Roomba E5 vs E6: Pros & Cons and Verdict

The inception of the robotic vacuum cleaner remains a blessing to many. It incorporates an incredible technology coupled with a high-level of intelligent programming, which assists people in cleaning their homes.

On weekends or middays, many people can now relax and ease themselves the stress of sweeping or cleaning their homes, all thanks to the robotic vacuum cleaner.

Although the first generation of robotic vacuum cleaners included manual operation using a remote control and self-drive mode, the modern vacuum cleaners now use more advanced technology. 

The improvement of the robotic vacuum and advancement in technology has further bought the robotic vacuum cleaner into the limelight. The modern vacuum cleaners now have magnificent features such as the auto-mode that helps in general cleaning, spot mode that focuses on a particular dirty zone, edge brush that clean edges, and corners, to mention but a few.

However, many companies are now into the robotic business, which means there is now a variety of robotic vacuum cleaners with different designs, dimensions, and price. But, Roomba has made a name for itself since it had been introduced in 2002.

Roomba has different models, which provide various features such as unwavering suction power for powerful cleaning, a cliff detector to prevents your robot from falling off the stairs, dirt detect technology to sense areas with more dirt.

Including smart navigation to avoid obstacles with their sleek, circular design that can make your robots clean underneath your furniture and couch. More importantly, it has Wi-Fi connectivity, which means you can monitor your robot and control them from your smartphones, among many others.

Furthermore, Roomba introduced the Roomba e-Series in 2018, one of its best products—especially for pet owners. This e-Series has two models, the Roomba e5 and Roomba e6. These two models, however, are very similar in their performance and quality, which makes it difficult for many shoppers to choose one between them.

As we move on, we’ll give you an in-depth comparison between the Roomba e5 and e6 so that you can make the best decision when shopping for a robotic vacuum cleaner.

How We Started

For thorough and reliable results, we had to put these robotic devices to the test, thereby comparing their look, their functionality, cleaning performance, their level of usability, how long it takes for their battery to run out, and many other several features including their colour and price. 

There is a significant reason why people purchase a robotic vacuum cleaner, which is usually to assist them in cleaning their homes. Nonetheless, there are several other things most people look at when buying a robotic vacuum.

Some people focus on the robot’s suction power as well as battery life and run-time. In contrast, others might focus on the additional accessories that come with the product and its unique features. Either way, we all want the best product that will perform to our utmost satisfaction.

To ensure you have the best, we have made a thorough comparison between the Roomba e5 and e6 model, and you’ll find a detailed review of these models below. This guide will help you to make a clear and decisive conclusion if you’re not too confident about which model you should buy between these two models.

Similarities and Differences

From a considerable distance, you'll probably notice the difference between the Roomba e5 and Roomba e6. But as you begin to take a step closer to them, you're likely going to find out that there is not much of a difference between the two robotic cleaner. In fact, you might think these two are of the same model because they have a lot in common.

The first noticeable difference you'll observe between the Roomba e5 and e6 is the color. The Roomba e5 generally comes with an all-black color scheme while the Roomba e6, on the other hand, comes with a two-tone color, which is black and tan. Other differences, however, are not easily noticeable except we go through their accessories. 

The Roomba e6, being a newer version of the Roomba e-series, has some additional accessories, which could be regarded as a significant difference between its older version–Roomba e5. Although the Roomba e5 has one preinstalled high-efficiency filter, however, the Roomba e6 comes with a replacement filter as well as an installed high-efficiency filter.

The next difference between the two models is the virtual wall barriers. As you might have thought, the Roomba e6 model comes with two virtual wall barriers against the e5 model, which has none. Nevertheless, the Roomba e5 is compatible with virtual wall barriers, but you'll need to buy it separately. 

