Faster, higher, stronger. The Olympic motto could well apply to the new generation of robot vacuum cleaners presented at the IFA show, as these devices compete in ingenuity to prove themselves even more efficient and more practical.
The IFA show held in Berlin in recent days remains a privileged event for many tech and household appliance brands to unveil their new products. It is also important for new players who want to try to make a breakthrough. And this year, we can see once again that the world of robot vacuum cleaners is expanding a little more to welcome new contenders and push creativity and inventiveness further. We visited the stands of six brands – the show welcomed many more, but without ambitions on the French market for the moment – and spotted for you the current trends that are likely to popularize these small devices even more in homes.
Narwal robot vacuum cleaner: a newcomer with big teeth
Narwal is no newbie in the field of robot vacuum cleaners. This Chinese brand has existed since 2016 but had not yet set foot on the French market. A milestone reached during this last edition of the IFA with the Freo X Ultra model now available in France. This device unveiled at the beginning of the year at CES in Las Vegas, has a fairly compact and curved docking station. It houses the clean and dirty water tanks but no dust bag. The Freo X Ultra is marketed at 899 euros.
But what caught our attention the most at Narwal is the new arrival, the Freo Z Ultra, which brings original new features. On the one hand, it has a small vertical brush whose purpose is none other than to dust the top of the skirting boards as it runs along the walls. Why not. But above all, the device promises excellent navigation capabilities with its TwinAI Dodge system based on two 1200p RGB cameras. It can detect and recognize 120 objects to know how to react (cables, droppings, toys, etc.). In addition, it can, during cleaning, focus on an area where liquid has been spilled and then resume its task, which avoids scattering the dirt. Clever. Finally, Narwal promises a system for emptying the dust bin by the station that is half as noisy as the competition. The Narwal Z Freo Ultra will be available from September 25 for 999 euros. A fairly aggressive price compared to what the competition charges for equivalent services.
Mova vacuum cleaner robot: the new brand from Dreame
Dreame, one of the major Chinese brands specializing in robot vacuum cleaners, is adopting the strategy implemented by Xiaomi. The smartphone giant offers high-performance but more affordable models under its POCO brand. Dreame is applying the same recipe and is launching its Mova brand at the IFA. The ambition remains the same as Xiaomi with POCO: to lower the price without compromising efficiency too much. Mova is thus deploying its first robot vacuum cleaner, the E30 Ultra, priced at 499 euros. On the program, a two-in-one device capable of vacuuming the floor with a very reasonable suction power of 7000 Pa but also of washing it with techniques directly from Dreame. The docking station allows the dust bin and water to be emptied. On the other hand, at this price, don’t count on washing the mops with hot water or express drying.
Roborock robot vacuum cleaner: a pronounced taste for climbing
As effective as they are on flat ground, most robot vacuum cleaners are generally helpless when they have to overcome an obstacle that is higher than usual (more than 1.5 cm) such as a threshold bar that is too thick or a chair leg. Either they try their luck at the risk, most of the time, of getting stuck in their balance and calling for help, or they give up and go around this insurmountable wall if possible. Roborock, one of the market leaders, has just reached a new milestone with its Qrevo Curv model presented at the IFA. This device has a new chassis called AdaptiLift. The three wheels (left, right, and central directional) are controlled independently and allow the robot to raise itself and overcome obstacles 4 cm high. We saw it in action and it is quite spectacular. A little momentum is enough for it to climb.
In addition to this feature, the Qrevo Curv offers a huge suction power of 18500 Pa and has a central brush designed to prevent hair tangling which is said to be 100% effective according to the brand. Its price remains quite high, however: 1499 euros.
Another new feature from Roborock is the Qrevo Slim. As its name suggests, the device is intended to be thinner than the others. To do this, it does away with the turret traditionally present on the top of the device and which carries the LiDAR, the radar that allows it to locate itself in space. This is replaced by a 3D ToF navigation system (like on smartphones) which allows distances to be assessed. As a result, the Qrevo Slim is only 8.2 cm high and can more easily pass under furniture. It will be available from October at a price of 1299 euros.
Shark Ninja PowerDetect Robot Vacuum Cleaner: Overcomes Obstacles
American Shark Ninja has truly adopted a “steamroller” approach this year at IFA, offering itself a stand four times larger than the previous year’s and monopolizing almost all the flagpoles bearing the sponsor flags of this 2024 edition. It must be said that Shark Ninja arrived with no less than 23 new products including the new Shark PowerDetect robot, a new technology capable of changing the suction power according to the level of dirt, as well as detecting wet areas or ensuring that corners are thoroughly cleaned. For this particular purpose, the PowerDetect robot is equipped with a blower nozzle to dislodge the dust accumulated in a corner and slide it towards the suction area which will seize it mercilessly.
Like its competitor Roborock, the PowerDetect is able to lift itself to pass a slightly high door threshold or an Ikea Poäng-style chair base. Shark announces that it can pass 2 cm obstacles. In its 2-in-1 version, this lifting mechanism also means that the wet mop does not drag when the robot crosses a carpet while it is in cleaning mode rather than in vacuuming mode. And since Shark wants to do everything for you, the robot will of course empty itself into its docking and charging station, allowing it to be autonomous for up to 60 days before having to empty the base. On the connected side, the robot can be connected to Amazon Alexa or Google Home to launch it by voice. Compatibility with standards such as Matter and Thread has not yet been announced, but seems to be planned for next year, via a software update to the smartphone application. The Shark PowerDetect robot is currently available in the United States in a 2-in-1 version (vacuum and mop) for $1,000, with a launch planned in Europe in the coming months.
Eureka robot vacuum cleaner: it splits hairs
The vast majority of robot vacuum cleaners that have passed through our hands during our tests have the same defect: the hairs wrap around either the main brush or at the ends of its axis. It is therefore necessary to disassemble it to extract them and maintain proper operation. Eureka seems to have found the solution. With its J15 Pro Ultra, Eureka innovates in a sharp way.
The device features an “active detangling” system called FlexiRazor. The program involves blades attached to a device that vibrates 400 times per minute and is distributed along the entire length of the brush to cut the hair and long hairs collected during vacuuming.
Eureka is not a new player on the market. Founded in 1909 in the United States and specializing in vacuum cleaners, this company passed through the hands of Electrolux before ending up in those of the Chinese Midea. Its J15 Pro Ultra will be sold at the end of September at a price of 1099 euros.
Ecovacs robot vacuum cleaner: it works like a roller
To clean floors, robot vacuum cleaners rely on two techniques. Some use rotating mops, others mops mounted on an oscillator. Ecovacs is trying another experiment with its Deebot X8 Pro Omni. Here, the mop is mounted on a roller, like on the motorized cleaning brooms that we see popping up everywhere in the household appliance aisles.
The roller rotates on the floor at a rate of 200 revolutions per minute to scrub it and remove dirt. A small subtlety: this roller can be shifted slightly to one side in order to clean along the walls. The price of the device has not yet been announced.