If you’re looking for the most premium robot vacuum cleaner, then iRobot is the company for you. The company’s lineup of Roombas is what every robot vacuum aspires to be, but even though many come close, they’re not the same. In today’s review, we’re looking at the iRobot Roomba i6+, a brand-spanking-new robot that hit stores (Amazon only) in early October. Read what the Roomba i6+ is all about down below.
3-Stage Cleaning System
First, let’s talk about how the i6+ cleans. The i6+ comes with a tri-stage cleaning system that is comprised of a main brush on its belly that helps loosen debris from carpets and in between floorboards and tiles, as well as a side brush with long bristles that get hard-to-reach corners and wall edges.
The motor delivers ten times the suction power compared to the older 600 series, leaving absolutely no crumbs or dirt in its wake. This system isn’t unlike what you’d find in the i7+. In fact, they’re identical in every way. This is a major plus if you’re on the fence between choosing the i6+ and the premium i7+.
Roomba i6+ Features
| iRobot Roomba i6+ Specs | |
| 3 Stage-Cleaning System | Premium |
| Cleaning pattern | Neat Rows |
| Runtime | Recharge and Resume |
| Navigates obstacles & stairs | Visual Navigation |
| Connection | With Braava Jet M6 |
| Release | Oct 2020 |
Clean Base
What gives the i6+ the plus symbol behind its name? Why, the Clean Base, of course, just like in the Roombas i7 and i7+. If you’re tired of manually removing the robotic vac’s dust bin and dumping the contents in a trash bag, then you’ll be more than happy to have the Clean Base do most of the dirty work for you.
The Clean Base has a enough storage capacity to store up to 30 dust-bin-fuls of dust and debris before reaching max capacity. That translates into roughly 60 days of regular cleaning before you even need to think about laying hands on the Clean Base.
Allergen Lock Bags
And if that ain’t enough for ya, how about the Allergen Lock Bags that the Clean Base uses? These bags produce a tight seal when closed, preventing the tiniest of dust specks from exiting through the top and falling back onto your floor.
After roughly two months of cleaning, simply pop the Clean Base open, close the Allergen Lock bag tightly, and throw it in the bin. A red LED light will indicate when the bag needs to be tossed out.
However, we were surprised to learn that the Allergen Lock bag is made of plastic and not a biodegradable material. It’s an excellent product and works incredibly well at prevent debris from re-dirtying your floors, but the bag could definitely be made of biodegradable paper.
Also, iRobot recommends using fresh bags instead of reusing old ones since their clogged pores can lead to false bag-full reports. Just something to think about.
iAdapt + vSlam Navigation Technology
The iAdapt system is nothing new; it’s been in super-old Roomba models from back in the ancient times of 2015. However, the i6+ comes with an updated version that keeps track of the locations of obstacles and marks it in its internal map.
Speaking of which, the i6+ comes with iRobot’s latest edition of vSlam Navigation Technology. One thing many customers noticed about the i6+ is that although it creates a digital map of your home’s floors, there’s no way to access the map and create barriers and define no-go zones. But let’s talk about the app before making any misguided conclusions.
Updated iRobot Home App + Voice Control
The i6+ uses an updated version of the iRobot Home smartphone app. With this app, you can access the digital map and recreate cleaning schedules for your robot.
Also, the app lets you download the SmartMapping digital bundle that allows you to create the no-go zones customers have been complaining about.
So, not only can you program schedules, check cleaning status reports, and tell your robot to return to its charging station by tapping on your phone screen, but you can define different areas of your home for special zone-cleaning treatment.
Roomba i6+ vs i4+ vs 692
 |  |  | |
| Roomba | i6+ | i4+ | 692 |
| 3 Stage-Cleaning System | Premium | Premium | Yes |
| Suction power | 10x* | 10x* | Standard |
| Cleaning pattern | Neat rows | Neat rows | Adaptive |
| Runtime | Smart charge & resume | Smart charge & resume | Up to 90 Minutes |
| Intelligent navigation | + Smart mapping | + mapping | Yes |
| Navigates obstacles & stairs | + Visual navigation | Yes | Yes |
| Personalized cleaning recommendations | + Custom Cleaning Options | Yes | Yes |
| Smart home connectivity | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tangle resistant rubber brushes | Yes | Yes | n/a |
| High-Efficiency Filter | Yes | Yes | n/a |
| Teams up with Braava jet m6 Robot Mop | Yes | Yes | n/a |
| Self-emptying base | Yes | Yes | n/a |
| Clean by specific rooms or objects | Yes | n/a | n/a |
| Clean Zones & Keep Out Zones | Yes | n/a | n/a |
*Compared to Roomba 600 Series AeroVoc System.
