The iRobot Roomba i3+ is a robot vacuum with an automatic dirt disposal feature. It automatically empties its dirt compartment into an external dirtbag inside the docking station, so you shouldn't need to worry about spilling dust and debris while emptying its small internal dustbin. It performs best on bare floors, where it easily clears rice and bulkier debris like cereal, but it's not great at picking up pet hair from any surface type and struggles with debris on carpets as well. It has an excellent build quality, but incurs even higher recurring costs than many robot vacuums because you need to periodically replace the external dirtbag.
The iRobot Roomba i3+ is good for bare floors. It has an excellent build quality, maneuvers itself very efficiently, and easily clears debris like cereal and rice from surfaces like hardwood or laminate. Unfortunately, it struggles more with sucking up pet hair and incurs high recurring costs.
The iRobot Roomba i3+ is disappointing on low-pile carpets. It picks up a good amount of larger debris like sand but struggles to clear pet hair and fine debris like baking soda. It's a very well-built vacuum that does an excellent job of maneuvering itself, but unfortunately, it has demanding maintenance needs and very high recurring costs.
The iRobot Roomba i3+ is okay for high-pile carpets. It can climb onto them and does an okay job of clearing larger debris like sand, but struggles more with sucking up pet hair and especially fine debris like baking soda. It incurs high recurring costs and is hard to maintain, but has an impressive build quality and maneuvers itself very effectively.
The iRobot Roomba i3+ is a poor choice for cleaning up pet hair. While its removable brushroll makes it easier to clear any hair that gets tangled, this vacuum isn't very effective at clearing pet hair from any surface type. It also has demanding maintenance needs and incurs a lot of recurring costs. On the other hand, it has an allergen-trapping HEPA filter, which is nice if you have a shedding pet at home.
The iRobot Roomba i3+ is a robot vacuum and isn't suitable for use on stairs.
The iRobot i3+ is a robot vacuum and isn't suitable for cleaning your car's interior.
The iRobot Roomba i3+ 3550 has a great build quality. The body is made of sturdy plastic and its rubber wheels feel durable. Part of the top is made to look fabric-covered, but it's also plastic. The dustbin is mostly made of hard plastic, with a clear grey lid, but it feels like it could break if dropped.
There are three buttons on top of the robot: a big center one to start and stop a cleaning cycle, and two smaller buttons to send the vacuum home and have it spot clean an area.
The vacuum comes assembled, so all you need to do is set up the docking station, which arrives with a dirtbag already inside.
The iRobot i3+ has demanding maintenance needs. Several parts need to be removed and serviced regularly, but fortunately, they're all easy to access.
The iRobot i3 Plus has several parts that need to be replaced periodically and incurs high recurring costs.
iRobot sells a 'Replenishment Kit' on its website that includes brushrolls, three side brushes, and three HEPA filters. The parts are also available individually. Note that replacements for the wheel can be tricky to find on the manufacturer's website, but should be available if you search for the specific part number.
The iRobot i3+ has excellent storage capabilities. It's a fairly small robot vacuum that can mount itself on its docking station and automatically empty its dustbin. The docking station is taller than most robot vacuum docks because it contains an external dirtbag, but it's still quite compact, and about the same size as the iRobot Roomba i7+'s similar station.
The iRobot Roomba i3+'s dirt compartment is a great size. This vacuum is different from many robot models because, in addition to its small onboard dustbin, there's an external dirtbag built into its docking station. While the internal dustbin is tiny, whenever it's full the vacuum can return to the dock and automatically empty itself into the much larger dirtbag. There's an indicator light on the station that lets you know when the dirtbag is full, or the companion app can also notify you.
The iRobot i3+ has a practically unlimited range as long as it has some battery life left, but it can't go up or down stairs.
The iRobot Roomba i3+ is very portable. It's small and a bit lighter than the iRobot Roomba i7+. However, it doesn't have a handle to make it easier to carry around.
The iRobot i3+ has fantastic battery life. It provides roughly an hour and a half of continuous use and takes about the same amount of time to recharge. The main button on top of the vacuum turns from white to red when the battery is running low, and you can also see the battery level in the companion app.
The iRobot i3+ has some extra features. It detects areas that need extra cleaning and focuses on them, sometimes going back and forth over a spot it decides needs extra attention. The robot's head height also automatically adjusts to whatever surface type it's cleaning, but you can't do this manually.
The iRobot Roomba i3 Plus is equipped with two flexible rubber multi-surface brushrolls, as well as a side brush to help push debris into the path of the vacuum.
The iRobot i3+ is a robot vacuum with no alternative configurations.
