'The mops left a lot of streaks all over the house' — I tested this $1,300 robot vacuum and it falls short

The Mobius 60 from Mova is big, and that’s because it’s packed with tons of cool features that set it apart from some of the best robot vacuums. A nifty, multi-mop-head system tailors cleaning capabilities to various types of spills and messes to offer precise cleaning results. And a cool suction system promises better, deeper cleaning on your carpets.

And that’s only the start of what Mova packs into this unit. Unfortunately, the promises didn’t stack up in execution. Despite the cool mop head system, the mopping results were just okay. More problematically, the Mobius 60 struggled with some basic tasks, like retracting into its own dock. With some streamlining of all this cool technology, the Mobius 60 could rise the ranks quickly. As it is, the Mobius 60 falls short.

Mova Mobius 60 robot vacuum review: Price and availability

The Mobius 60 is currently $1,169 on Amazon and costs $1,299 on the Mova website. It ships in 2-3 days from purchase, free, via FedEx.

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Mova offers a 30-day free trial, as well as a 3-year warranty. There are plenty of options for payment at checkout, including Klarna, which allows you to split the purchase into payments.

The Mobius 60 is also available for purchase at other retailers like Amazon, though details of the purchase can vary by retailer.

Mova Mobius 60 robot vacuum review: Design

Of all the robot vacuums I’ve tested, the base for the Mobius 60 is easily the largest. It stands almost two feet tall and looks an awful lot like a mini-fridge. It even has a fridge-style glass-fronted door so you can access all the vital components within.

The internals of the base include the MopSwap system. Three different pad pairs are mounted inside the door. The robot will sense which of the pads are best for the type of messes in your home. The ThermoHold pads are for greasy messes often found in the kitchen; the Plush pads are for delicate wood floors; and the HyperClean pads are for all-around use.

When the robot is done cleaning, the base can utilize its 212-degree-fahrenheit boiling water sterilization system to ensure everything is clean as a whistle for next use.

The dust bag also lives within the base, and it’s here that the robot will self-clean and dump all its dry waste. There’s a second bag included with the purchase. The robot auto-washes, empties, and charges in the docking station. And all cleaning solutions and fluids auto-refill as well. Mova includes a floor cleaner and a specialized cleaning solution with purchase.

The robot itself is also packed with some impressive features. The JetSpray DryBoard feature includes 20 nozzles that spray for improved coverage and efficiency. The used remnants are collected through a central filter that minimizes water spots.

The mops feature 12Nm of downward pressure to more efficiently scrub surfaces, and they spin at a max of 260 RPM, while the angle of the mop heads adjusts up to 5 degrees.

What’s more, the Mobius 60 will automatically recognize not only your pets themselves, but also pet waste like fur and kitty litter. Here, the robot will automatically adjust its cleaning processes to ensure an efficient clean.

The MaxiReach Brush activates a side brush to reach edges, corners, and narrow spaces. Meanwhile, the TroboWave DuoBrush removes 99.99% of tangled hair, according to Mova. An anti-wrap Omni-Wheel with a hard bristle design picks up more dirt and debris from all surfaces, including carpets.

Speaking of carpets, the Mobius 60 also features a dynamic suction retention system for deep carpet cleaning. It detects carpets during use, and a pressure retention baffle lowers to form a semi-sealed space that helps increase suction efficiency.

If you’ve got several transitions in your home, the StepMaster 2.0 system deploys. These retractable legs allow the robot to climb obstacles up to 3.14 inches high. And for tight spots, the FlexScope Retractable Sensor lowers the robot’s height to fit under furniture and other tight areas.

The robot will avoid obstacles automatically, and can sense new obstacles using advanced AI SmartSight. There’s also a Light 3D scanner to help the process, and LED lights on the front of the vacuum.

When the Mobius 60 is activated, you can view its progress by checking the app. You can even see a live camera view and track exactly what your robot sees. And if you’d like to operate the unit from the other room, just use the intelligent voice assistant by saying, “Hey Mova.”

Mova Mobius 60 robot vacuum review: App

Essentially, the app serves as your home base for Mobius 60 operation. You’ll download the app and create an account, and do any updates that are necessary before you begin. Then, you’ll activate the automatic mapping system so the robot can map your home. It will create a 3D environment and allow you to custom-program no-go zones and other operations specific to your home.

The app is easy to use, logically laid out, and provides plenty of useful features so you can tailor your cleaning processes. You can, for example, set up your vacuum to perform automatic cleanings; do a mop and a vacuum at the same time; do a deep clean; and much more. You can also exclude specific rooms or only vacuum certain rooms, which makes the app overall user-friendly.

