If you have teenagers, chances are they would not listen to you if you tell them to go clean their rooms. The Roomba i7+ will. And not just one area, but all the rooms that you want it to clean. No complaints and all it wants is a $5 paper bag once a month.
iRobot has been very successful in manufacturing cleaning robots for the home because they continuously innovate. Over the years, the company has been solving homemakers’ problems when it comes to cleaning. iRobot has made robot vacuum cleaners smarter, able to detect dirtier parts of your floor so that they could clean it more thoroughly.
The company also made robots that knew where to go next and follow a cleaning pattern that ensured comprehensive cleaning. Further, they came up with robot cleaners that you could command to clean even when you are out of the house and then allowed you to command it to clean using only voice commands.
It is hard to think of what the company could be offering next. In fact, with the Clean Maps, Wi-Fi connectivity, and the support for voice assistants introduced in the Series 900 robots, a lot of people have believed that the Roomba 980 would be the best one forever, or at least for a very long time.
Now only three years since the Roomba 980 was introduced, iRobot wants to pleasantly surprise their users with a robot vacuum cleaner that can empty its own bin. Check back frequently and bookmark this Roomba i7+ review, as I’ll update over time with progress reports!
The Roomba i7+: The Robot Vacuum Cleaner That Could Kill All Others
- Completely Hands Free: The Roomba i7+ makes household cleaning a whole lot easier. It will thoroughly clean your floors without you having to do anything. You do not even have to empty out the dustbin after it is done.
- CleanBase: The trick is in the CleanBase. In the past, Roombas retire to their charging dock to recharge after a cleaning session. The CleanBase is the i7+’s charging dock that also serves as it’s dustbin cleaner. Once the i7+ finishes cleaning your floors, it will go back to the CleanBase to recharge. While recharging, the CleanBase will also clean out the robot vacuum’s dustbin.
- New Docking: The difference between the new CleanBase and the traditional dock is that the new charging dock also includes a vacuum and its own dustbin. When the Roomba i7+ goes back to base to recharge, a vacuum suction on the CleanBase will lift the dust out of its bin and deposit it to a larger trash receptacle.
- Enhanced Functionality: In essence, you are getting two vacuum cleaners with the Roomba i7+. First, you have the robot vacuum cleaner that goes around your floors to clean and then you have the stationary base that sucks dirt out of the robot vacuum’s dustbin.
- Extended Capacity: The dustbin you find on the CleanBase has enough capacity to hold 30 full dustbins. Even if you do manage to fill the dustbin every day, you only have to empty the CleanBase’s trash receptacle once every month.
- Saves Time: In effect, you only need to clean out the bigger trash receptacle once a month at most rather than emptying the smaller dustbin every day. But you would still need to clean the CleanBase’s trash receptacle, which uses a paper bag to store all that dust. However, even that is easy. You just take out the full paper bag, throw it away, and then switch in a new one. The company also sells refill packs that you can buy for a pack of three.
- Air Tight: Worried that the dust might go back into the air as the collected dirt and debris is transferred from one dustbin to another. The good news is that the CleanBase’s powerful vacuum does not let the air does not escape. As a result, none of the collected dirt, dust, or particulates go back into the air you breathe.
- App Control: When is it time to clean out the CleanBase’s dustbin? The companion app will notify if it is time for a new bag.
The Roomba i7+ design: It looks like… well, a Roomba
iRobot did not change the design of the new Roomba i7+ too much if you compare it to older models from the same company. We have been wondering if the company would ever come up with a robot vacuum with flat edges like the one you see on the Neato Robovac’s D-series.
The flat sides of these robot vacuums allow the D-Series Neato devices to get closer to wall edges. However, Roomba’s side brush has always been able to adequately clean close to walls. This might be the reason why Roomba has stayed with the familiar round shape for its i7+.
The i7+ measures 13.34 inches in diameter and 3.63 inches high. This makes it narrower than most of the currently available robot vacuum while retaining its low profile.
You can expect the i7+ to be able to get under furniture and clean where your upright vacuum cannot.
If you just look at it from afar, you would not notice any significant change to the Roomba i7+’s looks.
But turn it over, and you would instantly see two details that are glaringly different with the new Roomba. First is the color of its dual multi-surface rubber brushes. These are now bright green, which veers away from the dull white and gray color of the debris extractors that older Roombas used.
Additionally, there is the automatic dirt disposal that is located next to the brushes. This port connects to the CleanBase, allowing it to suck up the dirt in the i7+’s dustbin.
Improved navigation: The Roomba i7+’s iAdapt 3.0 technology
The new base with its own vacuum suction and trash receptacle is not the only thing that is new with the Roomba i7+. iRobot also disclosed that the company added in more processing power and memory in the new robot vacuum. This means that the i7+ is a lot faster and smarter than previous robot vacuums from the company. The added processing power also helps make way for better navigation technology. According to iRobot, the Roomba i7+ is 50 times more powerful than the Series 900 robots. They did not give specific details on this, however.
