Today, the devices under discussion are the Botvac D5 and Botvac D7 from Neato Robotics. Both are upper-tier robotic vacuums that come with super navigation technologies, high-end cleaning and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. Hence, you can control your Neato Botvac D5 Connected and Neato Botvac D7 Connected even if you are in your office. Apart from this, both the devices come with charge and resume technology which is extremely convenient for people with large houses. If you are confused between the two, in this Neato D5 vs D7 comparison, we are going to point out the non-obvious differences so that you can choose the one that will work best for your humble abode.
Neato Botvac D5 vs D7 comparison
Design
Let’s look at the design elements of both the robot vacuums. While they both have a similar D shaped classic Neato body, the Neato Botvac D5 has an all-black body while the Neato Botvac D7 has a combination of silver and black when it comes to colors.
- Buttons
Moving on to the buttons, the Neato Botvac D5 connected has two LED buttons, one for info and the other for battery, and a start button which is larger than the both. Even though the vacuum can be turned on via its smartphone application, the company added a manual button for ease of access. On the other hand, the Neato Botvac D7 connected has added Wi-Fi connectivity and navigation LED indicators. Even though both of them come with Wi-Fi connectivity, the Neato Botvac D5 does not come with an indicator mainly because it belongs to the lower price bracket as compared to Neato Botvac D7.
- Innards design
Towards the innards, both the vacuum cleaners have somewhat a similar aura. Both of them have small side brushes, which as compared to Neato’s biggest competitor Roomba vacuums are pretty small but unsurprisingly do a good job at cleaning since they can get into smaller spaces. Apart from this, we have two huge navigation tires on the side. Another innovative feature added to the robotic vacuums is the movable brush roll that moves in between the center area vertically ensuring all debris is picked up. This combination of a D-shaped vacuum and movable brush has proved to be pretty useful especially when it comes to cleaning corners. The brush enables behavior similar to an upright vacuum which makes it more efficient as compared to other robot vacuums.
- Bumper
The Neato Botvac D7 has a plastic bumper that allows the device to steer clear of objects and in case it bumps into an obstruction or obstacle, it will go unnoticed thanks to the bumper. The primary part of the device’s body is covered in brushed metal panels. These panels can be removed to locate the washable dustbin lying underneath. The area under the panels is see-through so that the user can see whether the dust bin needs emptying or not. The bin size is not as large as normal vacuums but is larger than typical robotic vacuums.
The big round device you see on the top of the vacuum is a turret that is there to help the robot get accurate measurements of the room. This turret has been a part of Neato vacuums for a long time now.
Next comes the Neato Botvac D5’s design, it has the same D shaped body as other Neato devices. It follows a minimalistic approach when it comes to design and is entirely black. We have a battery charging indicator at the bottom left. The same indicator has different color options for different modes: white if it is in Spot Cleaning mode, blue for Auto mode, and red if the D5 is having issues.
Size and dimensions
Neato Botvac D5 Connected weighs just under eight pounds and is 12.7 inches long, 12.3 inches wide and 3.9 inches high. On the other hand, the Neato Botvac D7 Connected is 13.23 inches wide, 12.5 inches long and 3.9 inches high.
The difference in the sizes is hardly noticeable, hence, both of the robotic vacuums are moderately sized and can easily navigate under the furniture including sofas and beds. They can also clean get into small spaces for cleaning such as corners and wall edges.
Neato Botvac D5 Connected and the Neato Botvac D7 Connected, both come with a top of the line laser navigation systems. Now the issue that arises with both these vacuums is that the part where the navigation system is installed is a little taller than the rest of the vacuum which results in obstruction when the robot has to go under any low-lying piece of furniture to clean. Thus, if you want the dirt under low-lying furniture objects to be cleaned, you will have to move them.
Cleaning parameters and vacuuming technologies
Both the vacuum devices come with a separate set of technologies and parameters. The Neato Botvac D7 is slightly advanced as compared to the Neato Botvac D5.
