I wanted a brand new robotic vacuum — here is why I spent lower than $300

Inflation has develop into a reality of life nowadays. Smartphone costs have steadily risen over the previous few years and the identical is true for many different electronics, from headphones to consoles. Nonetheless, there are a number of product classes like televisions which have managed to buck this development. And over the previous couple of weeks, I’ve discovered that robotic vacuums are one other exception.

Certain, you may spend hundreds on a cutting-edge robotic vacuum that may bodily carry socks and different particles, however most individuals don’t want that. At the same time as somebody who lives on the bleeding fringe of tech, I’m completely content material with a vacuum that simply retains my flooring clear. And the excellent news is that robotic vacuums have develop into shockingly accessible. However purchasing for one is complicated: you’ll discover a myriad of manufacturers, a few of which you would possibly’ve by no means seen earlier than, and mannequin names that don’t make a lot sense.

I discovered about all of this the arduous manner after I moved into a brand new rental final month and began purchasing for a brand new robotic vacuum. It took hours to sift by means of the obtainable choices on Amazon starting from price range to mid-range, so right here’s the whole lot I realized.

The final time I shopped for a robotic vacuum was in 2019, when solely a handful of fashions existed from manufacturers like Xiaomi and Roborock. American manufacturers like iRobot have technically been round for longer, and Roomba is certainly a family identify, however the firm’s fashions lacked options like LIDAR mapping and mopping on the time. You wanted two totally different robots to hoover and mop your flooring individually, whereas Roborock supplied that performance in a single mannequin.

Quick ahead to at the moment, and it’s not shocking that Roborock’s vacuums occupy a few of the prime spots on Amazon. Scroll a bit, although, and also you’ll uncover a sea of various fashions from different manufacturers like Dreame, MOVA, Narwal, and eufy. And in contrast to half a decade in the past, all of those robotic vacuums from totally different producers have aggressive specs. The one downside? They don’t actually talk what separates a $200 mannequin from a $600 one and even past.

For example, I needed a vacuum with superior mopping options like pads that may spin for thorough cleansing and carry to keep away from carpets. However concurrently, I didn’t need a cumbersome docking station that might take up a whole lot of area in my condo. That is an odd characteristic combine, however the sheer alternative in the marketplace in 2025 implies that I may discover what I needed with relative ease.

I ended up shopping for the Dreame L10s Professional Gen 2, which was on sale for $260. I may rattle an inventory of numbers and specs describing it, however that’s not the purpose. I’ve discovered that robotic vacuum specs don’t matter so long as you get the options you want, however extra on that within the subsequent part.

That’s to not say the vacuum I picked doesn’t have nice specs. For the worth I paid, it’s arduous to argue with the sheer worth on provide. Certain, I needed to forego some comfort options like auto-emptying, however I obtained a compact footprint and saved a whole bunch of {dollars} in return. The cleansing efficiency is almost an identical to costlier fashions that use the very same mop mechanism. The one draw back is that I’ve to manually empty the dustbin and rinse the mop pads — however that’s rare for my small condo.

The takeaway? Robotic vacuums have reached commodity standing, just like televisions, and each house may use one. In any case, even essentially the most primary mannequin will clear extra totally and ceaselessly than a mean particular person would.

I solely want manufacturers did a greater job of naming their merchandise – Dreame has the L10s Professional Extremely, L10s Extremely, and L10s Professional that each one have little in widespread with one another and that’s solely a fraction of their full machine lineup. So if mannequin names don’t work, how do you have to choose which robotic vacuum to purchase from the ocean of choices? After hours of analysis, right here’s what I’ve discovered.

Earlier than I speak about particular suggestions, listed below are the robotic vacuum specs that you just’ll see most ceaselessly and whether or not they need to affect your buying determination.

