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Neato is launching two new connected vacuums at IFA today. They’re called the Botvac D3 Connected and the Botvac D5 Connected. The D3 is the cheapest connected vacuum the company makes: it’ll retail for $399, whereas the D5 will cost $599. These round out Neato's lineup so the company is now selling a vacuum at every price level. Here’s how the features break down for each.
The D3 has:
- a combo brush
- the ability for advanced scheduling
- smartwatch support
- power clean mode
- a lithium-ion battery
- a standard filter
- can handle up to 1,800 square feet
The D5 has:
- a combo brush
- advance scheduling
- smartwatch support
- cleaning stats
- a "Find Me" feature that helps you locate a lost Wi-Fi vacuum
- a high capacity lithium-ion battery
- an "ultra-performance" filter
- can handle up to 4,500 square feet
If you have a smaller apartment, don’t own shedding dogs or have hair that tends to ball together, and don’t care about cleaning stats, you’re probably fine with the D3.
Dyson released its 360 Eye earlier this summer, which The Verge’s Ben Popper called "the best robotic vacuum," but at $1,000, it costs significantly more than both the D3 and D5. Roomba, on the other hand, released its affordable Wi-Fi 960 vacuum this month that costs $699. Although it costs $100 more than the D5, the Roomba doesn’t have a limit to the amount of space it can clean, or at least the company doesn't outwardly offer up how much it can handle. Other than that, it doesn’t differ much from the Neato. Choosing between the two would likely come down to brush quality, but unfortunately, I have no way to test that without getting a full review unit in. What a world! So many robotic vacuums and only so much space to be cleaned.
Correction 9/1, 11:59 AM ET: Updated to reflect that Neato's D5 comes with a side brush and that Roomba doesn't advertise how much space its Wi-Fi 960 can handle.