The New Roomba Max 875 Has Me Excited About iRobot for the First Time in Years

iRobot has finally stopped playing defense. After watching competitors dominate the high-end robot vacuum market with flashier bases and extendable arms, the pioneer of autonomous cleaning just unveiled its most ambitious flagship in years at IFA in Berlin: the Roomba Max 875 Combo.

The headline feature isn't a gimmick; it's physics. The Max 875 uses a new SealForce chassis that lowers a skirt onto carpet fibers, creating an airtight seal to drag up deep-seated debris that traditional vacuums leave behind. If it performs in real-world testing the way it looks on paper, iRobot won't just be back in the conversation—it'll be setting the standard all over again.

SealForce Tech: Fixing Robot Vacuums' Biggest Weakness

The Roomba Max 875 has a lot of suction power—at 35,000Pa, it's near the top of the industry. It's also designed to create tornado-like airflow at up to 20 liters a second.

Moreover, it uses what iRobot calls SealForce Vacuuming Technology, in which the chassis lowers a skirt over the carpet as it runs, creating a seal with the carpet fibers and focusing the airflow on the precise spot the vacuum is trying to clean. Between the powerful suction and airflow concentration, I'm hopeful that the 875 can tackle stubborn debris better than the competition.

The tech comes with its share of questions. How good can the seal be if the vacuum keeps moving? Will the seal adapt to carpets of different lengths? Will it cause wear and tear on the carpet and strain its fibers by tugging on them? Will it scratch harder floors when traversing them?

I'm looking forward to testing the 875 to find out the answers to these questions. If it doesn't cause undue wear on flooring and creates even a semi-effective seal, it genuinely seems like it could be the first feature in a long time to meaningfully improve the vacuuming aspect of robot vacuums.

ThermaMist and Mopping: Fighting Stains With Hot Steam

The Roomba Max 875 isn't just a vacuum. It also has a self-cleaning roller mop , which is my favorite mop design. To complement the mop and help it scrub tough stains, the 875 also features Ultrasonic ThermaMist. A nozzle in front of the mop sprays heated steam on the ground when it detects a stain, loosening the dirt and letting the mop do its job after the area is doused.

The roller mop then scrubs with 18 newtons of downward pressure while spinning at 300 rotations per minute. When on carpet, the mop avoids cross-contamination by raising itself into the chassis, while a protective cover extends over it.

Other models I've tested have spray nozzles and roller mops, so the Thermamist feature isn't as innovative as SealForce. Even so, it still sounds promising.

Everything Else: LiDAR, AI, and a Fully Automated Dock

The Roomba Max 875 navigates with LiDAR and a camera with built-in AI to avoid obstacles. It can extend both its side brush and roller mop to the side to clean along walls. It can climb thresholds and doesn't have a navigation tower jutting up from the top, so it can more easily fit under furniture.

The base empties dirt into an allergen-sealed bag that can last for 90 days of ordinary use. It washes and dries the mop with hot water and hot air, respectively. It also has separate reservoirs for clean water, dirty water, and detergent.

Altogether, the Roomba Max 875 is a competitive premium hybrid model. Its $1,199 price even undercuts some of our favorite high-end models, like the $1,599.99 Roborock Saro 10 .

Want It Cheaper? The Roomba Plus 678 Offers SealForce for $899

In addition to the Roomba 875, iRobot is debuting the Roomba Plus 678 Combo Robot + AutoWash Dock for $899. This upper-midrange model still uses SealForce Vacuuming Technology, but with slight steps down in power (30,000Pa) and airflow.

The 678 still has a self-cleaning roller mop with 15 newtons of downward pressure for scrubbing. It doesn't have the flagship's heated mist and instead uses a simple pressurized water jet to spray stains. This mop doesn't have the retracting cover, but it will lift out of the way when traversing carpets.

Otherwise, it has a base station that empties the dirt, washes, and dries the mop. The 678 navigates with LiDAR and an AI-equipped cam. It looks like a capable, well-equipped hybrid vacuum/mop and a more affordable way to access SealForce.

The Verdict: Roomba Might Finally Be Back

Traditional upright and cordless vacuums tend to create seals of varying quality as they work to optimize airflow. Robot vacuums have instead relied on brush rolls and body design to ensure airflow quality, enabling them to clean effectively while moving efficiently and autonomously. The retracting skirt of the Roomba 875 and 678 feels like an excellent compromise, and a potential step forward for the category.

Both models are now available on iRobot's site and will hit retailers by the end of the month. I look forward to putting them to the test as soon as I can to see if they live up to their potential.

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