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The Roomba 650 vs 690, this is what we consider the battle of the budget Roomba vacuums. The Roomba 650 is one of the most popular Roombas and is a great entry level Roomba.
The Roomba 690 is based on the Roomba 650; the main difference is it has WiFi connectivity. This vacuum is based on the technology of the 600 series Roomba so don’t expect to see the latest Roomba technology.
So in a nutshell the Roomba 690 is a version of the 650 that has WiFi connectivity. There are a few other differences that we will highlight later on in our review.
Are you In a Hurry? Lets get straight to it:
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Buy the Roomba 690 if you want WiFi connectivity and also a Roomba that is compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
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Buy the Roomba 650 if your main concern is price and you are not interested in WiFi connectivity.
Both vacuums have similar prices. If you find the Roomba 690 for the same or a cheaper price purchase the Roomba 690 since this is a slightly better vacuum.
Roomba 650 vs 690, Compared Side by Side
| Roomba 650 | Roomba 690 | |
|---|---|---|
 |  |
|
| Navigation Technology | iAdapt Technology | iAdapt Technology |
| Vacuuming Technology | AeroVac | AeroVac |
| WiFi Support | No | Yes |
| Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant Compatible | No | Yes |
| Price | Usually Cheaper | Usually More Expensive |
| Remote Control | No | Via smartphone App |
| Weight | 11.8 lbs. | 7.8 lbs. |
| Dimensions | 13.4 x 3.6 x 13.4 inches | 13 x 13 x 3.7 inches |
| Accessories | 1 Virtual Wall | 1 Dual Mode Virtual Wall |
| Check Price | Check Price |
About the Roomba 650
- Automatically Recharges Itself
- Remote Control: No
- Comes with one virtual wall
- Battery life: Approximately 60 minutes
- App: No
The Roomba 650 is the budget level vacuum in the Roomba line. It is also one of the most popular roombas.
This Roomba utilizes iAdapt technology which utilizes an advanced system of software and sensors to clean your room. This technology mimics how a human would clean a room. For example if we find a particularly dirty spot we tend to concentrate our cleaning on this spot.
Unlike the newer models of the Roomba, this vacuum uses AeroVac vacuuming technology. This Roomba utilizes a three stage cleaning system to agitate, brush and suck up dirt and debris.
What is means is the vacuums uses bristle brushes to collect dirt and debris that is then guided into the vacuum path.
The newer models have since adapted to Aeroforce technology with uses bristles extractors to guide dirt and debris into the vacuum.
This results in more vacuuming power and if you vacuum up pet hair or long hair you don’t have to worry about a lot of the hair that you vacuum up wrapping around the brushes since this problem is significantly reduced.
This Roomba comes with one virtual wall. If you don’t want your Roomba to go into certain rooms you can use this accessory to create a wall that the Roomba will not pass.
PROS
- Good value for money
- Works on all floor types
- Ease of use
CONS
- Doesn’t have WiFi connectivity
- Cannot clean multiple rooms in one go
- bristle brushes prone to getting hair stuck in it
About the Roomba 690
- Automatically Recharges Itself
- Remote Control: Via Smartphone
- Comes with one dual mode virtual wall
- Compatible with Google assistant and Amazon Alexa
- Battery life: Approximately 60 minutes
- App: Yes
The Roomba 690 is one of the latest Roomba vacuums introduced by IRobot. This Roomba is based on the popular Roomba 650 and has all the features of this Roomba.
The main difference is this vacuum offers Wifi connectivity so you can control and schedule your vacuuming jobs remotely. This Roomba comes with a handy iRobot App that have a number of great features.
You can keep track of the battery life, lifetime performance, weekly schedule and more. Other functions you can perform are you can check the location of the vacuum, pause cleaning or send it back to home base.
This Roomba is also compatible with Amazon alexa and Google Assistant so if you are feeling really lazy you now have voice control!
This Roomba has the features of the Roomba 650 such as iAdapt technology that uses software and a number of sensors to find its way around your room yet at the same time avoiding furniture and other obstacles in your room.
The Roomba 690 is also particularly good at cleaning the edges of rooms and different floor types.
The Aerovac technology utilizes the three state cleaning system. This Roomba uses counter rotating brushes to collect dust and debris which is then sucked into the vacuum which has an optimized air flow.
One feature that differentiates this vacuum from the Roomba 650 is the type of battery. The Roomba 690 has a lithium-ion battery which provides longer vacuuming time.
Another feature is the dual mode virtual wall barrier. This is an extremely handy device. There are two ways you can use this device The virtual wall mode allows you to prevent your Roomba from going into certain rooms.
