I’ve only recently considered reviewing robot vacuums, but times are changing and many studies show the consumer market will explode for these devices after 2018. Having launched its popular Botvac series of robot vacuum cleaners a little over a year ago, Neato has decided to both upgrade and expand its product category. The result is launch of 3 new products under the D series, namely, D85, D80, and D75. In particular, the dual toned D85 is now the flagship brand for the company, taking the mantle from still existing 2014 Botvac 85 model. Now, the products are new and will be launched in July, but I still managed to get a good grip on what’s going on.
In the beginning, I was not sure I’ll have what to talk about with you guys. However, not only I’ve found a decent price for this product, but I’ve also discovered the following:
Looks
Specifications
1. Usability
Beyond the cosmetic, albeit attractive, change in appearance, the new D series sticks to the previous iteration when it comes to its touch sensitive controls. The LCD panel may appear a little on the small side but the intuitive menu and interface makes changing settings or cleaning schedule a breeze. Disappointingly, however, Neato did not deem it fit to pack a remote control with its new models. The dust collector, at 0.7 liters (~ 24 oz), has not witnessed any increase in its capacity.
One of the main criticism of the previous Botvac models was the noise they generated during cleaning operations. It was distinctly loud, compared to the competition, with noise levels recorded as high as 66 dB. Thankfully, the new iteration promises a significant noise reduction owing to its brand new brush system. This should come as a relief to users as they probably wouldn’t have to leave the room while the robot is at work. Servicing and cleaning the vacuum is fairly easy, even for a novice. The multiple brushes and bristles come off with ease and are easy to put back together again.
2. Navigation and Obstacle Avoidance
Neato’s QNX Neutrino operating system along with its patented laser guiding system had already made its mark in previous iterations when it came to precise movements around a room. Although there is no perceptible change or noticeable improvement in the new D series, it is fair to say the performance of these machines is fairly impeccable. The vacuum cleaner is responsive to the environment in real time, efficiently maps the room, and impresses with its proficiency in avoiding obstacles. I’m pretty sure the Botvac offers one of the best implementations of SLAM I’ve ever seen in a robot.
The robot comes with a boundary marker ensuring that you get to control its movements. All you have to do is to drop the marker at the place beyond which you do not want the robot to go. One of the more impressive navigational feature of this robot is its ability to find its way back to the base charger once it is done with its tasks.
3. Suction Power and Filtration
The new D series comes fitted with a host of improvements over the previous iterations. To begin with, it incorporates a new SpinFlow power clean system, allowing it to suck up dirt, crumbs and hair more efficiently. The brushes are now 50% bigger, enabling better cleaning near walls. The D series also features a new side spinning brush to ensure better cleaning near the edges.
Given that the 2014 Botvac 85 was noted for its ability to suck up dirt on a variety of surfaces, the new improvements should only make the D series pull further ahead of the competition.
Similarly, the new D series features larger filters compared to previous models, thereby enabling you to capture more dirt and debris. Ideally, these filters should be changed once or twice every couple of years, depending on your usage. For people who are sensitive to allergens, or homes with pets shedding hair, Neato Botvac D series comes with a high performance filter, capable of capturing extra fine dust particles.
4. Power Usage, Dimensions, and Warranty
The D series robots come with nickle metal hydride batteries in two different voltages, 110V and 220V. These robots are fairly efficient when it comes to power consumption, rated at 2W during charging and 1W on standby.
While its distinctive D shape has been widely praised for its ability to clean near edges and corners, the new model is also noticeable for its overall compactness. They measure 12.7 inches by 13.2 inches by 3.9 inches in terms of dimension and weigh a solid 9 lbs.
As one may expect from such units, the machine comes with a limited 1 year warranty while the battery has a 6 month limited warranty.
5. Accessories and Special Features
The new D series provides users with extra options if they want to augment the capabilities of this already impressive machine. In particular, the following are well worth a look.
