10 Apps That Can Help You Control Your Best Robot Vacuums

Best Robot Vacuums and Mop Combos

A robot vacuum is the ideal tool to maintain the cleanliness of your home. It can remove dust, pet hair, and other particles on the surface.

Some robots are able to sync with smart assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant to provide a hands-free experience. Look for models that can be recharged and continue cleaning the area they left.

1. iRobot s8

This smart robot vacuum and mop combo is an excellent option for a wide range of homes. It vacuums and mops well, has excellent navigation with both GPS and laser sensors, and offers a broad range of features and controls accessible through the app. It also comes with a useful feature that lets you add Cleaning zones for certain areas that require more attention and Keep Out zones that you don't want it to move. It also gets software updates, like all Roomba products, which improve the quality of the product over time.

It's costly but it's also among the most advanced robot vacuums ZDNet has evaluated. It has a high-powered battery that can clean a large home in under two hours. Additionally, it can switch between mopping and vacuuming with the press of one button. And, unlike other self-emptying robots that require you to empty the dust bin after each run, it automatically emptys itself into an even larger waste container on top of its charging dock.

It comes with a variety of other features that make it a good choice for homes with a lot of space, including intelligent obstacle avoidance that utilizes both a camera and processor-powered intelligents to identify obstacles. It's rarely tripped up or stuck during a cleaning process. In my tests it was the best at avoiding objects like power cables. However, it's not as reliable at detecting pet waste or other dangers.

2. Eufy RoboVac Hybrid X8

Although Anker-owned Eufy has earned its name in the field of low-cost robot vacuums, it hasn't previously offered an all-in-one model that can also mop. The X8 Hybrid is a new model that comes with a variety of modern features and is able to compete with more expensive models.

Eufy's main selling point with this machine is its laser navigation. The previous Eufy devices have created a rough map of your home using infrared sensors and bumping into objects but the X8's laser mapping system is more precise. It also takes significantly less time to build up a comprehensive picture of your home and can store multiple maps, which is ideal for multi-floor homes.

The X8 is still a good vacuum on bare floors, slinging debris under its side brushes and into the 400ml dust bin with ease. Its tyres are also very adept at securing corners and edges even though they're circular. It's not a fantastic cat litter eater, however as our tests show it can only remove about 90 percent of the fur from hard floors.

There's a mopping mode that utilizes the same water tank as the vacuuming. While this is a good option for spills that aren't too big however, you aren't able to control how much water it consumes which can limit its effectiveness for more serious stains. It does a good job in removing pet hair. It has a higher percentage of hair removal than the roborock robot vacuum and mop S7.

3. Miele RX2

Awarded for its quiet and efficient home appliances Miele's RX2 robot vacuum is a great choice because of its cleaning power, stunning design, and a great navigation. There are a few niggles in its operation that keep it from being considered the best smart robot vacuum mop combo robot.

Like the latest models from iRobot, the RX2 has dual-sensor mapping that utilizes a LIDAR sensor to map a room and a pair of 3D scanning cameras to identify and avoid obstacles (like furniture legs or pet waste) in real-time. Once the room has been mapped and assigned, you can assign virtual no-go zones and preferred sections to the robot. You can also change the cleaning modes, most powerful robot Vacuum start an automatic clean or see live feeds of the cameras onboard from the main screen.

The RX2's sensors work well by registering furniture and obstructions in real-time. The suction and sweeping power are top of the line cleaning up surface debris from carpets with medium piles and dust in bare floors. It's not the fastest robot on the market. It's not the best climber and has issues with transition strips made of metal.

Many people purchase robot vacuums because of the ease of setting up a schedule in an app, only to forget about them for weeks. It's important that a robot is capable of the task and that's why our ZDNet staff has compared and looked over some of the most popular models in order to help you select the best one for your home.

4. Shark ION

This budget robovac is a robot that looks like any other, but it has several more features and a better performance. Its smart mapping system generates 3D and 2-D maps of your home and makes use of them to navigate around and stay clear of obstructions. It's also able to detect common obstacles like power cords and furniture legs in real-time. This combination of sensors with a bump detector and an infrared sensor to keep the vacuum from stepping on the stairs makes it one of our most agile vacuums.

In our tests, it effortlessly climbed over thick shag rug and didn't end up stuck on them (like the RoboVac 11s or Roomba 690). Its navigation abilities were impressive as well as its score for composite tests on carpet and bare floors beat out the competition, and it took in 98.5 percent of surface pet hair and litter from our lab test samples.

The controls are more basic than those of the competitors. There's an oblong cleaning button at the top, and you can start it from the app or by voice commands with Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also schedule daily or weekly cleanings, create no-go zones and view the history of cleaning. Clad in smart dark gray plastics, Ion feels sturdy and looks stylish in your home. Its rear dustbin is easily accessible for emptying, and removing the filters is also simple.

5. Eufy 11S

If you're looking to buy a basic, no-frills robot vacuum for a reasonable cost, the Eufy 11S is a great option. This model lacks some smart features like Alexa integration and digital mapping, which are available in more expensive models. However, most powerful robot vacuum if you do not need these functions, you can save money.

This robot is very easy to set up and use. It does not require a smartphone application or Wi-Fi connection, however it does have the ability to control the remote with a remote that allows you to select between different modes and alter the suction level. It also lets you manually turn off the robovac on a scheduled cleaning.

During our tests, we discovered that the 11S was extremely efficient in getting dirt and pet fur from carpets with low pile and hard floors. Its slim profile allowed it to reach under furniture and other low objects that more bulkier robots couldn't reach. It was able to go easily over thresholds of doors and move from one floor type to another.

The 11S, like other robots will also suckup certain objects, like cords and cat toys. The manufacturer suggests that you can avoid this by keeping these items off the ground and using a cord organizer whenever possible. It also recommends that you clean the dustbin, change the filters, and clean or change the brushes as necessary.

Roomba 990 by iRobot

The Roomba is iRobot's flagship robot vacuum. It's expensive but it's the most powerful robot vacuum you can buy. Its self navigation and environmental mapping are something to behold. It has more advanced automation than its rivals, for instance the ability to create virtual boundary markers with its mobile app. It's a powerful robot vacuum, even if the app isn't the most responsive and the 980 spins when it comes across cables.

We really like the 980, because it makes use of its iAdapt2.0 navigation sensors and visual simultaneity mapping and localisation (or vSLAM) to store your home's floor plan. It then uses the information to create a consistent and efficient cleaning path for every cycle. The result is cleaner floors and a more efficient vacuum than most high-end robots.

The 980's other features include two multi-surface rubber brushes which pick up dirt from hard floors and carpet, along with a spinning brush that sweeps debris into the bin of the robotic vacuum. The sensors for floor tracking help it navigate around furniture and along edges, while Cliff Detect prevents the Roomba from falling down the stairs. It also automatically returns to its base station to ensure hassle-free recharging between sessions. Although the 980's battery life and bin size aren't quite as impressive as other robot vacuums it's a reliable and solid machine that can keep your floors spotless for hours and hours.