Neato Botvac D5
Let’s look at what D5 has up its sleeve first and then we will move on to what comes with the D7. The Neato Botvac D5 Connected features a combination of the roller brush, spiral blade brush and two wheels as mentioned earlier in the design section. The laser navigation system installed in the system controls the brushes and the wheels by showing them where to go. This navigation system, via Wi-Fi, also connects to the idiot-proof application.
Neato Botvac D7
On the other hand, the Neato Botvac D7 Connected only comes with a spiral combination brush. Which is the only arena where D7 lags as compared to the D7? The Neato Botvac D7 features a similar laser navigation system but works by generating coverage maps of the house based on parameters of different rooms and the contents in it. The laser sensor installed in the D7 is a 360 degrees laser smart sensor which allows the robotic vacuum cleaner to navigate and map more than one room at a time. hence, the detailed mapping results in more detailed cleaning of your house especially around the edges and in small spaces.
Both devices can seamlessly switch between different types of floors. The best part is, the D5 and D7, both are equipped with smart charging which means, once the vacuum hits the low battery mark, it makes its way to the charging dock and resumes cleaning from the exact same place once fully charged.
Now when it comes to the batteries, the D5 has a total working time of 90 minutes while the D7 has a total working time of 120 minutes. The larger battery explains the slightly larger size of Neato Botvac D7.
Cleaning bins and virtual boundaries
However, when it comes to cleaning the dustbin, you might have to clean it once or twice depending upon how dirty the house is. Moreover, since none of the two come with a full bin indicator, you will have to manually check the bin every now and then to prevent premature loss of suction.
Both the vacuuming devices will provide thorough coverage and will not topple on sudden level changes either. The virtual no-go lines are something that has proven to be extremely useful in Neato vacuums. The user can preprogram areas that the vacuum cleaner needs to avoid such as the kid’s play area, or areas where the vacuum has risks of getting stuck. This is especially important for occasions when you are not home.
Cleaning capability
The vacuum cleaners can both pick up small and large-sized debris thanks to the advanced brush bristles. When tested, both the vacuum cleaners had a 70 percent higher cleaning rate as compared to its competitors.
Since the D7 is a maxed-up model, it comes with an eco and turbo spin flow power cleaning system. This feature allows the user to boost the power for faster performance or spot treatment.
Additional features
The D7 and D5, both come with support for Alexa and Google home, they also work with smart life, which is a program that improves third party connectivity and docking systems.
As far as the Neato D5 vs D7 factor is concerned, the D5 comes with a high-performance filter which not only optimizes the cleaning process but also improves the air filtration. At the same time, the D7 comes features an ultra-performance filter which has a much better cleaning and filtration quality as compared to D5. If you want to rid your home of allergens along with the cleaning process than the D7 is the one for you.
Surface types
Even though both the vacuum cleaners are designed for all types of floors may it be tiles, hardwood, carpets or marble, but at the same time, they have their limitations too. As far as cleaning of different surface types is concerned both the vacuum cleaners have the same performance. The maximum clearance level for both the vacuum cleaners is ¾ inches i.e. 19 mm. hence, shag carpet is a no-zone for these vacuum cleaners. They will not be able to clean it properly. Moreover, these Neato vacuums can clean deep crevices in the slatted wood floors and grouts.
Usability and functionality
Let’s start with Neato D7 review. The device comes as pre-assembled, so you don’t have to spend assembling the small parts like you have to do with other brands. All you have to do is start the vacuum cleaner by pressing the button and then download Neato’s smart life edition application. Once the vacuum and the smartphone with the downloaded application are connected to the same Wi-Fi you will be able to control and schedule your device. However, you need to ensure the smartphone you used has updated Android or iOS. After that, you need to fully charge your device to start using it.
The Neato smart life application can be used to schedule your cleaning routines once a day seven times a week which is pretty convenient for all the office going folks. This application can also be used to mark the no go zones for the robot. Apart from this, different cleaning modes and eco or turbo modes can be selected via the application.
