out against the Roomba 960, with better cleaning performance, better navigation and altogether a fresher take on robot vacuums.
For other Roomba 960 and Roborock Vacuum Cleaner comparisons, see them below.
