Roomba 870 vs 880: Pros & Cons and Verdict

Since the first smart floor cleaner appeared in the mid to late 90s, these devices have advanced and transformed into real, working and compelling products that help people automate some of the most boring housework.

When people start thinking about purchasing robotic vacuums, they mostly look for affordable gadgets that can get the work done. Several good robotic vacuums are reasonably priced and function pretty well too.

Two notable, well-known models manufactured by iRobot are the Roomba 880 and 870. These two robotic vacuums have been around for some time and have dozens of satisfied customers.

These models are highly successful, reliable and functional smart floor cleaners. I've met several people who own both of these devices and discussed some of the most critical aspects of Roomba 870 and 880.

Roomba 870 vs 880: Pros & Cons and Verdict

To find out how these two robotic vacuums differ, what they have in common and if there is anything unique about them, we'll discuss, compare and evaluate some of the crucial aspects of Roomba 870 and 880.

1. Setup Process

The first thing we need to talk about is the setup processes of Roomba 870 and 880. Today, no one wants to purchase smart gadgets that take ages to activate, and no one is willing to spend hours reading manuals and watching tutorial vids on YouTube.

Fortunately, both Roomba 870 and 880 are quite easy to set up. I won't write step-by-step guides since I'll be wasting your time.

Setting up both of these smart floor cleaners takes 5-10 minutes. All you have to do is to press the appropriate buttons on the surface of the robotic vacuum and command it to start cleaning.

Suggested Read: Roomba 860 vs 880: Pros & Cons and Verdict

Although the setup process is very straightforward, you might like to know that Roomba 870 and 880 include an excellent user's manual in the package of both robotic vacuums. If you somehow get lost during the setup process, you can check the manual for further guidance.

In addition to this, iRobot has a superb support team. They're always ready to help customers in need. I've talked with them a few times and can say for sure that they always provide professional answers and tips.

2. Design

Every consumer that aims to automate their house wants to purchase products that look attractive, modern and “techie”. Have you ever met a person who isn't concerned about the interior of their home? I don't think so.

So it's essential for our robotic vacuums to always be visually appealing; and when visitors come round, it's a plus if our robotic vacuum looks so stylish that we don't have to hide it out of sight. Besides the visual aspect, it's important to know the dimensions of Roomba 870 and 880 since it can play a vital role regarding cleaning your rooms.

Roomba 870

The dimensions of Roomba 870 are 13.9 x 13.9 x 3.6 inches, and it weighs 14.2 pounds. Roomba 870 is entirely different from other Roomba models. The first significant difference you'll notice is the colour of the 870 model.

Unlike the popular Roomba models like Roomba 650 and 860, Roomba 870 looks a bit different. It seems like iRobot wanted to make something unique and decided to make it more light coloured.

 

Besides the colour, Roomba 870 pretty much looks the same as the 880 model. Roomba 870 has a solid construction. When you lift it up, it feels like a tank. Some of my friends own Roomba 870, and every time I see it, this smart floor cleaner catches my eye.

Frankly, it's a beautifully designed robotic vacuum that stands out from the crowd.

Roomba 880

Roomba 880 is another good-looking robotic vacuum that weighs 8.4-pounds and has a height of 3.6 inches and a width of 13.9 inches.

Roomba 880 is one of the best-looking robotic vacuums. It's true that liking a specific floor cleaner's design is a matter of taste, but if we discuss this topic more globally, the majority of Roomba 880 owners are satisfied with the model's looks.

Roomba 880 is a robotic vacuum that maintains iRobot's branded minimalistic look. A few weeks ago, I visited a friend who happens to own a Roomba 880. Seeing the real thing, and not just a photo, I can vouch that it looked pretty attractive and well-constructed.

3. Performance

When people decide to purchase robotic vacuums, the first thing they think about is the performance capabilities. In this particular case, it's important to know if Roomba 870 and 880 can perform at an acceptable level.

If these two robotic vacuums can't meet our requirements and mostly underperform, we shouldn't invest in such devices. So let's talk more about this to avoid any misunderstandings.

