Dreame Bot X40 Pro: NOT PERFECT, but close! The best robot vacuum cleaner of 2024!

I received a new robot vacuum cleaner for review, which can rightfully be considered one of the best of 2024 – the Dreame Bot X40 Pro with an Ultra-thin docking station. This docking station is only 28 cm high, making it easy to integrate into kitchen cabinets. But that's not the new product's main selling point. The robot vacuum cleaner features a retractable side brush for effectively sweeping away debris in corners, a retractable cleaning cloth for cleaning along baseboards, and a turbo brush with blades that requires no cleaning. It also features an object recognition system with backlighting, powerful 12,000 Pa suction, an improved cleaning system for the docking station's cleaning cloths, and new features. Overall, it's a significant upgrade that should improve the robot's efficiency and autonomy. For such a complete package, you'll have to pay between $1,000 and $1,250. So, below, I'll test the Dreame Bot X40 Pro in detail, highlight its pros and cons based on the test results, and then express my own opinion. So, let's get started!

Regionalism

The first thing you should know about the Dreame Bot X40 Pro is that this model is intended for the Chinese market. Therefore, you won't be able to use it outside of China. The app is region-locked.

At the time of writing, it can be bypassed on both iOS and Android smartphones. I haven't described the method in detail for the simple reason that brand representatives might take control of it and deprive us of this bypass option. However, basic search skills will help you find information on bypassing Dreame's regional blocking. Everything is still possible!

Moreover, you can not only seamlessly use all the robot's features, but also install one of 43 creative voice packs. Here's an example of one:

Equipment

The Dreame Bot X40 Pro arrived in this branded box:

The package includes:

1. The robot vacuum cleaner itself with a station.
2. Two napkin holders.
3. Tubes and various accessories for connecting the station to the sewer and water supply.
4. A turbo brush with blades that can and should be installed instead of a regular bristle-petal brush.
5. Brush for cleaning the vacuum cleaner and station.
6. A bottle of branded cleaning product.
7. Operating instructions in Chinese.

As usual, there are no spare parts provided. Let's move on!

Appearance

Let's take a look at the Dreame Bot X40 Pro. This round robot vacuum cleaner is available in black and measures 104 mm in height.

A wall sensor is mounted on the right bumper. A system of cameras and sensors is located in the center to recognize and accurately avoid objects on the floor. The technology is called AI Action, as in its predecessors.

A backlight is installed above the cameras, enhancing the robot's alertness in complete darkness. In addition to avoiding objects, the camera can stream images to a smartphone screen for remote monitoring of the home.

The lidar is responsible for navigation. Three mechanical control buttons are located next to it.

The dust collector is located under the top cover. The dust bin has been removed. The filtration system is HEPA-only, like Roborock's. The mesh has also been removed. I'm not sure this is the right decision.

The water tank is still hidden inside the robot. Water is automatically pumped into the tank at the station and dispensed onto the cleaning pads during cleaning.

The robot has four anti-fall sensors and a carpet sensor installed on the bottom. It has a single, three-beam side brush secured with a screw.

This side brush is equipped with a retractable mechanism, allowing the round robot to effectively sweep debris into corners. This solves one of the key problems with robot vacuums. Furthermore, the side brush lifts up during wet cleaning, when returning to the docking station, and when cleaning carpets.

The central brush unit is floating. It also has a mechanism that raises the brush during wet cleaning and when returning to the station. Out of the box, the robot comes with a standard bristle-petal turbo brush, which can be disassembled on both sides. However, a new brush with internal blades is included. We'll be installing this one.

The familiar round holders with cleaning cloths are installed behind the turbo brush. The left cleaning cloth extends to the right to clean the floor right up to the baseboard. There's even an algorithm that rotates the robot's rear end if it detects a small gap between the floor and an object, such as under a door or furniture. A very cool solution!

I'll add that the cloth not only presses against the baseboard when cleaning, but also rolls into the corner, which improves the quality of cleaning in the corners.

The wipers also automatically lift when entering carpets, during dry cleaning, and when returning to the station. The wiper lift height has been increased to 10.5 mm. Incidentally, the brushes also lift to the same height.

As you can see, all cleaning module components are now liftable, and this is a great decision! This eliminates even the slightest risk of water getting into the suction system and dust collector when cleaning the floor.

As for the station, as I said at the beginning of the review, my Ultra-Thin version has a 28-centimeter station, which is designed only for connection to the sewer and water supply.

