It’s been a busy year for iRobot. March brought the Roomba Mini — a new compact bot available in bold, playful colorways rarely seen in the category. May saw a massive release of eight new models, ranging from the entry-level 115 to the flagship 775.
Now, just in time for IFA and as we roll into September, the company has dropped another heavyweight. Enter the Roomba Max 875 Combo, pushing the 775 off the top spot.
With so many new models on the market, you’ve got to ask whether the world needs yet another robot vacuum? Apparently so.
Could the Roomba Max 875 Combo be the ultimate floor cleaning tool? At $1,119 at iRobot, I’ll let you decide if the features justify the price tag. I can’t wait to see how it compares to the Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete, which currently ranks as the best robot vacuum in our buying guide.
Hard floors and carpet: No problem
I spoke to Reena Paatel, Floorcare Category Manager at iRobot, to learn more about iRobot’s flagship model. She says it was engineered to tackle the full spectrum of household messes, from deeply embedded debris to everyday dust and pet hair.
“It combines serious cleaning power with smart automation, so customers can spend less time managing their floors and more time enjoying their homes and experiences outside their home, too,” Patel says. “It’s not just a smarter clean; it’s a stronger, deeper, and more effortless clean," which she adds is all handled through the app.
She explains that the Roomba Max 875 was designed around clear feedback iRobot repeatedly sees. “Customers continually want to experience a robot to deliver a tough stain clean. So if you’ve got debris locked into your carpets or liquid stains that are dried on your hard floors, you want the robot to be able to clean those away effectively.”
What does the Roomba Max 875 Combo deliver?
So, what does iRobot’s latest model actually bring to the table? According to the company, the robot pairs proprietary SealForce vacuuming technology with a dual-action heated mopping system. The result is deep carpet cleaning, target stain removal on hard floors, and automated rug protection during mopping.
Deep cleaning on carpets
Let’s look at that more closely. SealForce does not rely on suction power alone; instead, the chassis lowers a dedicated skirt to create a tight seal against carpet fibers, concentrating vacuuming force directly where debris hides.
Paired with 20 L/s of tornado-like airflow and 35,000 Pa of suction, iRobot claims this delivers three times deeper carpet cleaning than systems without SealForce, making it their best pickup performance to date.
Tough on hard floor stains
On hard surfaces, the vacuuming pairs with an advanced mopping system. iRobot’s ultrasonic ThermaMist technology continuously sprays a heated mist to soften and loosen dried-on spills so tough stains lift in a single pass — eliminating the need for manual scrubbing. It could be a game-changer in the kitchen.
What’s more, this intelligent floor cleaner boasts a continuously self-cleaning PowerSpin Max roller mop — the industry’s largest according to iRobot. It scrubs with heated water at 300 RPM under 18 Newtons of downward pressure, delivering 3.75 times deeper scrubbing power and 1.2 times wider coverage per pass, compared to a standard PowerSpin roller mop.
Rug-safe mopping
When returning to carpets, the patented DriLift technology automatically detects carpeted areas, raises the mop roller, and lowers a protective shield to guarantee rugs remain completely dry throughout the run. That puts an end to stopping the robot mid-clean to remove a rug.
Sharp on edges
The 875 also addresses the common pain point of robots not reaching the edges by delivering PerfectEdge cleaning, with an outward-expanding brush for corners.
However, despite all the tech, this model still can't climb stairs.
Smart cleaning from iRobot
When paired with the Roomba app, you can make the most of personalized cleaning schedules, target specific rooms with heavier footfall like hallways and prioritize pet areas. You can even define whether you require a light, medium or deep clean.
And with Precision Vision AI, you shouldn’t have to worry about common floor hazards, such as pet bowls and children’s toys, as it recognizes over 300 common household objects.
We can't recommend iRobot’s latest flagship model without testing it, but it sure sounds impressive. Would you consider purchasing the 875 to clean your floors? Let me know in the comments below.
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