Your guide to a smart home
Our detailed review shows whether the iRobot Roomba i7+’s (i7558) premium features are worth their money.
The iRobot i7 Plus has some high-end features - we were thrilled with them!
The automatic emptying station and the sophisticated voice control definitely belong to them.
But do these convenient functions of the iRobot Roomba i7+ justify the very high purchase price? Or are there even better alternatives on the market?
We put the iRobot Roomba i7+ through the wringer in our test. Read on to see what we found out about this robotic vacuum cleaner.
The "Plus" in the Roomba i7+ stands for the self-emptying dust bin ("Clean Base") that comes with it.
You have to dig quite deep into your pockets for the i7+ (incl. Clean Base).
But if you can do without the auto-empty dust bin, the price is much lower.
All other functions and features are identical.
So the key question is: is the Clean Base (automatic dirt disposal) worth the money?
We’ll get to the bottom of that in the following chapters.
Long story short: The clean base (self-empty dock) is the highlight of the iRobot Roomba i7+.
The mobile dust container has a capacity of 460 ml and quickly fills up (depending on the degree of soiling in your flat). Therefore, you have to empty the mobile dust bin almost daily.
We can think of better ways to spend our time.
The Roomba i7 Plus takes that burden off your shoulders with its automatic dirt disposal.
But how does it work?
The Clean Base automatically empties the mobile dust container’s contents as soon as the robot vacuum approaches the charging dock. That takes about 8 - 10 seconds and is quite noisy.
Then it stores the dirt in an own dust bin at the top of the self-emptying base.
iRobot UK states that the Clean Base’s dust container can hold up to 30 full loads of the mobile dust chamber.
You can easily buy a 6-pack of the Clean Base’s dirt disposal bags on Amazon* in the UK.
The dust bag in the clean base is large and takes quite a long time to fill up, depending on how dirty your home is. If you have pets, it’ll fill up much faster.
It would have been better if iRobot had used a washable, reusable dust chamber instead of the disposable dust bag.
The charging station with the automatic dirt disposal is a true blessing for allergy sufferers.
You don’t have any contact with the house dust anymore (except when you wash out the mobile dust container).
All in all, we can say that the Roomba i7+'s clean base convinced us in the test. iRobot takes another important step towards automated cleaning with it.
First, the iRobot Roomba i7 Plus had to deal with dirt on the laminate floor.
The iRobot Roomba i7 Plus did a great job removing the lentils.
It only left a few lentils in the corners that are difficult to access.
You can also find a few single lentils on the suction surface.
That’s because the fast-spinning side brush "flung" some light and grainy lentils across the room from time to time.
The Roomba i7 (+) also had no trouble with the grainy oat flakes.
The robotic vacuum cleaner reliably removes the dirt.
It left a few flakes in the hard-to-reach corners and single bits in the room, too.
The heavy sand is usually very challenging for all robot vacuums.
But the Roomba i7 came out with flying colours and removed a whopping 94% of the sand on the laminate.
The Roomba i7 Plus doesn’t have an automatic carpet detection function. Thus, it also doesn’t increase the suction power automatically when it drives on a carpet.
It still achieved excellent results in our suction test.
The two rubber rollers rotate in opposite directions so that they thoroughly brush through the carpet. It’ll look super clean after the vacuuming trip.
Higher carpets usually pose a threat to robot vacuums.
But not so with the Roomba i7 Plus.
The robotic vacuum cleaner hardly reached its limits with the lentils (short carpet: 94%, long carpet 98%).
It's a great result.
The robot vacuum also didn’t have any problems with the oat flakes.
It removed 96% of the dirt on both short and high carpet, which leaves nothing to be desired.
The heavy sand on the carpet is the biggest challenge for all robot vacuums.
The Roomba i7+ does a great job here, too, and removes 60% of the sand on the short carpet and 70% on the higher carpet.
The percentages may seem relatively low at first, but the result is excellent compared to other top models.
The heavy sand sinks deep into the carpet, which is why robot vacuums have a hard time removing it.
