Most anticipated robot vacuums for 2020
Five intriguing robot vacuums coming this year
Is one of your resolutions for this year making sure that your house or apartment is kept cleaner? A robot vacuum can help by sweeping and mopping your floors. Our list of the best robot vacuums do a great job at this, but there are a few new models coming in 2020 that look intriguing. Here are some of the robot vacs on our radar, including models from Eufy, iLife, Roborock and more.
Eufy RoboVac G30 Edge
The Eufy RoboVac G30 Edge is a big step up from the company’s current lineup of robot vacuums. The G30 Edge has what Eufy calls Smart Dynamic Navigation, which lets it map rooms in real time. Unlike other robot vacuums, which let you create virtual boundaries within an app, the G30 Edge still relies on boundary strips and external sensors. However, the G30 Edge has a 100-minute runtime, and can automatically return to base and recharge itself when its battery runs low, and then resume where it left off. It can also be controlled using Alexa and Google Assistant.
Price: $319.99
Availability: January 2020
iLife A10
iLife is introducing several new robot vacuums for 2020, but the A10 looks to be the most advanced. It’s the company’s first with laser navigation, which creates a 360-degree scan of its environment. Similar to several other of iLife’s vacuums, the A10 is a combination vacuum cleaner and floor mopper; while we’ve found these combos to be less than effective, the A10 takes a different approach. If you want to mop, you have to replace the dustbin with a water tank. The A10’s tank also vibrates and has three water flow levels, which the company says should help loosen stains on the floor.
Price: Unknown
Availability: First half of 2020
Narwal
While iRobot and Shark both have self-cleaning robot vacuums, the Narwal looks to be the first mopping robot vacuum that can rinse its own pads. A base station has two buckets—one for clean water and one for dirty water—and holds enough liquid for a 2,000-square-foot house. The Narwal also works as a robot vacuum for cleaning rugs, and a suite of sensors—Lidar, collision, and obstacle avoidance—help it navigate your rooms and create a map of your home. The vacuum can be controlled by an app, though the company is still working on integrating smart assistants.
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The one thing to note about the Narwal is that it’s currently a Kickstarter and Indiegogo project; on Indiegogo, you can currently preorder a Narwal for $599, with expected delivery in February.
Price: $599
Availability: February
Roborock S6 Pure
The Roborock S6 Pure has many of the same features as the $649 S6, which was launched last year: laser navigation, the ability to create virtual barriers, a 3-hour runtime, and a water tank that also lets you mop the floors. Though the Roborock app, you can also selectively choose which rooms you want to clean, too. However, the S6 Pure has a larger 180ml water tank (the S6’s tank is 140 ml), which lets you mop a wider area. And, the S6 Pure will be $100 cheaper when it comes out in the second quarter of this year. The S6 Pure, like the S6, will also work with Alexa.
Price: $549
Availability: Q2 2020
Trifo Lucy
One of the recurring complaints about robot vacuums is that they can’t recognize poop, so if your furry friend makes a mess on the floor, your robot vacuum might smear it all around your house. Trifo’s Lucy robot vacuum uses a combination of cameras and AI to identify objects—even ones smaller than 1 inch in height—and avoid them on its rounds. In addition to floor nuggets, the Lucy can recognize people, and can even be set to a patrol mode when you’re not home. According to the company, the Lucy has a 120-minute runtime, and a powerful 3,000 Pa vacuum.
Price: $799
Availability: Late Q1
Michael A. Prospero is the U.S. Editor-in-Chief for Tom’s Guide. He oversees all evergreen content and oversees the Homes, Smart Home, and Fitness/Wearables categories for the site. In his spare time, he also tests out the latest drones, electric scooters, and smart home gadgets, such as video doorbells. Before his tenure at Tom's Guide, he was the Reviews Editor for Laptop Magazine, a reporter at Fast Company, the Times of Trenton, and, many eons back, an intern at George magazine. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, where he worked on the campus newspaper The Heights, and then attended the Columbia University school of Journalism. When he’s not testing out the latest running watch, electric scooter, or skiing or training for a marathon, he’s probably using the latest sous vide machine, smoker, or pizza oven, to the delight — or chagrin — of his family.