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iRobot’s new robot vacuum cleaners promise to be the brand’s best yet
The new flagship cleaners 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 announced the launch of the roomba combo j9+ and roomba j9+. The two new flagship self-whizzing cleaners promise to dust, hoover 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 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 claims 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 it benefits from the new dirt detective feature, so it will learn which rooms are the dirtiest and clean them first. Here’s everything you need to know.
iRobot roomba combo j9+ robot vacuum cleaner: £1,249, Irobot.co.uk – coming soon
The latest premium mopping robot vacuum cleaner from iRobot is the roomba combo j9+. There are three levels of suction power which 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 forwards and backwards 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 that 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 prioritise those dirtiest rooms first. These rooms are where the mop will deploy the mop’s scrubbing motion.
The roomba combo j9+ will be available for £1,249 in the UK, but it’s not yet been announced when it will be available.
iRobot roomba j9+ robot vacuum cleaner: £999, Irobot.co.uk – available from 26 September
Having a mop is nice and all, but you’ll have to fork out an additional £250 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 £999 and starts shipping on 26 September.
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