When it comes to similarities, the Roomba e5 and e6 models are quite similar in a lot of ways. No wonder they are usually referred to as twins. Except for their colors, as mentioned earlier, the two robots are too identical. There's virtually no difference at all when it comes to their internal design or tools such as the brush roll, suction power, run-time, sensors, etc. Even their exterior structure, such as the size and weight, are not left out.

However, to have more in-depth knowledge about the similarities and critical differences between the Roomba e5 and Roomba e6 model, keep reading along with us.

Design and Build Quality

Generally, most Roombas are designed to have a sleek, disc-like, circular shape, except their newer models, which tend to slightly differ in their shape. The Roomba e5 and e6 features a round body style with three simple controls on top.

These buttons are Clean, Home, and Spot, with the clean button positioned in the middle. The clean button is used to start or end a cleaning cycle while the home button sends the robot back to it's charging station, and the spot button cleans specific areas for spots or spills.

In terms of their size and weight, they are also identical. The two model size is 13.3 x 13.3 x 3.6 inches and also weighs about 7.2 pounds. Their height sometimes limits them in cleaning under some furniture and sofas, but they are still perfect in cleaning most bed frames and some crouches.

The Roomba e6, as well as the e5 model, is made from hard plastic with firm vacuum and a dirt compartment made out of matte plastic, which is usually more solid than other vacuum's dirt compartment. The dual brush rolls, on both models, are made of rubber to reduce the hairs that get intertwined in brush rolls, and they are typically made for pet owners–especially the ones that shed.

However, the one major design feature that distinguish them is the color. As earlier discussed, the e6 model has a silver accent (or tan) color on a black body, which creates a clear visual differentiation from the e5 model that has an all-black outer body. 

Although the e6 model looks a bit more attractive than its older e5 model, however, it's hard to pick a clear winner. And since their color is the only design feature that differentiates them, which is subjective depending on each individual's choice, therefore we'll leave you to be the judge.

Battery Life

When it comes to the robot vacuum cleaner, one of the essential factors to consider is the battery. This is because you do not want your vacuum cleaner going to charge every now and then while still in the middle of cleaning, which can be quite annoying.

The Roomba e5 and e6 model both makes use of the lithium-ion battery, so they have high-quality battery life. When fully charged, the battery can make the robot run for about 90mins before it automatically nests on the charging dock to recharge; this might take up to 3 hours. 

For easy access, your charging dock should be placed against the wall with enough clearance so that your robot can quickly locate it for recharge. Otherwise, your robot vacuum battery might be dead before you reach home, and you might have to move it to the charging dock yourself.

Nevertheless, the total battery life may change depending on your floor type or the type of obstacles it meets since the vacuum cleaner's power adjusts automatically according to the surface it's cleaning.

Although advanced Roombas now has impressive features like the Recharge and Resume, these two models do not have these features. The recharge and resume feature typically drives the robot back to the charging dock if it’s in the middle of cleaning to recharge and then continue cleaning after recharging.

For this feature, the Roomba e5 ties with the Roomba e6 since there's no difference in their battery performance.

Cleaning Performance

The cleaning performance of a robot vacuum cleaner is inarguably the most crucial feature to consider when getting a robot cleaner. We all want a robot vacuum that would do a good job cleaning our home at a reasonable, affordable price. 

The Roomba e5 and e6 models are definitely going to do a good job cleaning your home irrespective of your floor type. There are, however, some main factors to look out for, which has a direct effect on the cleaning performance of any robot cleaner. 

The factors are Navigation and Sensors, Suction power, Run time, and Brush roll. Except for the run time, which has been discussed in the Battery Life, we'll look at the other three factors.

Navigation and Sensors

The Roomba e5 and e6 model both uses iAdapt navigation technology. This navigation technology, along with the model's distinct slim and low profile, allows them to randomly move around your home (especially under and around furniture and hard to clean areas). 

Even though both models do not have a smart pathing feature and appear to move around randomly, they're still able to learn and adapt to your home. The navigation technology keeps tracks, so over time, they will navigate better. 

