LisaM77:

 

But I also discovered that Roomba have released 2 new models that aren't in NZ yet, and those new models are self-emptying and store maps, etc.  I think the only downside compared to the Mi was they need light to work so you wouldn't be able to run them at night (unless you schedule your lights to come on and off, and I don't have smart lights in much of the house yet).

 

Interesting - any idea of what price these new Roomba models may go for?

I can't imagine them not working in the dark thing is really an issue - do some people really run their cleaners at night when they're asleep? I'd certainly wake up, even if it was just doing the living side of the house!

I'd imagine there's a place for Xiaomi to release a top-spec model with additional features like self-emptying; these certainly don't have a large bin, so we empty ours every time it does the whole house (three times a week) - it may still work if we didn't do this, but vacuum cleaners often get less effective as they get full.