Neato Botvac D5 Connected vs. Shark Ion Robot 750: Which Robot Vac is Best?

The robot vacuum space is getting crowded by the minute.  What used to be a space dominated by iRobot’s line of Roombas now has other worthy players.

One of these is from Neato, an American company that has constantly battled it out with iRobot for the best robot vacuums in the market, and another is from SharkNinja, which made a name making upright vacuum cleaners.

Neato has the Botvac D5 Connected among its offerings, while SharkNinja has just recently announced the availability of the Ion Robot 750.  Which one is better?

Design and dimensions

Neato Botvac D5 Connected Navigating Robot Vacuum, Pet & Allergy, Works with Amazon Alexa

One look and you would immediately notice just how different the Shark Ion Robot 750 is from the Neato Botvac D5 Connected.  The Botvac D5 Connected has a D-shape, with its flat side enabling it to get closer to wall edges.

This added proximity, coupled with a side brush, allows it to efficiently clean along edges and in corners.  The Ion Robot 750, on the other hand, has a round shape that does not allow it to get close to edges.

It does, however, have two side brushes that can help narrow the gap when it comes to cleaning edges efficiently.

Another consideration is that the Shark Ion Robot 750 has a lower profile, but has the same width as the Botvac D5 Connected.

The Botvac D5 has dimensions of 13.2 inches by 12.6 inches by 3.9 inches, while the Ion Robot 750 measures 12.6 inches in diameter and is 2.6 inches tall.

Both robot vacuums can cover the same area with a single pass, but the Ion Robot 750 is able to get under more low lying furniture compared to the Botvac D5.

Winner: Tie.  While the Botvac D5 is able to get closer to wall edges, the Ion Robot 750 can easily go under more furniture and clean there.

Cleaning technology

The Neato Botvac D5 Connected’s shape helps it clean edges better, but it also has the SpinFlow Power Clean system that uses the main combo brush and a side brush to loosen and sweep off dirt, debris, and hair.

The swept up dirt is then sucked into the D5 Connected’s dustbin.  If you want cleaner floors or if you have pets, you can switch out the Combo brush with the spiral blade brush, which is more effective in picking up pet hair with less chances of tangling.

The spiral blade brush, however, is not included in your purchase but may be bought for $39.

The Botvac D5 Connected uses an ultra performance filter, which keeps dirt and dust particles as tiny as 0.3 microns trapped.  You can use the included boundary marker that would keep the robot vacuum out of the places you do not want it to go.

The Botvac D5 Connected will clean until the battery juice runs low, at which point it will go back to the charging dock.  Once the battery is fully recharged, the Botvac D5 will resume cleaning where it left off.  This will help the Botvac D5 clean larger rooms and even multiple rooms.

Meanwhile, the Shark Ion Robot 750 has a main brushroll and two side brushes to loosen and sweep up dirt, dust, hair, and dander.  The brushroll is self-cleaning, which means you would deal with less tangles and less need for maintenance.

The Ion Robot 750 uses a HEPA filter, which traps more dirt and dust particles compared to the filter you find on the Neato Botvac.  It also uses a Botboundary strip that acts similarly to the Botvac D5’s boundary marker.

Winner: Neato Botvac D5 Connected.  It has a more powerful vacuum and delivers a better clean even for larger rooms.

It also gives you entire level cleaning, where it will keep on cleaning and recharging until it finishes the job for an entire level of your home.  This trumps the better HEPA filter that you find on the Ion Robot 750.

Neato Botvac D5 Connected

Navigation technology

The Shark Ion Robot 750 uses a wider range of sensors to find its way around the room, while also avoiding collisions and steep drops.

On the other hand, the Neato Botvac D5 Connected has better navigation technologies on board.  It uses LaserSmart Mapping & Navigation.  Using lasers, the Botvac D5 will scan your floors to create a map of the room.

Using this map, the Botvac D5 will then calculate the most efficient cleaning path.  This mapping capability ensures that the Botvac D5 will be able to clean every spot of your floor, while also avoiding obstacles, walls and drops.

Winner: Neato Botvac D5.  It can give you the best coverage for your floors because of its sensors and the laser mapping technology.

Shark Ion Robot 750

Smart features

Both robot vacuums have their own mobile apps that allow you to operate them through your mobile device.  You can tell the robot to start, pause, stop, or resume cleaning even when you are not home.

You can also create cleaning schedules for each robot vacuum to follow.  The app can also send you notifications and help you troubleshoot your robot vacuum.

However, the Neato App also gives you more insights with a cleaning history and cleaning map, allowing you to see how the Neato Botvac D5 cleaned while you were gone.

Plus, the Neato app has a Find Me feature that allows you to see where your robot vacuum is.  You can also turn the 2x spot cleaning mode on the app itself.

Moreover, you can also use voice commands to operate both robot vacuums if you have Amazon Alexa speakers or Google Home.  The Botvac D5 Connected, however, also works with IFTTT recipes, allowing you to do more with your robot vacuum.

For instance, you can use an IFTTT recipe so that your robot vacuum will send you an e-mail when it finishes cleaning, or have the Botvac D5 monitor your GPS location so that it could start cleaning when you leave the house, or automatically dock when you arrive home.

There is also an IFTTT recipe that would pause the cleaning when you get a phone call.

Moreover, the Botvac D5 works with smartwatches, and if you have the Neato Chatbot for Facebook, you can use that as well to tell your robot vacuum to start cleaning.

Winner: Neato Botvac D5 Connected.  It allows you to connect with more devices and services with the IFTTT compatibility, and it has a means to operate and control your robot vacuum using a Facebook Chatbot. 

Battery

Both robot vacuums use a lithium-ion battery that is more durable than nickel metal hydride batteries.  The Botvac D5 Connected needs to be charged for five hours to get a maximum running time of 2 hours in eco mode.

If you turn on the turbo mode, the running time is cut down to 90 minutes.  Meanwhile, the Ion Robot 750’s battery delivers 60 minutes of running time and it only takes 2 hours of charging.  

Winner: Shark Ion Robot 750.  Comparing the running time with the charging time, the Ion Robot 750 delivers 30 minutes of operation for every hour of charging.

The Neato Botvac D5 Connected only delivers 24 minutes of running time in eco mode and 18 minutes in turbo mode for every hour of charging. 

Price

Nominally, the winner here should be the Ion Robot 750.  At $350 on Amazon, it sells cheaper by $149 than the Botvac D5 Connected, which has a $499 price tag on Amazon.

Winner:  Tie.  The Shark Ion 750 presents a cheaper alternative to Botvac D5, but it does lack some notable features that can easily justify the latter’s more expensive price.

Side-by-side comparison: Neato Botvac D5 Connected vs. Shark Ion Robot 750

What should you you buy? Neato Botvac D5 Connected vs. Shark Ion Robot 750

For those who are looking for a capable robot vacuum that delivers an efficient clean and is also affordable, then the Shark Ion Robot 750 should be your choice.

This robot vacuum would also be perfect for those who live in smaller houses or apartments, or those who still use an upright vacuum cleaner to clean their floors and only need a robot vacuum for the daily cleaning jobs in between.

And because of its HEPA filter, it would also be perfect for those who have allergies or asthma.

The Neato Botvac D5Connected, on the other hand, might be more expensive, but it has a better cleaning and navigation system that allows it to clean much more efficiently than the Ion Robot 750.

And if you have a large home, you will appreciate the way it returns to the charger and then resumes cleaning after charging.  You would also like its compatibility with IFTTT.

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