With their sensor, they can detect obstacles and maneuver their way around it. They also have an auto-adjust cleaning head, which makes it automatically adapts its height when cleaning a room with varied surfaces.

Not only that, they both possess cliff detection and dirt detect technology. So if you have multiple stairs or basement in your house, you can be sure either of these two models won't drive off the stair. The cliff detection sensor prevents them from falling off the stairs or ledges i.e., once they arrive at a stair, they stop and turn away. 

The dirt detect technology, however, helps the robots to locate the dirtiest areas in your house for thorough cleaning. So, they don't miss a spot or waste their energy when there are more contaminated places to clean up. 

Suction Power

The suction power is yet another critical factor to consider when it comes to the cleaning performance of robot vacuums. Generally, a robot vacuum with a higher suction power does better at removing dirt or dust from various surfaces. Still, they might be quite noisy–thereby causing sound pollution–and might consume more power.

Again, the Roomba e5 and e6 both exhibit the same suction power. Moreover, their suction power has an improved iRobot technology compared to the older Roomba series is five-time powerful than the older series. Due to this improvement, they can easily vacuum any dust, dirt, or hair, irrespective of their size, whether big or small.

Besides, both the e5 and e6 models are observed to be a bit loud and noisy. This isn't much of a surprise since they both have high suction power as compared to other models.

Brush Roll

As far as a robotic vacuum is concerned, the type of brush roll used by the manufacturer plays an essential task in the performance of the vacuum cleaner. 

You probably might have guessed that both the Roomba e5 and e6 are equipped with the same brush roll. Well, you're definitely correct; these two models in their similarity also have the same type of brush roll in their design.

In contrast to most traditional robotic vacuums that make use of bristle brushes, these two models make use of multi-surface brushes, which was made from rubber, for picking up dirt and debris. The two rubber brushes, however, rotate differently and oppositely towards each other, i.e. while one of the brushes rotates in a clockwise direction, the other brush rotates in an anticlockwise direction.

As they rotate in the opposite direction, one of the brush lifts the dirt into the suction opening while the other brush sweeps the dirt towards the suction opening. The suction power then sucks the dirt and dumps it in the washable collectible bin.

Nevertheless, the brush roll does not do the cleaning when it gets to the wall edges or corners of your house; the edge or side-sweeping brush does. The sweeping side brush is just below the brush roll, and it's located to the side of the vacuum. 

The brush has three long brush that spins along corners and edges to sweep debris and dirt away and pulls them in the brush roll's path for cleaning.

The overall cleaning performance of the Roomba e5 and e6 could therefore be said to be a tie. This is because the two models both exhibit the same feature in their navigation and sensors, suction power, and brush rolls (and edge sweeping brush).

Connectivity and Smart Control

There are times when we get too lazy to operate our robots manually. Other times, we might forget to trigger our robots before leaving home for work. While we are at work, we're thinking of ways to activate our cleaning vacuum. Well, here's a piece of good news for you. The Roomba e-series can be connected to your smartphones.

To connect your smartphones such as iOS or Android devices to your robot, first, you need to download the iRobot's app. After downloading the app, you'll have to register with iRobot before pairing your device with the robotic vacuum. You can then create a cleaning schedule on the app for your vacuum cleaner, start or stop the vacuum's cleaning cycle at any time, and anywhere.

You can also control both the e-series model using voice commands through Google Assistant or Amazon's Alexa. All you need to do is tell your smart assistant to start or stop a cleaning cycle. Life made easy, right? 

The Roomba e5 and e6 both have this feature; therefore, it's a draw for Connectivity and Smart Control feature.

Usability

Regarding the Roomba e5 usability, it's pretty easy to use and straight forward right from the setting up stage to usage and maintenance. The Roomba e6 is not left out either. It's also effortless to use, just like it's older e5 model.

To set up both models, all you need to do is unbox them, plug it, download and set up the app, then press or touch the clean button on your robotic vacuum or devices, respectively.

