Battle of the best robovacs (that iRobot doesn’t make)

There are an absurd number of robot vacuums disposable today, but based connected my testing of dozens of bots, conscionable a fistful of manufacturers are starring nan battalion erstwhile it comes to innovation, choice, and really bully cleaning machines. These see Roborock, iRobot, and Dreame. Each has precocious released caller flagship models: nan Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, nan DreameBot X30 Ultra, and iRobot’s Roomba Combo J9 Plus. 

I’ve reviewed nan Combo j9 Plus, and I still urge Roombas if you’re looking for either a high-end robovac aliases a fund bot, successful ample portion owed to their repairability, easiness of use, and reliability. But nan title is getting very good, and pinch iRobot’s early looking shaky pursuing its break up pinch Amazon, I figured it was clip for a deeper dive into its strongest competitors. Here, I pit nan X30 Ultra against nan S8 Max V Ultra to spot which 1 is nan best. 

The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra ($1,799.99) is simply a robot vacuum and mop pinch a charging dock that fills nan robot’s onboard h2o tank, cleans and dries its mop pads, and empties its onboard dustbin. It features a whopping 10,000Pa of suction and a camera for obstacle discovery and avoidance. Its mop vibrates up to 4,000 times a infinitesimal to scrub your floors and raises up to 20mm to debar carpet.

The S8 MaxV has a caller flexi limb that pushes its spinning broadside brushwood retired further to get into corners amended and a broadside mop that helps cleanable on edges. A caller on-device sound adjunct tin return nonstop commands, truthful you don’t request to usage nan app aliases a third-party speaker to power nan robot (although it useful pinch Alexa, Google Home, and Siri Shortcuts). It’s besides one of nan first robot vacuums that will support Matter, though that characteristic hasn’t been turned connected yet. 

The DreameBot X30 Ultra ($1,699.99) has galore of nan aforesaid features arsenic nan S8 MaxV Ultra, including a charging dock that auto-empties, washes nan mops, and fills nan robot’s h2o tank, positive a camera for obstacle detection. It has 8,300Pa suction and uses dual spinning mop pads that it tin automatically region erstwhile it vacuums — my favourite feature. It tin besides assistance nan mops if needed (up to 10.5mm).

Uniquely, nan Dreame tin widen its mops retired to scope baseboards and moreover nether debased furniture, arsenic acold arsenic 4cm; this is amazingly effective astatine getting up grime from edges. 

I fto these 2 bots conflict it retired successful my location complete 10 days, testing their cleaning prowess, mopping chops, navigation skills, and unsocial features — specified arsenic an limb and mops that do nan splits. I besides evaluated nan creation and usability of their multifunction charging docks and really good they meet their committedness of hands-free cleaning. I put their companion apps done their paces, diving into each nan settings and features these machines connection successful their quest to cleanable your floors. Read connected to find retired which 1 came retired connected top.

Dock creation and function: bigger is beautiful unless you tin plumb it

While Roborock has redesigned its dock into thing smaller and much aesthetically pleasing  (it was nan first to merchandise a multifunction dock, and those early days were characterized by hulking monstrosities), it’s still 1 of nan ugliest retired there. Dreame, connected nan different hand, has perfected nan stylish dock look, and while it’s bigger than Roborock’s, it’s overmuch prettier. 

Dreame’s dock is besides somewhat much functional. While some models will lavation nan mops pinch basking h2o and barren them pinch heated air, which helps woody pinch nan smell and mess, Dreame has small wipers that cleanable nan mop area for you, whereas Roborock’s mop tray needs manual cleaning. However, Roborock has nan action to link straight to your plumbing, doing distant pinch nan bulky h2o tank-look entirely. You do request to get a specific model for this, which costs $100 more. While Dreame sells an add-on kit to its existing exemplary for this function, it’s only disposable successful Asia. A North American exemplary — the X40 — is coming later this month, but it costs nineteen 100 dollars.

Winner: Tie

Navigation and obstacle avoidance: they some dodged nan poop

Both models usage lidar to representation and navigate your home. They some mapped nan location quickly and accurately and responded correctly to requests for room-specific cleaning and area cleaning — meaning they didn’t get lost. These robots some person front-facing cameras for AI-powered obstacle avoidance, and they some nimbly avoided clone canine turds, socks, shoes, and bundles of cables. 

