iRobot’s newest flagship does not just add suction. The Roomba Max 875 Combo Robot + AutoWash Dock debuted at IFA 2026 in Berlin. It lowers a hidden skirt against carpet fibers so airflow stops leaking around the edges. iRobot says that seal matters as much as the 35,000 Pa headline number, and it calls the 875 its most powerful robot ever. Meanwhile the Roomba Plus 678 Combo brings the same SealForce approach to a lower price.
A seal, not just suction
SealForce is a mechanical answer to a familiar problem. Robot vacuums usually leak airflow where the chassis meets carpet, so embedded grit stays put. Instead the 875 presses a skirt into the fibers. It pairs that seal with 20 liters of airflow per second. As a result, iRobot claims three times deeper carpet cleaning than vacuuming without the seal.
“More suction helps, but the seal is what takes it to a level beyond what’s previously been possible.” Adam Pope, iRobot’s vice president and chief engineer, said it in the launch announcement. The company is leaning on more than 35 years of Roomba engineering, and over 50 million robots sold, to make the case.
Mopping gets the same treatment. An ultrasonic ThermaMist system sprays heated mist ahead of the industry’s largest roller mop. That roller then scrubs at 300 RPM with 18 newtons of downward pressure. Once the robot senses carpet, its DriLift shield rises to keep rugs dry.
The dock does the dirty work
The AutoWash Dock washes the roller with 176-degree water. Then it dries the roller with 131-degree air and dispenses StayClean concentrate on its own. Debris lands in a carbon AllergenLock bag rated for up to 90 days. Thus the hands-free promise covers weeks, not a single run. In the box, buyers get an extra carbon bag, an extra filter and a spare side brush.
Under the lid, both robots carry dual anti-tangle brushes, including a hair-cutting main brush for pet homes. Moreover, PerfectEdge extends the roller up to 45 mm along baseboards for closer edge cleaning.
By the numbers
iRobot claims five times the suction of the older Roomba 505. ThermaMist doubles stain removal versus mopping without mist, the company says. The Max roller is 44 percent larger and spins 2.5 times faster than the standard PowerSpin mop. On the 678, SprayForce AI improves mopping efficiency by up to 40 percent. Both robots stand just under 10 cm tall, yet they climb thresholds up to 3.5 cm. The 678 lifts its mop 10 mm when it detects carpet.
The Plus 678 Combo trims the price
The Roomba Plus 678 Combo keeps the sealing skirt. However it trades ThermaMist for SprayForce AI, a high-pressure pre-treatment that loosens dried messes before the roller arrives. iRobot rates it at 30,000 Pa with 18 liters of airflow per second. The shared dock still washes and dries the roller between runs. Dirt Detect sensors adjust each pass to wet and dry messes automatically.
Price, availability, and the fine print
The Max 875 Combo costs $1,199, while the Plus 678 Combo costs $899. Both are orderable now on iRobot’s Roomba Max 875 Combo product page, and North American retail follows later this month. Navigation runs on ClearView Pro LiDAR plus PrecisionVision AI, which recognizes more than 300 household objects. The Roomba Home App adds room schedules, pet-area priority and voice control.
Because every multiplier above comes from iRobot’s own comparisons, treat it as marketing until independent tests arrive. Roller mops are the trend of the season, after all. Unlike pad mops, rollers rinse themselves continuously, and iRobot now matches the design rivals shipped first. Rivals keep pushing, from Dreame’s X60 Pro roller vacuums to Dyson’s PencilWash floor washer. So the sealed-suction race will not stay a one-brand story for long.
