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It all started with a vision to create robots to perform household chores as intelligently as humans—something to make complicated processes simple or something to allow humans to transfer menial tasks to appliances, so they didn’t have to do these tasks themselves. In 2010, NEATO launched the first smart, laser-navigating robot vacuum, which would pave the way for other companies to follow in their footsteps and make robot vacuum cleaners smarter and more efficient in cleaning.
Based on: 55,601 user reviews 60 expert reviews 34 robot vacuums with laser mapping compared
Rank | Image | Robot vacuum | Score | Verdict | Price |
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1 |
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Roborock S4 Max | 95 | Very good | $380 |
2 |
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Roborock S7 | 95 | Very good | $650 |
3 |
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Roborock S5 Max | 95 | Very good | $550 |
4 |
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Roborock S6 Pure | 95 | Very good | $460 |
5 |
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Roborock S7+ | 94 | Good | $950 |
6 |
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Honiture Q6 Pro | 94 | Good | $550 |
7 |
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Laresar L6 Pro | 94 | Good | $550 |
8 |
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Dreametech D9 | 90 | Good | $300 |
9 |
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Airrobo T10+ | 90 | Good | $500 |
10 |
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Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo 920 | 89 | Good | $542 |
See all the 64 best robot vacuums here.
Laser navigation is a state-of-the-art option for free navigation, which, simply put, means the navigation of a certain object without the need for wires, tapes, and reflectors. This is done by mounting a rotating laser scanner on top of an object and allowing it to accurately measure angles and distances in relation to itself.
Laser navigation has become quite popular for various reasons and comes in various forms, such as the type of navigation found in LGVs (laser-guided vehicles). Over the past few years, however, laser navigation has become a very useful addition to household appliances, mainly robot vacuums, as brands try to find ways to make their appliances work smarter and more efficiently.
Robot vacuums that are equipped with laser navigation are more advanced in terms of technology. They can easily sense their environment with the use of LiDAR (light detection and ranging). Not only can they operate in total darkness, but they are also able to map a room precisely. They are more efficient when it comes to cleaning and are less prone to bumping into furniture. They are also faster and take less time to make their cleaning rounds in a room due to their high-precision sensors that let them plan out the best cleaning map around a room.
While robots navigate their way around homes and pick up crumbs, dirt, debris, and sometimes even pet hair from your floors and carpets, they also need to be equipped with something that will help them “see” their way around furniture, walls, and other obstacles.
However, not all robot vacuums are built with laser navigation, as this can increase their price considerably. Other robot vacuum cleaners are equipped with sensors, cameras, and various kinds of technology to help them navigate around your home. Some of them are:
Robot vacuums that are equipped with cameras allow the robots to take shots of their surroundings and create a map of the house. While they can be pretty accurate in recording and navigating, they are not as accurate as robots equipped with an LDS (Laser Distance Sensor), nor can they work in the dark.
Some robot vacuums come with sensors, such as gyroscopes and accelerometers, which is a somewhat cheaper technology used to measure distances and objects around your house. Nevertheless, their measurements are not as precise, is their map is not very accurate, nor their navigation is as good as the one in robot vacuums with laser or camera-based technology.
Robot vacuums with built-in infrared sensors allow the robot to sense when it is about to approach an object or a ledge in order to keep it from bumping into things or falling off stairs.
Some robot vacuums have more than one of the sensors or technology listed above. A lot of the robots use one kind of navigation technology (e.g. stereoscopic camera or gyroscope) but include a combination of infrared sensors in the sides and bottom of the robot to help it detect objects and stairs.
In our comparison of the 64 various robot vacuums, 55 % are built with laser navigation. The chart below shows the distribution in terms of navigation methods for various robot vacuums.
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Name | Roborock S4 Max | Roborock S7 | Roborock S5 Max | |
Score |
95
|
95
|
95
|
|
Rank | Rank 1 of 64 | Rank 2 of 64 | Rank 3 of 64 | |
Reviews |
(4.7)
1901 reviews
|
(4.7)
1748 reviews
|
(4.7)
1425 reviews
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|
Price | 380 $ | 650 $ | 550 $ |
Max runtime | 180 min | 180 min | 120 min | |
Charge time | 240 min | 240 min | ||
Battery type | Li-ion | Li-ion | Li-ion | |
Battery capacity | 5200 mAh | 5200 mAh | 5200 mAh |
Cleaning area | 3228.9 ft2 | 2152.6 ft2 | 2152.6 ft2 | |
Sound level | 69 dB | 67 dB | 60 dB | |
Suction power | 2000 Pa | 2500 Pa | 2000 Pa | |
Maximum climbing height | 0.79 in | 0.79 in | 0.79 in | |
Power | 58.0 w | 68.0 w | 58.0 w | |
Mopping function | ||||
Water tank capacity | 0.3 l | 0.14 l |
Dustbin capacity | 0.46 l | 0.47 l | 0.5 l | |
Mapping-Sensor | LDS | LDS | LDS | |
Type of filter | EPA 11 | EPA 11 | EPA 11 | |
Automatic dirt disposal | ||||
Carpet Boost |
Automatically docks and recharges | ||||
Recharge and resume function | ||||
Scheduling function | ||||
App control | ||||
Voice control | ||||
Alexa voice control | ||||
Google Home voice control | ||||
Stair sensor and object sensor |
Remote control |
Shape | Round | Round | Round | |
Number of side brushes | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Interactive mapping | ||||
Real Time Tracking | ||||
Digital Blocked Area | ||||
Zoned Cleaning | ||||
Multi Floor Maps | ||||
Selected Room Cleaning |
Height | 3.78 in | 3.8 in | 3.78 in | |
Width | 13.78 in | 13.78 in | 13.78 in | |
Depth | 13.78 in | 13.78 in | 13.78 in | |
Weight | 7.72 lbs | 10.36 lbs | 7.72 lbs |
Pros |
Strong suction power of up to 2000 Pa
Great vacuuming ability
Supports four suction modes
App offers a lot of customization
Can save up to four maps
Fast mapping and cleaning
Supports virtual boundaries and zone cleaning
Seamless transition from different floor types
Large dust bin
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Auto-lifting mop bracket
Vibrating mop pad
Strong suction power of up to 2500 Pa
App is rich in features
All-rubber main brush
Quiet cleaning
Excellent mapping capability with adaptive route algorithms
Features a child lock option
Efficient carpet detection
|
Hybrid mop and vacuum feature
No-mop and no-go zones barrier
Can adjust water flow for mopping feature
Fast and efficient navigation and cleaning performance
Long battery life
Leans thoroughly and rarely misses a spot
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|
Cons |
The laser turret increases the height of the robot vacuum
No mop
|
The rubber brush can still get tangled with hair
The mopping pad doesn’t lift high enough
Auto-empty dock isn’t released yet
|
Quite expensive
Doesn’t provide extra filters or mopping pads
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Creator
Hi, my name is Klaus Bachmann, and I am the creator of Reoverview.com. I have been working with household appliances for several years now. I publish unbiased comparisons, based on user reviews, expert reviews and test results. Hope you like the website.
Best regards, Klaus.