Roomba 870

Roomba 870 is a notable robotic vacuum that is known for having a high-performance rate. Compared to ILIFE A4 and Roomba 650, the 870 works much better, more effectively, the battery lasts longer, and the navigation system has improved too.

To begin with, Roomba 870 is relatively quiet. You might not be able to sleep while the robotic vacuum is running, but it's possible to watch TV, listen to the radio or even read.

The long battery life and the auto-docking function makes the Roomba 870 even more attractive. We've tested Roomba 870 several times, and it cleans the room for approximately 75 minutes non-stop.

When the battery runs low, it'll automatically return to its docking station. We should mention that there were instances when Roomba 870 failed to locate its docking station. That might be an issue since if the problem systematically recurs, and we can't leave Roomba 870 to recharge and continue unsupervised.

Roomba 870 has an essential feature, the dustbin indicator. So if its bin gets full while Roomba 870 is cleaning the room, it'll alert the owner that the bin must be emptied for the device to resume cleaning.

The most significant drawback of Roomba 870 that decreases its performance capabilities is the random cleaning style. Roomba 870 isn't as advanced as the new Roomba models, and it can't determine whether some places need extra or less cleaning. It might hit the same spots over and over, which will result in excess energy consumption and half-cleaned rooms.

Roomba 880

Roomba 880 is another popular robotic vacuum that has one of the highest approval rates on Amazon. It’s a highly-rated smart floor cleaner that has thousands of satisfied customers.

Roomba 880 is a more advanced robotic vacuum than the 870 model. It surpasses the 870 model in vacuuming, navigation, cleaning capabilities and energy consumption.

While it's true that Roomba 880 is a random-cleaner robotic vacuum, it still cleans better than the 870 model. If you have ever encountered a Roomba 880 and have also seen previous models put to work, you will have noticed the difference.

Roomba 880 cleaned the room more thoroughly than previous generation models; the way it moves is smarter and more efficient.

Roomba 880 happily goes under beds and eliminates those annoying dust bunnies. In spite of HEPA robotic vacuums being considered loud, Roomba 880 is relatively quiet and produces less noise than the 870 model.

What I like about the Roomba 880 model is that it has an incredible battery life. Roomba 880 has about 2-3 hours of cleaning power, and that's enough to clean a whole apartment. It's true that it takes more time to clean rugs and carpets, but if you have a light cleaning to do, Roomba 880 will finish it without needing a single recharge.

Since the navigation system of Roomba 880 is better than the 870, it can be left alone because it moves around more effectively. Unlike the old models, Roomba 880 won't crash into stands, walls, tables and won't fall down the stairs.

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Roomba 880 is a perfect dust picker. It leaves nothing behind. It's crucial to know that, at first, Roomba 880 will require a little babysitting for you and the smart floor cleaner to figure out how to cooperate.

If Roomba 880 has trouble understanding the room it's cleaning, you can help it by placing the Virtual Walls.

4. Features

While Roomba 870 and 880 shares most features, there are some exceptions. It's kinda important to know the features of these robotic vacuums to make sure we aren't purchasing products that won't meet our expectations.

To help you find out what these robotic vacuums have, we've created a handy chart where we compare Roomba 870 and 880.

ROOMBA 880	ROOMBA 870
iAdapt Navigation Technology	3-Stage Cleaning System
Room to Room Cleaning	–
AeroForce 3-Stage Cleaning System	Self-Recharge
Self-Charging	Conveniently schedule up to 7x per week
Virtual Wall Technology	Full Bin Indicator
Full Bin Indicator	Virtual Wall Technology
Auto-Schedule	iAdapt Responsive Navigation
VWLH ( Virtual Wall Light Houses)	3-Stage Cleaning System
5x More Power	–

If we judge based on the chart above, Roomba 880 is a superior robotic vacuum with better features and capabilities.

The Multi-Room Navigation System is what makes Roomba 880 exceptional. Roomba 880 can navigate its way to other areas of your house. It can clean different rooms unsupervised, and you don't need to give extra commands. (By contrast, you can only place Roomba 870 in a single room, and it can't navigate its way room to room.)

5. Cleaning Capabilities

Another important topic we should discuss is the cleaning capabilities of Roomba 870 and 880. The primary reason why people purchase robotic vacuums is their cleaning abilities, and if these models can't deliver satisfying results, we shouldn't even consider buying either 870 or 880.

