Roomba i3 vs i4 Evo: Which One is Worth Your Purchase?  

Robot vacuums could have you parting ways with more than a thousand bucks without blinking, especially those that are packed with advanced technologies, like smart mapping. But not all the brand comprises such rigid pricy spot. Keeping the potential user benefits in mind, iRobot Roomba offers cost-effective solutions, bringing you the i3 EVO and the i4 EVO on the market. Each of the robot vacuums is designed with smart mapping technology, boasts dirt-detect-based cleaning, and has advanced navigation systems. In this post, we’ll shed light on the similarities and dissimilarities between the Roomba i3 and i4 (the EVO versions) and help you decide which bot can bring more convenience to your busy life. Let’s unfold what’s unknown!  

Roomba I3 Review: i3 EVO  

The iRobot Roomba i3 EVO is a smart robot vacuum of iRobot’s lineup with smart-mapping technology, holding an affordable price spot at $350. The vacuum is compatible with a self-emptying cleaning dock (sold separately) that disposes of debris from its internal dustbin into an external dirt compartment automatically. Besides, the vacuum has a 0.37 L dust collection capacity. This bot is robustly built and does a great maneuvering job with its smart navigation technology. It can operate for up to 75 minutes. In terms of performance, the vacuum cleaner is superb on bare floors, clearing different types of debris, small to bulky. While operating, it doesn’t emit any annoying noise. However, the device slightly struggles to tackle different types of material on carpets, especially high-pile ones.   

Pros   

• Clean bare floors efficiently  
• Larger dust bag  
• More than 1 hour run time  
• Dirt detection technology  
• Perfect for pet owners  
• Self-cleaning dock compatible  

Cons  

• Not great for high-pile carpet  

Roomba I4 Review: i4 EVO  

The midrange Roomba i4 Evo typically lists for $400 (sale price lower the cost often), lower than many advanced models with smart mapping technology. Despite its lower price range, the i4 Evo boasts powerful cleaning performance on multiple surfaces with 0.4 L bin capacity. The vacuum has a dual multi-surface rubber brush roll that can extract dirt, dust, and pet hair from both carpet (high and low pile) and bare floors. This smart bot also has edge-sweeping brushes that ensure spotless edges and hard-to-reach nooks and crannies. It cleans in straight lines for maximum efficiency, follows your schedule, and maps room by room. The run time of this robot is more than one hour (75 minutes) with multiple power levels. The vacuum will return to the charging dock automatically when the battery is low.  

Pros   

• Powerful cleaning capacity  
• Efficient on carpets and bare floors  
• Bagless option  
• Advanced mapping sensor  
• Anti-bump sensor for better navigation  

Cons   

• The self-cleaning dock isn’t included 

Roomba i3 vs i4 Evo: Comparison Table  

Similarities i3 vs i4 Evo  

Wi-Fi Connected: To operate any of these robot vacuums, the i3 EVO or i4 EVO, you must need Wi-Fi. When they are Wi-Fi-connected, you can control the devices with your smartphone or voice commands.  

Multiple Surface Cleaning Capacity: Both the i3 and i4 EVO can remove dirt from different floor surfaces. These bots come with a multi-surface brush roll that loosens, lifts and removes debris, hair, and other fine particles from carpets and floors.  

Clean Nooks and Crannies: Similar to other slim-fit robot vacuums, i3, and i4 boast a low-profile design with similar dimensions. As a result, these devices can access and clean most under-furniture areas and kickboards. In addition, iRobot vacuums have edge-sweeping brushes that ensure spotless edges and corners.  

Patented Dirt Detect Technology: Each of the devices has dirt detection sensors, which direct the bots toward efficient cleaning by enabling them to focus on dirty areas.   

Battery Life: The i3 EVO and the i4 EVO are manufactured with the same battery power of 75 minutes. The MAX power of the i4 EVO might drain the battery faster than the i3 EVO.  

Filtration System: Each of the vacuums features a high-efficiency filtration system that traps dust pollen. However, Roomba vacuum filters are not designed to be washed. You can dry clean or wipe the filters for effective cleaning.  

Automatic Return to the Charging Dock: Like other smart robot vacuums, including Roborock, Evovacs, or Eufy, the Roomba vacuums also automatically return to the docking station to recharge.   

Roomba i3 vs i4 Evo: Dissimilarities  

Our experts make sure that both the i3 EVO and i4 EVO are great cleaning tools, packed with many convenient cleaning perks. However, there are some specific differences which set the customer apart. Let’s see the differences between i3 EVO and i4 EVO:  

Suction  

Suction power determines the cleaning capacity of a vacuum cleaner. The i3 EVO and i4 EVO are both smart versions and have higher cleaning capacity than Roomba’s basic models. However, in our test, the i4 EVO showed better cleaning power, picking up pet hair, sand, and other dusty particles. The i3 features three suction levels- low, medium, and high, and when we tested the i4 EVO, it showed- low, medium, high, and max.  

Winner: The i4 EVO comprises powerful suction that picks up dirt faster than the i3 EVO.  

Performance on Different Floors  

If your house has more carpet flooring, then we recommend the i4 EVO as it can tackle carpets (High and low pile) bare floors, whereas, in our test, the i3 EVO performed best on the bare floor and low pile carpets and rugs.  

Winner: The i4 EVO has better surface navigation capacity compared to the i3 EVO.  

Noise  

The noise level of i3 EVO and i4 EVO is limited between 58 to 65 bd. As the i4 EVO has more powerful suction, it can emit slightly louder noise in its max mode.  

Winner: i3 wins the noise section due to its quieter cleaning performance.  

Bin size  

The i3 EVO has a special bag feature that has approximately 0.37 L of capacity. On the other hand, the i4 EVO is a bagless model that can contain 0.4 L of dust at a time.  

Winner: Although the bin size doesn’t show any mentionable difference, the i4 EVO comprises a slightly large capacity.  

Navigation/Sensors  

The Roomba i3 EVO and i4 EVO both have different types of sensors for better navigation. In comparison, we found the iAdapt 3.0 navigation technology in the i4 EVO does a better job when the device needs to avoid obstacles on its way. On the other hand, the i3 is designed with iAdapt 2.0, which is also good but not as effective as the i4 EVO.   

Winner: The i4 can clean your home more thoroughly, asking for a very minimum effort from you.  

Debris and Pet Hair Handling  

Both the i3 EVO and i4 EVO can tackle different types of debris and pet hair. If you want to deep clean, then the i4 EVO stands ahead of the i3 EVO.  

Winner: The i4 EVO can extract dust and hair from surface level as well as from the depth of high-pile carpet.  

Verdict   

Either vacuum can provide excellent cleaning results and keep your floor surfaces spotless. Yet for specific needs, if your house has more carpet floors, needs to clean dusty particles, and pet hair from the depth of carpet pile and under furniture areas, then we score the i4 EVO or its following lineup. For those who have more bare floors (hardwood, tiles, laminates, and others) in the house, the i3 EVO can be a great cleaning tool.  

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