Roomba i5+ Combo Robot Vacuum and Mop
Verdict
The Roomba i5+ Combo is a solid, lower-priced entry into iRobot’s combo lineup for homes with mostly hard floors that still want strong vacuuming and a self-empty base. Its simpler navigation, lack of obstacle avoidance, and mopping limitations on mixed flooring make it less ideal for households with lots of rugs, clutter, or pets.
Pros
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Overall opinion ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 5.0Often presented as the most sensible choice among iRobot combo mops, trading advanced smart features for a lower price and straightforward everyday cleaning.
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Software-update support / feature longevity ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 5.0Relies on iRobot’s Genius platform for frequent over-the-air updates, so features and behavior can improve over time without any hardware changes.
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Hard Floor — Fine Dust Pickup ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 4.5On hard floors the i5+ Combo performs much better, clearing nearly all fine debris in controlled mixtures and keeping up with most rivals on bare surfaces.
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Suction & Airflow ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 2 reviews 4.3Shares the high-power motor used in the j7 line and is rated around ten times stronger than iRobot’s 694 entry model, giving it robust suction for its price.
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Aesthetic design & finish ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 4.0The updated charging base has a sleeker, more rounded profile while the robot itself keeps the familiar Roomba look.
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Hair‑Wrap / Tangle Resistance ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 4.0The dual rubber brushes tend to resist visible tangles by channeling hair into side cavities, keeping cleaning performance high but still requiring occasional manual clearing.
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Emptying & Mess Control ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 3 reviews 3.8The self-empty base pulls debris into a sealed disposable bag without noticeably increasing airborne dust, though the thin floor-protector tray can let excess mop solution drip onto the surrounding floor.
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AI, Smart & App / Automation ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 2 reviews 3.8Runs on iRobot’s Genius app with mapping and ongoing software updates, gaining new features over time but still lacking a front camera, AI object detection, and advanced tools like no-go zones or virtual walls, while still supporting room-level cleaning, recharge and resume, and suggested schedules.
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Price & Value ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 2 reviews 3.5Earlier testing found weaker value versus some sub-$400 competitors, but within iRobot’s combo lineup the i5+ stands out as a more affordable way to get strong suction, basic mopping, and a self-empty base.
Cons
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Map & Path Efficiency (Robot Vacuums) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 3 reviews 3.0Camera-free navigation leans on bump-and-turn behavior that is slower and less precise than lidar rivals, but its established pathing is generally reliable enough for everyday whole-floor coverage, though its basic mapping lacks keep out zones and camera-based visual features.
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Mopping performance ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 2 reviews 3.0Handles light maintenance mopping while it vacuums, but without sonic scrubbing, rotating pads, or a wash-and-dry station it is better for routine freshen-ups than deep cleaning, and its interchangeable mop bin works best in homes with mostly hard floors where rugs can be kept out of its path.
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Carpet — High-Pile Pickup ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 2.5Carpet pickup is mediocre, with tests showing the i5+ Combo removing only a little more than half of a heavy debris mix and falling behind most similarly priced competitors.
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Mop lifting system ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 2 reviews 2.0Has no automatic mop lifting; the pad stays down unless you remove it yourself, while the j7 combo adds an auto-lift mechanism for mixed floorplans.
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Obstacle Avoidance (Robot) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 2 reviews 2.0Without advanced object recognition, the i5+ Combo tends to run into cords, shoes, and other obstacles, offering no special protection against small hazards or pet messes.
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Battery & Charging ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 2.0Battery life is long enough for full-floor cleans but is used inefficiently, with extended runtimes and a high percentage of charge consumed compared with lidar-guided robots.
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Controls & UI ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 1.5The Roomba app for this model is limited and temperamental, often forgetting maps, lacking no-go zones, and occasionally showing the robot offline or busy saving data after runs.
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Docking & Auto‑Empty Reliability (Robot) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 1.5While the bagged base is convenient, testing shows the auto-empty system struggles badly with dense debris, often leaving the majority of packed rice in the robot’s bin.
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Hair Pickup — Carpets ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 1.5Long-hair pickup on carpets is a clear weakness, with the i5+ Combo leaving more hair behind than any other robot in this comparison.