The Roomba i7+ is the first model to use the iAdapt 3.0 navigation technology. Over the past few years, high-end robot vacuum cleaners have used mapping technologies to create a map of your floor. They will then use these maps to plan their cleaning routes and even to know where they have cleaned.
The cleaning maps allowed these robot vacuums to resume cleaning where they left off in case the battery runs out in the middle of a cleaning session. The problem is that they would have to scan your floors each time they clean and depending on your robot vacuum model, this could take a couple of minutes.
The Roomba i7+ takes care of that problem.
The new robot vacuum can store up to ten maps in memory so that it could start cleaning right away. The i7+ has enough memory to store floor maps for your entire home!
With the floor maps in memory, you can now use voice commands to do some targeted cleaning. You can assign a name to each room’s saved floor maps and just tell Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa to clean a particular place. You could be cooking lunch and remember that the master’s bedroom has not been cleaned, so you can just tell Alexa to clean the room while you continue to chop carrots. The i7+ will get off the CleanBase and then go straight to the master’s bedroom, clean up and go back to base when it is done.
To further illustrate how the Roomba i7+ has better navigation than older Roomba models, let us take a look at the Roomba 980. The 980 uses the iAdapt 2.0 navigation system. The Roomba 980 scans your floor every time you start cleaning and then calculates the most efficient cleaning route to clean your floors comprehensively, leaving no spots untouched.
The Clean Maps of the Roomba 980 also help the robot find the charging dock even when it is on the other side of your home. You can even use the mobile app’s clean maps to see where the Roomba 980 has cleaned to confirm that it has gone through every spot on your floors.
The Roomba i7+ can do all of that. The new iAdapt 3.0 navigation, however, helps the Roomba i7+ not only to know where it is in your house but also enables it to recognize each room in your home. This feature allows you to tell the i7+ to go to a particular area and clean there.
You can name a room in the house using one of the default names, or you can customize the room’s name. For example, you can call one room as “your room.” Finally, parents of teenagers would be able to say, “Clean your own room,” and the i7+ would do it if their adolescent son would not.
Pricing: The i7+ is expensive but worth it
At an introductory price, the Roomba i7+ is the most costly Roomba ever. When the Roomba 980 was launched, it had a comparable price. The price difference might be minimal, so most people are not complaining, especially if you consider that the new model has more smarts, a speedier processor, and more computing power.
Moreover, even at that price, the latest Roomba is cheaper than the Dyson 360 Eye and the Samsung POWERbot R9250 Robot Vacuum.
As we have mentioned before, the Roomba i7+ is actually two robots that are working together to make your household cleaning less taxing for you. If for some reason, you are among the rare breed of people who likes cleaning out dustbins, you can get the Roomba i7+ robot vacuum for a decent price. This way, you can still enjoy the saved floor maps and the targeted cleaning features, without the CleanBase.
If you changed your mind later on and decided that emptying out dustbins is not a good use of your time, you can buy the CleanBase. Sadly, the CleanBase only works with the Roomba i7+. Alternatively, you can buy the Roomba e5, which sells for a fair price. Remember, however, that the CleanBase only works with the Roomba i7+ robot vacuum.
When it comes to cleaning power, the Roomba i7+ has the same vacuuming power as the older Series 900 robots, which has up to 10 times the power you get from Series 600 robots.
It also retains the three-stage cleaning system, where the debris extractor (or in the case of the i7+ the dual rubber brush), a side brush, and powerful suction all work together to lift, clean and send dirt, dust, and debris into the dustbin.
It also uses a high-efficiency filter that traps up to 99% of dust particles, pollen, mold and other small particulates in the air. What’s more, the Roomba i7+ is perfect for those with pets, as it can quickly pick up pet hair without the tangles.
Pricing Note: The Roomba i7+ is available EXCLUSIVELY via this listing right now at iRobot. This page will be updated as soon as other retailers start carrying.
What You Would Like About the Roomba i7+
The concept of using a robot vacuum stems from the fact that very few people love to vacuum. A robot vacuum allows you to forget about cleaning the floors. In the past, you can schedule a robot vacuum to clean, hope that it has enough battery juice to finish the job. If it does not, then you would end up with a half cleaned floor. For those who live in houses with a lot of rooms, you would have to clean one room first, wait for it to finish, and then physically take the robot vacuum to another area to clean there.
Later, however, robot vacuums became smarter. This is especially true for Roomba models.
You can start a cleaning run in a variety of ways: by manually starting it yourself, by scheduling it to run, or by telling Alexa or Google Assistant to have it start cleaning. You can even do it remotely.
