We’ve tested the docks on these and other robot vacs, and they work and prove useful, though they fall a little short of life-changing. Instead of emptying your bot’s bin after every cleaning session, you have to empty the dock only every month or two. If you’re after the maximum pickup that a robot can offer, the Roomba s9+ (and s9, which is similar, but without its own dustbin that it self-disposes into) should definitely be on your shortlist, according to our lab tests.
First-generation models must be recharged from a wall power adapter, while all subsequent models have a self-charging homebase that the unit seeks out at the end of a cleaning session via infrared beacons. For more, see our lists of the best robot vacuums for pet hair and the best robot mops. If you have both carpet and hard flooring throughout your home, you might want to consider a hybrid that can do double duty as a vacuum and a mop, such as the Deebot Ozmo T8 AIVI or the Bissell SpinWave Wet and Dry. Standalone robot mops aren’t eligible for this list because they don’t suck up dirt and debris, but they can leave your hard floors nice and shiny. In our testing, it cleaned for up to 145 minutes in Auto mode before running low on juice—a good battery life result. It never got stuck on common obstacles like power cords and long curtains, and had no trouble sucking up dust, hair, and other debris.
We found that the Q5 could clean our downstairs living space in half the time the Roomba i3 EVO took—although the i3 EVO did a more thorough job. The bigger your home, the more valuable that speed may be, as long as you’re willing to trade some cleaning performance. This is the Roomba i3 EVO packaged with a charging dock that automatically sucks all the debris out of the robot after a cleaning session. Create cleaning schedules, save favorites, and adjust them on the fly. Get personalized cleaning recommendations based on what’s happening in your home, and even tell your robots to clean while you’re away with smart home integration.
Or tell it to make sure to do extra cleaning with a bonus cycle to grab tracked-in grass and dirt in the foyer using a voice-activated cycle via the app. If you’re new to the world of robot vacuums and want to try one without spending a ton of money, the iLife A9 is a wise choice. If you have medium-pile carpeting in your home, it’s not the best option, but if you have hard floors and low-pile carpeting, it’s one of the best robot vacuums you can get in its price range. Like many robot vacuums at this price, the Roomba i3 EVO can thoroughly clean big spaces by following a logical, orderly path throughout a home. To do so, the i3 EVO uses floor sensors, bump sensors, gyroscopes, and infrared .
The Roomba product line comes in a variety of small but effective robot vacuums with smart features such as household mapping, as well as control integrations through app, Wi-Fi, and voice. The S7 MaxV Ultra boasts a unique mop-lifting feature, also available on the more affordable Roborock S7+, which allows for more efficient cleaning runs than the competition. Most two-in-one robots with a carpet sensor, including the X1 Omni, automatically avoid rugs when mopping so as not to get them wet. And with a maximum 5,100 pascals , the S7 MaxV Ultra offers some of the best suction power we’ve seen.
This method allows you to quickly and easily create Keep-Out Zones around areas that typically halt cheaper robot vacuums. Note the type of flooring you have as some robot vacuums perform better on hardwood floors while others are optimized for carpet. The Roomba J7 performed relatively well on hardwood and low-pile carpets, removing 91.7% and 58.5% of test sand from those surfaces respectively. However, the robot struggled while vacuuming medium pile carpeting, pulling away just 17% of sand here. IRobot set out to solve this potential problem with its new Roomba J7 Plus.
We found that all three responded to voice commands very well; this was most evident in how the robot always reacted after our first request, no repeat commands necessary. And like the Roomba i3 EVO, the Q5 does allow you to ask Siri to clean specific rooms. For instance, you can say “Hey Siri, go clean the kitchen,” and the bot will do just that. As we mentioned earlier, Siri Shortcuts does not provide the ability to create Automations. Many robot vacuums are actually designed to work seamlessly between hardwood, tile and carpets. The majority of robot vacuums can easily handle low-pile area rugs, while those with more robust motors can tackle even high-pile carpeting.
She has also written tech articles for The New York Times, Wired, and Men’s Health, among others. Check dimensions and choose a model that can easily get under couches and other furniture so you don’t have to. Finally, we do the work of combing through user reviews to see how real people interact with the product, and if it stands up to the test. Every editorial product is independently selected, though we may be compensated or receive an affiliate commission if you buy something through our links.
Versions manufactured after October 2005 contain an electronic and software interface that allows hackers to more easily control or modify behavior and remotely monitor its sensors. The 800 series, introduced in 2013, is similar to the 700 series and its predecessors, but contains updated technology. The AeroForce irobot vacuum cleaner Performance Cleaning System, which is five times more powerful than older series, and the iRobot XLife battery are some of the new features. The AeroForce system does away with the large rotating brush, and pulls air between two rubber rollers, thereby getting the vacuum suction closer to the floor.
Those who want their Roomba to cover more square footage may prefer a model with a longer battery life, or perhaps two robots to cover different zones or floors. When compared to the other robot vacuums, its performance was lackluster and did not earn an award in our guide. Through testing, irobot vacuum cleaner we found that it didn’t do a great job getting stubborn flour “dust” out of crevices between floorboards , and it tended to not grab our “crumbs” of rice very well. As there are other models with more suction power on the market, consider skipping this base model for an upgraded option.