These models are also portable. So if you have multiple floors in your house, you can easily make use of the carrying handle that comes with them to move them to another floor.

As for the maintenance, you'll need to empty and clean the dirt compartment regularly. However, if you use water to clean the container, you must make sure your dirt compartment is dry before using it again. The filter should also be cleaned regularly, maybe once or twice a week, by gently tapping it.

If you have pets that shed hairs, you should occasionally clean your brush rolls to remove any tangled hair. The Edge sweeping brush should also be cleaned at least once a month, along with the sensors. But the sensors should be cleaned with a dry cloth.

Once again, the two e-Series model has tied since they are both very easy to use.

Unique Features

Both the Roomba e5 and e6 are amazing robots that perform the same cleaning function. And since they have similar features like the same battery life, cleaning performance, smart control, to mention but a few. Still, the Roomba e6, being a newer model, has an additional feature, including an accessory, which makes it a step ahead of its predecessor–Roomba e5.

The Roomba e6 is equipped with two virtual wall devices and an extra high-efficiency filter. Basically, the virtual wall has two modes, which are the Linear and Halo mode. 

When Roomba e6 is in the linear mode, it produces a straight line infrared beam that is up to 10 feet to create a wall barrier. This mode is useful if you want your Roomba e6 to clean just one room or prevent it from entering a room or section of the house.

The Halo mode an infrared beam circle, which is about four feet across. This mode prevents the robot from bumping into light objects or from accessing a specific area in a room.

Although the virtual wall device is compatible with the e5, you'll have to buy it, which means extra cost.

The extra filter that comes with the Roomba e6 simply means you won't be purchasing a filter soon as compared to the e5 that has no additional filter. 

Price

Usually, when we surf the internet or walk by a shop in search of an appliance, including vacuum cleaners, one of the things we take into consideration is the price. 

This is because most times, we have a price range for what we want, and we don't want to spend more than it's expected. However, we do want to get the best product in terms of value at a reasonable price.

When it comes down to the price tags of Roomba e5 and Roomba e6, the Roomba e5 is significantly cheaper than the company's newer model. Although their price tends to vary depending on the retailer, however, the e5 model is generally less expensive.

Not only is the Roomba e5 cheaper, but it's also conveniently available online, unlike the Roomba e6, which is only available for some retailers. The e5 can be purchased on sites like iRobot and Amazon. Simultaneously, the Roomba e6 is available, and it can be bought, from independent vendors, on sites like Walmart.

Therefore, in terms of price and availability, the Roomba e5 wins this particular round.

Who Should Get This?

Roomba e5

The Roomba e5 isn't what it used to be compared to when it was first produced in 2018. There are now many other Roomba models with more mouthwatering features that are better than the e5 models.

However, with the Roomba e5 price range, it still performs excellently well and can clean your house to the best of its ability. Perhaps, they are easy to set up and with smart navigations and connectivity.

The Roomba e5 can therefore be recommended for those who want a robot vacuum with strong cleaning performance. It can also clean or work on all floor types. It's also one of the most affordable models you can get. Furthermore, you can set up your cleaning schedule on your smartphones.

Roomba e6

The Roomba e6 is the newer version of e5, and it literally has everything that the Roomba e5 has with two extra accessories, such as two virtual walls and an additional filter.

It's an excellent option for those who want virtual walls and outstanding cleaning performance, and basic navigation functions. As regards to value, the Roomba e6 is superb when compared with other models when you look at the price.

Our Pick

Without prejudice, it's crystal clear that both the Roomba e5 and Roomba e6 has very similar qualities in terms of their cleaning performance and the rest. Moreover, there's no doubt they're one of the best models out there today. However, the big question is which of these products is the best?

Our Pick: Roomba e6

The Roomba e6 stands the winner of this specific comparison. This is because it has all the features of the e5, including an extra high-efficiency filter accessory and two virtual walls.