• Suction energy: You would possibly assume that essentially the most essential facet of a robotic vacuum is its suction energy, and it’s, but it surely’s not an enormous deal both. Decrease-end fashions usually provide sub-10,000Pa of suction whereas the most costly ones double that determine. Nevertheless, the latter doesn’t imply your flooring can be twice as clear. Identical to show brightness, suction energy is an virtually meaningless spec past a sure level as a consequence of diminishing returns. My robotic vacuum has 7,000Pa of suction energy and it realistically cleans no higher than the Roborock S50 I owned half a decade in the past. That mannequin had simply 2,000Pa of suction on its spec sheet, for comparability.
• Mopping: All however essentially the most primary fashions now embody mopping. Nevertheless, the effectiveness can range wildly. The most cost effective fashions have the identical tech as from the 2010s — they merely drag a moist fabric round your ground. However newer robotic vacuums have twin spinning pads that may spin to really scrub the floor. The Dreame mannequin I ended up shopping for has this characteristic, and it really works surprisingly nicely. I didn’t assume any robotic vacuum would exchange the necessity for handbook mopping, however I used to be clearly unsuitable.
• Impediment avoidance: All robotic vacuums from the aforementioned manufacturers use LIDAR mapping at minimal, however some fashions additionally embody a full colour digicam to detect finer obstacles like cables and unfastened clothes. The excellent news is that even essentially the most barebones vacuum shocked me with its mapping capabilities — it remembered my house’s format and I may even set no-go zones, digital partitions, and particular person room cleansing. Simply keep away from the sub-$100 fashions that don’t have LIDAR navigation.
• Docking stations: Robotic vacuums automate cleansing however who do you get to wash the vacuum? Docking stations have advanced from easy charging pads to large, outsized trash bins that may maintain weeks’ price of waste, and holding tanks for soiled and contemporary water. However you may as well discover comparatively cheap fashions with easy auto-empty bins. Some fashions can even scrub and dry your robotic’s mop pads, which I’ve discovered to be a chore to manually do on my vacuum. That mentioned, further dock performance does introduce extra failure factors, so I’m glad I saved the cash and potential headache down the road.

Lastly, there’s the worth. My favourite half in regards to the present market is that there’s a mannequin for everybody. You’ll discover a mannequin at each $50 to $100 interval beginning as little as $150. And whereas the most cost effective ones could seem barebones with a easy charging-only dock, it would nonetheless maintain your flooring cleaner than most people.

You would possibly discover some vacuums from totally different manufacturers look related to one another. That’s as a result of Dreame, Roborock, and MOVA have distinct names and even apps, however they’re technically all of the fruits of Xiaomi’s large funding into robotic vacuum tech. Dreame and MOVA are nonetheless operated independently, for instance, however identical to we see with OPPO and OnePlus within the smartphone area, you’re benefiting from shared innovation.

Figuring out this shared heritage, I had no qualms switching from Roborock to Dreame for my newest buy. And upon opening the Dreame app, I discovered a well-recognized interface not too dissimilar from my Roborock. This isn’t shocking, although, as some Roborock and Dreame robotic vacuums may even be linked on to the Xiaomi House app. That mentioned, you can’t go unsuitable with different manufacturers like Narwal too that don’t sharethe similar roots.

In the event you don’t need to stick with a price range mannequin like I did, you may go along with one thing just like the Roborock Qrevo S5V ($500 at Amazon) that automates the whole lot and the kitchen sink for round $500 when it’s on sale. Or you may get a price range $200 mannequin from Narwal that sacrifices some mopping efficiency however impressively nonetheless delivers nice vacuuming efficiency and an auto-emptying dock. No matter your wants, there’s possible a mannequin for you and at a worth level you’re comfy with. The tech virtually feels modular at this level, however you do need to hunt round to seek out the appropriate mannequin to your wants.

All of that is to say, robotic vacuums have come a good distance lately and even low-cost ones are nicely price your consideration. I used to dismiss new options like Roborock’s foldable arm as gimmicks — these halo fashions value hundreds of {dollars}, in spite of everything. However genuinely helpful tech like spinning mop pads and camera-based impediment avoidance has trickled right down to cheaper fashions proper underneath our noses. You possibly can spend about $300 like I did and get a excellent expertise or you possibly can spend double and get a near-flagship mannequin. There’s little purpose to spend a thousand {dollars} or extra, and that’s factor for the tech’s accessibility.

So in the event you’re on the fence about shopping for a robotic vacuum, I can wholeheartedly advocate making the soar. With Black Friday on the horizon, I’ve seen that hottest fashions have already shed a whole bunch of {dollars} off their common costs. Only a phrase of warning: with iRobot allegedly getting ready to chapter, you would possibly need to think about one of many different common manufacturers I discussed above.