How to Choose the Best Robot Vacuum, Depending on Your Space

Switchbot—a brand that generally focuses on chunky, utilitarian smart devices—has the only “mini” robot on the market. The K10+ Pro is about eight inches wide, and is only a vacuum, not a vacuum and mop combo. But the diminutive size allows it to get into spaces that other robots can’t. It keeps a very tight radius around chair legs, nestles right up to a wall or under a toe kick. And I’m always impressed at how effective it is at getting debris off the floor, despite how low-fi and affordable it is. The robot comes with a dock I almost never have to empty, and I’m pleased to say it performs as well on carpet as it does on hard floors like tile and wood. I enjoy the app experience, which is clean and simple to navigate, with less options than most other robots—but you won’t miss what isn’t here. This is my favorite robot to gift to people for their offices.

Recently, Roborock released new robots as an update to the S8 line, called the SAROS. While they were good, they were not as good as the S8 MaxV Ultra, which was released last year. That’s saying a lot in the world of robot vacuums.

Simply put, this is the best robot vacuum and mop combo on the market. And while I think I have a qualified opinion, many other publications have agreed. While most robot mops have changed to two spinning mop pads, they do not clean grime off your floor as well as the singular, vibrating mop pad. The design and power of the MaxV Ultra to be undeterred by any debris it finds is truly incredible.

The Roborock app has every bell and whistle, and yet is also simple enough to be easy to navigate. The dock holds a significant amount of water, so you don’t have to often change it, and the dock is compact enough to fit anywhere you like. There is even an R&D version, so you can pipe it into your water line, so you never have to change the water again.

The Dreame X50 Ultra has been billed as “The Stair Climbing Robot,” and that’s an oversell. It can surmount a two-inch threshold, which sounds far less exciting, but in practice is very useful. The way in which the robot overcomes these obstacles is to rise up on two front wheels—and it’s not just for thresholds. The robot can climb over cords and any other obstacles in the way, and use some advanced AI to decide what the obstacle is, and how to treat it.

As a smart device, I’ve been impressed with the X50 as it cleaned a 3,000-square-foot home of mixed floor types over the past week. The mapping the LiDAR and onboard cameras created is a layered detail of rooms, floor types and furniture, with a high level of accuracy. The X50 uses that AI to learn about your house each time it goes out, mapping better routes between spaces, and learning how to get out of jams.

As a cleaning device, it is equally impressive. A sweeping brush extends on an arm out from under the robot, hustling debris into the suction of the rollers. Two spinning mop pads extend out from under the back of the robot. The dock holds a substantial amount of water and cleaning fluid. The AI tells the robot which areas need another pass and even remembers which areas are more likely to be problematic.

The Dyson 360 Nav is the first robot I’ve seen with a uniquely new design in the last year, but that’s not surprising for Dyson’s first foray into robots. I was also happy that Dyson focused on letting the robot be a vacuum, without trying to also master mopping (I’ve been disappointed by Dyson’s mops that I’ve tried thus far).

The most effective part of the robot, and main differentiator between this and other robots, is the brush bar. The vacuum uses much of the same hardware as standard upright Dysons, so the brush bar won’t be new to you. It turns out to be a lot more effective than many other robots in this space at getting debris up off the floor. However, it suffers from the same problem as upright Dysons: The focus is on microdebris, like dust and dander, and less on the large debris that is the product of living with kids, pets, or careless adults (hello). That “macro debris”—pet toy fluff, LEGO bricks, etc.—all get caught in the roller and cause the robot to stop and take a reprieve.

Most of the time, though, it’s just an incredibly effective vacuum for hardwood or carpet, although for the reasons above, I think it’s better on soft surfaces. It’ll take a while for it to get through your whole house because it has to re-dock and charge every 45 minutes or so, but that’s not unusual.

Last fall, Roborock introduced two new robots: the Curv and the Edge, which are the same robot with slightly different dock designs. I tested the Curv, but in this case, I’m recommending the Edge, as it is $300 cheaper for the same functionality with a boxier dock.

While I generally love Roborocks, I tend to give the edge to the S8 Line when it comes to mopping. But the QRevo line, which the Curv and Edge belong to, are truly great at picking up debris—and all kinds of it. Pet toy fluff, kids toys, cereal, kitchen debris, even mulch your pet tracks in. It just keeps going, undeterred.

The QRevo is rugged, with wheels that grip the floor and an adaptable chassis that allows the robot to be unbothered by obstacles like cords and rolled rug ends. If you’re looking for a great, everyday robot, this is the one I’d recommend.