iRobot Roomba 980 review

iRobot Roomba 980 review

Welcome to a Vacuum Cleaner Battery specialist of the iRobot Battery

Robot sells everything from gutter- and pool-cleaning gadgets to commercial-grade military, security and HazMat robots -- a recent FCC waiver even suggests automated lawnmowers are in the works -- but the brand is best known for its fleet of Roomba robot vacuum cleaners.

We reviewed the $700 Roomba 880 back in 2013 with battery like iRobot 4978 Battery, iRobot iTouchless AV001A Battery, iRobot iTouchless AV002A Battery, iRobot Roomba 400 Battery, iRobot Roomba 4000 Battery, iRobot Roomba 4100 Battery, iRobot Roomba 4210 Battery, iRobot Roomba 5210 Battery, iRobot Roomba Dirt Dog Battery, iRobot Roomba Intelligent Robotic M-288 Battery, iRobot Roomba Pro Elite Battery, iRobot Roomba Scheduler Battery and it was the most impressive automated floor cleaner we'd ever seen, but the robot vacuum industry is growing fast and competing models are putting Roomba's dominant position in question.

New app-enabled models are also appearing on the robot vacuum landscape and iRobot's latest bot, the $900 Wi-Fi-enabled Roomba 980, available in the US starting September 17 and in Europe and Japan by the end of the year, is a part of that trend. (International pricing is not yet available, but that converts to about £580 or AU$1,250.)

But, even though the 980 boasts an array of smart features, it didn't perform as well as the older Roomba 880 and it costs $200 more. I'd steer clear of the pricey Roomba 980 until we can compare it directly with Dyson's 360 Eye and Neato's Botvac Connected , two other smart robot vacuum models that should hit US retail soon.

The app is easy to navigate and it has a nice assortment of options, from setting schedules to opting in to features like Two Cleaning Passes, and it works whether you're on a Wi-Fi or cellular network. Still, I'd like to see a battery indicator that clearly displays how much juice is left before the bot needs to dock, as well as optional alerts when cycles end or when any potential errors take place.

And, now that the 980 is a connected device, we'd like to see integrations that link this smart Roomba with third-party devices. It would be neat to see iRobot become a Works with Nest partner, an initiative that connects Nest products with other smart home gadgets. That way, when the Nest Learning Thermostat is manually set to Away Mode or switches to auto-Away Mode, the Roomba 980 could complete a cleaning cycle. Or, if the Nest is set to Home Mode during a regularly scheduled cleaning cycle, it could override the Roomba and pause the cycle until you leave. (The 980 isn't exactly loud, but it would be tough to watch TV or have a conversation while it's cleaning.)