Roomba-maker iRobot has added four new lidar-equipped robot vacuum models to its 2025 lineup, bringing premium features to a more reasonable price. They include the Roomba 205 DustCompactor, the “world’s first” robovac equipped with a compacting bin, which mechanically compresses dust and debris to save space in the dock. Imagine it as being similar to the trash compactors in a garbage truck.
“The net benefit to the consumer is you are going to get 60 days of hands-free maintenance without the need for the separate auto empty dock,” Warren Fernandez, iRobot’s director of product management, said.
Roomba 205 can vacuum and mop.
Fernandez told CNET that this feature, exclusive to the Roomba 205, will target people who may want to hide their robovac under their sofa — meaning they don’t want a large dock in their homes — and avoid what some have described as the “jet engine noise” of an auto-emptying dock. The noise of the compacting bin won’t “elevate itself above the noise the robot vacuum is already making.”
The new lineup has entry-level, midtier and premium robot vacuums. But just because you opt for a cheaper model, that doesn’t mean you’ll be missing the best features.
Premium features are now standard
The Roomba 2025 lineup was developed based on an 18-month study of consumers across North America, Europe, Japan, Asia-Pacific and Latin America.
“Our portfolio strategy in ’25 is really to enhance the Roomba family with a series of new products that are grounded in that consumer feedback, that 18 months of research, and that really carefully consider how to improve every aspect of the product experience,” Fernandez said.
The 2025 base and midtier models get new features along with ones that were previously reserved for iRobot’s higher-end vacuums. Those features include the proprietary ClearView lidar navigation, new to iRobot’s product lineup, which will allow the robovacs to better navigate homes and avoid obstacles, even in dark rooms.
The Roomba 105 is low profile enough to slip under a couch and other low furniture.
Fernandez said lidar is a “real game changer, particularly for users who have perhaps been using a very old robot that may have been working on older technology.”
“This notion of a robot that kind of bumps into and runs over everything, that will be a thing of the past,” he said. “This thing will very accurately detect all sorts of obstacles throughout your home, avoiding all of them.”
The new vacuums have an increased suction power of 7,000 pascals. iRobot said they have 70 times more power-lifting suction than the Roomba 600 series.
SmartScrub is another feature that was once exclusive to iRobot’s highest-end robovac but that’s now coming to the 2025 Combo lineup. Enable it to target stubborn stains, which the robot cleans by “mimicking the motion that a human might do as you’re kind of scrubbing something back and forth,” Fernandez said.
Breaking down the new iRobot Roomba lineup
Roomba is taking a page out of the smartphone playbook by introducing entry-level, midtier and premium models. Here’s what that will look like in the 2025 lineup:
Roomba 105 can tackle edges with its spinning brushes.
Entry-level: Roomba 105 and Roomba 205
The Roomba 105 comes in two models: the 105 Vac a vacuum-only model for $299 or the 105 Combo combination vacuum and mop model for $319. You can get either with an AutoEmpty Dock for an additional $150. The AutoEmpty Dock now allows for an estimated 75 days of vacuuming before it needs to be emptied.
The Roomba 205 DustCompactor will be available as a vacuum only (DustCompactor Vac) for $449 or as a combo model for $469 (DustCompactor Combo). Side note: the contents of the dustbin won’t resemble a cube — Fernandez said the emptying experience will be more traditional, similar to what you’re used to if you already have a robot vacuum.
These entry-level combination models can detect carpets but are limited in their autonomy when it comes to cleaning them. Fernandez recommended having the mop pads removed most of the time to allow them to focus on vacuuming, only adding them back on for mop jobs.
“If you leave the mopping pad attached, it’s only going to clean the hard floor surfaces in your home,” he said.
The Roomba 205 has lidar capabilities and it can mop, but you’ll want to swap mopping pads manually.
Midtier: Roomba Plus 405 and Roomba Plus 505
This tier has more powerful mopping capabilities, with dual spinning mop pads that autonomously lift 10 millimeters off the ground when carpets are detected. The docks will also autonomously wash and dry mop pads.
The Roomba Plus 405 Combo Robot + AutoWash Dock will be available for $799. The Roomba Plus 505 Combo Robot + AutoWash Dock, at $999, offers further improvements over the 405. First, the mop pad extends to the side, allowing for improved edge and corner cleaning. The dock will also dry the mop pads with heat.