I'd like to point out that the Dreame Bot X40 Pro is also available in a version with a standard station, which includes water tanks. Visually, it's very similar to the station. Dreame Bot X30 Pro, which was previously reviewed. It's, in my opinion, more versatile, as it's compatible with a module for connecting to both sewer and water lines. This means you can either use tanks or connect to utility lines.

So, let's get back to the station I have. The robot uses it for self-cleaning the dust bin, washing, and drying wipes. We increased the water temperature for washing wipes to 70 degrees Celsius. That's a plus! The wipes are dried with warm air. Additionally, the station has a UV lamp for disinfecting the wipes. I can't verify the effectiveness of this solution, but it's worth mentioning.

The robot's entry platform itself is equipped with magnetized pins. These allow the Dreame Bot X40 Pro to release the cleaning pad holders at the docking station when needed. This allows the robot to exit the docking station for dry cleaning only, without the pads, completely eliminating any contact between wet pads and the carpet. This is a unique and highly intelligent solution from Dreame.

The robot's access ramp, combined with the wipes' washing tray, is completely removable. This is a plus! This station is much easier to maintain. The wipes' washing area is equipped with scrapers underneath, which clean the bottom of the station during each wipes' washing cycle. This also simplifies maintenance.

At the station we see one button to start/stop the cleaning process.

The compartment containing the bag and reservoirs is manually pulled out. Inside is a 3.2-liter bag for emptying debris from the robot's dust collector. The bag itself has been redesigned. The inner layer is black, similar to a layer of activated carbon. This provides antibacterial protection. A nearby compartment holds detergent, which is automatically mixed into the clean water when washing the cloths. A separate dirty water tank is also located, used to service the coarse filter mesh.

Two outlets for connecting pipes are installed at the rear. This means no additional modules are required; everything is housed within the station. All that remains is to connect the pipes to the sewer and water supply. The station is connected to the water supply via the supplied pass-through outlet. It's all incredibly simple.

We can see that Dreame's engineers have done a great job on this new product. They've implemented many interesting new solutions, which is really cool. We'll test it out to see how it all works in real life!

Technical specifications

The main characteristics of the Dreame Bot X40 Pro, as stated by the manufacturer:

• Li-Ion battery 6400 mAh.
• Suction power up to 12000 Pa.
• Operating time up to 260 min.
• Dust collector 350 ml.
• Water tank 80 ml.
• Bag in station: 3.2 l.
• Obstacle clearance up to 22 mm.
• Robot dimensions: 350*104 mm.
• Station dimensions (WxHxD): 280*426*485 mm.

In terms of specifications, we've significantly increased suction power, which we'll confirm in tests. We've also slightly increased the robot's maneuverability. I'll note that the station isn't exactly compact. It's low, which is great. But in reality, it still takes up a lot of space and, of course, would be appropriate to install in a kitchen cabinet or other furniture.

For those interested, a standard station has a 4.5-liter clean water tank and a 4-liter dirty water tank.

Functional capabilities

Speaking of features, the Dreame Bot X40 Pro is controlled via the Dreamehome app. I mentioned regional compatibility at the beginning of the review. I'll just note that the app itself is in Russian, and the interface is user-friendly and intuitive. However, the robot only speaks Chinese. This is important to keep in mind.

The Dreame Bot X40 Pro's main features are displayed on the screen. New features are highlighted in bold:

1. Wash napkins with hot water (70°C).
2. Lifting the turbo brush, side brush and napkins.
3. Side brush extension in corners.
4. Possibility to hide zones on the map.
5. Setting thresholds on the map.
6. Cleaning behind curtains (in development).
7. Self-cleaning.
8. Drying napkins with hot air.
9. Automatic addition of detergent.
10. Washing the floor under furniture.
11. Recognizing objects on the floor.
12. Camera illumination in low light conditions.
13. Remote home monitoring via smartphone.
14. Saving multiple cleaning maps in memory.
15. 3D map of the room.
16. Automatic zoning of premises into rooms.
17. Selecting areas and rooms for cleaning.
18. Virtual walls and no-go zones (and for wet cleaning mode).
19. Suction power adjustment.
20. Setting the frequency of washing napkins (by area, by zones, by time).
21. User mode.
22. CleanGenius mode.
23. Cleaning log.
24. Setting up cleaning according to a schedule.
25. Automatic power increase on carpet.
26. Carpet cleaning in wet cleaning mode.
27. Automatic removal of napkin holders at the station.
28. The branded voice assistant "OK, Dreame".

