Not too long ago, I’ve had a little bit of a ‘mare with my robotic vacuum. I’ve been utilizing the iRobot Roomba Combo J7 Plus since I first reviewed it a yr and a half in the past, and whereas it’s been a stellar sucker till the previous few months, a litany of sudden points has me desirous to strive one thing new.
It’s not the primary iRobot Roomba I’ve tried, and I doubt it’ll be the final, however given its lofty worth, I’m fairly stunned by a few of its points. Regardless of my common cleansing and upkeep, the mop operate has stopped working virtually completely. Abruptly, the vacuum is garbage at cleansing edges, and regardless of the actually spectacular navigation expertise I noticed throughout my check, my Combo J7 Plus by some means managed to gouge out a bit of its digital camera lens throughout a cleansing job, that means impediment detection is completely marred.
iRobot is going through more and more intense competitors within the robotic vacuum area, and with information of its failed Amazon acquisition, there’s much less and fewer room for Roomba to proceed its decades-long market dominance.
That’s very true now a number of the big-name family equipment manufacturers like Dyson and Samsung are jostling for his or her slice of the pie, and doing so with rising promise (although the Dyson 360 Vis Nav did not impress us). I had the prospect to see Samsung’s new Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI robotic vacuum within the flesh at its world Bespoke AI launch occasion, and I’m fairly excited by the promised enhancements upon its predecessor.
A short historical past
When Samsung introduced its first Jet Bot AI+ robotic vacuum at CES 2021, all eyes have been on the tech large, ready in anticipation to see if it may sweep the market with its new tech.
Sadly, at the least primarily based on our Samsung Jet Bot AI+ evaluation, the OG Jet Bot robotic vacuum lagged behind the competitors with some fairly elementary points. For one factor, it’s 3.9in / 13.7cm tall; in comparison with the very best robotic vacuums we’ve examined, which common across the 3.2in / 8.1cm mark, that makes the Jet Bot AI fairly chunky, which isn’t preferrred for cleansing beneath furnishings.
Then there was the marginally sloppy navigation and less-than-impressive edge cleansing, all of which amounted to a really costly bot that didn’t fairly warrant its lofty price ticket, even with the armory of cool options Samsung built-in to the Jet Bot AI+.
Nonetheless, it was a good try at re-entering the robotic cleansing market following a handful of earlier makes an attempt that failed to totally take off (RIP Crubo and PowerBot), and the Jet Bot AI+ nonetheless managed to impress with its improbable suction and talent to suck up particles many different robovacs would have merely brushed apart.
What’s new, pussy cat?
However, Samsung’s new Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI is poised to ship a significantly better cleansing expertise – and never simply because it will possibly mop, too.
First introduced at CES 2024, the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI doesn’t solely embody returning options like the flexibility to spy in your pets, however it’s additionally seen some severe upgrades to each {hardware} and software program.
Most noticeably, it’s a good bit shorter than the unique Jet Bot AI+. By my eye, it seems to be to be across the similar peak, if not barely taller than my iRobot Roomba Combo J7+ at 3.4in / 8.6cm tall. Whereas I do want even slimmer robotic vacuums, even the additional clearance area in comparison with its predecessor makes the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI far superior.
Then there are the highly effective spinning mop pads, which rotate at 170RPM to supply an intensive clear on even the hardest stains. Due to the vacuum’s capacity to acknowledge ground sorts and modify the cleansing patterns accordingly, the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI will routinely raise mop pads to keep away from dampening carpets. The most effective half? The Clear Station will even steam, wash, and sanitize mop pads, neutralizing 99.9% of micro organism.
Talking of the Clear Station, the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI’s auto-emptying dwelling base options 3-litre tanks for soiled and clear water along with a compartment for the mud bin, which Samsung says wants changing on common each 2-3 months. That does imply it’s fairly monumental, which is usually a actual turn-off for some, however it’s the character of mixture robotic vacuum and mops that characteristic mop pad cleansing.
On the software program facet, issues are wanting up, too. This intelligent cleaner leverages a database of 1.7 million photographs to bolster its deep AI neural community for options like impediment detection.
Solely time will inform…
I can’t converse to the efficiency of Samsung’s new Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI, having solely seen it go away its base, pirouette, and return, however I’m actually able to strive one thing new.
Samsung’s expertise in dwelling home equipment mixed with its software program chops in idea makes for a powerful contender, although I’ve no thought if the vacuum will outlast my presently-inept iRobot Roomba Combo J7+.
The Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI is at present obtainable for pre-order on Samsung’s US web site, with a listing worth of $1,699, which is lowered by $300 as of writing, however we’ve not acquired pricing or launch date particulars for the UK or Australia proper now. The US pricing does, nonetheless, give us an indicator for worth comparability; it’s $300 greater than iRobot’s most up-to-date mixture cleaner, the Roomba J9+, which retails for $1,399.99 / £1,249 / AU$1,999 and $200 greater than the vacuum-only Dyson Vis Nav, which prices $1,199.99 / £1,399.99 / AU$2,399.