7 Small Changes That Will Make A Big Difference With Your Best Robot Vacuums Best Robot Vacuums and Mop Combos

The best way to keep your home clean is with a robot vacuum. It can remove dust, pet hair and other particles on the surface.

Some robots sync with smart assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant for a hands-free experience. Find models that are rechargeable 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 and has a great navigation system that includes both GPS and laser sensors and comes with a variety of controls and features accessible through the app. It also comes with a useful feature that allows you to add Cleaning zones for certain areas that require extra attention, as well as Keep Out zones where you do not want it to go. As with all Roomba devices, it gets new software updates that make it better over time.

It's costly but it's also among the most advanced robot vacuums that ZDNet has evaluated. It's got a huge battery that can sweep an entire home in less than two hours. It also switches between mopping and vacuuming at the push of a button. It automatically emptys the bin of dust above its charging station, unlike other self emptying robots which require you to empty the bin after every run.

It has a wide range of other features that make it a great choice for homes of all sizes that include intelligent obstacle avoidance, which uses both a camera and processor-powered intelligents to identify obstacles. It's not often damaged or stuck during cleaning, and it's the best at avoiding power cables as well as other objects in my tests. However, it's not as effective in detecting pet waste or other hazards.

2. robot vacuum that vacuums and mops

While Anker-owned Eufy has made a name for itself in low-cost robot vacuums it's not yet an all-in-one model that could also mop. That changes with the X8 Hybrid, which has an impressive set of modern features and can compete well against much more expensive models.


Laser navigation is the main selling point of this machine. Previous Eufy devices have constructed an outline of your home utilizing infrared sensors and bumping into things, but the X8's laser mapping technology is far more precise. It takes less time to create a comprehensive map of your home and can store multiple maps. This is perfect for homes with multiple floors.

The X8 is a great vacuum cleaner for floors that are clean. It is able to effortlessly sling debris through the side brushes and into its 400ml dustbin. The X8's tyres, despite having a circular shape, are efficient in grabbing corners and edges. Our tests revealed that it was able to remove 90 percent of the fur from hard floors.

There's a basic mopping option which uses the same water tank as the vacuuming. While this is a good option for spills that aren't too big, you can't limit the amount of water it consumes and this will reduce its effectiveness when dealing with more serious staining. It does a good job of removing pet hair. It has a higher rate of pick-up than the Roborock S7.

3. Miele RX2

The company is known for its quiet home appliances Miele's RX2 robot vacuum comes with outstanding cleaning power, beautiful design, and a great navigation. It has some oddities in its operation that keep it from being ranked as the best smart robot vacuum.

Like the latest models from iRobot, the RX2 has dual-sensor mapping technology that uses an LIDAR sensor to map an area and two 3D scanning cameras to detect and avoid obstacles (like furniture legs or pet waste) in real-time. Once the room is identified and assigned, you can assign virtual no go areas and sections that you would like to be the robot. You can also manually change cleaning modes, start a manual clean, or view live feeds from the cameras onboard from the main screen.

The RX2 has superior sensors that can identify furniture and other obstructions in a flash. And its sweeping and suction power are top-of-the-line and cleans up surface debris from medium-pile carpeting and embedded dust on floors that are unfinished. However, it's not the most efficient robot available. It's not the most efficient climber and has issues with transition strips made of metal.

Some people buy a robot vacuum for the hands-off convenience of setting a schedule in an app and forgetting about it for weeks at a time. It's crucial that a robot is able to do the job and that's why our ZDNet staff examined and reviewed a few of the most well-known models to help you choose the perfect one for your home.

4. Shark ION

This budget-friendly robot looks like your typical robot but it's a step up in terms of performance and features. Its smart mapping system generates 3D and 2D maps of your house and uses them to navigate and avoid obstructions. It's also able to detect common obstacles like power cords and furniture legs in real time. This combination of sensors, together with a bump sensor and an infrared sensor for dropping that keeps it away from stairs is what makes it one of the most agile vacuums we've tested.

It was able to climb over the thick shag carpets and did not get stuck (unlike the RoboVac 11s, or Roomba 690-). Its navigation abilities were also impressive. Its composite score for flooring and carpet was higher than the competition, and it picked up 98.5% of dirt and embedded dog hair from our lab test samples.

The controls are simpler than competitors. There's a round cleaning button on the top. You can start it from the app or by voice commands with Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also schedule weekly or daily cleanings, set up no-go zones and check its cleaning history. Ion is covered in a sophisticated dark gray plastic that feels and looks beautiful in your home. Its rear dust bin is easy to access for emptying and removing the filter just as simple.

5. Eufy 11S

If you're looking for a simple low-cost robot vacuum at a low cost, the Eufy 11S is a great option. The model isn't equipped with smart features such as Alexa integration and digital mapping that are found in higher-end models. If you don't need these features, you could save money.

This robot is very easy to install and use. It doesn't require a smartphone app or Wi-Fi pairing, but it does come with the ability to control the remote with a remote that allows you to select between various modes and adjust the suction level. You can also set up a manual schedule to set the robotvac to the schedule of cleaning.

In our tests during our tests, the 11S was very effective at getting rid of dirt and pet hair from hard floors as well as in carpets with low pile. Its slim profile allowed it to get under furniture and other items that larger robots could not reach. It was also able to traverse door thresholds and change between floors and another.

The 11S, just like other robots, will also eat some items, including cords and cat toys. The manufacturer suggests that you can avoid this by keeping these items off the floor and using the possibility of a cord organizer. It also recommends cleaning the dustbin on a regular basis replacing the filters, and washing or changing the brushes as required.

Roomba 990 from iRobot

The Roomba 980 is iRobot's flagship robot vacuum. It's expensive, but it's an excellent performer and is arguably the most sophisticated robot vacuum available. Its self-navigation feature and environmental mapping is a marvel to behold. It is more sophisticated in its automation than most of its rivals, for instance the ability to create virtual boundary markers through its mobile app. While its app isn't the most responsive, and the 980 does spin a bit when crossing cables, it's still a very capable robot vacuum.

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

Other features of the 980 include dual multi-surface brushes that grab dirt from floors and carpets and a spinning brush to sweep debris into the robotic vacuum’s bin. The floor tracking sensor assists it in maneuvering around furniture as well as along edges and the stairs. Cliff Detect prevents the Roomba from falling. It will automatically return to its base station to ensure hassle-free recharging between sessions. Although the 980's battery lifespan and bin size aren't as efficient as some other robot vacuums, it's a reliable and solid machine that will keep your floors clean for hours at a time.