So, to avoid a decision based on guesswork, let's drill down to some detail and find out how well Roomba 870 and 880 perform.

Roomba 870

Roomba 870 is a beautiful robotic vacuum that has terrific cleaning capabilities. Roomba 870 has better HEPA filters, an enhanced navigation system and it perfectly cleans up any dirt.

The battery life is enhanced, and now you have roughly 75 minutes of runtime. The biggest change the 870 model has is the brushes. Previous models and other robotic vacuums have bristles. Roomba 870 has shifted to rubber brushes, and it has made a huge difference.

At first, it might seem like a disadvantage, but the cleaning process has improved. Compared to the 650 model, Roomba 870 delivers a sharper clean.

When Roomba 870's battery runs low, it returns to its docking station to get a full recharge. There's a little problem with the auto-docking you should know. Sometimes, Roomba 870 fails to locate its docking station and gets lost en route.

Leaving an active Roomba 870 on its own can be quite problematic; for example, if you go out, hoping your house will be cleaned in the meantime, you might return to a half-cleaned house and a battery-dead Roomba 870. You'll have to wait hours for it to recharge and then put it back to work.

But that's the worst-case scenario. Roomba 870 manages to locate its docking station 95% of the time. So losing its way to the docking station is the clear exception, not the rule.

Roomba 870 has a full bin indicator, which is a fantastic feature. Whenever the bin gets full, Roomba 870 will send a notification to the owner. On top of this, iRobot is kind enough to send two extra filters for free.

When we tested Roomba 870 and made it clean things like dirt, fur and dust, it did a pretty good job. It left minimal to no fluff or dirt behind.

The biggest drawback of Roomba 870 is that it's a random-cleaning robotic vacuum. It can't understand which places require extra or less cleaning. Roomba 870 does have the Virtual Wall Technology, but it doesn't make much of a difference.

To sum up, Roomba 870 leaves some spots untouched and you might need to finish cleaning the floors yourself. If you're okay with giving a little manual back-up, Roomba 870 can be an excellent choice.

Roomba 880

Roomba 880 is a highly-rated robotic vacuum and one of the most popular and frequently bought. Compared to the 870 model, Roomba 880 delivers sharper results and leaves no dirt behind.

When iRobot analysed the cons of Roomba 870, it tried its best to solve all the issues with the Roomba 880. After a lot of work creating this new model, iRobot created something unusual.

Roomba 880 was the first robotic vacuum that had the multi-room navigation system. On top of this, Roomba 880 was one of the first smart floor cleaners that tried to clean houses in a pre-planned manner.

With the help of the Virtual Wall Technology and the robotic vacuum's enhanced sensing abilities, Roomba 880 became capable of understanding the structure of the room. It became better at detecting obstacles, and it minimised the number of instances when the floor cleaner crashed into walls, tables and stands, or fell down the stairs.

Roomba 880 is a better cleaner too. With the 5x more power and the improved battery life, Roomba 880 became one of the most popular devices on the market.

What makes this robotic vacuum so good is that it cleans better than most humans. Roomba 880 happily runs under your beds, tables, sofas, etc. It removes dust bunnies, you can leave it activated when you're not home, it's smart enough to charge itself when the battery runs low, and the vacuuming power is impressive too.

What I want you to know is that, at first, Roomba 880 will require some babysitting. It's a temporary process, and it'll last until you start understanding each other.

Roomba 880 is a potent device that eliminates everything it faces. It's so effective in sucking up debris and dust that sometimes you find yourself emptying the Roomba 880's dustbin every 20 minutes.

As for the noise, it's relatively quiet compared to other HEPA vacuums. But not ultra quiet. You won't be able to sleep while the 880 is running (unless you're in a different room), or be able to concentrate on work, read, watch TV, etc.

Roomba 880 has an unbelievably good battery life. We've tested how long it goes without a single charge and, to our surprise, Roomba 880 worked for 2 hours non-stop. That's a fantastic result if we consider the fact that, on average, cleaning a medium sized house takes about 1.5 hours.

