iRobot Roomba 981 vs iRobot Roomba i3

Cleaning

iRobot Roomba 981iRobot Roomba i3
Cleaning typeDryDry
Suction powern/a

1700 Pa

Cleaning area

185 m²

170 m²

Number of side brushes

1 piece(s)

1 piece(s)

Overcoming the thresholds

up to 2 cm

up to 2 cm

Self cleaning baseNoYes, sold separately
Noise level

61 dB

68 dB

Turbo brushYesYes
Usage AreaHard Floor+CarpetHard Floor+Carpet
Power

33 W

26 W

Keep Out ZonesVacuumn/a
Cleaning zone limiterVirtual WallVirtual wall
Climbing Threshold

20 mm

20 mm

Wet MoppingNoNo
Vibrating mopping padNoNo
Cleaning time calculationNoNo
3-Point Cleaning SystemYesYes
Edge CleaningYesYes
Effective on Animal Hairn/aYes
Bump PreventionYesYes
SPOT ModeYesYes

Technical specifications

iRobot Roomba 981iRobot Roomba i3
Product TypeRobot VacuumRobot Vacuum
Wi-fiYesYes
Weekly ScheduleYesn/a
Modes

3 mode(s)

n/a
Time SchedulingYesYes

Navigation

iRobot Roomba 981iRobot Roomba i3
MappingYesNo
Smart NavigationYesn/a
Manual robot control (from the app)YesYes
Gyro Navigationn/aYes
Selective Room CleaningNoYes
Setting the suction power and water level for each roomNoNo
Storing multiple cleaning maps in memory (cleaning multiple floors)NoNo

Control

iRobot Roomba 981iRobot Roomba i3
Voice promptsYesYes
Voice Assistant Support
  • Amazon Alexa
  • Google Home
  • Amazon Alexa
  • Google Assistant
Scheduled cleaningYesYes
Manual control (from the button on the vacuum cleaner)YesYes
Control from smartphoneYesYes
Remote controlNoNo

Integration with cloud services

iRobot Roomba 981iRobot Roomba i3
Amazon AlexaYesYes
Google HomeYesYes
Samsung SmartThingsNoNo
Xiaomi Mi HomeNoNo

Sensors

iRobot Roomba 981iRobot Roomba i3
Number of Sensors

42 piece(s)

n/a
Carpet detectionNoNo
Dirt detectionYesYes
Cliff SensorYesYes

Battery

iRobot Roomba 981iRobot Roomba i3
Battery typeLi-ionLi-ion
Battery Capacity

3300 mAh

1800 mAh

Battery life up to

75 min

90 Minutes

Charging time

3 Hours

2.5 Hours

Battery Voltagen/a

14.4 V

Auto RechargeYesYes

Bin

iRobot Roomba 981iRobot Roomba i3
Dustbin Capacity

600 ml

390 ml

Bin StationNoNo
Dust collector filling indicatorYesYes
Washable Dustbinn/aYes

Filters

iRobot Roomba 981iRobot Roomba i3
Cyclone FilterNon/a
Other FiltersAeroForceAeroForce

Dimensions and equipment

iRobot Roomba 981iRobot Roomba i3
Width

351 mm

336 mm

Height

92 mm

92 mm

Depth

351 mm

336 mm

Weight

4 kg

3.3 kg

ColorGreyGrey
Included Equipment
  • 1 Roomba® 981 Robot Vacuum
  • 1 Home Base® Charging Station
  • iRobot® Roomba® i3 Robot Vacuum
  • 1 Home Base® Charging Station
  • 1 Extra High-Efficiency Filter
Additionally
  • Error Detection
  • iAdapt Navigation
  • Anti Tangle
  • iAdapt Navigation
  • Anti Tangle
  • Solid Rubber Brush
  • Imprint Link Technology