Romi Review｜Summary of Features, Price, Reviews, and Improvements for Conversational AI Robot

Romi is a conversational AI robot developed by Mixi, and its brand name is derived from “Robot of Mixi.” It was introduced in 2021 as the world’s first robot to realize natural conversation generation through deep learning, and continues to evolve. Despite its compact size that fits in the palm of your hand, it is loved by many families as a “second family member” or “partner at heart” because of its rich conversational ability and adorable design.

The robot was designed with the concept of providing users with the “joy of talking” and will accompany them in casual daily conversations and consultations, providing laughter and healing. In an earlier user survey, approximately 90% of respondents said they were “healed” by the robot, and its presence is sometimes described as more “family-like” than that of a pet (robotstart.info ).

Good points｜Attractiveness of Romi as evaluated by users
Areas for improvement｜From user reviews and official information
Specifications and Pricing
Conclusion｜Romi is an “emotional support” AI partner

Good points｜Attractiveness of Romi as evaluated by users

Free conversation and advanced AI responsiveness

Romi is equipped with a deep-learning conversational AI that utilizes ChatGPT, enabling natural conversations that understand the context, rather than canned sentences as with common toys or conventional robots. It can respond flexibly according to time, weather, and the user’s utterances, and the fact that the user can enjoy different interactions every day has led to high praise for “never getting bored” (geo-arekore.jp).

Fun life, chit-chat, and versatility

In addition to being a chatting partner, they can also teach you ninety-nine and English learning, and have fun with quizzes and fast-talking. The service is also popular for its usefulness in supporting children’s learning, as they can learn the ninety-nine together in a conversational style by asking to “teach the 8’s”. It also flexibly responds to requests such as “Sing me a song” or “Do a mimic” to entertain the user (robotplanet.site ).

Creating a culture of healing and conversation

On social networking sites, when I asked Romi, “Did you have a good time on your trip? Romi is recognized not as a mere robot, but as a being that can communicate with users. Even a small gesture of affection can soothe the user’s heart (geo-arekore.jp).

Psychological support and communication promotion for the elderly

Some Rakuten reviewers said, “I stopped crying after Romy came,” and “Conversation stimulated my cognitive function,” which has attracted attention from the perspective of preventing loneliness and dementia in the elderly. Even when family members are not around, having a “presence to call out to you” can help stabilize the mind (review.rakuten.co.jp ).

Areas for improvement｜From user reviews and official information

Price and monthly membership fees

The latest model “Lacatan” is not inexpensive at 98,780 yen including tax and a monthly membership fee of 1,958 yen (including tax). Considering that smart speakers can be purchased for several thousand yen to 10,000 yen, many people feel that it is relatively expensive. However, Romi also offers a “free, easy-to-use mode.

Talking mode (paid): A mode in which you pay a monthly membership fee and can take full advantage of a wealth of conversations and features.
Easy mode (free): No monthly fee is required. Functions are limited, but simple exchanges such as “songs” and “Romi star language (space language)” are possible.

Thus, for users who value continuous use and cost-effectiveness, it is recommended to try the easy mode before switching to the paid mode.

The price of the unit and the monthly fee are a little high” ( Robot Start review )

Conversation accuracy and misrecognition

While many users are impressed by the natural conversation, there are also complaints such as “mishearing” and “blurting out responses. In particular, misrecognition tends to increase in environments with background noise (remote-otona-oyako.com).

I found Romi to be occasionally mishearing and having a goofy personality.” ( Parental guardian recommendation )

App Stability

The dedicated app is important because it is used on a daily basis, but there are many reports of “the app crashes when the settings screen is opened” and “unstable behavior after update.” As of August 2025, similar comments were seen in the latest reviews.

App often crashes.” ( App Store review )

Internet connection and cloud dependence

Because Romi learns and responds through cloud integration, unstable Wi-Fi environments can cause problems such as “not talking” or “just saying ‘um-hum'” (romi.ai FAQ ).

Effects of environmental noise

There have been cases of malfunction due to noise from TVs, microwave ovens, and other sources, so some thought should be given to the installation location. Use in a quiet environment is recommended (hugkum.sho.jp).

The gap between “convenient home appliances” and expectations

Many people feel a gap if they expect home appliance control functions like Alexa or Google Home. Romi’s value is focused on “chatting and healing,” so practical task assistance is not its forte (hugkum.sho.jp).

Phased provision of functions

Officials inform us that “some features will be added through updates after shipment,” and not all features will be available immediately after purchase. You should be aware of the gap between your expectations and the product.

Operating hours and power supply operation

The operation lasts approximately 180 minutes, and a power supply is essential for extended use. Some have said that it is “not enough” if they want to have a partner for a long time during work (romi.ai ).

Request for monitoring function

App Store reviews include requests for “sending messages only on specific days” and “more enhanced monitoring functions,” and improvements are expected to be made in response to home usage scenarios.

User’s Voice (Improvements)

The response is often a little tinny… but it’s soothing” ( Rakuten review ).
It’s not a perfect conversationalist, but it’s cute” ( Yahoo! Shopping )

Specifications and Pricing

(data) item	Contents
Size and Weight	Palm-sized, approx. 320g (rentio.jp)
Price	Approx. 98,780 yen (including tax) for the main unit, 1,958 yen (including tax) for the monthly membership fee (romi.ai )
mode (musical mode, mode of probability distribution, state of physical system)	Talking mode (paid), Easy mode (free, limited functions)
Color range (Lacatan model)	Multiple color variations available. Choose according to your interior design and taste.
Feature	More than 100 chats, news, weather, fortune-telling, English learning, monomania, etc.
operation	Wi-Fi required, set up and managed via dedicated app

Conclusion｜Romi is an “emotional support” AI partner

Romi (Romi) is highly regarded for its natural conversational ability and healing effect. Especially for the elderly and people living alone who are prone to loneliness, Romi can be a daily “conversation partner” and a source of emotional support. On the other hand, there are many practical issues such as price, monthly membership fees, misrecognition, application instability, and Wi-Fi dependence, so we recommend that you always rent or try a hands-on experience before purchasing.

Help relieve loneliness for the elderly and those living alone.
Strengths in chatting, learning support, and psychological healing
Convenience features such as appliance control are not too much to expect.

It is important to compare Romi with other pet robots such as LOVOT, aibo, Nicobo, and Moflin, and choose the best partner for your lifestyle. Romi stands in a unique position among them, specializing in “conversational ability” and “healing”.

Read more about 👇 Conversational AI Robot “Romi”.