iRobot – the manufacturer of the Roomba line of robot vacuum cleaners – has taken over the world. Right now, the Roomba is easily the most popular robot vacuum cleaner on the market, and for a good reason: these are good, well-made, well-designed vacuum cleaners that are the pinnacle of convenience and quality.
In this article, we’re going to be looking at two distinct models of Roomba. The Roomba 640, and the Roomba 690. Both of which are quite similar in their way, but also quite different. By reading this brief article, you’ll understand the differences between the two, and which one is more adequate for your purposes, enabling you to make the right choice for yourself!
The Roomba 640
As is to be expected, the Roomba 640 is a more “budget” vacuum in comparison to the Roomba 690. One of the first things that you will notice – aside from the sleek and aesthetically pleasing design, of course – is that it doesn’t have any Smart Home functionality, due to the lack of Wi-Fi. For many people, this is a dealbreaker, since it severely restricts your functionality and convenience.
Now, despite lacking this particular feature, the iRobot Roomba 640 retains all of the elements of other Roomba vacuums. You have the 3-Stage Cleaning System, Dual Multi-Surface Brushes, Edge-Sweeping Brush, along with the Dirt Detect Technology.
All of these features coalesce into a robot vacuum that is incredibly efficient when it comes to fulfilling its main purpose, which is that of cleaning. Whether you’re cleaning standard wood floors or even a light carpet – thick carpets don’t clean as well – the vacuuming process is easy and efficient, which is, really, the most important part of any robot vacuum.
You also have the inclusion of a Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barrier which is a physical object that you can place in the space that you are cleaning, and it emits a signal that tells the Roomba 640 to not go past that particular barrier. This is great if you have a very specific space that you want to be thoroughly cleaned.
When the vacuum is done cleaning, it will automatically go back to the charging dock to recharge its battery. While it is difficult to find out the official battery-life of the Roomba 640, it is estimated to be ninety minutes.
Unfortunately, you can’t schedule the vacuum. So, the only time you can use it is when you are at home, and you press the “Clean” button. This does limit the level of convenience that you have.
Regarding filtration, it is quite good, but it isn’t a HEPA filtration system, so it doesn’t do as good of a job when it comes to getting rid of allergens as other robot vacuums.
Ultimately, the Roomba 640 is a great robot vacuum cleaner, but it does lack the conveniences of the Roomba 690, and you have very limited functionality and control, preventing you from creating very thorough schedules and actually utilizing the features that most Roomba’s have.
The Roomba 690
On the surface, the Roomba 640 and the Roomba 690 are similar vacuums. They have the same cleaning abilities, and they come with the same Dual-Mode Virtual Wall Barrier. They also have the same battery-life and when they are out of battery power, they go back to the dock to recharge. Even the filtration system is exactly the same, which is effective, but not great for eliminating allergens.
But, there is one very notable difference, and that is, of course, that the Roomba 690 has Smart Home functionality. You can use your smartphone and/or tablet, along with Amazon Echo and Google Home, to turn on the vacuum wherever you are – as long as you have a Wi-Fi connection – and to create custom schedules for the vacuum.
For some people, this isn’t going to be a huge addition – or at least, not a very notable one – but the Roomba 640 does lack this big feature, and as such, you are a lot more restricted when you use the vacuum. With the Roomba 690, you can, essentially, turn on the vacuum wherever you are, and begin the cleaning process. You can also adjust and alter the schedules that you’ve set up, wherever you are. These are simple features that make the experience so much easier and they give you more direct and persistent access to the vacuum, rather than only being able to access the vacuum when you are in the same room as it.
Wrap-up
Well, that’s it for this Roomba 640 vs 690 Comparison. We hope you found it helpful!
If you’re still having trouble deciding the Robot Vacuum that’s best for you see our full guide on robot vacuums here.
| Best of the Best! | Best For Tight Spaces | Budget Pick (< $220) | Vacuum & Mopping | Also Great |
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| iRobot | Eufy | Eufy | Roborock | Ecovacs |
| s9+ | 11S MAX | 11S (Slim) | S5 | 500 |
| Continuous | 100 min | 100 min | 150 min | 110 min |
| 12.2 x 12.2 x 3.5 in | 17.8 x 13.7 x 4.8 in | 12.8 x 12.8 x 2.9 in | 13.8 x 13.7 x 3.8 in | 12.9 x 12.9 x 3.1 in |
| 20 pounds | 5.73 pounds | 5.73 pounds | 7 pounds | 6.7 ounces |
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