Roomba’s top-of-the-line model contains the most suction power of the entire lineup, along with a slightly different shape that allows it to get into corners more easily. It’s also designed with anti-allergen filters built in, making it great for pet owners. Like the i series, it’s available as a standalone vacuum or in a plus model with the self-emptying dock. Because they are smaller and less powerful than large upright vacuums, the dustbin must be emptied frequently , and hair and other obstructions must be removed from rollers and brushes more frequently.
The Roomba i3 EVO is also sold as the Roomba i4 (and Roomba i4+) or Roomba i2 from certain retailers. Our ratings also factor in predicted reliability and owner satisfaction scores based on members’ experiences with more than 9,000 robotic vacuums from our recent surveys. No-go zones — If you have the mapping irobot vacuum cleaner technology, some allow you to set no-go zones if there’s certain areas you want to avoid, such as your pet’s food bowls or an expensive rug. We also found the robot vacuum tends to try and climb up low-lying furniture, while the customization of maps in the app wasn’t as robust as we’d have liked.
The iLife A9 robot vacuum cleans hard floors and low-pile carpet with aplomb, supports app and voice control, and won’t break the bank. As robot vacuums get more technologically advanced, with laser navigation sensors and home security cameras, they’re also getting bigger and taller. The Eufy RoboVac G30, on the other hand, stands out for its short stature. Measuring 12.8 inches in diameter and 2.85 inches tall, it’s one of the smallest robot vacuums we’ve tested, meaning it can clean where a lot of other robot vacuums won’t fit, like under couches. The S7 MaxV Ultra stole the spotlight in 2022, but the year-old Roborock S7+ is still a strong choice. Like its more expensive sibling, the S7+ boasts Roborock’s VibraRise technology, which allows it to both mop your hard floors and vacuum your carpeting in the same cleaning run.
The iRobot j7+ is the best robot vacuum you can buy right now, with simpler mapping, more cleaning power and smarter features than anything else we tested. Robot vacuums are designed to make your life easier, cleaning the floors so you don’t have to. They’re particularly great for keeping up with pet hair but can also keep your house tidy when you’re just too busy (and they’ll do it better because they don’t mind vacuuming every day). One of the best robot vacuums to keep an eye on is the iRobot Roomba i3+.
In addition, besides the initial cost, some Roombas require ongoing cost in the form of cleaning pads and fluid for the mops and dustbin evacuation bags for the + models. Now that you’ve learned the differences among a variety of Roomba models, you may be wondering if you can run two at the same time or if your robot vacuum can work in the dark. Find out the answers to these and other commonly asked robot vacuum FAQs below.
By looking at the live map, you can freely check the live position & movement of the robot, as well as giving you a bird’s-eye view of your room. When seeing the robot is getting stuck at one position for too long, you can just simply press the “Music note” button to activate the robot’s sound for fast location investigation. After the job has been done, the complete live map will be saved in the History section.
We don’t like the s9 because it’s one of the clumsiest navigators we’ve tested. It’s like the developers left in a bunch of code that makes it think it’s still round. We watched it stubbornly try to shove itself into spaces where it obviously couldn’t fit, roughing up some furniture in the process. This would be annoying in a $400 robot, but it’s especially frustrating in a robot that can sometimes cost more than our favorite dishwasher. Hooman Shahidi, iRobot’s vice president of product development, told Wirecutter that it’s more difficult to get a D-shaped robot like the Roomba s9 to navigate smoothly. IRobot representatives have also told us that they’ve been fixing navigation problems via software update since the robot launched, but recent user reviews suggest the s9’s performance is still inconsistent.
But if a vacuum you like doesn’t come with one, it doesn’t have to be a dealbreaker, models without the label may be just as good. While not really a feature I consider essential for operation, the G20 has a remote control option in the Eufy Home app, which means it can also double as a fun cat toy. Despite being a budget bot, it doesn’t partake in the classic bump and roll navigation, Instead, it uses gyroscopic navigation to divide the space into individual areas and clean each one methodically. It’s quite soothing to watch it go to work as it moves up and down in neat, rectangular boxes. You can read my full review of the Roomba j7 Plus here, where I put it head-to-head with Samsung’s Jet Bot AI Plus robot vac, which shares similar features.
I did that and was immediately taken to a website called tudum.co which showed a bunch of games and other apps. There are a few things to consider when choosing the best robot vacuum for your home. In the 3 years I’ve had this model, it has quit functioning properly twice.