iRobot is overhauling its robovac range, and for the first time in years I’m excited about a new Roomba
- iRobot scraps all its robot vacuums apart from the Combo 10 Max, replacing them with 4 new models
- New vacs have LiDAR, rotating mop pads, and a cool new look
- On pre-sale from March 18 in North America and some European countries
iRobot has pulled out the big guns for 2025, scrapping almost its entire Roomba fleet and replacing it with five new models that look like they could actually trouble the likes of Roborock and Ecovacs.
A few years ago iRobot was the go-to robot vacuum brand – if you were looking for a robovac, you wanted a Roomba. But over the years other brands started to overtake it, and the gap kept widening, with Roombas slipping further and further down our best robot vacuum ranking and threatening to disappear from it entirely – until now.
The new fleet includes four new models, all of which look better than anything we’ve seen from iRobot in years. At the bottom of the new lineup is the Roomba 105 Combo, available with or without an auto-empty dock. That’s followed by the Roomba 205 DustCompactor, designed for small homes. A step above are the more advanced Roomba Plus 405 Combo and Plus 505 Combo bots. At the top of the range remains the previously launched Combo 10 Max.
The biggest update to the new Roomba lineup is the introduction of LiDAR. It’s remarkable that it’s taken iRobot this long to get on board with the tech – LiDAR is almost universally considered the best, most reliable form of robot vacuum navigation, and is more or less standard across the rest of the market.
The new Roombas should, as a result, offer faster, more accurate navigation, and they’ll be able to find their way around in the dark, too.
iRobot is calling its LiDAR navigation ‘ClearView’, and it features across all the new models. That includes – interestingly – one that doesn’t have the usual central, raised LiDAR puck. (iRobot assures us that this won’t compromise navigation accuracy, but it’s definitely something we’d like to test out for ourselves.)
Perhaps overdue, too, is the introduction of rotating discs on the Roomba Plus 405 Combo and Plus 505 Combo models. These can lift to keep your carpets dry, and one will also kick out to the side for edge mopping. This type of mopping pad tends to deliver a more efficient wet clean than the static mops favored by Roomba thus far.
They’re paired, on these two Plus bots, with more advanced ‘AutoWash’ docks that can clean and dry the mop pads, in one case with hot air.
New look; who dis?
Something else that marks this out as a fresh start for iRobot is the introduction of a new design language, dubbed GRID (Geometric, Rational, Iconic and Dynamic). The new bots have a sort of Mondrian-style geometric grid on top, and introduce matte textures for a friendlier and more style-forward look than most of the competition.
While it might seem a relatively minor thing, it’s actually one of my favorite upgrades from the new Roomba range, because so few bot brands seem to spare a thought for styling these days. The new design language is distinctive to iRobot, and will help the brand stand out in a sea of rather generic-looking competitor products.
The most interesting introduction to the lineup, for me, is the Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo robot. Designed for those who don’t have space for a giant auto-empty dock in their home (raised hand), this bot does the next-best thing, and compacts the dust in its small onboard bin, making it capable of holding far larger quantities and removing the need for you to constantly empty it.
As an aside, this is the same bot that doesn’t have the LiDAR puck, which I guess fits with the space-saving, streamlined vibe. (I actually wrote a whole, separate article about why this is the new iRobot Roomba I want, which goes into more specifics about how the compacting works.)
What’s in a name?
The fact that the names have been revamped to a clearer system of Roomba (good), Roomba Plus (better), and Roomba Max (best), should be a big help to consumers looking to make sense of the various options.
The only disappointing thing here is that the Max category currently comprises just the Roomba Combo 10 Max. That’s the only model not to be scrapped – and given that it only came out in 2024, I can kind of see why. However, it didn’t receive the best response, and doesn’t make for a great range-topper. In fact, it looks positively decrepit compared to the sleek, capable new fleet, and it’s notably lacking in updates like LiDAR. I hope a better ‘best’ model is on the cards soon.
Another boon for consumers is iRobot’s decision to once again share suction specs. The brand had stopped doing this, arguing that cleaning power wasn’t all about suction. While that’s true, it’s a useful indicator of the performance you can expet, and helpful when comparing different models (both from within iRobot’s range and outside). The new Roombas all have 7,000Pa of suction, which is less than most premium bots, but is still a decent amount, especially when combined with an efficient design.
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