iRobot® Roomba® i1+ 1552 Wi-Fi Connected Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum, Ideal for Pet Hair, Carpets

Although the function works well, we found the Roomba i3/i3+ to be more affordable and a better cleaner overall. Robot vacuum with core cleaning features that allow for a complete clean. Powerful suction and sophisticated design to capture dust and particles in corners and edges. However, buying this accessory separately or purchasing it with the vacuum as part of the S9+ bundle does push it into a different price bracket. If you don’t mind giving up the onboard HEPA filter, the yeedi vac station offers self-emptying capability at a much lower purchase price.

All of the robo-vacs I tested at this mid-range level had roughly the same level of suction, so there wasn’t a big difference between them when it came to cleaning power. Unfortunately, there isn’t a standard power scale that all robo-vacs adhere to, so it’s difficult to compare suction power among a bunch of devices. Some companies provide Pascal levels and generally the higher the Pa, the stronger the vacuum will be. But other companies don’t rely on Pa levels and simply say their robots have X-times more suction than other robots. We can’t pinpoint one spec or feature that helps a robot navigate well—we just have to test the bots and see how they do.

irobot vacuum cleaner

We also tested the Kyvol Cybovac S31, along with its auto-emptying dock, and it was perfectly decent . The navigation was a little clumsier, and some of the details—including the translation in the app, manual, marketing materials, and even the voiceovers from the bot itself—lacked polish. In owner reviews, the main complaints about the bot included glitchiness, an unstable app, and poor dyson robot vacuum customer service. All of these bots have worked well, but they lack some of the polish of our top picks. We’ve also noticed that the lesser-known brands have not updated their robots’ software with bug fixes or new features as consistently as Roborock has. Prices for robots with sophisticated navigation and smart-home features have fallen by half compared with just a few years ago.

And they’re slim enough to travel underneath most couches and tables, so you don’t have to rearrange furniture. IRobot is one of the most respected names in the robot vacuum market, and the Roomba i3+ EVO is its most affordable model with a self-emptying dustbin. Beyond offering greater convenience than their more manual counterparts, self-emptying robot vacuums significantly limit your exposure to dust, a big plus if you suffer from allergies.

If your main struggle is keeping up with pet hair and small pieces of debris like cat litter, you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars to get a well-performing robot vacuum. In our testing, the iLife V3S Pro did the best job on cat hair and cat litter on my hardwood floors. The Eufy does a superb job picking up dirt, excelling on hardwood floors, tile and low-pile carpets. It filled its dustbin with pet hair and cat litter, though it wasn’t able to get up all the litter on a higher-pile carpet.

By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we’ve tested sent to your inbox daily. The Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra is a new breed of bot that can do more for you, for a lot more money. Barbara Booth is a former CNBC reporter whose work spans a wide range of business and social topics, including work/life issues, international business and personal finance.

Instead, it offers up more vague terms like “5x the cleaning power” or “40x the suction power.” Still, paying attention to how each model compares to the others can help you determine which one is right for your level of mess. For example, if you shark cordless have pets that shed, you may want the stronger suction. Alongside suction power, other cleaning features to be aware of are brushless rollers or allergen filters, which trap pollen and mold allergens inside once they’re picked up, says iRobot.

You can schedule cleaning sessions or use a voice assistant to start one, but even though it’s connected, you can’t map your home or target areas to be cleaned. We don’t think the extra connected features are worth the extra money, so for $50 less, we found the Eufy 11S to be a better vacuum. If you’re a pet parent who needs help keeping hardwood, tile or low-pile carpeting fur-free, the iLife V3S Pro is the right vacuum for you. That said, the Roborock app isn’t nearly as polished as those from iRobot, Shark and others. The main page shows your home’s map along with the battery level, cleaning time, cleaning area in feet, and buttons that let you quickly start a cleaning job and empty the dustbin. You’re also able to select specific rooms or zones to clean, but the rest of the control options live in the menu accessible by the three-dot icon at the top-right corner of the app.