1 min readBased on the Roomba i2 Series, the Roomba Combo Essential is essentially the 2022 iteration redesigned for hard floors.
Most significantly, the robot vacuum Combo adds mopping to the i2's repertoire utilising a basic microfibre cloth design. It comes with three saturation levels, but doesn't have carpet auto-lift so you'll need to move any rugs out of the way. It will work on soft flooring, but only if the mopping pad and water tank have been removed.
iRobot also says the device has "smarter iRobot OS controls" and "18x more suction power" than the Roomba 600 series. The original Roomba i2 has 10x more suction, so this one is advertised at almost double that again. The two share the same 400ml dustbin capacity, but the battery life is longer, up from 80 minutes to 120.
Apart from these upgrades, there is one notable omission from the Combo Essential that we saw in the OG series. The i2 comes with a Dual Multi-Surface Rubber Brushes that adjust to different floor types, and avoid hair tangles. This is not included with the Essential Combo. Similar designs have become popular in the past year, with most manufacturers limiting these to their more expensive models like the ECOVACS T30 Pro Omni, and the Dreame X40 Ultra.
At an RRP of $499, the Roomba Combo Essential is $100 less than the i2 at release, and offers more bang for your buck.
