iRobot Roomba i3 Robot Vacuum Review

The iRobot Roomba i3 is a little better than the iRobot Roomba i1, though it's worth mentioning that the two vacuums are mechanically identical, with the i1 being a retailer-specific variant of the i3. Following a firmware update, the i3 received support for imprint smart mapping, which allows you to set up virtual boundary lines or label specific rooms.

The iRobot Roomba S9 is better than the iRobot Roomba i3. The S9 is better built, incurs fewer recurring costs, has a longer battery life, maneuvers itself more effectively, and performs better on all surface types. Meanwhile, the i3 has a self-emptying function, though it's worth noting that this feature is also available for the S9 at an additional cost.

The iRobot Roomba 981 is better than the iRobot Roomba i3. The 981 incurs lower recurring costs, maneuvers over obstacles like electrical cords more easily, and delivers superior cleaning performance on bare floors and low-pile carpet, especially with pet hair. Meanwhile, the i3 has a more advanced set of automation features, most prominently its self-emptying function, which lets it dump any accumulated debris into an external dustbin mounted to its charging dock.

The iRobot Roomba i3 is better than the eufy RoboVac G30. The iRobot feels better-built, charges significantly faster, maneuvers itself more effectively, has a HEPA filter, and delivers better performance across all floor types. It also has more advanced automation capabilities, with a self-emptying feature that enables it to dump debris from its internal dustbin into an external dirt compartment attached to its charging dock. It can also resume a cleaning job from where it left off if it had to recharge partway through the session. Conversely, the eufy incurs lower recurring costs.

The eufy RoboVac X8 is better for most uses than the iRobot Roomba i3. The eufy incurs lower recurring costs, has a much longer battery life, and performs better across all surface types. However, the iRobot does have a self-emptying feature, which allows it to dump any accumulated debris from its internal dustbin into an external dirt compartment on its charging dock. It also does a better job of maneuvering itself, feels better-built, has an onboard HEPA filter, and charges much faster.

The yeedi vac station is better than the iRobot Roomba i3 for most uses. The yeedi has fewer parts that require regular cleaning, incurs lower recurring costs, maneuvers itself more effectively, and clears notably more debris on carpeted floors. It also has a much longer maximum battery life, though the iRobot does take much less time to recharge. The iRobot also has a slightly larger external dirt compartment, has a HEPA filter to trap allergens as it cleans, and is a little easier to store.

The iRobot Roomba i3 and the Shark EZ Robot Self-Empty each have advantages, meaning one may suit you better than the other, depending on your needs. The iRobot has a larger external dustbin mounted to its base station, feels better built, has fewer parts that require periodic maintenance, maneuvers itself more effectively, and delivers superior performance on bare floors. It also charges much faster, though it doesn't last as long as the Shark on a single charge. The Shark also outperforms the iRobot on carpeted floors, especially with pet hair, and incurs fewer recurring costs.

The Roborock S7 MaxV is better than the iRobot Roomba i3, though this isn't surprising given the significant price gap between the two. The Roborock feels better built, has a mopping function to scrub away stains, and does a better job of sucking up debris on all surface types. Its dual-sensor navigation system plots out its coverage area in precise detail and allows it to identify and react to hazards in real-time. While the iRobot does come bundled with a self-emptying station at a much more affordable price point than the Roborock, the latter's optional Empty Wash Fill Dock is substantially more advanced, as it not only empties debris from its internal dustbin but also refills its water reservoir and cleans its mop pads.

The iRobot Roomba i8+ is better than the iRobot Roomba i3. The i8+ has a longer overall battery life, delivers superior performance on bare floors as well as carpets, and does a better job of maneuvering itself.

The Roborock S7 is better than the iRobot Roomba i3. The Roborock feels better built, has fewer parts requiring regular cleaning, incurs lower recurring costs, comes with a mopping attachment for tackling messes on bare floors, has a longer battery life, and performs better on bare floors as well as low- and high-pile carpets. It also has a more advanced mapping system that lets you schedule cleaning jobs for specific areas or set up virtual boundary lines. Conversely, the i3 charges much faster. The i3 also has a self-emptying function that allows it to automatically dump debris from its internal dirt compartment to an external dustbin attached to its charging dock. However, a similar feature is available for the Roborock for an additional cost.

The Roborock S6 MaxV is better for most purposes than the iRobot Roomba i3. The two models deliver a fairly similar performance on bare floors and carpets, but the Roborock is better built, easier to maintain, and incurs fewer recurring costs. On the other hand, the iRobot has an automatic dirt disposal feature, so you shouldn't need to worry about emptying its small internal dustbin.

The Neato D8 is better than the iRobot Roomba i3. The Neato has fewer parts that need regular cleaning, incurs lower recurring costs, and delivers better performance on bare floors and carpets. However, the iRobot has an automatic surface adjustment feature and does a better job of climbing over rug tassels and power cords. This variant of the i3 also has a self-emptying feature, which allows it to dump debris from its internal dustbin into an external dirt compartment attached to its charging dock.

The iRobot Roomba i3 is better for most purposes than the Shark IQ Robot AV992 Series. The Roomba is better built and has more advanced automation features. It has an automatic dirt disposal feature, so you shouldn't need to empty its small internal dustbin, and it does a much better job of maneuvering itself. On the other hand, the Shark does a significantly better job cleaning bare floors and low-pile carpeting.