- Boundary Markers: If you are fussy about spaces where you do not want the robot vacuums to enter, then you’d love the magnetic boundary markers. Measuring almost 13 feet in length, you can easily cut this strip and place them near doorways or around your pet’s bowl to keep the robot away from the forbidden area.
- Specialized Brushes: The combo brush for D series model is especially useful for people who own pets or live in a home with multiple types of flooring. The combo brush offers a superior suction of pet hair, effective noise suppression, and works on several distinct floors including carpets. The Botvac D Series side brush offers you the ability to clean corners and edges in a more effective manner while the spiral blade brush is a versatile option that suppresses noise on hardwood floors.
Which model is right for me?
Here’s a comparison chart to chew on:
| Botvac D85 | Botvac D80 | Botvac D75 | |
 | |  | |
| Combo brush for pet hair | Yes | Yes | No |
| No. of high performance filters | 3 | 1 | 0 - standard filter |
As mentioned above, the D series comes in three models, namely, D85, D80, and D75. If you are someone who lives in a small apartment, and do not own furry pet, then D75 should be adequate for your purposes. While this model is advertised to work on every floor type, they are especially efficient on hardwood floors.
If you have a larger carpet area to clean, and own furry pets, then you should opt for either D85 or D80 robots. They can tackle a larger surface area in quicker time, are versatile in terms of their operation on different floor types, and are adept at sucking up hair.
Update: Neato announced on the 1st of September, 2015, that it will release yet another version called the Neato Connected. The only difference between the D85 and the Connected version is the color on top of the laser component, and the fact that it will be able to be commanded wireless via a smartphone (or a home controller, for that matter). The Neato Connected is not yet for sale, but I’d expect it to appear before this year’s Black Friday.
Money talk
Here’s where you can get the D75 for a good market price, an absolute steal if you ask me. If you’re interested in the higher end model, the D80, then check out this link for a good deal and other reviews. The D85 is at the moment unavailable, but I’ll update this post as soon as I find it.
Pros and Cons
The D series marks a small improvement on an already well reputed Botvac line of cleaners. Their cleaning capability, ease of use, elegant design, superior navigation and obstacle avoidance technology puts them well ahead of the competition (which is at the moment represented mainly by iRobot’s Roomba). The incorporation of noise suppression mechanism and side spinning brushes further refines an already established brand.
In terms of drawbacks, the lack of a remote control is a real disappointment. This is especially true since a remote is offered by all other competing brands, and, even some lower-end models.
Verdict
Lack of a remote notwithstanding, the D series robots mark another incremental improvement over the previous models. The Botvac brand from Neato has created a distinct niche for itself owing to its strong fundamentals, and we can expect the D series to be a powerful presence in the market. Here’s the VGMrv:
What do you think of the D series? Would you buy one? Have some additional questions? Use the comment box bellow.
Jason Roberts
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Blake says
Did you actually test these?
Are all models in the D series the same vacuum (ie. same internal workings, motor, sucking power, etc)? With the only difference being additional filters and another brush?
What extra am I paying for if I decide to get the D85 or 85?
Is there a measure to see if these models are better (pick up more stuff)? Ie. the D80 model picks up 98% of rice and the BV80 picks up 96%?
Jason Roberts says
Blake, the units appear on the first of July. While I haven’t tested these yet, I do have some inside info; that is where I took some of the info you won’t find anywhere else, such as the sound and battery specs. The only difference between the D models is shown in the table in my article. As you can see, the D75 doesn’t come with the combo brush, and the D80 comes with only one filter, not 3 as in the case of the D85. These are the only differences between the new models. The things look different if you want to compare the new Botvac D85 with the older Botvac 85. As you can see, there are a lot of improvements: lower sound levels, a new spiral brush roll, bigger filters and a new attachment (the brush and filter cleaning tool). There is no way of actually quantifying the performance of the new model with respect to the old one. While I do not know this for sure, I assume they both use the same navigation system (since they have the same laser sensor) and the same suction motor. The battery could be a bit improved, but then again Neato has some the best batteries in the branch. My pick would be the D75 for a home with no pets, the D80 for a home with one pet and the D85 for homes with several pets.
