GoKawiilThe 25-pound unit is designed with longevity in mind. The 12500 mAh battery on the M1 Pro Max 100 is massive, and an even bigger battery (14500 mAh, based on CES reports) will be available on the M1 Pro Max 125 when it ships. The 100’s battery will likely be enough for most users, though: iGarden says the model will provide up to 10 hours of run time in floor-only mode, enough for at least a week of daily operations.
You’ll spot another interesting design change by checking out the side profile of the M1 Pro, as the tread connecting each pair of wheels is no longer readily visible as it was on the K series. The tread is still there, but it’s been relocated to be concealed within the chassis except for a small stretch of it visible on the underside of the robot. The wheels of the M1 Pro are also now recessed within tight wheel wells, further enhancing the automotive look of the device.
Ready to Submerge
The iGarden M1 Pro Max 100 needs no real setup aside from a healthy charging session of about 5.5 hours (once you can dislodge the tight waterproof plug from the charging port) and configuration via the company’s mobile app. The app hasn’t changed much in the past year; it’s still useful only for setting basic operational parameters and installing firmware updates. It doesn’t even keep a historical log of cleanings. I expect most users won’t bother with it much after their initial unboxing and setup.
Photograph: Chris Null
The complex control panel on the front of the M1 Pro Max also hasn’t changed from its last iteration. It remains obtuse and complicated, with four touch-sensitive buttons available in addition to the power button. The onboard controls allow you to set running time (1, 1.5, or 2 hours—or run-till-dead) and cleaning mode (floor only, wall/waterline, both floor and wall/waterline, or “full coverage”—which adds ledges and steps to the cycle). A turbo mode increases the robot’s speed (at the expense of some battery life), and the so-called AI timer is used to set repeated cleanings every 24, 48, or 72 hours, if you choose to leave the robot in the pool for the long-term. All of this is conveyed to the user via nonintuitive pictograms and adjacent dots; you’ll likely want to keep the manual handy to ensure you have everything set right.