Moving on to the Neato D5 review, it has the same level of usability and convenience but lacks the designation of no-go zones. You can either use magnetic strips to prevent it from going to unwanted places or you can place any kind of obstruction in its way.
Wi-Fi and application connectivity
The Botvac D5 works with 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi where the Botvac D7 gives you the flexibility to connect it with both 2.5 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi connection. Also, both the devices can connect to the Neato smart life application which provides all the necessary controls.
Additionally, both Botvac D5 and Botvac D7, can connect to IFTT (if this, then that) and smart assistants, however, as compared to Botvac D7 the Botvac D5 has lesser third-party connectivity.
Both the vacuum cleaners are compatible with the following devices:
- Apple iPhone 4 and newer
- Apple iPad2 and later
- iPad Mini and newer
- Apple iPod Touch 5th Generation
- Android 4.0 and later systems
Sometimes people face connectivity issues with the Neato application. These pairing issues mainly arise due to the physical placement of your Wi-Fi router if changing the position does not work you can always reboot your robotic vacuum cleaner.
Battery life
A robotic vacuum cleaner is only as good as the battery it comes with. If you have top of the line vacuum cleaner that does not have enough run time, all you will get is bucket loads of inconvenience especially if the vacuum cleaner does not have recharge and resume option. Thankfully, both the products under discussion today have both, longer battery life and recharge and resume option.
The Botvac D5 comes with a smaller lithium-ion battery as compared to the D7 model. Featuring a run time of around 90 minutes on a single charge the D5 also comes with recharge and resume option. Thus, if you have a larger house, the resume and recharge will make your life easier.
On the other hand, the Botvac D7 comes with a whopping 120 minutes battery life on a single charge. The D7 also has eco and turbo modes. The modes can be used to optimize battery time by increasing the speed of the vacuums.
Both the vacuum cleaners go back to their charging docks as soon as the cleaning process ends. At this time, depending on how drained the battery is, the vacuum cleaner takes 100 to 150 minutes to completely charge. The LED battery life indicator turns green from red when the battery is fully charged.
Maintenance
Maintenance wise, both the vacuum cleaners are pretty basic and don’t need any special care. All you have to do is clean the dustbin once full and reinstall it. The same goes for the filter, the filter does not need cleaning and washing very regularly but you should go with bi-monthly cleaning of the filter. Moving on, even though the vacuums are equipped with self-cleaning brushes, they need proper cleaning after every month or so to remove any accumulated debris, human or pet hair. Since all the parts are removable, you will not face any issues while cleaning them.
Apart from this, the Botvac D5 does not come with a full bin indicator which means you have to check if the dustbin is full every now and then. This can get pretty taxing considering a full bin can cause loss of suction and waste of battery time and other resources. However, the device, via the app notifies you that the bin has not been cleaned for a few consecutive cleaning sessions as a reminder that works well for many people but still, it is not a concise and clear indication of a full bin.
The Botvac D7, on the other hand, has a more in-depth filter change and brush change system. It can get messy, but you don’t have to do it very regularly so that’s fine. The device also notifies the fullness of the bin via the application. You can also allow the application to give you regular reminders for cleaning the bin.
Video
Neato D5 vs D7: Final thoughts
Among the two, our personal recommendation is the Neato Botvac D7 Connected. This Neato D5 vs D7 comparison was all about helping you find the best robot vacuum among the two. If you want something reasonable that is not loaded with specifications then the D5 will do for you, however, if you are ready to put in some extra cash, getting the D7 will be one of the best decisions you ever make.
Both of them are low maintenance and are a pretty good alternative to manual vacuums. As compared to other robotic vacuums, these have a better cleaning ability and a larger bin. Both belong to the premium category when it comes to the world of robotic vacuum cleaners, hence, choosing any one of them would be ideal.