Plus, you have to keep in mind that our tests are extreme situations.
It’s doubtful that so much sand ends up on your carpet.
Your new household helper also vacuums the home much more frequently, which creates a permanent level of cleanliness.
The iRobot Roomba i7+’s cleaning performance is entirely sufficient for an average flat.
You will be thrilled!
The robot vacuum did a great job cleaning along the skirtings and in corners.
However, the iRobot Roomba i7 obviously can’t achieve a perfect result in corners because of its round shape.
Since the Roomba i7+ probably cleans the home several times a week, dirt can hardly accumulate in the corners.
So it’s not a big deal.
Most robot vacuums have one combination brush made of bristles and lamellae.
The iRobot has two rubber rollers rotating in opposite directions ("dual brush system") instead.
Hardly any dirt gets caught in the brushes, thanks to brushes’ material and the opposite rotation.
You can remove the two brushes by a simple "click mechanism" if some dirt (especially pet and human hair) should ever wrap itself around the brushes.
Then you can easily “pull out” the hair.
That reduces maintenance to a minimum, making the iRobot Roomba i7+ particularly suitable for pet owners.
First, the Roomba i7+ has to create a map of your home. Then it can show what it’s got!
You don’t have to raise a finger for that (ok, maybe one).
Send the robot vacuum cleaner on its first cleaning job at the touch of a button in the app - it’ll do the rest.
The Roomba i7+ scans your home’s floor plan, so it theoretically knows your home once it finishes its first trip.
However, the map is not yet 100% complete, and some details are missing.
Oh yes - don't forget to open all the doors. Now the robotic vacuum cleaner can reach every spot in your home.
The map will be ready to go after 3 - 4 cleaning runs at the latest, so you can access it in the app.
You can edit them according to your wishes and set up individual cleaning processes.
Roomba i7+ can create and save up to 10 maps.
That makes the iRobot Roomba i7 Plus also very suitable for houses/flats with several floors.
Unfortunately, the i7+ can’t climb stairs yet, but you can easily transport it from floor to floor, thanks to the convenient carrying handle.
Good navigation is essential for a good cleaning result.
If the robot vacuum doesn’t have structured navigation and leaves out areas, the cleaning result won’t be satisfying.
The iRobot relies on camera-based navigation technology (iAdapt Navigation Technology).
Numerous built-in sensors (crash sensors, …) also support efficient navigation.
IAdapt technology systematically scans the flat.
The robot vacuum cleaner continuously calculates the fastest route and determines very precisely where it has already been and where it has to go next.
One slight drawback of the camera-based navigation technology is that the Roomba i7 takes a little longer in poor lighting conditions.
But this isn’t a big deal since you’ll probably rarely use the robot vacuum at night - Unless you want to annoy your neighbours ?.
The obstacle detection works relatively well.
The Roomba i7+ recognises the position of objects by navigating with the camera. It checks and adjusts the created map in real-time.
With that, the Roomba i7+ can skilfully avoid most obstacles.
If the iRobot robot vacuum doesn’t recognise an obstacle, the bumper is here to help.
However, that happens very rarely. The robot vacuum cleaner is gentle with the furnishings. It certainly won’t damage them.
The iRobot Roomba i7+ overcame a height of approx. 1.9 cm (0.7 inches) in our test.
Thus, the Roomba i7+ climbs conventional doorsteps and smaller obstacles without any problems.
We only carry out our tests on hard 90-degree edges to keep objectivity, so we’re pretty sure that the robot vacuum can climb rounded edges/obstacles even better.
The robot vacuum uses the usual abyss detection sensors to detect precipices.
We tested them with our stairs and also put the robotic vacuum cleaner on a table.
The iRobot Roomba i7+ mastered the task - It stops before a precipice and then takes off in a different direction.
The Roomba i7 Plus has a 3300 mAh lithium-ion battery. With that, it can clean your home for about 75 minutes at a stretch and cover an area of about 100 m².
However, if the battery runs out during a cleaning session, that’s no problem either.
