iRobot’s new robot vacuum cleaners promise to be the brand’s best yet
The new flagship vacuums aren’t just more powerful, but they can also scrub your floors
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Your support makes all the difference.Another year, another new robot vacuum cleaner. iRobot has just launched the roomba combo j9+ and roomba j9+, two new flagship machines that the company hopes will dust, vacuum and mop your floors better than ever before.
The roomba combo j9+ comes fast on the heels of last year’s roomba combo j7+, which was iRobot’s first-ever robot vacuum cleaner that doubled up as a robot mop. But while the combo j7+ thoroughly deserves its best buy status, there is room for improvement.
With the latest mopping model, those upgrades appear to have been made. The self-emptying base for the combo j9+ now has a water tank, so it can fill up the reservoir inside the vacuum without any human input. It also promises to scrub floors better than the previous model.
The regular j9+ without the mop function has also been upgraded. It’s said to be more powerful, comes with the same quieter dock found on the combo model and benefits from the new dirt detective feature, so it will learn which rooms are the dirtiest and clean them first. Both robot vacuums are available to buy in the US and Canada now. Here’s everything you need to know.
iRobot roomba combo j9+: $1,399.99, Irobot.com – available from 1 October
The latest premium mopping robot vacuum cleaner from iRobot is the roomba combo j9+. The home appliance has three levels of suction power that you can change within the app, meaning you can have it on low when you need a quieter clean or high when you need a deeper clean.
Similarly to the roomba combo j7+, it features an intelligent retractable mop that automatically lifts up and away whenever it detects carpet in its path. But unlike the j7+, the combo j9+ scrubs your floors by moving forward and backward like a human. The previous model would just move around with the wet pad, so this should make it more effective as a mop. iRobot says that this feature should also be available on the j7+ in a future update.
The clean base has also been upgraded, so you don’t have to keep taking out the reservoir inside the robot vacuum and re-filling it. The base for the j9+ contains a water tank, which holds up to 30 days of liquid. The base itself has also been redesigned to help it blend into your home décor, doubling up as a side table.
Then there’s a feature called dirt detective, which will learn how dirty your rooms get and prioritize those dirtiest rooms first. These rooms are where the mop will deploy the mop’s scrubbing motion.
The roomba combo j9+ is available to pre-order now for $1,399.99, and it will start shipping on 1 October.
iRobot roomba j9+: $899.99, Irobot.com
Having a mop is nice and all, but you’ll have to fork out $500 more for it. If you’d prefer something a little cheaper, then the iRobot roomba j9+ is the same robot vacuum cleaner, but without the mop. That means it’s still more powerful than the j7+, features three suction modes and it has the dirt detective feature out of the box.
The j9+ also comes with the same clean base as the more expensive combo j9+, so it’s quieter than the older model when self-emptying and can be used as a side table. Like the j7+, it’s pet-approved, so it’ll skirt around any messes your dog may have made.
The iRobot roomba j9+ is available to buy now for $899.99 and starts shipping on 1 October.
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