The iRobot i3+ has an excellent performance on bare floors. It clears smaller debris like rice and bulkier material like cereal with no issue but struggles a bit with pet hair. If you want a robot vacuum that clears more pet hair from bare floors, try the Roborock S4 Max.
Since this vacuum automatically empties its dustbin into the external dirt compartment, its performance doesn't drop as it fills up.
The iRobot i3+ has a poor performance on low-pile carpets. It picks up a good amount of larger debris like sand but struggles more with pet hair and leaves behind most fine debris like baking soda.
Because it automatically docks and empties its internal dustbin when it's full, its performance won't drop as it cleans.
The iRobot Roomba i3+ has an alright performance on high-pile carpets. It picks up some debris like sand but struggles a lot with smaller debris like baking soda and pet hair.
The vacuum's performance doesn't drop as it cleans because whenever its internal dustbin is full, it empties it automatically into the external dirtbag.
The iRobot Roomba i3+ has impressive maneuverability. It uses smart pathing to move efficiently, but unlike some other models, it covers an area section by section instead of following one pattern for the entire room. When it's done, it produces a map of the area it cleaned that you can see in the companion app.
The automatic head height adjustment feature allows the robot to move from one surface type to another. It can climb onto rugs and doesn't get stuck on tassels or electric cords, but it does drag them around, and you may need to pick up the vacuum and move it when that happens.
The iRobot i3+ has excellent automation features. The vacuum returns to its docking station when its internal dustbin is full, empties it into the station's external dirtbag, and keeps cleaning. It will also return to the dock when its battery is running low, and resume cleaning once recharged.
After a cleaning session, the vacuum produces a map of the area it covered that you can see in the companion app. The app also allows you to start a cleaning session, send the vacuum back to its dock, make a cleaning schedule, view the cleaning history and battery status, and access app updates and push notifications. It's also compatible with Alexa and Google Home, so you can control it with voice commands. Otherwise, the robot has buttons on top that allow you to use it without an internet connection.
The iRobot i3+ comes with a dock for automatic dirt disposal and is available in two color variants: 'Woven Neutral', which is the variant we tested, and 'Blue/Grey'. You can see the label of the model we tested here. It's also sold without automatic dirt disposal as the iRobot Roomba i3. The standalone iRobot Roomba i3 seems to be the same robot as our test model, but we don't know if it will perform similarly, because without automatic dirt disposal it may lose suction as its internal dustbin fills. If your model is different or you see another variant, please let us know in the discussions so we can update our review.
The iRobot i3+ is a robot vacuum that stands out because of its automatic dirt disposal feature. Like the iRobot Roomba i7+, it automatically empties its small internal dustbin into a much larger dirtbag inside its docking station. It's more affordable than the i7+, but lacks some of that vacuum's automation features, like the ability to set virtual boundaries or individual cleaning times for different rooms. It performs best on bare floors but doesn't clear pet hair very well from any surface type. If you're looking for more options, see our lists of the best robot vacuums, the best robotic vacuums for hardwood floors, and the best robot vacuums for pet hair.
The Shark IQ Robot is a better-performing vacuum than the iRobot Roomba i3+. The Shark picks up more pet hair from bare floors and has a better overall performance on low and high-pile carpets. It also has fewer recurring costs. On the other hand, the iRobot is better-built and has an automatic dirt disposal feature.
The iRobot Roomba i3+ is a better vacuum than the iRobot Roomba E5 for most uses. The i3+ has a significantly better performance on bare floors and picks up more debris from high-pile carpets. It's also better at maneuvering itself and has an automatic dirt disposal feature. On the other hand, the E5 clears more pet hair from carpets and has a slightly longer battery life.
The iRobot Roomba i7+ is a better vacuum than the iRobot Roomba i3+. The i7+ has a better performance on low and high-pile carpets and clears more pet hair from bare surfaces. It also has more automation features, like the ability to set virtual boundaries. On the other hand, the i3+ is much better at clearing bulky debris like cereal from bare floors.
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 a better vacuum than the iRobot Roomba 692. The i3+ has a better performance on all surface types, an automatic dirt disposal feature, and is equipped with an allergen-trapping HEPA filter. Nevertheless, the 692 has a longer battery life and fewer recurring costs since it doesn't use a dirtbag.
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.
Retailers' prices | Amazon.com | BestBuy.com | B&H |
---|---|---|---|
Woven Neutral Roomba i3+ |
SEE PRICE
|
SEE PRICE
|
Unavailable
|
Blue/grey Roomba i3+ |
Unavailable
|
Unavailable
|
Unavailable
|