Finally, and most notably, the Roomba 505 will have a front-facing Precision Vision AI camera for better navigation and obstacle detection. “This is a best of both worlds equation,” Fernandez said. “The 505 Combo is taking all of the benefits of that ClearView Pro lidar and all of the benefits and know-how of our front-facing AI camera technology, putting them together to give you a hands down best-in-class mapping, navigation, not only obstacle detection, but object understanding.”
A quick note on poop: While Fernandez said that all of the 2025 lineup should be able to recognize and avoid pet waste (the company extensively trains its robots with fake poop of different shapes and sizes), he recommended the Roomba 505 to worried pet owners given its more powerful navigation and object recognition.
Roomba 505 is better at avoiding accidentally mopping your carpet.
Premium: Roomba Combo 10 Max
The Roomba Combo 10 Max Robot + AutoWash Dock, launched in August last year, will retain its place as iRobot’s premium offering. Its costs $1,400, but is currently available on sale through iRobot’s website for $900. Its differentiating factor is the Auto-Retract Mopping System, which lifts the mop pad to the top of the robot when carpets are detected, as well as a dock that autonomously cleans both the robot and itself.
Price and availability
The following robovacs will be available in North America at prices ranging from $299 to as much as $999.
- Roomba 105 Vac: $299
- Roomba 105 Combo: $319
- Roomba 105 Vac + AutoEmpty Dock: $449
- Roomba 105 Combo + AutoEmpty Dock: $469
- Roomba 205 DustCompactor Vac: $449
- Roomba 205 DusCompactor Combo: $469
- Roomba Plus 405 Combo + AutoWash Dock: $799
- Roomba Plus 505 Combo + AutoWash Dock: $999
The new Roomba robovacs will be available for presale in North America starting March 18 on iRobot.com.
Roomba 205 under furniture.
The new Roomba app aims to keep things simple
Along with its new lineup, iRobot will also introduce The Roomba Home app (joining the existing iRobot Home app) that aims to simplify the act of cleaning people’s homes.
“We don’t want you to come into our app, look at a big, pretty picture of a robot and have to click on two or three sub menus to be able to do something,” Fernandez said. “Let’s be real: You’re opening the app to clean your home, so let’s jump right into your home.”
The new app, which only supports the new products, will introduce a reconfigured home screen. The top third will be dedicated to cleaning routines that are either user-generated or suggested by iRobot. Fernandez said you should just be able to tap one of those, and your robot will get to work.
Roomba Combo 505 station.
The bottom two-thirds of the screen will feature a map of your home, which Fernandez said will be “actually actionable.” As an example, he said that if he dropped some granola on the way to the office from the kitchen, he could quickly order his robot to conduct a “directed room clean” where the mess is.
The new app will also better inform you of what your robot is doing at the moment, where it is and how much progress it’s made in its current cleaning task. Finally, the app will provide proactive maintenance and troubleshooting, reminding you to replace and order filters, check the debris bag or clean the brushes.
“We give the user the opportunity to decide when they want to do that kind of preventative maintenance,” Fernandez said.
The new app will be available for download on iOS and Android. Roomba’s 2025 lineup will be available across North America and select European markets beginning on March 18.
Roomba 405 cleaning up after pets.
The future of iRobot
iRobot’s 2025 lineup — “the largest and most comprehensive lineup in the company’s 35-year history,” according to a press release — comes at a critical time for the Roomba maker.
While its latest financial results released in November showed increased year-over-year revenues and reduced operating losses, the company laid off hundreds of employees last year after a planned acquisition by Amazon fell through. While it used to dominate the robovac market, iRobot has faced increased competition from rivals such as SharkNinja and Chinese companies, including Roborock. Chinese rival 3i will also introduce a combo robovac with a mechanical compression dustbin, the G10 Plus, which it exhibited at CES. It didn’t specify pricing or a release date.
“Our ongoing restructuring has fundamentally changed the way we innovate, develop and build our robots, which is central to improving our performance and generating long-term shareholder value,” iRobot CEO Gary Cohen said in the company’s latest financial results release. “As we move forward in this new chapter in iRobot’s history, one thing is abundantly clear: we have a powerful brand that will serve as the foundation for the turnaround of this company.”
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