Dreamebot L20 Ultra review: New features improve cleaning

Price When Reviewed

$1,499

Best Prices Today: Dreame L20 Ultra

The market for vacuuming and mopping robots is growing. Alongside Ecovacs, Medion, Eufy and Roborock, Dreamebot is one of the most renowned manufacturers. And with the L20 Ultra, the subsidiary of the Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi has released its strongest vacuuming and mopping robot model to date.

The legitimate successor to the Dreame(bot) L10 Ultra (read our review to find out more) is available in two versions. The Dreame L20 Ultra, with a list price of $1,499.99/ €1,199, comes with a set of brushes, mops and cleaning products.

In Europe, the Dreame L20 Ultra Complete is €100 more expensive and comes with a set of brushes, mops, dust bag, filter and cleaning agent as well as a replacement roller, all of which should last a year.

Compared to the Dreamebot L10 Ultra, the 20 model has improved in almost every area. We’ll go into this in more detail later.

Design & build

The Dreamebot L20 Ultra comes in a large, heavy cardboard box – it should weigh close to 30kg. After unpacking the individual parts, you’ll find the tower-like base station, the battery-powered robot, the accessories including manuals and the box with accessories.

The design is typical for a vacuuming and mopping robot and hardly differs from competing models. The manufacturer uses smooth plastic for the surface of the base station and robot. This does not make the Dreame L20 Ultra a design-led device, but it fit well with our home decor.

With a footprint of the base station of just under 43×50cm (17x20in) and a height of more than 60cm (24in), you need to find a suitable place to stand it – of course, there should also be a power connection nearby. You also need about 30cm (11.8in) of upward space to open the lid and easily remove the containers for clean and dirty water.

To access the dust bag, look for the flap on the front of the base station. The best place to feel the lock and release for it is at the bottom edge – that is, at the entrance for the robot.

The build quality leaves a good impression. The flaps and lids lock precisely into place and the base station is stable.

Setting up the L20 Ultra

The base station and robot are more or less ready for use. All you have to do is attach a small ramp to the front of the base station, fill the fresh water tank and plug the station into a socket. Finally, slot a cartridge containing cleaning concentrate between the two water tanks. On the robot itself, you’ll need to remove the transport locks and attach the single side brush and the two mops to the underside.

Next, install the Dreamehome app for iOS or Android and create a user account.

Using the QR code under the cover on the robot, we added the L20 Ultra to the app. The app explained the steps clearly and a few minutes later the robot had logged into the WLAN with the default settings and was ready to go. Cleaning can be initiated via the app or using the buttons on the base station.

Before the L20 Ultra gets to work, there’s a wizard to guide you through preparing your home. First, it wants to know if there are any pets. Then you activate (if desired) the automatic rewashing of the mop, an automatic second cleaning as well as the automatic drying. Then there’s a guided tour of the app functions. You’ll need to secure the camera with your own activation code.

Cleaning can be initiated via the app or via the buttons on the base station.

The Dreamebot L20 Ultra takes care of the mapping automatically. Thanks to obstacle detection with AI and 3D light structure, walls, cupboards, chairs or objects on the floor are reliably recognised and sometimes even entered into the map with a description. The technology also reliably detects steps. As you use it, the map becomes more and more detailed – the L20 Ultra is constantly learning.

App & settings

Thanks to the Dreamehome app, the L20 Ultra can be easily controlled from a smartphone (Android and iOS). There are also numerous options to customise cleaning.

For example, you can switch between “Daily Mode” and “Ultimate Mode”. The latter makes sense if you’ve been away for a few days and the robot hasn’t cleaned.

For each mode, there are adjustable settings covering cleaning mode, suction options, wiping effect, cleaning sequence and custom cleaning. We used the default settings when testing. You can also limit cleaning to specific zones.

The L20 Ultra integrates ultrasonic carpet detection and automatic mop separation. Once carpets and rugs are detected, there are three cleaning options: completely remove the mops, lift the mops or avoid the carpet altogether. You choose the settings in the app.

There are also AI-enhanced features, which you can find in the settings, under “AI identification”. These include “Pet environment”, “Strategic cleaning of the pet environment” and “Pictures”, where you can see images of obstacles on the map.

There’s also an excellent reactive cleaning setting in which the robot adjusts its suction power by acoustically recognising dust particles, much like newer Dyson cordless vacuums do.

