Updated on March 7, 2022 to add a link to our iLife A11 robot vac/mop hybrid review. This successor to iLife’s A10 smart appliance features a mopping action that mimics human movement and proved very successful at scrubbing our hard surface flooring. 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.
But it didn’t recognize (or at least didn’t try to avoid) our other obstacles, including toys, a sock, a shoe, and a water bowl. We like this bot for a lot of other important reasons , and the obstacle recognition is almost like a toss-in feature, so it’s not a bad buy. Will it actually learn dyson robot vacuum to avoid more stuff, as iRobot says it should? The company has a good history of following through on those kinds of promises, but you should expect the improvements to trickle out over several years, not months. IRobot doesn’t claim that the Roomba j7 can avoid most kinds of obstacles yet.
The Wi-Fi-enabled S4 Max has features that I’ve previously seen only on much pricier robot vacuums, like mapping, virtual barriers, and problem spot detection. This is one of the only robot vacuums that doesn’t get tripped up on my kitchen step, and it gets up to three hours of battery life on a charge, which is insane. Designed to navigate your home and clean your floors automatically, robot vacuum cleaners are made to tackle this chore so you don’t have to.
The more helpful feature is the auto-empty station that automatically empties the dustbin after cleaning sessions. Beyond quickly testing to make sure it worked, I didn’t use the controller because the vacuum pairs with your phone and is compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant. Unfortunately, the app doesn’t allow you to set up no-go zones or virtual barriers. Setup is a breeze, only taking about 10 minutes, including connecting to the user-friendly app. Unfortunately, the app doesn’t allow you to set up no-go zones, so you must buy virtual wall barriers.
It has the power to vault over raised thresholds and automatically finds high traffic/high dirt areas where it should spend more time. Purchasing a robot vacuum doesn’t need to be a major financial line item in your household budget. The iRobot Roomba 675 is the most basic and affordable model but still does everything that you want from a robot cleaning machine. It works with your Alexa smart speaker, can be app-controlled, and adjusts itself to work around obstacles and different types of flooring. It doesn’t have a particularly large in-unit canister but will still get the job done. Consider investing in one if you absolutely hate this chore or want your home cleaned more often than you have the time or energy for.
I tested each robot vac’s cleaning abilities along with its extra features and app. You can find the details of how we tested, what else we recommend, how to shop for a robot vacuum, and more at the end of our guide. IRobot set out to solve this potential problem with its new Roomba J7 Plus. This robot’s software is designed to enable it to recognize solid pet waste on the floor and steer clear of it.
The S4 Max’s app has tons of features and customizations, and gives you more control of navigation than you’d find on other robot vacs. It’s also more polished and stable than its closest competitors’ apps. The i3 has two counterrotating “extractor” rolls, which we’ve found to be excellent for cleaning rugs and resisting tangles. It also has much more suction than the 600 series bots, which helps its bare-floor pickup. Generally speaking, the higher the Pa, the better, but that’s a misleading metric of comparison.
We’ve tested 30 robot vacuums and counting; here are the ones that didn’t make our top picks. The vacuum’s extras are helpful to any pet parent, including a mop tank attachment, spinning mop pads, and a trial-size bottle of cleaning formula. Plus, you receive a cleaning tool that helps remove hairs from the brushes and clean the filter. The iRobot Roomba i3+ EVO Robot Vacuum is iRobot’s most affordable option that features automatic dirt disposal, which empties the vac’s dustbin automatically. We provide a detailed analysis of each of these vacuums in our reviews, and you can see our vacuum product guide for the latest models.