However, each had anemic spots. The Dreame successfully sucked up a heap of Cheerios, which nan Roborock thought was an obstacle, but nan Dreame sewage stuck connected a stray iPhone cablegram that nan Roborock dodged. Roborock besides loves to eat pencils. In nan end, though, they were some seldom derailed compared to non-camera-powered robots I’ve tested, and that’s nan biggest use of AI-powered obstacle avoidance unless you regularly fto your pet poop successful your house. 

This is nan first Roborock since the fantabulous S7 MaxV Ultra to characteristic a camera for entity discovery (all nan different models usage 3D obstacle detection, which is not arsenic effective). But Roombas pinch nan aforesaid characteristic are still nan champion astatine knowing what’s successful its measurement and successfully avoiding it aliases cleaning it erstwhile necessary. Also worthy noting: if you person a furniture skirt aliases cloth astir your sofa, lidar-powered robots will spot it arsenic a wall, whereas a VSLAM-powered model, for illustration nan Roombas, will push correct done and cleanable nether your bed.

Winner: Tie

Vacuuming power: Roborock sucks hardest and has an limb … 

Both bots person ace suction powerfulness and did an fantabulous occupation getting up each past spot of larger debris, specified arsenic atom and oatmeal, connected difficult floor. But Roborock’s dual-brush strategy did a amended occupation connected carpet, and its rubber roller creation intends little hairsbreadth tangle. Dreame sent maine its caller $50 anti-tangle tri-cut brushwood (sold separately) that cuts nan hair, and I didn’t person to woody pinch immoderate tangles, which was nice. But nan Roborock was tangle-free without buying an other accessory, and its dual brushes did amended astatine getting ungraded and hairsbreadth up disconnected nan carpet.

Roborock’s flexi limb is besides a awesome upgrade. It’s designed to thief nan bot cleanable corners amended by reaching nan spinning brushwood retired to swipe up nan dirt. I person seen this successful action astatine CES, but it happens successful nan flash of an eye, and contempt spending a batch of clip hovering complete nan bot, I ne'er really saw it activity successful my home. But nan debris I put successful nan corners to trial it was gone, truthful I conjecture it worked?!

Auto-cleaning modes are a caller characteristic I’m starting to spot connected high-end robots. They destruct nan fuss of having to group circumstantial cleaning modes for different rooms — specified arsenic cleaning nan room and entryway doubly but nan eating room once. Both Roborock and Dreame person versions of this AI-powered cleaning mode. Dreame calls it CleanGenius, and Roborock’s is SmartPlan. I recovered them some very useful for conscionable hitting spell and not having to scheme nan way but still ending up pinch spotless floors. 

These modes besides move connected a characteristic that sends nan robot backmost to cleanable areas it determines that request much attention. This was difficult to trial efficaciously successful nan clip I’ve had pinch them, but it’s an absorbing characteristic I’ll beryllium keeping an oculus on. Anything that involves little of maine spending clip pinch an app and much of nan robot doing things connected its ain is simply a bully thing.

I really liked Roborock’s “Recommended Routines,” personalized cleaning sequences that again mean little programming by you. There’s an After Meals 1 that tackles nan room and eating room and a Pet Supply action for cleaning astir pet nutrient areas (the robot tin place pets, pet beds, and pet bowls), on pinch a fewer different useful options. 

Winner: Roborock

Mopping prowess: Dreame’s mop moving and mop removal is genius 

Dreame’s auto-detachable mop pads are still nan champion measurement I’ve seen to woody pinch nan “how does a robot mop and vacuum without messing up your carpet” conundrum. When it’s cleaning carpet, it goes backmost to its dock, takes disconnected its mop pads, past goes and vacuums. Genius. It tin besides raise its mop to astir 10mm if needed to prevention time, truthful it tin still traverse carpet to mop further distant rooms. Roborock’s mop isn’t detachable, though you tin manually region nan pad itself. It does assistance a batch higher, up to 20mm, but there’s still a chance of contaminating high-pile carpets unless you show it to debar carpets. 

Dreame’s dual oscillating mop pads besides do a amended occupation of getting bedewed messes disconnected nan level than Roborock’s azygous level pad. While Roborock’s mop vibrates up to 4,000 times a minute, Dreame successfully removed each nan dried ketchup and OJ successful my tests, whereas Roborock near a trace behind. 

The different point Dreame does very good is cleanable baseboards and edges. It uses a “MopExtend RoboSwing” technology that extends its mop retired to scope nan baseboard and besides swings nan robot toward nan separator to push nan mops nether things for illustration my fridge and dishwasher, getting nan grime that different cleaning methods miss. Roborock’s Extra Edge Mop system, caller connected nan S8 MaxV Ultra, does springiness nan bot a spot much mopping scope — a mini spinning mop pad extends somewhat retired from nan correct of nan robot, but it’s not a spot connected nan Dreame.

