iRobot’s Combo j7 Plus is iRobot’s smartest and most powerful robot ever

iRobot’s new robot vacuum cleaners are smarter and more powerful, and the mopping robot can scrub floors deeper. At least that’s what the company claimed when it launched its latest flagships: the $1,399 Roomba j9 Plus Combo Vacuum/Mop and the $899 j9 Plus. Both models can be pre-ordered now irobot.com In the United States and Canada. iRobot also launched two mid-range robot vacuum cleaners last week that can mop.

What kind of robot is it? The sense of pressure is palpable Among its many competitors. These new models focus on offering more intelligence, power and cleaning functionality to compete with companies like Ecovacs, Roborock and Dreame, who are releasing home cleaning robots that are more amazing than ever.

Let’s start with the combo j9 plus. It features the same retractable mopping system as the Combo j7, which cleverly lifts the robot mop above the vacuum so it doesn’t touch your carpet. Most competitions involve the challenge of dragging dirty mops across the carpet with the mop pads raised a few millimeters, which can be a problem with high pile carpets.

When I tested the Combo j7, I liked the retractable mop, but the actual mopping was just fine – it didn’t really scrub and was significantly outclassed by the oscillating mop pads and rotating mop heads of combo vacuums from Roborock and others.

iRobot’s answer to the competition, called the SmartScrub, he Very clever indeed. Instead of redesigning the mopping device, iRobot moves the entire robot back and forth, mimicking the way you’d scrub a floor with a manual mop.

This does not happen in every room; SmartScrub is combined with another new software feature called Dirt Detective to target the rooms where you need it most, like kitchens and entryways (more on that later). You can activate it at home in the app. Best of all, SmartScrub is available for j7 plus combo through a software update.

Another new feature of the combo j9 is the redesigned automatic load/unload base, which now automatically refills the washer fluid tank. This is something I was missing while testing the combo j7 plus; You must manually refill the mop container.

The cheaper $899 j9 Plus is a hollowed-out combo version of the j9 Plus and comes with the same docking station as the j7. Both new models feature the same AI obstacle avoidance that arrived in the Roomba range with the j7 – helping us avoid the typical household messes and dog poop that robotics companies believe are in all our homes. It is important to note that this feature uses a camera on the vacuum cleaner.

The company also says the j9 Plus models are the most powerful Roomba models to date. iRobot doesn’t disclose Pa numbers, but says it’s 100 percent more powerful than the i-Series. (However, iRobot’s suction power claims sometimes seem willfully silly – its website says both the J-Series and i-Series are 10 times stronger than the 600 series, while the S9 is 40 times stronger. Presumably, the J9 is even more powerful. Powerful. Twice as much as the i-series, and still is half As powerful as the S9. We’ve reached out to iRobot for clarification.)

Both new models come with iRobot OS version 7.0, which introduces an interesting feature called Dirt Detective. It identifies the dirtiest rooms in your home and cleans them first So says iRobot “It analyzes previous cleaning choices, patterns and times to automatically prioritize which rooms need the most attention.”

Dirt Detective works with a feature introduced in iRobot OS 6.0 that automatically detects room types using the built-in camera. So the room with the fridge and oven can be the kitchen (you can set these names in the app). They are smart enough to know how to clean the bathroom last to avoid bathroom dirt from staining your carpet.

Interestingly, the Combo j9’s new docking station doesn’t have a dirty water tank — a feature found on competing docks from Roborock and Ecovacs. This is due to not cleaning the mop pad; Instead, you will be expected to remove and wash it. This eliminates the possibility of noisy sinks, a real hazard with newer multi-function sinks if you don’t keep them clean. However, the Roomba is thinner and smaller than the competition, so I’m skeptical of its effectiveness.

Roomba’s auto-empty dock, which remains on the j9 Plus, is one of the best-designed docks out there and looks a lot like a piece of furniture. A fun feature is that the new Combo j9 base can double as a piece of furniture; They designed the table top as a side table.

iRobot also claims the new docking station is quieter than previous versions when it automatically deflates — a process that, with the current docking station, sounds like the roar of a jet engine in your living room.

Speaking of cool: iRobot is finally offering suction level options for its vacuum cleaners. Only on the j9 model you can now choose between low, medium and high suction levels in the app. An option available on every robot vacuum, iRobot has never before given users such control. The main advantage is the ability to run the vacuum cleaner at home on low settings without disturbing you or your family members.

I spoke with iRobot CEO Colin Angle ahead of the launch and he explained to me that the trick with these new robots is to go back to basics with robot vacuums. The features you want are rolling pads and lasers [lidar navigation]He said: “Long battery life.” “But what you need is cleanliness, ease of use and the ability to get back on the road.”

He’s not wrong here – it doesn’t matter how many great features a bot has; If you get stuck, you won’t clean your house. In my experiments with spin mopping robots, I noticed that they get stuck; Large mops stuck to the side create a real tripping hazard However, they do a good job of cleaning your floors Will have to see if the combo makes up for the J9’s new cleaning process once I get these new models to test.