The Roomba Combo 10 Max is a new robot vacuum and mop from iRobot that can wash its mop, empty its bin, and refill its cleaning tank — meaning less manual labor on your part. The company’s new flagship robot vacuum will also be the first to support the Matter smart home standard. The vacuum is available for pre-order from today on irobot.com for $1,399.99, and in the UK for £1,499 and Europe for €1,499. Shipping starts in August, when it will come to other retailers as well.
Building on the Roomba Combo j9 Plus’ retractable cleaning system that engages itself when vacuuming the carpet, the Roomba Combo 10 Max and Auto Wash Dock is the company’s first robot vacuum with a fully functional charging dock. In addition to emptying the robot’s container and filling its water tank, the new docking station can clean and dry the mop and wash itself, so you don’t have to.
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The dock also has a new look to include mopping and is now made of antimicrobial plastic to help inhibit bacterial growth and bad odors that are common on docks like these. “While there will still be a need for an element of human cleaning [of the dock]this should help combat ‘ic’ build-up over time,” iRobot’s Warren Fernandez said in an interview with On the edge.
These multi-functional docking stations are becoming increasingly popular with models from Roborock, Dreame, Eufy and others available. These allow the robot vacuum to run largely independently for a week or so—until you need to fill the dock’s water tank (some eliminate even that need by hooking directly to the water line). Most competing docks require access to the top to get to these tanks, but the 10 Max’s dock retains the front-opening style of the Combo j9 Plus. This is a nice feature as you can use the top as a table area.
Unlike many of its competitors, the 10 Max’s dock doesn’t use hot water or hot air to dry the mop—Fernandez explained that because it’s a top-mounted mop, it’ll get a lot of airflow, so it dries quickly. He added that heat adds complexity and running costs to the dock.
According to Fernandez, the 10 Max’s docking station automatically cleans and dries the mop pad after each launch, and can be set to wash after cleaning certain rooms — the bathroom, for example. The dock also cleans itself after washing the pad.
On the software side, Fernandez said the main improvement to the 10 Max is Enhanced Dirt Detect, adding the ability for the built-in camera to spot dirt. This is an upgrade to a feature on the j9 that identifies contaminated areas and takes multiple times to clean them. The 10 Max also offers a new mop-only cleaning mode, in addition to vacuum and vacuum and mop options.
Most other features of the 10 Max are the same as the Combo j9, including the same suction power—which iRobot claims is 100 times more powerful than its i-series (the company doesn’t release suction power specs)—and the presence of a camera for navigation and enabling AI-powered obstacle avoidance.
This allows the robot to see and identify common household objects, such as shoes, cables, pet bowls and other pet-related items, and intelligently determine what to do. For example, it will clean up a pile of popcorn but avoid pet poop. iRobot promises that if its robot gets into an “accident with a pet,” the company will replace it for free for the first year.
The company, whose business has faced increased competition in recent years, compounded by a failed attempt to sell to Amazon, has launched several new robots in the past 12 months, offering customers more options at a wider price range.
iRobot already had six different combo cleaner and vacuum models: the Combo Essential ($275) and Combo i5 (from $350) with interchangeable cleaning bins; Combo j5 (from $529) with added obstacle avoidance camera; Combo j7 (from $600) with retractable mop; Combo j9 Plus with auto empty/charge dock for $1000; and now the Combo 10 Max, adding a mop wash for $1,400.
It’s time to matter
iRobot also announced that it is adding Matter support to the 10 Max, which will allow it to work with any smart home platform that supports Matter, including Apple Home.
To date, all Roombas work with the Amazon Alexa and Google Home smart home platforms, allowing you to add the vacuum cleaner to your smart home routines and automations and control it with your voice. But none have worked with Apple Home beyond the Siri Shortcut integration that allows for voice control.
According to iRobot, Matter support will come via an over-the-air firmware update in the fourth quarter of 2024; this could coincide with the arrival of iOS 18, which Apple said will bring support for Matter to Apple Home.
The company also said it plans to add Matter to more of its products in 2025, but didn’t specify whether that would come as an upgrade to existing products or simply be built into new models.
