Recently, I’ve been curious about robotic vacuum cleaners and exploring top brands like Roborock, iRobot, Shark, Dreame, Eureka, Ecovacs, and the smart home brand SwitchBot. However, I found it difficult to keep track of all their models, as the price ranges vary from $300 to $1,799.
Each brand has multiple series, and when it comes to naming conventions, it’s almost comical—terms like ‘Pro,’ ‘Ultra,’ ‘Max,’ ‘Master’ and ‘MaxV’ are used across the board. No brand wants to appear ‘normal,’ so at least one of these words, or even a combination, is included in the model name.
Roborock has the S8 series, which provides for both older and flagship models, priced between $399 and $1499. The S8 MaxV Ultra is the most advanced one. Then there’s the Qrevo series, the Q series, the wet and dry serial is the Dyad serial.
Dreame high-end X series and L series which include mop functionality, X40 Master is the flagship with Auto Water Refilling and Draining price of $1,899
Eureka’s J and E series features the high-end J series and the mid-range E series. The J15 Pro Ultra, priced at $999, is their flagship model, offering good value for the price
For these brands, you’ll find their product serials cover all price ranges—$399-$599, $599-$799, $799-$999, and above $1000. To fill these gaps, some brands offer small incremental upgrades that may not even seem necessary to separate into different models. While this approach provides more options, it also makes it difficult to distinguish between models and understand what the upgrades offer.
It’s confusing to figure out which model is the highest-end or offers the best cleaning performance before making a purchase. These brands often use vague taglines to leverage the expectation like all you need, 8-in-1, 10-in-1, or the key selling points full of tech specs, making it hard to understand without prior knowledge. To truly grasp why a model is considered ‘advanced,’ you’ll need to spend a lot of time researching
What’s the best way to compare these products without spending too much time? Is there a clear standard, like in smartphones where the chip—such as the Snapdragon 8 Elite—defines performance? For robotic vacuums, I assume suction power is the most important factor, along with cleaning efficiency and smart features. As a robotic vacuum owner, what factors would you recommend considering before making a purchase?