The robot vacuum remembers the exact spot where it has to interrupt its cleaning trip. The Roomba i7+ returns to this spot and continues cleaning ("Recharge & Resume") as soon as the battery is full.
The Roomba i7 Plus is exceptionally quiet...
...even though it has such an excellent cleaning performance!
We measured a volume of 63 dB in our test.
You can still have a conversation in the same room - while the robot vacuum is doing its work - but it’s not that pleasant. The same applies to watching TV in the same room.
But the robot vacuum won’t disturb you often - the little household helper usually does the work in your absence ?
The iRobot Home App is available for Android and iOS. (Wi-fi connection needed)
The iRobot app is another highlight of the Roomba i7 Plus. The app offers a lot of great features and is still super user-friendly.
Once the robot vacuum has created the map, you can use the numerous functions in the app.
You can edit the map however you like once it’s in the iRobot Roomba i7+ App. You can merge and separate rooms and also name the individual rooms.
You can also set up individualised cleaning schedules. For example, you can let the i7 Plus clean the kitchen and living room on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 9 a.m.
You can exclude specific areas from cleaning by setting up no-go zones.
The delivery scope also includes a “virtual wall barriers” for defining restricted areas. However, you don't need the virtual wall since you can set up no-go zones via the app.
Apart from that, you have the usual functions at your disposal:
The Roomba i7 plus is compatible with popular voice assistants – Alexa and Google Home Assistant.
Here, the iRobot is ahead of its competition.
Communication isn’t limited to a simple "start", "stop", and "return to charging station".
You can use a variety of voice commands.
You also don't have to learn a sentence by heart and recite it the same way over and over again. The voice control is very sophisticated, and your Roomba i7 Plus understands variations of voice commands.
But what exactly can I do with it?
You can send the iRobot to clean a specific room, let it vacuum your bedroom first and then your living room. You can tell Roomba i7 Plus to clean your living room in the evening.
The voice assistant also asks clever and meaningful questions, such as: "Should I drive back to the charging station?", "Which room should I vacuum?" etc.
You have a wide range of options, and it's a lot of fun to communicate with your robot vacuum via a voice assistant.
iRobot has another unique feature to offer. And it’s one of a kind.
You can connect iRobot devices via the "Imprint Link Technology".
At the moment, you can connect the Roomba i7 (+) and the Braava Jet M6 robot mop.
If you have both devices in use, you can let the Braava Jet M6 mopping robot start its trip as soon as Roomba i7+ has finished vacuuming.
That’s another step towards fully automated cleaning.
We speak from our own experience here ?.
The postman was quite out of breath ?. That’s because the Roomba i7+ comes in a rather large package.
The delivery scope doesn’t just include the iRobot Roomba i7+ Robot Vacuum and the relatively large and very cool clean base. iRobot also added several accessories.
It’s great if the manufacturer includes more than the absolute essentials in the delivery scope. You have spare parts (HEPA filter, side brush) quickly at hand if needed.
iRobot UK also includes 2 dust bags for the self-emptying dustbin in the delivery scope. You’re covered for a while now and won’t have to buy more.
Long story short: The delivery scope is generous! You can also order spare parts and accessories online on Amazon in the UK.
iRobot relies on continuity in design. The manufacturer also doesn’t have any reason why it should change anything.
The robot vacuum still has a round shape. The dimensions are: width: 34.2 cm (13.5 inches) x length: 34 cm (13.4 inches) x height 9.3 cm (3.6 inches) . It weighs 3.38 kg.
The Roomba i7+ is only available in the UK in one colour combination (black with grey accents).
A dark robotic vacuum cleaner may not fit into every flat in terms of colour.
You can operate the following touch screen buttons at the robot vacuum’s top: "Clean" (2) (start/stop cleaning process), "Home" (3) (return to charging station) and "Spot Clean" (1) (clean one precise spot).
There’s also a camera at the top that ensures excellent navigation.
