A step down from the flagship j7+ but still a clever cleaner
There have been approximately 847 new robot vacuum cleaners revealed at IFA 2023 so it’s easy to get lost in the crowd.
But that shouldn’t happen to the new iRobot j5+ and i5+ models as they are powered by iRobot OS, so they get smarter the more they are on the move; navigating your floors by creating a Smart Map and remembering room names.
Unlike the flagship Roomba Combo j7+ – a robot cleaner that can mop at the same time as it vacuums – the new duo feature a swappable module so you can vacuum and then mop, once you swap the modules about.
It’s a bit of strange concept, especially given similarly priced Roborock Q Series models can do both at the same time, while also offering slightly larger dustbins and water tanks.
On that, the new Roomba duo have 210ml water tanks, and dustbins that hold 360ml. They also both come with a docking station that sucks up the dirt into a dustbag; but the dock doesn’t get involved in emptying out the water tank.
On the whole, I’m not really sure what the j5+ and i5+ offer that would tempt you from rival brand but, if you are firmly in camp iRobot, then the price-tags: $549 / £699 for the i5+ and $749 / £899 for the j5+, may be enough: the j7+ is around the $1,000 / £1,000 mark.
However, that’s still a heck of a lot of money for a machine where you have to get involved manually yourself.
The extra outlay for the j5+ is because it boasts no-mopping zones setting in the app, as well as AI obstacle detection.
It’s capable of recognizing more than 80 objects including kitty litter boxes, toilet bowls, dishwashers, cables, clothes, shoes, backpacks, pet bowls and pet toys. Backed by iRobot’s P.O.O.P promise, the Roomba Combo j5+ also avoids pet poo.
Both machines are compatible with the holy trinity of voice assistants: Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Apple’s Siri.
The Roomba Combo i5+ is already available in the UK and will arrive in the US next month. The Roomba Combo j5+ will be available both sides of the pond in September, as well.
