Who says a robotic vacuum can’t be a press release piece? Whereas it could not have the identify recognition of Roomba or Roborock, Dreame has quietly been making a few of the greatest (and most engaging) robotic vacuum/mops for the previous few years, and its new flagship mannequin—the X50 Ultra—has the entire options you anticipate from a top-of-the-line unit (with a value to match). It fared higher in a few of my hardest exams than another robovacs so far, nevertheless it additionally hit some snags alongside the best way.
For starters, the X50 Extremely appears rather a lot like each different high-end robovac available on the market as we speak. Severely, it bears a lot resemblance to Roborock’s Saros 10, I’d suppose it’s the identical vacuum simply with totally different labeling. It even has the identical retracting LIDAR turret, which additionally makes me surprise if these are all made in the identical manufacturing facility. That digression apart, the vacuum’s docking station appears modern and fashionable. I’d name it essentially the most engaging one I’ve examined so far, which is sweet as a result of at 13.4 x 18 x 23 inches, it is going to be considerably outstanding in your house. The dock can wash the vacuum’s mop pads with 176-degree Fahrenheit water, which is sweet for killing micro organism. The 2 water reservoirs (one for clear and one for soiled) are each huge, and for the three weeks of my testing, I by no means needed to change them. It additionally comes with a disposable vacuum bag pre-installed and a small reservoir of ground cleansing answer.
Dreame X50 Extremely
If you happen to can abdomen the value, the Dream X50 Extremely handles vacuuming and mopping like a champ.
Professionals
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Glorious vacuum energy -
Brush system simply sucks up hair and enormous meals bits -
Practically silent mopping -
Superb-looking dock
Cons
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Struggles to wash on the edges of rooms and furnishings -
Slower than different robovacs which suggests successful to battery life -
Costly
Beneath the vacuum, you’ll discover break up, twin curler brushes (once more, uncannily just like the comb system on numerous Roborock fashions), and it may suck at a substantial 20,000 Pa, placing it proper up there with essentially the most highly effective opponents. The X50 Extremely additionally has twin, rotating mop pads, one among which may prolong away from the physique to wash nearer to partitions; the mop pads can detach and stay within the base throughout vacuum-only duties. There’s additionally a sweeper arm with three brushes that may prolong outwards to assist deliver particles into the trail of the vacuum. The bot incorporates a LIDAR turret (which retracts when going underneath low furnishings) in addition to extends within the entrance for navigation.
Organising the X50 Extremely is easy—you just about fill the clear water reservoir, set up the detergent bottle, and plug it in. Then, you management the whole lot utilizing a companion app, which first requires scanning the QR code underneath the robotic’s hood, putting in any firmware updates, after which having your private home mapped. The preliminary scan of my condominium was very fast. The X50 Extremely didn’t drive in all places, so I used to be frightened it missed some areas, nevertheless it managed to account for each sq. foot. You’ll should spend a couple of minutes naming the rooms and modifying the dividing strains between them, however that’s par for the course with robovacs.
For my first clear, I simply chosen CleanGenius mode, which is the default and its most “clever” mode. It prompt I begin with an preliminary deep clear, which I believed was a pleasant contact, nevertheless it didn’t precisely impress me out of the gates. For starters, the X50 Extremely picked a wildly inefficient route for cleansing my condominium, beginning with my kitchen (nice) after which driving all the best way throughout to the bed room, skipping a number of areas in between. Then it skipped to the lounge, and so forth. Throughout the room, the X50 Extremely appeared to waste numerous motion simply form of trying round, spinning in circles, and usually meandering. The sample it made on my carpet was simply randomness. The entire vacuuming took 80 minutes whole, which was 11 minutes longer than the following slowest vacuum I’ve examined (the Roborock Saros Z70), even on their deepest-cleaning modes. Whereas the X50 Extremely made it by my one-bedroom condominium on most energy, the battery was down round 30% by the tip of it. Meaning in a much bigger home it might need to cease and recharge mid-cleaning earlier than it continues (or you possibly can cut back the suction energy).
The X50 Extremely additionally missed a good quantity of filth on the preliminary run. I used to be stunned by what number of little bits and items have been nonetheless strewn in regards to the kitchen and hallway, so after the ground dried, I despatched the robotic again to these areas, however this time on Max+ vacuum energy. The robovac is rather a lot louder in that mode, nevertheless it did handle to suck up the whole lot in the course of the rooms. Sadly, the sting cleansing was a critical letdown. Even with its extending sweeper arm, it simply missed a ton of stuff close to the partitions.
