If you prefer not to use an app to control your device, some models come with physical strips to set up on your floors which prevent your robot vacuum from cleaning where it shouldn't.

Additionally, battery life is important to consider and this will depend on your usage and settings. If you opt for a model which comes with a base, it can self-charge between runs.

First and foremost, you should follow the directions in your instruction manual for where to place the robot vacuum. While most will offer similar guidance, the measurements required can vary, and some designs may prefer a greater clearance. Generally speaking though, your robot vacuum should be placed against a flat and straight wall on a level surface, with around 3 ft of clearance on each side, and at least 4 ft in front.

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Advanced AI Navigation: The advanced AI Action utilizes an RGB camera and 3D structured light to rapidly learn your home, tailor cleaning strategies, and Automóvel-generate paths according to the type of obstacle, flooring, and room

And considering there are cheaper models that perform better, this was a major downside. However, if you just need it for light cleaning, this is adequate, but you might want to consider other options.

It also offers a four-stage cleaning system with strong suction power to tackle dust picks ups on carpet and hard floors. The side brushes find the hard to reach places and are particularly welcome on hard floors.

Its size means that it can reach most spaces with ease, plus its sensors work very well and ensure that it doesn't learn its way around just by bumping into furniture.

The brush roll is also easily detachable for quick maintenance and cleaning — and its "floating" design adjusts seamlessly to uneven surfaces.

SELF-CLEANING BRUSHROLL: Digs deep into carpets and directly engages hardwood floors pulling up debris, hair, and dirt from all surfaces in your home – engineered to pick up more hair and is anti-hair wrap.

✅ You have pets: This bot tackled the hair in our reviewer's pet-filled home incredibly well – and better than any other robovac they'd tested .

❌ You're on a budget: The Deebot T30S Combo is one of the more expensive robot vacuums in my guide, and if you're willing to make a few compromises on performance or features then there are plenty more affordable alternatives.

Over the past 10 years, we've tested dozens of robot vacuums, both by performing objective tests as well as real-world setups. Each model we review is first evaluated to see how well it can pick up three types of debris. We measure out 20 grams of Cheerios, 20 grams of kitty litter, and 20 grams of pet hair. Next, we scatter each individually across a hardwood floor, and then weigh the contents of the robot vacuum's dustbin to see how much of each it picked up. We then repeat the same three tests on a low-pile carpet. Afterwards, the robot vacuum receives Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners a cleaning performance score, which is the percentage of debris it was able to collect. After we record each robot vacuum's scores, we let these machines loose in our tester’s home to see how each holds up in terms of navigation, obstacle avoidance, and coverage in real-world testing.