IRobot Roomba E5

Cleans well Can recharge itself and resume cleaning Finds its way around fairly gently Affordable Not too loud

Small dustbin No full dustbin alerts Cleaning is more random, less methodical

“For a budget-friendly bot it checks a lot of boxes.”

Strong suction. Long battery life. Good for low-clearance furniture. Support for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands.

Loud. No physical remote or steering controls.

There's no denying iRobot's Roomba e5 is powerful, and support for voice commands and modest phone control is welcome. But it doesn't particularly stand out, even compared with iRobot's own Roomba 675. The 675 doesn't have a spot clean mode, but it...