If you have severe allergies, ensure you leave the room where Roomba 880 is cleaning. It regularly throws dust in the air, which might cause sneezing.

6. Advantages and Disadvantages

So we've discussed some of the most critical aspects of these robotic vacuums. We've rated their designs, talked about the setup process, and reviewed the features. Another important matter we need to write about is the advantages and disadvantages of Roomba 870 and 880.

Before we hit the purchase button, we need to know the pros and cons of these smart floor cleaners to avoid buying the wrong device. To help you with this, we've created two charts that list the advantages and disadvantages of Roomba 870 and 880.

Roomba 870

PROS	CONS
High-Efficiency Filters	Random Cleaning Style
Solid Construction	Weak Navigation System
AeroForce 3-Stage Cleaning System
Relatively Quiet
Concentrated Cleaning
Virtual Wall Technology
Strong Suction
Smart Schedules
Long Battery Life
5x Stronger Power	Purchase Roomba 870

Roomba 880

PROS	CONS
High-Efficiency Filters	Sometimes Cleans Randomly
Tangle-Free Debris Extractors	No Mobile Application
AeroForce 3-Stage Cleaning System
3x Battery Life
Concentrated Cleaning
Virtual Wall Technology
iAdapt Multi-Room Navigation
Smart Schedules
Room to Room Cleaning
5x Stronger Power	Purchase Roomba 880

The charts show that the Roomba 880 is a superior robotic vacuum that exceeds Roomba 870 in every significant aspect. Since Roomba 880 is a newer model, it functions better, has enhanced abilities, better sensing skills and cleans much more efficiently.

Considering that the cleaning style and the navigation system are the two most important aspects of a smart floor cleaner, we must look for a product that scores well for these aspects.

7. Support

iRobot has a perfect support team. I've had talks with them several times, and every time I raised a question, asked for tips and talked about some newbie stuff, they always replied professionally and gave precise, helpful answers.

You can reach iRobot's support can through their website. You can either call them, email them or chat with them using the live chat.

Comparison Chart: Roomba 870 vs 880

Before we conclude our comparison article, I'd like to compare Roomba 870 and 880 directly. Since this is a comparison article, we can't conclude it by saying that it's a tie. We need to choose a winner so that the reader can know which of these two robotic vacuums is superior.

We've created a detailed chart that compares some of the most critical aspects of Roomba 870 and 880. Just by looking at this chart, you can determine which of these two is a better buy.

NAME OF THE ROBOTIC VACUUM	ROOMBA 880	ROOMBA 870
Robotic Vacuum Name	Roomba 880	Roomba 870
Self-Charging	Yes	Yes
Scheduling	Yes	Yes
Smart Cleaning	Yes	Yes
3-Stage Cleaning System	Yes	Yes
Sensing Abilities	High	Average
Multi-Room Navigation	Yes	No
HEPA Filters	Yes	Yes
Mobile App	No	No
Intelligence	Good	Average
Battery Life	Good (2x better)	Average
Full Bin Indicator	Yes	Yes
Dimensions Of The Product	13.9 x 13.9 x 3.6 inches	13.9 x 13.9 x 3.6 inches
Problems	Could’ve had Better Navigation System	Cleans Randomly & Navigation Issues, Small Dustbin
Unique Features	5x More Power	None
Warranty	1-year	1-year
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Again, it's pretty obvious that the Roomba 880 is a superior robotic vacuum that has better capabilities, cleaning power and intelligence.

Unlike the 870 model, Roomba 880 requires less attention; its automation is more advanced and reliable, it delivers a more delicate clean, requires little to no manual interference and can navigate itself throughout the whole house.

The Bottom Line

If you want to buy yourself a functional, popular and high-rated robotic vacuum, you have to choose the 880 model.

Roomba 880 does cost a bit extra. If you're on a budget and can't afford the 880, don't despair… although the Roomba 870 might not be as good as the 880, it can still get the job done.

Roomba 870 has some good features and cleaning capabilities that can please the majority of the buyers. If you don't mind babysitting the device some of the time and don't mind cleaning the missed bits yourself, then the Roomba 870 is still a good purchase.

Robotic Vacuum Name	Roomba 870	Roomba 880
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