Mova Mobius 60 robot vacuum review: Set up

Before mapping, you’ll need to attach the ramp to the dock. And all of the mop heads need to be mounted on the inside of the dock door. From there, you’ll fill the water tank and the cleaning solution tanks. It all takes a total of five or 10 minutes, and it is not a difficult process.

After downloading the app, you’ll pair the robot using WiFi, which, of course, means you’ll need to set up your WiFi too, all within the app. Again, the process is easy and doesn’t take long.

Once I did all that, the app indicated that it needed to download some firmware or widget specific to the Mobius 60. But it got stuck several times and looped over and over again, unable to perform the download. It took over an hour before it finally updated, and I was ready to do the mapping.

It’s a one-touch procedure, but you’ll want to clear away most obstacles from the floor so the robot can make an accurate map. The robot does all the work, wandering through your home and creating a detailed map within the app. It took about 30 minutes to perform this task, mapping just under 800 square feet (excluding places in my home that it couldn’t access, like bulky furniture or around appliances).

After mapping, the Mobius 60 will return to its dock to charge. You can vacuum right away, but your best bet is to let the robot recharge to 100% first, especially if you intend to perform any mopping functions.

Mova Mobius 60 robot vacuum review: Performance

The first time I used the Mobius 60, I had it perform a mop and vacuum run through the entire house. Since we have carpets in some rooms and laminate vinyl flooring throughout, there’s quite a lot to mop.

The first cleaning session left me largely unimpressed, especially with the mopping function. For starters, it takes a long, long time. It took 84 minutes to clean 650 square feet, according to the app. The robot had to return numerous times to the dock to empty and/or change mop heads. That part wasn’t so problematic — it was the streaks.

The mops left a lot of streaks all over the house. I’ve found this to be the case with most robot vacuums I’ve used that have mopping features, and the Mobius 60 is no different — no better, no worse. So while it certainly does clean the floors, the copious streaks are disappointing.

After the mopping session, the robot returned to the dock and performed a self-cleaning. I could smell the heater working for probably the first hour of the cleaning process. And the cleaning process takes a long time: the first time the Mobius 60 performed this process, it took several hours. Additionally, it is noisy, which both my wife and I found annoying.

The second time I used the Mobius 60, I just vacuumed the same space. It took 95 minutes, curiously longer than the mopping and vacuuming session. The Mobius 60 seemed to spend a lot of time spinning in circles, looking lost. And it went over the same spots several times.

What’s more, it also missed several spots, mostly in tight corners or along baseboards. While it’s not any worse than other robot vacuums I’ve tested, Mova makes specific claims about cleaning tight areas like this, and it did not stack up.

Another observation was that the Mobius 60 got hung up on obstacles frequently. While I was impressed to see that it could hop up and over the trim between the floor and the fireplace surround, the robot then got stuck there, up on the surround. I was able to make a manual adjustment in the app so the robot wouldn’t go there again, but the robot did get stuck on my home office desk legs frequently. When I did the same process to make the robot avoid these obstacles, it seemed to get confused, spinning in place for quite some time.

Most problematically, the Mobius 60 got stuck getting back into its own dock. The wheels simply slipped and prevented the robot from retracting all the way back into the base. I had to push it in with my hands. I have not yet figured out how to remedy this.

Battery-wise, the Mobius 60 burns through battery power pretty quickly, which isn’t so surprising given how many different functions it may cycle through in a single cleaning session. I wouldn’t be so bothered by this if the results were better. As it is, the robot missed enough spots and created enough mopping streaks that all of those different functions don’t seem worthwhile.

Mova Mobius 60 robot vacuum review: Accessories

There aren’t any accessories per se, but Mova’s website does list many replacement parts like brushes, mops, rollers, and replacement bags. You can also purchase refills of the cleaning solutions the Mova uses for mopping.

Mova Mobius 60 robot vacuum review: Competition

Since the robot vacuum market is very crowded, at this price point, the best competitors are those that also offer mopping functions. I recently tested the RoboRock Qrevo, which is smaller, quicker, better at vacuuming, and about the same at mopping.

It also uses a smaller dock that doesn’t take up nearly as much space as the Mobius 60. For the money, the RoboRock is the clear winner here.

Mova Mobius 60 robot vacuum review: Verdict

Overall, the Mobius 60 holds a lot of promise. There are a lot of features that could help it stand apart from the competition, particularly the various mopping options. But the mopping performance isn’t much better than the competition, so it falls a bit flat here.

Plus, some of the other basic functions need improvement. I found it irksome that the robot couldn’t get back into its own dock, and the dock itself is simply too big to fit in my home. I like the Mobius 60 for its ambitious features, but I would like to see those features streamlined to really make it stand out above the rest.