One interesting feature we've added is the ability to hide unneeded areas on the map. For example, if a mirror is adding non-existent rooms.

It's also possible to set surmountable and non-surmountable thresholds, as well as so-called ramps, which the robot must navigate. Incidentally, they sell similar ramps for crossing thresholds at their Chinese site.

But what's more interesting is that the promotional materials mention a feature for overcoming curtains and drapes. The idea is that, similar to how Hobot implements this, you can set areas with curtains on the map where the robot should clean. However, I didn't find this feature in the app. It's likely to be released soon. There's potential for this. If you install a ramp in an area with curtains, the robot will push through the curtain and drive through it. However, right now, it generates an error after driving through, so the ramp isn't suitable for cleaning behind curtains.

Like its predecessors in the older series, we've introduced a CleanGenius mode, which automatically determines the cleaning pattern based on the level of dirt on the floor, activating a second cleaning cycle or automatically adjusting the power level and the wetness of the cleaning pads. This smart solution improves cleaning efficiency and further integrates artificial intelligence into the robotic vacuum's algorithms.

It's worth noting that the company's voice assistant only understands commands in Chinese, unfortunately.

I'll also demonstrate the remote home monitoring feature via smartphone:

After entering your chosen password, the camera turns on, broadcasting a live image to your smartphone screen. The image quality is high. You can either control the robot manually or specify a location on the map where you want it to go automatically. You can also take photos, which will be saved in a separate folder, and send voice messages through the robot's speaker. Another useful feature is to direct the robot to a specific location, where it will rotate in place and automatically take photos of the room from all sides. This is called guard mode. Very convenient. The only issue is that the image streaming is slow because the Dreame Bot X40 Pro operates through Chinese servers. It's not critical, but the difference compared to global robots is noticeable.

Navigation

And finally, let's move on to the tests! First, we'll test the Dreame Bot X40 Pro's navigation in a room with obstacles. The robot vacuum first moves around the perimeter of the room, then cleans the entire accessible area in a serpentine pattern. It detected the legs of the dryer and carefully navigated around them. It also swept around the box and chair legs separately, before returning to the station. The test was successful.

Speaking of navigation within the house, the robot vacuum cleaner cleans room by room, following the perimeter, then in a serpentine pattern. After every 20 square meters of cleaning, as I've determined, it returns to the station and washes its cleaning pads, then resumes cleaning from where it left off. There are no uncleaned areas left; this model has excellent navigation!

Object recognition

Speaking of the floor object recognition system, it's very accurate in good lighting. The robot vacuum successfully recognized 6 out of 6 objects, displaying them with corresponding icons on the map. Excellent results! It even recognized a toy as a pet due to its shape.

The robot vacuum cleaner performs worse when recognizing objects in complete darkness. It detected three out of six objects, and even correctly identified some of them and marked them with corresponding icons on the map. It's likely that a firmware update will improve the robot's object recognition accuracy, as this is a new model. However, I also suspect that the robot's recognition performance in the dark is worse due to a change in the backlight design. Previously, there were two lights on either side of the camera, but now there's just one. It's also possible that the light isn't sufficient.

Therefore, compared to similar systems, Dreame has one of the most accurate object recognition systems, but it's still not perfect. In any case, the robot vacuum cleaner very carefully avoids objects and barely touches furniture, but Dreame's engineers still have some room for improvement!

Suction power

As for suction power, it's excellent. The robot was able to partially remove debris from a 10 mm deep gap, so it can confidently be called powerful. However, I wouldn't say the result is better than the X30, which has 8300 Pa. So yes, it's powerful, but not 1.5 times as powerful, based on a visual inspection of the machine's condition.

Dry cleaning and turbo brush test

The robot vacuum cleaned the entire stand, including the corners, efficiently, and efficiently, picking up debris of varying textures from the laminate flooring.

The central and side brushes are clean, and all debris is in the dust bin. The results are perfect, both in terms of sweeping into corners and the turbo brush's self-cleaning action to remove tangled hair and pet hair. Bravo, Dreame!

In normal household conditions, I even checked the condition of the brush several times after a full cleaning cycle. It really is completely clean. So, if you're choosing a robot vacuum cleaner for pet hair, be sure to consider this one, or the turbo brush itself, which can be retrofitted to previous Dreame robots!