The halo mode prevents the Roomba from going near certain items. For example it will form a protective circle around the dog dish or cat litter so your Roomba won’t go near these items.
If you are considering the Roomba 690 you might want to see how it compares to the Roomba 960, the Roomba 980 and the Roomba 890. You can click here to get an in-depth comparison on all Roomba vacuums.
PROS
- Good value for money
- Works on all floor types
- Ease of use
- Has Wifi Connectivity
- Compatible with Google Assistant & Amazon Alexa
CONS
- Cannot clean multiple rooms in one go
- Bristle brushes prone to getting hair stuck in it
Similarities between the Roomba 650 and 690
The Roomba 650 and the Roomba 690 have the following similarities:
- Return to home dock automatically when the battery is running low
- AeroVac technology
- Similar size
- Rotating brush Cleaning Mechanism
- Can schedule cleaning jobs
- Return to home dock automatically when the battery is running low
- iAdapt Technology
- Similar weight
- Aerovac filter
Differences between the Roomba 650 and 690
The Roomba 650 and the Roomba 690 have the following differences:
- The Roomba 690 is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
- The Roomba 650 has one virtual wall, The Roomba 690 has a dual mode virtual wall barrier
- The Roomba 690 has Lithium-ion batteries
- The Roomba 690 can be scheduled via the iRobot App.
What features you will not get with the Roomba 650 and the Roomba 690
The Roomba is an entry level vacuum for the budget conscious so don’t expect to see some of the technology in the newer models such as the Roomba 890, 960 or 980 models. Here are a few features you might not see:
Aeroforce technology: The Roombas in the 600 series use AeroVac technology so the cleaning power is not as powerful as the vacuums in the 800 and 900 series. According to iRobot these vacuums are up to 50% more powerful.
Wifi Connectivity and Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa Compatability: You will only find these features in the Roomb 690 model . You will not find them in the Roomba 650 model.
Ability to Recharge and Resume cleaning Job: The Roombas in the 600 series can return to the home dock to recharge, however, they will not resume their cleaning job where they stopped.
The Roombas that have this feature are the Roombas in the 900 series. This allows them to clean multiple rooms on one level of your house.
iAdapt 2.0 technology: This is a much more efficient navigation technology that is only available in the 900 series vacuums.
This technology utilizes visual localization cameras and floor tracking sensors to keep track of which part of your home has been cleaned and navigate accordingly. This results in a more efficient and thorough cleaning of your house.
Cleaning: The Roomba 980 has a carpet boost technology that increase the cleaning power on carpets by to 10 times normal.
All Roombas have side brushes to clean the edge of your floor. The Roombas in the 900 series have an edge cleaning mode function that allows you to remove stubborn dirt and debris from the edge of walls and around furniture legs.
What this means is when the Roomba is finished cleaning it will then pay special attention to the edges.
Can you Customize Cleaning Preferences: Another feature that you will find in the 900 series Roombas that you won’t find in the 600 series is the ability to really customize your cleaning preferences. For example if your home is particularly dirty you can request two pass cleaning.
Are these Roombas Good for Pets?
One of the beauties of purchasing a Roomba is you can schedule your cleaning job and simply forget about it. This will end up saving you a lot of time.
This feature is particularly helpful when you have a lot of pets. You will find that you vacuum significantly less.
While the Roombas 650 and 690 can work for pet hair there is something we feel we should point out. Roombas in this series use bristle brushes that help collect hair and debris.
If you are collecting a lot of hair and debris it will tend to get tangled up in the brushes after a while and this will increase the amount of time you spend maintaining the device. If this is not a problem for you, the Roombas in the 600 series are a good buy.
The Roombas in the 800 series use a brushless extractor which is really a rubber roller with threads which breaks up dirt and debris before it’s sucked up into the vacuum.
This makes it easy to suck up dirt and debris and also prevent clogging, this results in a more efficient and powerful vacuuming device. This feature also reduces the amount of time you will spend maintaining your Roomba.
Our Verdict Should I buy the Roomba 650 or 690
You should buy the Roomba 650 if you are looking for a budget entry vacuum and you are not concerned about wifi connectivity or whether your device is compatible with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. If you don’t plan to use these features why pay extra for them.
You should buy the Roomba 690 if you are interested in WiFi connectivity and love the fact that you can control your Roomba remotely. If you are interested in a smart home the fact that it is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google assistant is a plus.
Price is one of the main motivations for purchasing the Roomba 650 ad 690 models. Both of these vacuums are based on similar technology with a few differences.
You will usually find that the Roomba 650 is cheaper than the Roomba 690. From our observations, there is not a significant difference in price.
If you can find the Roomba 690 for the same or a lower price go with the Roomba 690.
