Two new Roombas under $300: In early April, iRobot released two new budget-friendly Roombas: the Roomba Vac Essential for $249.99 and the mopping Roomba Combo Essential for $274.99.
iRobot doesn’t participate in CES, which means iRobot isn’t on the same “announce in January, release in spring” schedule that its competitors are. But that doesn’t mean new Roombas aren’t in store for 2024.
The first week of April 2024 brought surprise news from iRobot: two new cheap Roombas. The mopping Roomba Combo Essential debuted on April 4 at $274.99 and the Roomba Vac Essential followed (only at select retailers, though) on April 7 at $249.99.
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The timing of these budget-friendly releases from iRobot is almost funny, considering Roborock, Eufy, and Ecovacs are in the midst of rolling out their new high-end flagship models. However, iRobot already covered that category when it dropped the Roomba Combo j9+ several months ago, along with overhauls of several mid-tier Roombas.
The most affordable end of the Roomba spectrum was the only one left that still needed attention, and we’re finally getting it. Let’s see what the new Essential Roombas are all about.
The simplest 2-in-1 Roomba to date
The Roomba Combo Essential outdoes the previous go-to cheap Roomba, the 600 Series, in several ways. Even with a water tank and mopping capabilities brought on board, the Roomba Combo Essential still managed to debut at $274.99 — the same original price as the non-mopping Roomba 694.
It offers three mop water levels as well as three suction power levels, and implements iRobot’s upgraded four-stage loosening and lifting cleaning system rather than the older three-stage system used by the 600 Series Roombas.
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As the simplest mopping Roomba, the Combo Essential can’t recognize carpets or rugs, so you’ll have to roll those up if possible (or shut the door completely) when the tank and mopping pad are attached. The Combo Essential also can’t memorize your home’s layout, but uses iRobot OS to clean in neat rows.
The closest Combo Essential competitor is the Roomba Combo i5, which does utilize smart mapping to be able to clean specific rooms in your home on command. It debuted for $349.99, but if you can find it at Amazon for $297.99, get it over the Combo Essential.
Your new go-to cheap Roomba
The Roomba Vac Essential replaces the Roomba 692 and 694 as the base tier Roomba. Unlike the Combo Essential, the Vac Essential still sticks to the same three-stage cleaning system that the older 600 Series models do. Compared to those older models, though, the Vac Essential utilizes iRobot OS to navigate more thoroughly in rows.
We’re particularly thankful with the way that iRobot has streamlined spot cleaning here. Just set the Vac Essential down in the scene of the crime and it’ll spin in place for up to two minutes.