Blake says
Thank you for your response… Much appreciated. I am in the market for my first automated vacuum. I was just about to pull the trigger on the BV85 for 499 @ a retailer.
I am assuming you would recommend waiting until July?
I have no pets, but 4 kids under the age of 5 so there is a lot of traffic (multiple females too… lots of long hair)… Combination of Carpet and hardwood.
Do you still recommend the D75 for me? I would prefer the D75 since the price point is better – especially since it is the same machine.
Jason Roberts says
I don’t think you’ll find a better price any time soon, as the producer has a $599 tag for the D85 on their official website. If you have lots of long hair sources, pay the extra hundred for the combo brush. It shouldn’t tangle at all, you should be worry free.
Blake says
Would you buy the BV 85 now for 499? (eato is also offering a 50$ rebate for the BV85 at the moment–assuming to clear out inventory),
or wait for the D85?
I guess, in your opinion, is it worth an extra $100-$150 to get the additional features with the D model?
Jason Roberts says
Blake, at $499 you can get at the moment the D85, by pre-ordering it from the link I provided in the article. In your case (having lots of long hair to clean), I’d pay the extra $100 for the combo brush because it ensures you are using the product with no worries.
Blake says
Awesome review. Thanks so much. You really helped me make up my mind on this. This is my decision… Go with the BV75 then purchase the D85 later down the road (or an improved model in a few years) and possibly add an additional brush to reduce maintenance.
Decisions. the BV series is the same machine – so go with the 75 and upgrade the brush. BV75 at half the cost now – while I want the D model I am not sold the features are worth an additional 50% to a comparable model. .
local retailer – BV85 = $499 – 20% store coupon = $399 – $50 Neato Rebate = $349
local retailer – BV80 = $499 – 20% store coupon = $399 – $50 Neato Rebate = $349
local retailer – BV75 = $359 – 20% store coupon = $287 – $50 Neato Rebate = $237
Amazon Pre-Order D85 = NA ??? = MSRP $599
Amazon Pre-Order D80 = $499
Amazon Pre-Order D75 = $399
Jason Roberts says
It’s a good choice, and it’s a good price for a wonderful vacuum robot. Congrats!
Brian says
+1 Agreed with your analysis. Thanks for making me look deeper into this review. And, as a previous commenter mentioned, the 50% bigger brush is quite misleading. There is no change in brush size between the BV and D series. While not intentional I’m certain, it is still very ambiguous. To the casual observer, they would think “must purchase the latest for best device” after reading the 50% larger brush size. This in fact has nothing to do with the improvement from the BV to D series, but rather, is only in reference to other robotic vacuums.
Purchase the BV75 at < 50% of the price, add a combo brush for $35, and you are in the same league as the D80 (sans the SpinFlow cleaning system). Considering there aren't any performance comparisons between the BV and D series, it is impossible to quantify if the SpinFlow system is worth the price premium.
Segei says
I already bought D75 for $319.
I think I can just buy and replace my Spiral Blade Brush a Combo one for $39.
Neato web site says it compatible with all Neato Botvac D Series Robot Vacuums.
What do you think about it?
Jason Roberts says
Sergei, you got a great price for the D75! Make sure you get the right Combo brush. From what I see, the Combo brush for Botvac units is not the same with the Combo brush for Botvac D units.
Sergei says
I’ve registered my D75 on the Neati site, and it gave me all parts for the replacement:
https://www.neatorobotics.com/accessories/botvac-d-series/
Combo brush is there, and I think it fits all Neato D types.
But I will call Neato tech support for sure.
Sergei says
I just talked to Neato customer support.
The only differences between D75/D80/D85 are the color and the accessories that come in the box
The D75 cames with a standard filter and spiral brush
The D80 comes with 1 Hp filter and a combo brush
The D85 comes with 3 hp filters and a combo brush
Also they confirmed that there is only one Combo Brush size for all Neato D series units.
So If I buy a combo brush($40) and Hp filter ($4) my D75 will be upgraded to D85. Cool!!!