Through all of these developments, you would still need to spend the time to empty the dustbin, and for some, this could be a daily chore. The Roomba i7+ has taken even that away. With the new i7+, you can indeed forget about vacuuming for weeks on end.
Aside from the added convenience, the Roomba i7+ retains some of the things you have loved about the robot vacuum brand. It uses rubber brushes without bristles, which lessen the possibility of human and pet hair tangling the bristles. It is Wi-Fi connected with an impressive mobile app, as well as voice command features.
With the Roomba i7+, you can keep on cleaning your rooms even when you go on an extended vacation. Stop worrying that the robot vacuum’s dustbin will get full while you were away. The i7+ will continue cleaning until the battery runs out and then resume cleaning where it left off once it recharges completely. And while recharging, the CleanBase will also empty out the dustbin of the robot vacuum.
More than these, you would also like that :
- You will be notified when it is time to throw out the bag and replace it with a new one.
- iRobot has moved beyond merely making it easier to empty the dustbin daily to allowing you not to bother with it for a month or so.
- The LED bulbs on the panel of the i7+ change colors, allowing you to know more about its status.
What Lies in the Future for Roombas
If you have been paying close attention to the Roombas over the years, you would know that the company puts out a different model to cater to different markets. For example, when the Roomba 980 came out in 2015, it has all the latest technologies the company had to offer: Clean Maps, AeroForce cleaning technology, Wi-Fi connectivity, and voice command compatibility.
Pretty soon, however, the company came out with the cheaper Roomba 960 that had everything you loved about the Roomba 980 except for the Carpet Boost feature. After that, the company also came out with even more affordable Wi-Fi connected robots in the Roomba 890 and 690, which did not use the iAdapt 2.0 navigation system, but still allowed you to control the robot with the companion app and via voice controls.
The company also hinted at it, saying that you could expect more ways to interact with newer Roomba.
We are expecting the same pattern to start with the Roomba i7+. With the processing power that iRobot has put into the Roomba i7+, the company already has a platform that could help make it future proof.
The company could be introducing new technologies in the future, and the more powerful Roombas would be able to accommodate these. At the same time, we are expecting a more affordable version of the Roomba i7+. Already, you already have a cheaper option with the Roomba e5 and the Roomba i7 without the CleanBase.
What Could Be Better about the Roomba i7+
It seems that this would be the perfect robot vacuum for people who like a clean home but hates getting their hands dirty emptying out dustbins. There are some complaints, however.
For one, the package only includes two paper bags that you can use for the trash receptacle in the CleanBase. After that, you would need to spend for a pack of three replacement bags. That means that in a year, you would be paying an amount for the bag alone. It would have been easier on the budget, and even environmentally friendlier if iRobot offered a reusable bag for this purpose.
The Roomba i7+ could be a nightmare for people who are concerned with security and privacy.
Imagine a device that keeps a floor plan of your entire house stored somewhere that is also connected to the Internet. One hacker might be able to hack into your Roomba i7+, download the floorplans and plan how to rob your house later on. Plus, the i7+ uploads these maps to iRobot’s servers on the cloud.
Further, the new Roomba is using older cleaning technologies. We are not complaining, however, since AeroForce is a more than adequate cleaning system.
Lastly, the improved navigation system really shines only when you sync your Roomba i7+ with an Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. If you do not have these devices, you might miss out on the ability to direct your robot vacuum to clean where you want it to.
It would have been better if iRobot included voice command capability in the device itself, such as those devices with embedded Amazon Alexa capabilities. This would have helped people who do not have Alexa or Google Home speakers still enjoy this functionality without having to buy a separate device.
The Roomba i7+: Final Recommendation
The new Roomba i7+ is the Roomba that might kill all other robot vacuums. The new model allows you to not worry about vacuuming for weeks. By having as much dustbin capacity as upright vacuums, you really do not have to worry about emptying it daily.
More than that, it is the speediest and most powerful Roomba yet, with around 50 times more processing and performance as the Roomba 980.
Another huge plus point for the Roomba i7+ is the ability to store clean maps for every area of your house. This allows it to save time when cleaning and recognize the room you want it to clean.
The best thing about the Roomba i7+ is that it improves on an already impressive line of robot vacuums. Roomba already has an excellent cleaning system and several top-notch connectivity functionalities. Whatever technologies and features it retains from the older Roomba models, does not make the new i7+ an inferior product. Instead, it is just a matter of not reinventing wheels.
Bottom Line: In short, the new Roomba only improves on an already good thing. The only downside is that it might cost you a lot to buy this robot vacuum and to operate it over the years. With an initial price tag of close to a thousand dollars here and a recurring $5 monthly cost for the trash receptacle bag, and owning this robot vacuum can really add up.
Where to Buy: As a reminder, the i7+ is ONLY available directly via iRobot at this listing right now.
How does the Roomba i7+ compare to other top Roomba models? Find out here!
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