Learns Your Habits
Here’s something that many customers were worried about in the beginning but warmed up to later on. The i6+ keeps track of all of your commands to create the most convenient cleaning schedule based on your habits.
After a week or two of receiving manual commands and observing your cleaning routines, the i6+ will suggest via the Home app when to commence cleaning and in which areas of your home.
Even though you can achieve the same results by setting up multiple cleaning schedules, this thought-free way of handling one of the most annoying parts of owning a robotic vacuum cleaner is automatically done for you.
High-Efficiency Filter Trap
The i6+ uses a high-efficiency filter trap instead of standard filters or sponges you’d find in many competing models. The mesh on this filter trap can trap particles as tiny as 0.3 microns in size up to 99 percent of the time.
This means stuff like hair, dust mites, dust mite droppings, and dander all get suctioned up and stored inside of the dust bin with about a 1 percent chance of escape. It doesn’t get much better than this, unless it came with a True HEPA Filter, but we have yet to see one of those in a robotic vacuum cleaner.
Tag Team Duo with Braava jet m6
Let’s be honest for a second. Hybrid vacuum-mop combo bots are not the best invention in the world. Sure, they can do a decent job at vacuuming and wiping your floors clean in one stroke, but more often than not, users forget to remove the water tank, and their robot ends up spreading water on carpeted surfaces.
What the i6+ does is it works together with iRobot’s Braava jet m6 robotic mop. When the i6+’s cleaning session is over, it’ll immediately return to its docking station and send instructions to the m6 to commence mopping.
Roomba i3+ vs. i6+ vs. i7+ Comparison
 |  |  | |
| Roomba | i3+ | i6+ | i7+ |
| Main Differences | |||
| Clean Base | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Virtual Wall Barrier | no | no | no |
| Dirt Disposal Bags | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| High-Efficiency Filter | 1 | no | 1 |
| Extra Side Brush | no | no | 1 |
| Cleaning | |||
| Suction Power | 1700 Pa | 1700 Pa | 1700 Pa |
| Сleaning Area | 1830 ft2 | 1991 ft2 | 1991 ft2 |
| Dust Container | 500 ml | 500 ml | 500 ml |
| Battery | |||
| Battery Capacity | 1800 mAh | 1800 mAh | 1800 mAh |
| Runing time | 75 min | 75 min | 75 min |
| Charging Time | 150 min | 120 min | 120 min |
| Sensors | |||
| Carpet Boost | no | yes | yes |
| Cliff Sensor | yes | yes | yes |
| Dirt Detect | yes | yes | yes |
| Full Bin Indicator | yes | yes | yes |
| Other Specs | |||
| Weight | 10.36 lbs | 7.28 lbs | 7.28 lbs |
| Width | 13.31 in | 13.31 in | 13.31 in |
| Height | 3.62 in | 3.62 in | 3.62 in |
| Release | Sep 2020 | Sep 2020 | Sep 2018 |
| Store | Amazon | Amazon | |
| Price | Check price | Check price | Check price |
Compatible with Alexa and Assistant
Even though you can command your i6+ to start, stop, recharge, and clean on schedule, there will come a time when you don’t have it in you to whip out your phone, open the app, and send instructions.
Instead, what you can do is ask Alexa or Assistant to relay your voice commands to the iRobot Roomba i6+ Robot Vacuum, assuming you have a smart speaker system at home. If you do, shouting orders at your virtual assistant
Verdict: The Best of Its Class for Less!
- ABILITY TO GET SMARTER - Quality that lasts; Intelligence that grows; Equipped with...
- LEARNS YOUR LIFE LISTENS TO YOUR VOICE - Learns your cleaning habits to offer up...
Unboxing Video by iRobot
Transcript of the Video
The iRobot Roomba i6+ is an excellent option for those who want advanced cleaning performance, the chance to map and clean individual rooms of their home.
It is also a great option if you’re going to create customized clean zones and keep out zones. Finally, it is a great robot vacuum if you want the ability to have your Roomba automatically empty itself thanks to its clean base automatic dirt disposal unit.
First of all, the Roomba i6+ Robot Vacuum Cleaner. Second, a Roomba user guide. This guide will give you all the information you need to set up the Roomba i6+ inside your home as well as registering the robot. Third, the clean base automatic dirt disposal and power cord.
This part will act as the charging station for your Roomba i6+ but also empties the Roomba’s dustbin automatically into an enclosed bag to get all up the 60 days worth of dirt, dust, and debris.
Features and Benefits
Beginning with a 3 stage cleaning system, the Roomba i6+ uses dual multiservice rubber brushes that work together to get your floors thoroughly clean. One brush loosens/agitates dirt, and the other moves in the opposite direction to extract and pull it in.
