Further down the page, you’ll find some explanations regarding the key similarities and differences between the iRobot Roomba 981 and the Roborock S6.
But before checking out explanations regarding their design, cleaning performance, battery, and feature, here’s a table that summarizes the main technical summary sheet for these 2 robot vacuums:
Design Comparison
iRobot Roomba 981 measures 13.9 x 13.9 x 3.58 inches and weighs 13.11 pounds. The Roborock S6 measures 13.7 x 13.8 x 3.8 inches and weighs 3.15 pounds.
Cleaning Performance Comparison
Suction Power & Noise
With a suction capacity of 1700 Pa, Roomba 981 has a noise level of 58 dba. The Roborock S6 has a suction power of 2000 Pa and a noise level of 50 dba.
Robot’s ability to walk
With a cleaning area of 180 m2, Roomba 981 has a smaller cleaning area than Roborock S6, with a cleaning area of 250 m2.
Thanks to the 20 mm (0.78 in) climbing ability, both of them are suitable for thicker carpets and can easily overpass a door threshold (if below 2 cm).
Roomba 981 has a dirt detection sensor. It is a system that recognizes high-traffic spots making a cleaner go over these zones a few times until it is clean
Both robots are equipped with a bunch of sensors that prevent bumping into things, falling, and keeping them at a distance of 10 mm from walls and furniture.
Dirt treatment
With a 500 ml dustbin capacity, the iRobot Roomba 981 can hold a little more dirt than the Roborock S6, which has a capacity of 460 ml.
Both can’t empty themselves when the dust bin is dirty, it will stop cleaning when the dustbin needs emptying. The Roomba 981 will notify you when the bin is full, the Roborock does not.
Filter
Under the lids of both trash cans, there is a HEPA filter that makes the robot safe for people with allergies and asthma. You can remove the Roomba 981 and Roborock S6 filters for washing
Ability to vacuum and sweep
Carpet boost: Roborock S6 has a sensor that can recognize carpets. When the vacuum is on the carpet, its suction power is increased to the maximum level automatically cleaning deeper.
Side brush: Both have a side brush made of rubber.
Cleaning Brush: Both are equipped with a cleaning brush that has detachable tips and is easier to clean since hair mostly gets clogged around the edges.
Ability to mop the floor
The Roborock S6 can do sweeping and mopping; the Roomba only sweeps.
The Roborock S6 comes equipped with a water tank and two types of mopping pads: 10 disposable pads more suitable for everyday cleaning, and two microfiber cloths for mopping one-two times a week. The tank has a switch that controls the level of water dripping depending on the amount of water you need. Mopping is not able to get rid of stains but it is good to maintain your floors for as long as possible.
Battery Comparison
With a battery capacity of 3000 mAh, the Roomba 981 can operate for about 120 minutes and take 180 minutes to charge. Roborock S6 uses a 5200 mAh battery that can work for about 150 minutes and takes 180 minutes to fully charge.
If both vacuums don’t finish all the work on a single charge, it will automatically return to the charging dock. Resume intends that the robot will resume from where it left off after charging is complete. This feature is perfect for large households where the robot cannot clean the entire house on a single charge
Feature Comparison
Mapping
Unlike robots that don’t have a map and move randomly until the battery runs out, Roomba and Roborock navigate efficiently. It moves back and forth in straight lines methodically covering the cleaning area based on the map it generates.
Roomba 981 uses a camera sensor to map your home layout; the Roborock S6 uses a laser distance sensor (LDS or LIDAR). The camera suffers in dark rooms.
Roomba 981 cannot store maps in memory. Roborock S6 can store 4 different maps in memory.
Schedule activities
The Roomba 981 only has basic scheduling features. You can only schedule it to work at a specific time and day of the week.
Roborock S6 has an advanced scheduling feature. After mapping, you can divide the map into separate regions and give each area a name. With this feature, you can schedule cleaning by area, no-go zone, selected room cleaning, schedule, etc.
Roomba 981 does not have a digital virtual wall creation feature but you can buy an additional virtual wall barrier to create a no-go zone.. meanwhile, Roborock S6 is equipped with a digital virtual wall creation feature that helps create a no-clean zone, Zoned cleaning.
Zoned cleaning: the robot cleans within a particular zone
No-Go zone: keeps the Roborock off some zones
No-wipe zones: It’s similar to no-go zones, except this option only works when mop attachments are enabled. It keeps the robot away from carpeted areas so that the vacuum will avoid them when mopping.. this is suitable for machines with water tanks.
Controls
Manually control it like a radio car. If you need the device to go to a specific spot, you can use the app remote control and manage its movements by sending it where you want to. Also, with the «Target Point» option you can tap on the map, and the robot will go to that place. Much easier than using the remote control.
Additionally, you can control the two robot vacuums by setting voice prompts through Amazon Alexa Support and Google Assistant Assistant.
Activity tracking
When the two robot vacuums have finished cleaning, you can view the results in the cleaning history.
Roomba 981 cannot be tracked in real-time on iRobot Home, you cannot see its location while the robot is vacuuming.
The Roborock S6 allows real-time robot tracking that you can see in the Mi Home or Roborock app. When the robot vacuum is active you can check its location using the app.
Quick Rundown Of iRobot Roomba 981
- POWERFUL PERFORMANCE AND POWERFUL PICK-UP - Power-Lifting Suction delivers 10X the air power for improved pick-up performance. Automatically increases suction to clean deep into carpets with Power Boost Technology.
- IT WON'T STOP TILL THE JOB IS DONE - Intelligently maps and cleans an entire level of your home. Patented iAdapt and technology with vSLAM navigation actively captures thousands of precise measurements each millisecond to optimize coverage.
- NAVIGATES IN NEAT ROWS - Purposefully and logically cleans in neat rows and uses floor tracking sensors to navigate your home.
- IDEAL FOR HOMES WITH PETS - Unique Dual Multi-Surface Rubber Brushes don't get tangled with pet hair. Brushes adjust and flex to stay in constant contact with carpets and hard floors. High-Efficiency Filter traps 99% of cat and dog dander allergens.
- LEARNS YOUR LIFE LISTENS TO YOUR VOICE - Learns your cleaning habits to offer up personalized schedules, while Google Assistant and Alexa allow you to start cleaning with just the sound of your voice.
Quick Rundown Of Roborock S6
- Astonishingly efficient: Using adaptive routing with edge optimized cleaning, S6 gives you comprehensive room cleaning fast.
- Multi-floor Mapping: Save multiple maps, along with No-go Zones for each level, all recognized automatically by the robot.
- Convenient Selective Room Cleaning: Choose which rooms to be clean, and schedule cleaning for specific rooms.
- Powerful clean and Easy mopping:Intense suction, cleans deep into carpets and cracks in the floor. Get your floors gleaming with a quick mop.
- Quiet and convenient: With a cleaning volume of just 67db (equivalent to a typical conversation) in Balanced mode, you can clean any time day or night without disruption.