Dreame’s robovac does an excellent job of mopping, and it managed to wash up three ketchup spots at various levels of drying in addition to some congealed grease on my ground. Sadly, once more, it struggled to wash the sides. I’d spilled some juice on the ground proper subsequent to my sink (a standard place for liquid accidents), and the spot was mainly aligned with the sting of an overhanging cupboard. In some way it didn’t get to the spill in any respect, despite the fact that it was effectively inside attain of its extendable mop pad. I’ll say, although, that the mopping motion is whisper quiet. A few of the mops on Roborock’s bots scream like banshees. The X50 Extremely was simply the quietest mop in a robovac that I’ve examined.
Usually, the item recognition on the X50 Extremely is robust. It fastidiously averted an orange USB wire on hardwood, and it dodged a white wire on a white rug. Its object detection isn’t at all times good—one time it slurped up a black wire on the white rug (which you’d suppose can be the simplest to see), and I needed to flip the bot over and free it from the vacuum brush (an easy, tool-less affair). The X50 Extremely managed to keep away from issues like socks and slippers, although, and sometimes labeled them accurately on the map when it noticed them. Dreame claims the X50 Extremely can establish over 200 objects, and you may have it set to mechanically {photograph} them in order for you that for some cause.
For its hardest take a look at, I threw down my infamous Snack Gauntlet, consisting of goldfish crackers, pumpkin seeds, pistachio shells, some scattered oats, and bits of oregano across the edges of partitions, and I distributed them each on hardwood and a medium-pile carpet. It’s largely excellent news right here. The X50 Extremely fared higher than another robovac I’ve examined within the areas that it reached. Virtually all bots actually wrestle with the pistachio shells and have a tendency to form of choke on them. This bot didn’t bat an eye fixed, hoovering them up effortlessly and quietly. It additionally didn’t crush or regurgitate any of the goldfish or seeds, which is a standard challenge. The X50 Extremely even acquired some oats hiding underneath my TV cupboard—one thing no different robovac that I’ve examined has achieved. The vacuum and spinning brush system carried out extremely effectively right here.
The X50 Extremely nonetheless suffered from the aforementioned edge points. Cleansing alongside the partitions was spotty (I used dried oregano so I may clearly see locations it missed). The robovac was additionally inconsistent within the corners, almost at all times leaving no less than a little bit of particles (typically extra). If a chunk of meals was inside an inch or so of some furnishings or a wall, it simply missed it fully. I put a few shells underneath cupboard overhangs (which it may get underneath), and the bot missed these, too. It’s particularly irritating as a result of the X50 Extremely carried out higher than another vacuum within the open ground.
There are another glorious options price mentioning. For starters, the X50 Extremely can vault itself over thresholds as much as 1.65 inches tall, which is the largest climb for any robovac available on the market, and it does it with two intelligent extending legs that form of catapult it over issues. It’s cool to observe, and it labored effectively. The X50 Extremely additionally has voice instructions constructed proper into it, so when you can pair it with Google Dwelling, Apple Dwelling, or Alexa, you don’t should, and you may give it very particular instructions (e.g., “vacuum the bed room,” “mop the kitchen,” and so forth.)—and it’ll hop to.
I additionally love that the X50 Extremely leaves its mop pads on the dock when it doesn’t want them, which ought to assist preserve your rugs drier. Even if you happen to’re doing each without delay, the robovac will elevate up the mop pads a full 10.5mm (0.4 inches), which needs to be sufficient to maintain them above most (non-shag) carpets. It will possibly additionally decrease its LIDAR mast, making the bot roughly 3.5 inches tall. Total, Dreame’s companion app is strong, and whereas it doesn’t have fairly as a lot polish as Roborock’s apps it presents successfully all of the performance you possibly can need, together with remotely controlling the bot with POV video, taking images of your pets, and fairly granular changes for the entire options, comparable to how a lot water the mop ought to use, how aggressive the sweeping arm needs to be, and so forth.
In the end, the X50 Extremely is an excellent robotic vacuum/mop. Whereas it’s slower than I’d like, the actual factor that retains it from being Nice with a capital G is its poor efficiency round edges, corners, and furnishings. I’ll say, although, that it appears to be a limitation of the software program moderately than the {hardware}, which supplies me some hope that this might be addressed in future firmware updates. However for now, for a robotic vacuum that at present sells at between $1,400 and $1,700, I anticipate to not should vacuum/mop any edges by hand after it’s carried out its primary cleansing.