Jason Roberts says
Except for the color 🙂
Sergei says
Updates:
After searching several Neato part suppliers, I called Neato again and they informed me that they do not sell combo brushes for Neato Botvac D Series yet.
🙂
Lori says
Can the Neato be programmed to vacuum a 2 story house if you move the charging station?
Jason Roberts says
You’ll have to move the charging station and the robot too, as it can’t go up and down the stairs. But if you move it, of course it can vacuum both areas.
Fred Suza says
Re Jason Robert’s Review:
He says “Similarly, the new D series features larger filters compared to previous models, thereby enabling you to capture more dirt and debris“. However, the Filters are the same as those used for the Immediately prior BotVac series As indicated on the Neato site
.
He says “The brushes are now 50% bigger, enabling better cleaning near walls. The D series also features a new side spinning brush to ensure better cleaning near the edges“. Wrong. The brushes are not any bigger than the immediately proceeding BotVac series although Neato indicates that there has been some improvement in the design which from a conversation I had with a service Rep seems to be centered around some possible problems with the construction of the end bearing. The NEW spinning brush was already on the BotVac 85 (I have one).
The following is from the Neato’s WEB side concerning the Brush SIZE:
50% larger brush gets closer to the wall “than those round robot vacuums“. Note, by my quotation mark emphasis the reference to 50% larger brush is aimed at other “Round” robot vacuums“. I wish the overall improvements were greater but it appears that the “improvements“ , if real, are limited to a new combo Brush, the new SpinFlow power clean system, and the Hair Cleaning Tool.
Jason Roberts says
Hi Fred, thanks for the analysis, however, I think you are a bit confused. I haven’t compared the Botvac D with the previous Botvac, at least not in my statements. When I’m comparing the D series with previous models, I am in fact referring to the XV Signature, since this is what I’ve played with a few years ago. Both the Botvac and the Botvac D have in fact larger filters than XV’s, their brushes are bigger than XV’s and the spinning brush is a new addition. You’re right about the similarities between the Botvac and Botvac D, but so are their prices (and their name for that matter).
mahdi says
is that true that neato have a bad shell life? and it will die in a year ?
what about the noise ? comparable to roomba?
is the program improved?
what do you suggest this or roomba 880 ?
Jason Roberts says
I don’t agree with the fact that Neato’s have a bad shell life. In fact, the battery is supposed to last at least 3-4 years, depending on the cleaning frequency. IMO Botvac has a better movement algorithm and that gives it a serious advantage over iRobot’s latest Roomba 880.
Elisha says
I have had two neatos, and unfortunately they both started having problems after a year – after the warranty expired. They were electronic/computer errors that could not be fixed. With that said, I will probably still get another one as I’m thrilled with it when it is working.
Erika says
Thanks for the review! I misunderstood initially as well and thought this was explaining the differences between the BV and D-series. From what I can tell, the only difference other than aesthetics, between the BV and new D-series is the spinflow technology? On the Neato comparison chart it shows BV having a “Blade Brush” and D has a “Spiral Blade Brush” though I don’t know the difference. And the D series has a cleaning tool for the brush and filter, which is nice, but not necessary I suppose. Is there really much of anything that would make someone want to pay extra for the D series? The D85 doesn’t seem available yet, and the D80 is selling for $499 on Amazon. But I can get a BV85 from a local retailer with a 20% off coupon for $399.99. I only have one pet (a cat) and my main floor is a mix of hardwood floors and berber carpet. I have three kids that make quite a mess. I’d love to see some information on robot vacs and berber. And a robot vac vs Legos! Though assuming I can get the space clear of small toys, will a BV85 work just as well as D85 (or D80)? I do like the sound of all of these features, but have been hesitant to pull the trigger because I have also read about reliability being a problem, that Neato’s only last a year or less. Seems like that has improved since the XV Signature Pro, but only time will tell with the newer line I suppose.
Jason Roberts says
Both models should work on berber carpets well, and handle Lego parts with not problem. If you can get the Botvac BV85 for $320, than take that deal! I think Neato’s reliability problems are left behind with the Botvac models.