Furthermore, the smart vacuum cleaner robot also has a convenient carrying handle (4), so you can easily carry it from floor to floor.
The dust container is not inside but at the back of the robot vacuum.
You can easily remove it by pressing a button.
The bottom side looks pretty much the same.
iRobot stands for premium quality. The Roomba i7+ is no exception.
The device has an excellent finish and looks very classy. The materials used seem to be of very high-quality.
One thing is for sure: The iRobot Roomba i7+ Clean Base is an absolute highlight.
It has a long power cable, including a cable management system, at the charging dock’s back.
The robot vacuum can charge whenever it docks at the Clean Base, which also automatically empties the mobile dust container.
The clean base has the following dimensions: height: 48 cm (18.9 inches) x depth: 15 cm (5.9 inches) x width: 18 cm (7 inches).
The clean base, including the automatic dirt disposal, is somewhat larger than a conventional charging dock.
However, the Clean Base looks very classy (like the robot itself) and is an absolute eye-catcher.
One thing’s for sure: iRobot devices in general - and the iRobot Roomba i7+ in particular - are high-priced luxury products.
But the Roomba i7 Plus Robot Vacuum also offers excellent performance paired with premium features.
The sophisticated voice control and the self-emptying dock (<clean base) are the highlights. The latter function automates the cleaning of your flat almost entirely - There’s virtually nothing left for you to do.
The Roomba i7+ is quite expensive. If you can do without the clean base, you won’t have to dig that deep into your pockets.
You have to decide for yourself whether the luxury of the self-emptying base is worth the higher price. We hope our iRobot Roomba i7+ review helps.
The iRobot Roomba i7+ and especially the clean base came out with flying colours in our test!
However, if you don't need all that luxury and want to save some money, the models from Roborock (f.e. Roborock S5 Max Review) or Ecovacs (Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo 950 review) might be a better choice.
You can see the side brush on the front left, as usual.
We noticed that sometimes - very rarely - the brushes scatter a bit of lighter dirt in the room on hard floors during our tests. We think that’s because the side brush rotates quite quickly.
However, that’s not a big deal.
All in all, the side brush reliably transport the dirt to the suction opening under the vacuum.
A few hairs get caught in the side brush from time to time. You can easily remove them with scissors.
The intelligent household helper automatically detects during cleaning whether a particular area is more heavily soiled, thanks to special sensors.
The so-called "Dirt Detect Technology" ensures that the robot vacuum cleans that area more thoroughly. The iRobot Roomba i7+ moves back and forth several times for better cleaning results.
The Roomba i7+ doesn’t rely on laser-based navigation technology
This way, the Roomba i7+'s overall height of 9.3 cm is slightly lower than many of its competitors.
Besides, you don't have to pay so much attention to the sensitive navigation tower.
That makes the Roomba i7+ easier to handle, and its low-profile design gives it an advantage over competitors.
If they’re a few centimetres too low, you can lift your couch with furniture raisers (available on Amazon).
You can integrate the Roomba i7+ into various smart home use cases via IFTTT.
That’s a nice extra for all tech enthusiasts :)
The mobile dust bin is at the back of the robot vacuum.
You can remove it via a simple click mechanism.
The dust container has a capacity of 460 ml. You can easily open and empty it at the touch of a button.
We recommend cleaning the mobile dust container once a week under lukewarm water and letting it dry on a towel.
Please make sure that the dust container is completely dry before you reattach it.
The robot vacuum uses the side brushes very often and intensively, so they wear out relatively quickly.
Replace the side brushes at regular intervals to keep a consistently good cleaning result. If the bristles look frayed, stick out in all directions, and you notice that the cleaning result is decreasing, it’s high time for a change :)
You should tap out the HEPA filter once a week over a dustbin or sink. We also recommend replacing the HEPA filter after approx. 4 - 6 months.
Yes, the iRobot Roomba i7+ has a HEPA filter. This HEPA filter filters even the smallest dirt particles from the air.
Yes, Amazon UK sells the iRobot Roomba i7+ and the Roomba i7.
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