A robot vacuum is the ideal tool for maintaining the cleanliness of your home. It can remove pet hair, dust, and other debris on surfaces.
Some robots can sync with smart assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant to provide a hands-free environment. Look for models that can recharge and pick up where they left off.1. iRobot S8
This smart robot vacuum and mop combo is an excellent option for homes with a variety of. It has a great navigation system that includes GPS and laser sensors. It also has a lot of features and control options that can be accessed through the app. It also comes with a useful feature that lets you create Cleaning zones for specific areas that need extra attention, and also to keep Out zones where you don't want it to move. It also receives software updates, similar to the other Roomba products, which improve the quality of the product over time.
It's expensive however, it's also among the most advanced robot vacuums that ZDNet has tested. It's got a huge battery that can sweep all of your home in less than two hours. It also switches between mopping and vacuuming at the push of a button. It automatically emptys the dust bin above its charging station, in contrast to other self-emptying robots that require you to empty the bin after every run.
It has a wide range of other features that make it an excellent choice for homes of all sizes, including intelligent obstacle avoidance that utilizes the camera as well as processor-powered intelligents to identify obstacles. It rarely gets derailed or stuck during a cleaning cycle, and it's the best in avoiding power cables and other objects in my tests. It's not as precise in detecting pet waste or other hazards.
2. Eufy RoboVac Hybrid X8
While the Anker-owned Eufy has earned a name for itself in low-cost robot vacuums it's never offered an all-in-one model that could also mop. The X8 Hybrid is a new model that comes with a variety of features that are advanced and can compete with more expensive models.
The laser navigation system is the primary selling point of this machine. The X8 makes use of a laser mapping system that is more accurate than previous Eufy devices. It takes less time to create an extensive map of your home and can store multiple maps. This is ideal for multi-floored homes.
The X8 is a decent vacuum cleaner for floors that are clean. It is able to easily throw debris under the side brushes and into its 400ml dust bin. Its tyres are also very adept at hugging edges and corners, despite being circular. Our tests revealed that it was able to remove 90% of the fur on hard floors.
The mopping mode that is the basic one uses the same reservoir of water as the vacuuming mode. While this is a good option for spills that are not too large however, you aren't able to control how much water it is using and this will reduce its effectiveness on more severe staining. However, it does an excellent job of picking up pet hair, with a higher pickup rate than the Roborock S7.
3. Miele RX2
Awarded for its quiet and efficient home appliances, Miele's RX2 robot vacuum has excellent cleaning power, gorgeous design, and a great navigation. It has some oddities in its operation, which prevent it from being considered the best smart robot vacuum.
The RX2 comes with a dual-sensor mapping technology that uses a LIDAR to map an area, and a pair 3D scanning cameras for detecting and avoiding obstacles (such as furniture legs or pet waste). After the room has been identified, you can assign virtual no go areas and sections that you would like to be the robot. You can also start a manual clean or manually change the cleaning mode, see live feeds from the onboard cameras and more on the main screen.
The RX2 has excellent sensors that can identify furniture and other obstructions immediately. And its sweeping and suction power are top of the line cleaning up surface debris from carpets with medium piles and dust on floors with no floor. It's not the fastest robot available. Like many other robots it's not a great climber and has issues with things like thresholds made of steel transition strips.
Many people purchase robot vacuums because of the ease of setting up a schedule in an app, and then forgetting about them for weeks. But it's important that a robot is able to do the job and that's the reason why our ZDNet staff tested and reviewed several of the most popular models to help you select the right one for your home.
4. Shark ION
This budget robovac is a robot that looks like any other, but comes with several more features and is more efficient. Its intelligent mapping system creates 2D and 3-D maps of your house and makes use of them to navigate around and avoid obstructions. It can even identify common obstacles like furniture legs and power cords in real-time. This combination of sensors, together with a bump sensor and an infrared drop sensor which keeps it off steps is what makes it one of the fastest vacs we've tried.
It was able to climb over the thick shag carpets and didn't get stuck (unlike the RoboVac 11s, or Roomba 690-). Its navigation skills were impressive as well as its score for composite tests on carpet and bare floors topped the competition, and it picked up 98.5 percent of surface pet hair and litter from our lab test samples.
Its controls are a bit simpler than the competition; there's an oblong cleaning button at the top, and you can launch it via the app or via voice commands with Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also set up a schedule for weekly or daily cleans, create no-go zones, and view its cleaning history. Covered in stylish dark gray plastics, Ion feels sturdy and looks attractive in your home. The rear dust bin is accessible for emptying and removing the filter is the same.
5. Eufy 11S
Eufy 11S is a good choice if you want a robot vacuum that's simple and doesn't have any frills at a reasonable price. This model lacks some smart features like Alexa integration and digital mapping, which are available in more expensive models. However, if you do not need these features, you can save money.
This robot is very easy to set up and use. It doesn't require smartphone application or Wi-Fi pairing. However it does include the remote control that lets you choose between different modes and alter the suction levels. It also allows you to manually take the robovac off for scheduled cleaning.
In our tests, we discovered that the 11S was extremely efficient in getting pet fur and dirt from hard floors and low-pile carpets. Its slim profile helped it reach under furniture and other items that some of the more bulkier robots were unable to reach. It was also able to traverse door thresholds and change between floors and another.
Like other robots, the 11S will suck up some objects, such as cords drawstrings on hoodies and cat toys. The manufacturer says that you can avoid this by keeping such objects off the floor and by using the possibility of a cord organizer. It also suggests that you clean the dustbin, replace the filters, and wash or change the brushes when necessary.
Roomba 990 from iRobot
The Roomba 980 is iRobot's flagship robot vacuum. It's expensive but it's an excellent performer and is arguably the most sophisticated robot vacuum you can buy. Its self-navigation feature and environmental mapping is something to behold. It also has more advanced automation features than most competitors, including the ability to set virtual boundary lines with its mobile app. It's a powerful robot vacuum, even though its app is a bit sluggish and the 980's wheels spin out when rolling over cables.
We really like the 980 because it uses its iAdapt2.0 navigation sensors as well as visual simultaneity localisation and mapping (or vSLAM) to store your home's floor plan. It then uses that information to create an efficient and consistent cleaning path for each cycle. The result is cleaner floors, and a cleaner vacuum than the majority of high-end robot vacuums.
Other features of the 980 include dual multi-surface brushes which grab dirt on carpets and hard floors, as well as an ejector brush that spins to sweep debris into the robotic vacuum’s bin. The sensors for floor tracking help it navigate around furniture and along edges, while Cliff Detect helps to prevent the Roomba from falling down the stairs. It will also return to the base station for easy recharging in between sessions. The bin capacity and the battery life of the 980 aren't as impressive as those of other robot vacuums. However, it's a reliable and solid machine that can keep floors clean for many hours.
