Robot vacuum buying checklist
Open a section, slide each feature to what you want, and print your own robot vacuum wish list at the end.
Measured in pascals (Pa). Higher suction pulls fine dust out of grout lines and rugs, not just off the surface.
Daily dust and hair, plus thin rugs
Rough guide. Brands quote peak suction on the highest mode, and brush design matters too.
Enough for daily dust and hair on hard floors.
The roller under the robot that sweeps dirt into the bin. Long hair wraps around bristles, which means cutting it free with scissors.
Rubber fins tangle less and are easy to wipe clean.
The filter cleans the air the robot blows out. A fine filter stops tiny dust going straight back into the room.
Traps most fine dust. Usually washable or cheap to replace.
A sensor that notices when the robot rolls onto a rug, so it can raise suction or keep a wet mop off it.
Turns suction up automatically on rugs.
How the robot finds its way. Better navigation cleans in neat rows, misses fewer spots and finishes faster.
A spinning laser measures the rooms. Builds accurate maps and works in the dark.
How well it steers around things on the floor: charging cables, socks, slippers, dupattas and pet mess.
Shoes, bags and chair legs
No robot avoids everything. Picking up cables first still helps.
Sensors spot shoes, bags and chair legs before touching them.
The app shows a map of your home. No-go zones are areas you draw on it, like a puja corner or pet bowls, that the robot stays out of.
Clean chosen rooms and block off areas the robot should skip.
How long it cleans on one charge. A longer runtime covers a bigger home in one go.
Roughly a 3 BHK flat in one run
Rough, on standard suction, vacuum only. Mopping and max suction use more battery.
Covers a 3 BHK flat comfortably.
What happens when the battery runs low halfway through. The best robots recharge and carry on from where they stopped.
Charges and finishes the job on its own. Needs a mapping robot.
Most Indian homes have hard floors, so mopping matters. Pads that move press harder and lift more dirt than a pad that is just dragged along.
The pad moves back and forth quickly and lifts footprints and light stains.
A wet mop should never drag across a rug. Some robots lift the mops, and some leave them at the dock while they vacuum.
Raises the mops a little over rugs. Fine for thin, low rugs.
The dust bin and water tank on the robot itself. Bigger ones mean fewer trips to empty or refill, which matters if there is no self-emptying dock.
Empty the bin every day or two
Rough, for daily runs in a dusty Indian home without a self-emptying dock.
Lasts a run or two with a tank that covers a typical flat.
A bigger base that sucks dust out of the robot after each run into a bag. You empty the bag every few weeks instead of the bin every day.
Takes more floor space and needs dust bags, but saves daily emptying in dusty homes.
A dock that washes the mops with clean water and dries them. Wet mops left in a humid room soon start to smell.
You empty dirty water and clean the tray
Rough idea of how much mop care you still do yourself.
Rinses the mops mid-clean and at the end. You still empty the dirty water tank.
Measure the gap under your sofa, beds and cabinets. Many Indian beds have storage boxes with no gap at all, so check what you want it to reach.
Typical height with a LiDAR turret on top.
Robots are about as loud as a regular vacuum on high suction. A quiet mode and do-not-disturb hours help if you run it while at home.
A low-suction mode you can bear during calls or TV.
Brushes, filters, mops and dust bags wear out. Check you can buy them easily and that there is a service centre that repairs the robot in your city.
Parts are easy to find and there is service in your city.
Your wish list
ROBOT VACUUM WISH LIST
by TechPP Insights
Your next robot vacuum should have these minimum features
Your picks will print here.
Scan to make your own wish list
techpp.app
Choose at least one spec to print your wish list.
Cleaning up the rest of the house too? Air purifier checklist or see comparisons
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