Our tip is to take some time to look at the options in the app. There’s a lot to discover and maybe switching a certain function on or off will improve cleaning for you.

Effective and thorough cleaning

Dreamebot has packed a few new features into the L20 Ultra that improve cleaning performance in the long term and set it apart from rivals such as the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Omni.

First and foremost is the maximum suction power of 7,000Pa (the T20 Omni and Roborock S8 Pro Ultra weigh in at 6,000Pa). This allows dirt particles and even pet hair to be vacuumed up – both on tiles, parquet floors and carpets.

Another new feature can be seen when cleaning carpets, which the robot can recognise when it encounters. Normally, lifting the mops up to 10.5 mm is sufficient. However, this may not be enough for high and medium pile carpets. In this case, the robot leaves the two mops in the base station. This is a function that we have not (yet) seen in any other vacuuming and mopping robot.

A real highlight is the robot’s MopExtend technology. This allows the robot to come within 2mm of skirting boards and cupboards. A position-sensitive detector detects corners and edges and automatically extends the mop to clean areas that are left out by rigid mops.

Other smart features include Pathfinder Smart Navigation, which uses artificial intelligence and 3D light detection to scan the space in front of the machine, detecting and avoiding obstacles.

Exclusive to the L20 Ultra is the DuoScrub mop system, which uses two high-speed rotary mops to scrub the floor to remove stubborn dirt and spills.

For even more intensive cleaning, the L20 Ultra uses a special cleaning concentrate. It is automatically added to the fresh water in the correct ratio.

The 4.5-litre tank for clean water in the base station should be enough for an area of up to 600 square metres. There’s also a small water tank inside the base station that ensures the mop stays damp and improves cleaning efficiency.

After the robot has finished cleaning, it will return to the base station. The battery will be charged and the mops are first cleaned and then dried with hot air at 45°C. According to the manufacturer, they will be 99% dry within two hours. The drying process prevents mould and unpleasant odours.

And what actually happens to the dirt that has been vacuumed out? The robot automatically empties it into the 3.2-litre E12 filter dust bag in the base station. If you believe the manufacturer, it only needs to be emptied every 60 to 75 days for standard daily cleaning.

Verdict

Dreamebot packs some innovative features into the L20 Ultra and improves the vacuuming and mopping robot in its core disciplines. Compared to other models, the L20 Ultra actually cleans more thoroughly, especially on carpets with pet hair.

Also outstanding is the edge cleaning with the help of the extendable mop (called the intelligent MopExtend technology). This makes rooms thoroughly clean, right into the corners. In our test, we were both amazed and impressed at how dirty the water in the used water tank was. And this with a seemingly clean slate and parquet floor.

If this isn’t the perfect model for you, have a look at our round-up of the best robot vacuum cleaners to find your ideal cleaning partner.

This review originally appeared on PC-Welt and has been translated for inclusion here.

Specifications

• Dimensions:
  • Suction robot: 350 × 350 × 103.8 mm
  • Base station: 606.5 × 426 × 499 mm
• Weight
  • Robot Vacuum Cleaner: 4.3 kg
  • Base station: 13.3 kg
• Base station
  • Fresh water tank capacity: 4.5 L
  • Dirty water tank volume: 4 L
• Robot vacuum cleaner
  • Dust box volume: 350 mL
  • Water tank volume: 80 mL
  • Maximum suction: 7,000 Pa
  • Threshold overrun: 2 cm
• Loudness: 63 dB(A)
• Battery capacity: 6,400 mAh
• Maximum runtime:
  • 260 minutes (vacuuming only or mopping only in silent mode)
  • 180 minutes (vacuuming and mopping in quiet mode)
• Fast charging: Yes
• Mop extension: Yes
• Navigation: LDS
• Obstacle Avoidance: AI + 3D Structured Light
• Main brush type: brushless rubber brush (liftable)
• Customised carpet cleaning: Yes
• Mopping method: Dual rotary mops
• Automatic mop separation: Yes
• Lifting mops: Yes, up to 10.5 mm
• Automatic emptying: Up to 75 days
• Automatic mop drying: Yes
• Automatic water addition: Yes
• Automatic addition of cleaning solution: Yes
• Water connection kit for automatic refilling and emptying: Yes, to be purchased separately
• Dirt detection: Yes
• Warranty: 3 years