Winner: Dreame

Apps, video cameras, sound control, and Matter, ohio my!

These high-end robovacs person a dizzying magnitude of features accessed done their apps; which is wherever you group up nan representation (name rooms and adhd furnishings to thief nan robot understand your location better). This was easy to do connected both, and they person very akin apps.

However, Roborock’s app is much refined, much stable, and somewhat much user-friendly. Both person so, truthful galore settings menus to dive into to customize everything from really often nan bot washes its mop and erstwhile it empties its bin to which guidance it cleans your hardwood floors (yes — you tin prime “along nan grain”). But Roborock makes it easier to get to what you need. It besides ne'er collapsed connected me, whereas Dreame’s often showed nan robot offline aliases made maine hold a while earlier I could entree it. 

One neat characteristic is that some tin enactment arsenic roving location information cameras. Roborock moreover claims it tin spell look for your pet — though it grounded to find my 80lb pup erstwhile he was sitting correct successful beforehand of it. To beryllium fair, it was dark, and he looks for illustration a rug. You tin besides driblet successful connected nan robot’s camera and spot and talk to group successful your location — yes, that’s arsenic weird arsenic it sounds, but location could beryllium a usage case. The camera characteristic is not enabled by default connected either Dreame aliases Roborock and requires a group of actions and a codification to entree it remotely.  

Only Roborock has built-in sound control, a caller characteristic pinch this model. The aftermath connection is Hello Rocky, and it worked very well, responding promptly and knowing my commands. You do person to hold a hit aft activating it to opportunity nan command, which takes a spot of getting utilized to. Dreame tin respond to sound commands from Alexa, Google Home, and Siri shortcuts (as does Roborock), but nan single-purpose usage present makes nan acquisition overmuch better.

Hello Rocky gave maine overmuch much power than immoderate of nan third-party integrations. I could inquire it to quiet nan bin, skip here, extremity drying, and more, on pinch each nan modular commands for illustration cleanable nan room and spell backmost to nan dock. 

Finally, Roborock supports Matter, which gives it an edge. While nary of nan awesome smart location platforms support robot vacuums successful Matter yet, astir person said they will soon. The truth that Roborock’s S8 MaxV Ultra is already Matter-certified intends you’re fresh for that early if and erstwhile it arrives. Dreame has said it will support Matter successful its newest vacuums but has not made immoderate announcements astir nan X30.

Winner: Roborock

Which bot’s nan best?

Both robots execute exceptionally good astatine mopping and vacuuming, and their all-singing-all-dancing docks make level attraction virtually hands-free. But nan Roborock thumps nan DreameBot wide acknowledgment to its superior vacuuming performance, easier-to-use app, and built-in sound control. Its dual roller brushes, broadside brush, and 10,000Pa suction demolished each nan barren ungraded successful my tests. And while nan Dreame is amended astatine mopping, nan Roborock is still very good.

If mopping is what you really want, nan DreameBot’s oscillating mops do a amended occupation pinch bedewed spills and dried-on gunk, for illustration ketchup. The mop removal characteristic meant I didn’t person to interest astir my white, high-pile carpet astatine all. If you person a batch of carpet aliases high-pile rugs scattered astir your location aliases for illustration nan nicer-looking dock, Dreame whitethorn beryllium a amended choice, but otherwise, nan Roborock will suit you very well. 

If you are sold connected these bots but can’t tummy nan price, some brands person cheaper models that do almost arsenic much. The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra costs $1,600 and has little suction power, nary camera (so nary AI-powered obstacle detection), and nary sound adjunct aliases Matter. Dreame’s erstwhile flagship model, nan L20 Ultra, is presently $1,500 and slightly amended successful a fewer areas. It does person little suction powerfulness but tin region its mops and widen them (though not arsenic acold arsenic nan X30). However, its auto-emptying wasn’t arsenic reliable. 

I should statement that Dreame has conscionable announced nan X40 Ultra, which will beryllium disposable for an eye-watering $1,900 and will person a exemplary pinch a nonstop h2o hookup. The X40 besides adds a flexi limb — conscionable for illustration Roborock’s — and 12,000Pa of suction. But it still only has 1 roller brush, and nan brushes are cardinal to cleaning. Also, yes, I do deliberation these robots are breeding.