Roomba 650 vs Roomba 652: All Time Best Seller Vacuum Robots

Roomba 650 is by the far the all time best seller vacuum robot. In this post, we explain the reasons of its success, by reviewing its feature. We also analyze the differences between Roomba 950 and Roomba 652. We conclude by discussing whether you should get one of these cheap Roomba.

Features

Roomba 650 and Roomba 652 belong to the 600 series presented in the video above. Their specifications are provided by the table below. We can see that the two vacuum robots are identical, except for one feature. While both vacuum robots include the iRobot patented dirt sensing technology, only the 652 embeds the advanced version of the sensor that combines an optical and an acoustic sensors.

Dirt sensors  allow Roomba to detect dirtier areas and trigger the persistent cleaning behavior. With the advanced version of this sensor, Roomba 652 is able to detect spots that might be missed by Roomba 650. As a result Roomba 652 achieves slightly better cleaning, since it spends time on those dirtiest spots.

Specs of Roomba 650 & Roomba 652 Systematic NavigationNo Dirt SensorBasic (Roomba 650)
Advanced (Roomba 652)
Dustbin Capacity400ml High Performance FilterNo Smartphone AppNo Boundary Marker1 Beacon Battery Runtime60min Flat FrontNo Self ChargingYes Suction Power600Pa Cliff SensorYes Selective Room CleaningNo Side Brushes1pcs SchedulingYes Voice CommandNo Self CleaningNo Recharge & ResumeNo Main BrushBasic Multi-Floor MapsN/A Noise Level68db Brush Adaptive HeightNo

Pros & Cons

Performance Analysis

In this section, we analyze performance of Roomba 650 and Roomba 652 with regard to main uses and user expectations. This analysis is backed by scores, summarized below. We can see that both vacuum robots achieve similar scores, since they specs are almost identical.

  • Pets & Allergy: If you have pets, Roomba 650 and 652 will collect most of hair thanks to their double counter rotating brushes, complemented by a side brush. But, expect to spend time for maintenance, especially during molting periods. You’ll have to remove hair stuck on the brushes once a week or so. Another weakness of Roomba 650 and 652 is their low suction power. Bigger debris are sometimes left. Smaller particles are collected, but finer ones responsible of allergy cross the basic filter and stay in your home. With a score of 25%, Roomba 650 and 652 are considered bad for pet owners and people suffering from allergy.
  • Large Homes: With a 60 minutes battery run-time, Roomba 650 and 652 can cover a reasonably big area. However, they are unable to localize. This is why they follow a random navigation pattern. They end up vacuuming some areas several times, which compensate for the low suction power.  But, this inefficient behavior leads to consuming the whole battery charge for a small area. This is why Roomba 650 and 652 are for small homes only. Their score for large homes is only 30%.
  • Affordability & User Satisfaction: Roomba 650 and 652 have very good build quality. They are cheap, durable, and the iRobot customer service does an excellent job. This leads to a very good score for affordability and user satisfaction: 93%.
Roomba 650Buy from Amazon
Roomba 650
iRobot Roomba 652Buy from Amazon
Roomba 652
Pets & Allergy
Bad 25%
Large Homes
Bad 30%
Affordability & User Satisfaction
Very Good 93%

Summary & Recommendations

Roomba 650 and 652 are effective on various floor types like hardwood, tile, laminate, vinyl, and thin carpets. Although they have a low suction power, their double main brushes combined with the iRobot patented dirt sensor allow for good cleaning performances.

However, as shown by their scores (see above), Roomba 650 and 652 will disappoint you if  you have pets, or if you need a vacuum robot that fights allergy. Their capabilities are also compatible with small homes. For large homes, we recommend to consider Roomba i7+.

Having said that, Roomba 650 and 652 are simple to use, and have a sturdy build. They are appropriate for small homes and tight on budgets. The Roomba 652 is better than the older Roomba 650, only because the advanced dirt-detect sensor. However, you will seldom notice the difference in cleaning performance. This is why we recommend the cheaper Roomba 650 for about $200, over the the Roomba 652 that costs about $300.

Roomba 650Buy from Amazon
Roomba 650
iRobot Roomba 652Buy from Amazon
Roomba 652

3 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Scroll to Top