Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal for under $600
iRobot has taken the covers off of its latest robot vacuum cleaner. The Roomba i3+ is the newest member of the company’s self cleaning club.
The good news is that it’s also the most affordable Roomba Plus model yet at $599.
In case you’re not up to speed on your iRobot Roomba naming conventions, that little + sign on the end of a model indicates that it’s a robo vac that comes with a Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal unit.
That unit, which doubles up as the i3+’s charging station, sucks the dirt up from the robot into a dust bag situated up top.
Sure, you still have to empty that bag every now and again but much less frequently (every 60 days or so), and with less fiddling, than is usually required when emptying a robot cleaner’s dustbin.
At $599, the i3+ is less than half the price of the flagship Roomba S9+ and a couple of hundred bucks cheaper than the middle child, i7+, of the Clean Base line-up.
For the savings you do miss out on a few features compared to its more costlier stablemates; it’s only 25% as powerful when it comes to suction as the i9 and i7, there are no room or zone cleaning modes, nor a deeper carpet clean function, and you’ll have to go without the specialized corner cleaning an virtual no-go zones.
You can also choose not to have the Clean Base unit at all, and save a further $200 with a regular non-plussed i3 model. But where’s the fun in that eh?
The i3 and i3+ are the same robot though with the same cleaning skills; you’ll get a High-Efficiency Filter with either option, which captures 99% of pollen, mould, dust mites and pet allergens.
The Roomba i3 is the first iRobot device out of the blocks since the company’s new iRobot Home app, with iRobot Genius, went live.
iRobot Genius uses AI to give you a much more personalized cleaning experience; think recommend cleaning schedules based on your comings and goings, suggestions based on pet shedding and allergy seasons, and learning how to avoid areas that might cause the vacuum robot trouble while it works.
Like other iRobot models you can have the i3+ start cleaning based on your location, when paired with smart home devices like the August WiFi Smart Lock, and both Google Assistant and Alexa controls are available too.
The iRobot Roomba i3 and i3+ are both on sale now in the US and Canada, and will be available in other countries in the first quarter of 2021.