The Roborock S6 is better than the iRobot Roomba i3. The Roborock is better built, is less demanding in maintenance, incurs fewer recurring costs, maneuvers over obstructions like electrical cords with less difficulty, and delivers notably superior performance on bare floors and low-pile carpets. It also comes with a mopping attachment, though we don't currently test that feature. Meanwhile, the iRobot features an automatic dirt disposal function, as it can empty its internal dustbin into an external dirt compartment built into its charging dock. It also charges faster than the Roborock, though its maximum runtime is much shorter.

The iRobot Roomba i3 is better than the iRobot Roomba 694. The i3 can empty its internal dustbin into an external dirt compartment attached to its charging dock. It also has a smart pathing feature, yielding superior maneuverability and allowing you to check a map of its cleaning coverage or schedule cleaning sessions in advance. The i3 also delivers better performance on all surface types. Meanwhile, the 694 has a longer battery life, though this can vary in the real world.

The Wyze Robot Vacuum is better than the iRobot Roomba i3. The Wyze has fewer parts requiring regular maintenance, incurs lower recurring costs, lasts longer on a single charge, and delivers better performance on bare floors and carpets. However, the iRobot does have an automatic surface adjustment feature and a self-emptying function that reduces hands-on maintenance requirements.

The iRobot Roomba 960 is slightly better than the iRobot Roomba i3. The 960 incurs lower recurring costs, is more effective on low-pile carpet, does a better job dealing with pet hair, and can climb over obstructions like rug tassels with less difficulty. It also comes with a virtual wall tool that generates a barrier that the vacuum won't cross. However, the i3 does have a self-emptying function that reduces hands-on maintenance requirements since it can automatically transfer debris from its internal dirt compartment to an external dustbin attached to its charging dock.

The Ecovacs DEEBOT OZMO T8 AIVI is better for most uses than the iRobot Roomba i3. The Ecovacs feels better built, incurs lower recurring costs, has a mopping attachment for clearing messes on bare floors, does a better job of cleaning pet hair on most surface types, and has a longer battery life, though the iRobot does charge much faster. The Ecovacs also has a more sophisticated mapping and navigation system, with a combination of LIDAR and optical sensors, allowing it to spot and react to hazards in real-time. However, the iRobot has fewer parts that need regular cleaning. This variant of the iRobot i3 also has a self-emptying feature, which allows it to dump debris from its internal dustbin into an external dirt compartment attached to its charging dock, reducing hands-on maintenance requirements.

The iRobot Roomba i3 is a better vacuum than the Shark AI Robot. They perform fairly similarly overall, but the iRobot does a much better job on bare surfaces and high-pile carpets. It's also better built and has an automatic dirt disposal feature. On the other hand, the Shark has a better performance on low-pile carpets and lower recurring costs.

The iRobot Roomba i3 is better than the Shark ION Robot AV753 Series. The iRobot feels better built, has fewer parts requiring regular maintenance, comes with an allergen-trapping HEPA filter, maneuvers itself more effectively, and performs better on all surface types. It also has a far more advanced suite of automation features, most notably its self-emptying feature, which allows it to dump any accumulated debris into a larger dirtbin built onto its charging dock. It's also capable of resuming an in-progress cleaning session after returning to its dock to recharge. Conversely, the Shark is easier to store, incurs lower recurring costs, and has a much longer battery life, though the iRobot charges a lot faster.

The Roborock E4 is better than the iRobot Roomba i3. The Roborock has fewer parts requiring regular cleaning, incurs lower recurring costs, and delivers notably better performance on bare floors and low-pile carpets, especially with pet hair. It also has a longer battery life than the iRobot, though the Roborock takes much longer to recharge. The iRobot, meanwhile, has a self-emptying function that allows it to dump debris from its internal dustbin into an external dirt compartment on its charging dock.

The iRobot Roomba i3 is a better-performing robot vacuum than the iRobot Roomba 675. The i3 delivers better performance on all surface types and uses smart pathing to maneuver itself more efficiently. It also has an automatic dirt disposal feature. Nevertheless, the 675 has a longer battery life and is more portable because it has a carrying handle.

The iRobot Roomba i3 is better than the eufy RoboVac 30C. The iRobot feels better-built, has fewer parts that need regular cleaning, charges much faster, does a better job of maneuvering itself, and delivers better performance on all surface types. It also has far more sophisticated automation features, most notably its self-emptying function that allows it to dump debris from its internal dustbin into an external dirt compartment on its charging dock, reducing hands-on maintenance requirements. However, the eufy incurs lower recurring costs.

The iRobot Roomba i3 is a much better robot vacuum than the eufy RoboVac 11S. The iRobot feels better built, has fewer parts that need regular cleaning, has a HEPA filter, charges much faster while offering similar overall battery performance, and is more effective in clearing debris on bare floors and high-pile carpets. The iRobot also does a better job of maneuvering itself and has more advanced automation features, most notably its self-emptying capability that lets it automatically transfer debris from its internal dirt compartment to an external dustbin attached to its charging dock. That said, the eufy delivers better pet hair-cleaning performance on carpets and incurs lower recurring costs.

The iRobot Roomba i7 is a slightly better vacuum than the iRobot Roomba i3. The i7 has better sensors and more automation choices in the app, but these two models perform pretty similarly.