I test robot vacuums for a living and the best one I’ve used is nearly half off right now

Technology

Dreame X40 Ultra robot vacuum and mop

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

ZDNET’s key takeaways

  • The Dreame X40 Ultra, is now discounted by $900 off its original price, on sale for $1,000.


    As a fan of robot vacuums and mops, I’m always looking for the next big thing in home cleaning robotics. I almost stopped looking after the Dreame X40 Ultra

This robot vacuum and mop combination has so many features that keeping up with them during testing was challenging. Unboxing the Dreame X40 Ultra was a joy, mainly because the robot looks nicer than most eyesores. The base station features a grooved front and gold accents, while the robot looks sleek and simplistic. 

Setup was quite a breeze — you download the Dreamehome app and follow the instructions to add it to your Wi-Fi network and set up your preferences. I found some issues with the app connecting to the Dreame X40 Ultra, making me wait a few minutes or force-quit the Dreamehome app to relaunch it. Even a month later, I found that this still happens occasionally, which is disappointing as I don’t have that issue with other robots.

One of my two favorite features of the Dreame X40 Ultra robot is its object avoidance. This is one of two robots in my home that doesn’t require me to pick up every object from the floor before running it. This means I can send it out to clean on a schedule or when I’m away from home and rely on it to consistently deliver a clean home without getting stuck on a kid’s sock under the coffee table.

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

Unfortunately, the X40 Ultra’s mop pads lift to about 10.9 mm, which is not quite enough to keep my living room’s medium pile carpet dry. This means I have to set that rug as a no-go zone for robot vacuum and mop combinations like the Yeedi M12 PRO+

Also: The Narwal Freo X Plus is the best you can get for $400

The Dreamehome’s app has so many customizations that it reminds me of everything you can do with the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

Dreame uses AI for visual recognition to identify and add objects to your map. Of course, this isn’t always accurate, which is why my toddler was mistaken for a pet, but it’s pretty entertaining and useful that the robot lets you see the obstacles it finds in its path. Using your smartphone, you can also drop into the camera’s feed to view what the robot sees,

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

So, how is this robot not perfect? To address the elephant in the room, the Dreame X40 Ultra is one of the most expensive robot vacuum and mop combinations I’ve seen, at $1,900. Its current limited-time deal helps a lot. The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra is priced at $1,800, and I already find that to be steep. Spending almost two grand on a robot that will roll around your dirty floors isn’t an easy purchase.

ZDNET’s buying advice

When it comes down to it, the Dreame X40 Ultra

I have three little kids set on making as many messes as possible, and the fact that I don’t have to worry about this robot getting its roller brush stuck makes the Dreame X40 Ultra one of the best robot vacuum and mops I’ve ever used.

When will this deal expire?

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