Daniel says
I have read several of your reviews and my opinion on your 1/10 based point system is that you leave not much room for improvements.
Let me explain:
The suction power is a 9, the roomba got a straight 10, but compare to a conventional vac, their suction sucks (pun intended), but with the rise of better battery technologies, or just a company that packs more LiIon batteries to maintain a higher power output over the 100 min runtime, much better suction values will come to market, my guess is that the Dyson eye is a good contender to aim for a 15 out of 10 in suction power if its anything like their normal battery handheld vacs.
Jason Roberts says
On my site, I rate normal vacuum cleaners with a VGM, and robo-vacs with a VGMrv. The rates do not correspond. I’m not comparing apples with pears. At the moment, on the robotic vacuum cleaners market, I consider Roomba’s suction power the best. Neato Botvac comes close, that is why I’ve rated with with a 9. The scale will change as soon as the Dyson 360 Eye comes into play. And there also is a threshold. After some point, no matter how much more suction power you put inside a robotic vacuum cleaner, you will still get the maximum 10 on my scale.
varun devaraj says
I own one Botvac 85, I am kind of sad about the durability of the product. I bought it in August 2015 and now it started acting really weird. The vacuum tries to climb on to the crown molding in the floor and rotates in a small circle and after 2 to 3 minutes of operation it stops working saying bumper is stuck, where there is nothing causing it.
I am unhappy about the product.
Jason Roberts says
Supposing (of course), that your bumper is not clicked, for some reason, the bumper sensor is being triggered. Have you tried clicking and unclicking the bumper, by gently tapping it? Or a full reset?
Melanee says
Mr. Roberts, I enjoy your reviews and you seem so kind… do you mind letting me know how the D 75 or 85 would do going from hardwood onto area rugs that have fringe. Will it destroy the fringe on my rug?
Jason Roberts says
That’s a tough one. I haven’t tested the Botvac specifically for this, but I’ve used it on frieze carpet and it worked fine. My guess is that it will not eat it, but it depends on how long your fringe really is.
Doreen Ford says
I am very interested in a Neato Botvac D85 series. I am wondering if they avoid stairs (won’t fall down)?
the comments on this guy sounds wonderful!
Jason Roberts says
They come with cliff sensors, so yes, rest assured they avoid stairs.
Doreen Ford says
Thanks Jason….
That really makes me going to give one a try.
Fred Suza says
Yes, they will avoid stairs because they have sensors for that purpose on the front underside
Tom M says
great review, I was haying trouble figuring out the difference between the models.
Could the D85 clean three or four connected rooms, all hardwood, on the same floor? or does it really only clean one room?
Jason Roberts says
The unit is designed for multi-room use. It should be able to clean 4 connected rooms, and depending on their size, it can do that continuously or it may need to recharge once or twice.
Chris says
I have a 4yr old Neato named “Jeeves” who fell down the stairs a few times too many even with the magnetic strip down. I’ve had to retire him for now as he will only take a very short charge.
Bought home “Mortimer ” D85 today and I’m waiting out his charge time. It’s worse than waiting for paint to dry.
I think the best thing to do is to put the magnetic strip an inch or two away from the edge of the stair so that the Neato has room to turn and not accidentally topple over. I’m hoping this will work anyway.
I’d get my Jeeves repaired if I knew just where to take him in Salt Lake City
rhonda f nowicki says
I have 3 Roombas and 2 Neatos xv21 and D75. My Neato D75 LCD screen went dead in less than 5 months. In talking with customer service the LCD is a known problem that they have not fixed. So any Neatos with LCD screen could malfunction. Customer Service sent me a D5 as replacement which doesn’t have a LCD screen. At first I was sooo excited. Only to find out because I recently upgraded my modem none of their connected models will work with a 5ghz modem. Without being able to connect to the app you cannot schedule the unit at all. So I have to choose to lose scheduling capabilities or get another unit with a possibly faulty LCD. So buyer beware.