Vacuum cleaning is a chore. Nobody likes doing it, there are so many automated robots that can do it for you (think the Roombas), and yet you probably don’t have one. What’s wrong has always been the price. Almost all of the robot vacuums released have been prohibitively expensive, and those that aren’t are poor at doing their job. Xiaomi hopes to change that. Following on from the success of their smart home products, like the Xiaomi Yeelight, Xiaomi has designed the Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum, which, you may have guessed, it’s a robot vacuum. I’ve reviewed a multitude of different Xiaomi products, and all have punched far above their sale price, and the Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum is no different. Let’s see how it stacks up compared to other popular robot vacuums
Design
In typical Xiaomi fashion, the Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum displays a minimalistic, all-white design. It takes the conventional Robot Vacuum shape of a hockey puck, and has most of the same features. It’s a popular design, and I can’t blame Xiaomi for taking the conventional route – this is Xiaomi’s first try in designing a robot vacuum. On the top of the device is a small beacon which utilises lasers to map out and navigate the Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum through your house.
Although the rest of the body is white, the beacon is bright orange on the inside, so it does interfere a little with the overall aesthetic of the device. Overall, as long as your house has a fairly modern design, the Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum will fit right in with it’s sleek, minimalistic look. If you have an older looking house, you may wish to hide the Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum away when not in use.
Hardware
Xiaomi boasts that the Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum has 12 sensors, which all work in unison to navigate and clean your house, including mapping, and avoiding obstacles. Thankfully, none of these 12 sensors are cameras, so you don’t need to worry about your vacuum cleaner spying on you. The total list of sensors are as follows:
– Wall sensor
– Dustbin sensor
– Collision sensor
– Ultrasonic radar sensor
– Laser distance sensor (LDS)
– Electronic compass
– Cliff sensor
– Gyroscope
– Accelerometer
– Drop sensor
– Speedometer
– Fan speed sensor
While this is great, the true magic is the chip behind it, and the “Artificial intelligence” Xiaomi claims to have coded into it’s robot vac. In usage, though I don’t know exactly what it does, it does clean very well. The paths it takes aren’t just thorough, they’re also very efficient, so the amount of time it takes to clean your house is lowered. That’s great, as even autonomous vacuum cleaners can be annoying to have to listen to while they clean your house for you.
Performance
Usually, this section of my reviews are all in Ghz, GB, and PPI for phones, but today since I’m reviewing a vacuum cleaner, they’re dedicated to RPM, Pa, and ml. The Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum is relatively powerful when compared to other autonomous vacuums almost all areas vital to cleaning. The Xiaomi Mi Robot’s front brush can spin at 7800RPM, with Intel Turbo Boost technology to spin at up to 19,800RPM. This side brush, combined with the internal suction motor provide a very comprehensive level of cleaning. This is something you wouldn’t usually find at this price range, and I’m glad that Xiaomi has lived up to it’s reputation of undercutting the competition without sacrificing quality.
The internal suction motor is nothing short of a marvel too – it provides up to 1800Pa of suction power, compared to a less stunning 1,670 on the iRobot’s Roomba 980, and a paltry 1000Pa on the Neato Botvac D8500. The iRobot Roomba 980 is also $799.99, compared to $319.99 from Gearbest for the Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum. I know this is starting to sound like an ad for the Xiaomi vac, but the value for money you get out of so many Xiaomi products is absolutely astounding, and the Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum is a testament to their mission.
Battery Life
Battery life is absolutely imperative to the efficiency of any autonomous vacuum cleaner, and the Xiaomi Mi Vacuum has exceptional stamina. With a 5200mAh battery, the Xiaomi Mi Vacuum can last for up to 2.5 hours on a single charge. Compare that with 2 hours for the $799 iRobot Roomba 980, and it’s clear why the Xiaomi Mi Vacuum is a winner. In practice, it’s a little lower, but that wasn’t a problem for me – my house isn’t large enough for a vacuum to take more than 2.5 hours to clean.
App Connectivity
Like most autonomous vacuum cleaners, the Xiaomi Mi Vacuum is smartphone app-enabled. While many autonomous vacuum companies specialise in just that, Xiaomi is no stranger to building apps for the plethora of different smart home devices they’ve made. The Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum’s app is clean, easy-to-use, and effective, although it’s all in Mandarin. Most of the in app items can be deciphered by looking at the icons, but if you can’t work it out, google translate does a good job of it. While app connectivity is sometimes seen as unnecessary, the Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum makes use of the app perfectly. It provides just enough vital information to be useful, while not being overly complicated. Overall, the App experience is pleasant, though the language disconnect can be a bit of a problem for English-only users.
Wrap-Up
The Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum is near faultless, and it is an unprecedented level of value for money, especially when compared to options you’d find at your local technology retailer. It has performance which far out-cleans offerings from other companies, and has the stamina to keep it up for 2.5 hours. Doing all that, while still looking unobtrusive and being $319.99? That’s an awesome package, and I hope Xiaomi continues to uphold it’s long streak of awesome products. I can only hope that Xiaomi adds an English version to the Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum, but even without English, it’s still perfectly functional. In conclusion, if you’re looking for a great autonomous vacuum cleaner for a low price, look no further. The Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum is near perfect and I’d recommend it to anyone who is need of a new automatic vacuum cleaner.
Coupon Code
If you’d like to purchase the Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum for under $300 you can click here and then use the coupon code: XIAOMIVAC