Instead of bristles that bend missing lots of dirt, the unique, flexible, rubber brushes of the i6+ will work on different floor surfaces to stay in close contact with wood and carpets.
The edge-sweeping brush is specially designed at a 27-degree angle to sweep debris away from edges. It also corners dirt into the cleaning path of your Roomba i6+.
The Roomba i6+ has ten times the air power compared to the Roomba 600 series robots for improved pick-up performance and cleaner floors.
With the Clean Base automatic dirt disposal, it automatically empties the robot vacuum’s container into an enclosed bag. The base can get a hold of up to 60 days worth of dirt, dust, and pet hair. You can go without thinking of vacuuming for months at a time.
The Roomba i6+ empties itself into a disposal bag that has four layers of allergen blocking material, trapping up to 99 percent of dust mites and allergens, so they aren’t released back into your home.
Navigation
Using iRobot IAdapt 3.0 Advanced Navigation, the Roomba i6+ will thoroughly clean an entire level of your home while navigating systematically.
The robot captures over 230.400 data points per second, allowing it to create a detailed map of its surroundings always to know where it is, where it’s been, and where it has yet to clean.
The navigation is so advanced that when the Toomba i6+ is running low on battery, it will return to the clean base automatic dirt disposal, empty its bin, recharge as needed, and then resume cleaning exactly where it left off.
For an extra level of clean, you can take advantage of the imprint link technology. That means when the i6+ finishes vacuuming, it will automatically coordinate with the Braava Jet M6 mopping robot to begin mopping automatically.
Smart Mapping
The Roomba i6+ introduces the option to upgrade to imprint smart mapping. This upgrade allows the robot vacuum to learn your home and engage in powerful cleaning, when and where messes happen. Download the iRobot home app to get this feature.
Once your Roomba has been updated with imprint smart maps, your robot will be able to know the difference between your kitchen and your dining room, so you can control which rooms are cleaned and when.
The robot remembers multiple floor plans, learns maps, and adapts to your home, determining the best way to clean each room. With intelligent updates to the smart maps, your map will continue to evolve. When the Roomba i6+ discovers new spaces of your home, they will automatically be added to the map. You’Ll even get a notification if your roomba’s docking station has moved.
For even more control, you can clean by zone. You can create customized “keep-out zones” on the app to keep your robot away from certain areas or objects in your home. You can also select and name smaller “clean zones” within a room and send your robot directly to those areas in the iRobot home app or by voice command.
The Roomba i6+ can also automatically detect objects in your home, like couches, kitchen tables, and cabinets. It can make a recommendation to place a clean zone around this object on the map. That means, if you’re heading out for a jog and you notice some crumbs under the kitchen table, you can tell the Roomba to clean under the kitchen table and consider that mess gone.
With the brand new iRobot home app, you can have an even more intuitive clean, giving you the control to schedule cleaning to stay ahead of everyday messes. The Roomba i6+ learns the places and times you clean the most and can save them as favorites in the app for easy access. The iRobot Home app also allows you to schedule certain rooms to be cleaned at certain times.
With ordered room cleaning, you can choose the order that Roomba cleans those rooms in. It is leading to a more efficient time spent cleaning.
Custom Cleaning Programs
Roomba can also suggest cleaning schedules based on your cleaning habits and busiest times. These custom recommendations can even alert you when the pollen count is high in your area or its pet shedding time or allergy seasons. Creating custom cleaning programs that can benefit both you and your home.
With smart home compatibility you can clean without even lifting a finger. With cutting edge mapping and smart navigation technology the Roomba can clean up messes directly when they happen Simply give a command to Google Assistant or Alexa enabled devices like the Amazon Echo, the Echo Dot or the Echo Spot and Roomba will begin cleaning for you.
The Roomba i6+ can even target specific areas in rooms like in front of your couch or under a table for easy hands free cleaning at the sound of your voice. Simply say: “Alexa tell roomba to clean under the kitchen table” and powered by IFTTT (if this then that) the Roomba i6+ can communicate with your smart door locks, smart thermostat and other smart home devices. To begin cleaning as you leave for the day and stop cleaning when you get home. The Roomba is always designed to meet your changing schedule.
Final Words
In conclusion, the Roomba i6+ is an excellent option for those who want a robotic vacuum cleaner with advanced cleaning performance, the option to map and clean individual rooms of their home. It is also a great option for those who want to create customized “clean zones” and “keep out zones”. Last but not least, the ability to have the Roomba automatically empty itself into the Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal.
If you have any questions or comments, please add them below in the comment section. Similarly, please let us know if you spot any mistakes or omissions. Thanks!
Last Update: 2024-04-25 | Affiliate links/Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