Carpet cleaning

The same debris was scattered on a low-pile carpet. And I can say that the Dreame Bot X40 Pro thoroughly cleaned the carpet.

It's also capable of cleaning medium-pile carpets. A few particles of debris were stuck in the pile, but this isn't a major issue.

This is most likely due to the side brush not rotating on carpet, as it's raised. This is debatable, as raising the side brush will prolong its lifespan, which is why this feature was implemented. However, if the carpet is close to walls or furniture, the robot vacuum won't pick up debris along baseboards, furniture, or in corners. Therefore, it would be better to be able to manually select whether to raise the side brush in the settings, similar to the cleaning cloths. In any case, it cleans carpets perfectly in everyday use.

Self-cleaning

Immediately after the "dirty tests," I checked how well the robot vacuum cleaner self-cleans. Before returning to the station, the dust bin was completely full of dirt. After the self-cleaning test, the dust bin was completely empty, so this robot's self-cleaning is excellent! The results are excellent.

Wet cleaning

The cleaning performance is also excellent. The cloth adheres well to the floor and absorbs dirt.

When it came to scrubbing tough stains, the robot even managed to remove dried-on coffee and sauce stains. Granted, it didn't do so on the first try. It took eight tries, to be precise. But it was still up to the task. Many similar and predecessor robots in the line couldn't even achieve this level of performance.

Wet cleaning and carpets

When it comes to wet cleaning on carpeted floors, there are several robot behavior options. I'll highlight three of the most interesting. The first is the automatic lifting of the cleaning cloths when entering carpets, allowing the robot vacuum cleaner to simultaneously vacuum and mop the floor, leaving the carpets dry and clean.

The second option is to enable the automatic carpet avoidance feature in wet cleaning mode. And the third mode is unique. The robot vacuum first performs dry and wet cleaning of hard floors, then returns to the base, automatically detaches the cleaning pads, and returns to the cleaning process, having vacuumed the carpets without the pads. This is especially useful for high- and medium-pile carpets, as it completely eliminates any contact between the pad and the carpet if necessary.

The idea is very cool. Not only does it completely eliminate contact between wet wipes and carpets, but it's also a more reliable solution than simply lifting the wipes on carpets. A so-called lift can wear out faster if used frequently.

Washing quality of napkins

Now I'd like to test the station's effectiveness. Let's start with the cleaning performance of the wipes. After cleaning the floor of dirt and stains, the wipes were in a terrible state. And after washing them, I can say they are truly clean. Increasing the heating temperature to 70 degrees Celsius and automatically mixing in the detergent produced results.

In a domestic setting, after washing the floor, the wipes are rinsed even better at the station. They don't get washed away by the pressure of warm water. This is a plus.

Station maintenance

The station itself is very easy to clean. We remove the drain, rinse it in the sink, and then return it.

Obstacle clearance

The robot has excellent maneuverability. It can easily cross a 2 cm threshold!

Driving on black surfaces

Driving over black carpets is no problem. The robot glides over the black carpet as if nothing had happened.

Noise level

As for the noise level, it ranges from 57 to 72 dB, depending on the selected operating mode. The noise level is average, which is quite normal given the high actual power.

Personal opinion

The Dreame Bot X40 Pro robot vacuum cleaner has been thoroughly reviewed and tested. According to our rating system, it scored 231 pointsand, of course, to lead Overall rating of tested robotic vacuum cleaners, of which there have already been over 150 in the review. I even deducted 10 points for the regional lock, which needs to be bypassed. The global version of the X40 Ultra, which has already been announced, will score even more points. I'll highlight the pros and cons, and then express my own opinion of the robot.

I liked the following, in order of priority of merits:

1. There are two stations to choose from: an ultra-thin one for integrated kitchen cabinetry and a standard one with water tanks, which can also accommodate a sewer and water supply module. What's really cool is that both stations are compatible with the water drainage module. Direct competitors don't have this option.
2. A fully charged station by 2024 standards, the robot vacuum cleaner self-cleans its dust bin, washes its cloths with VERY hot water, dries them with warm air, and even automatically mixes detergent and disinfects the cloths with an ultraviolet lamp. Moreover, the station is very effective in its self-cleaning, washing, and drying functions. It also features the ability to connect to both sewer and water lines.
3. A retractable side brush finally solves the problem of sweeping debris out of corners. Unlike D-shaped robots, the round Dreame Bot X40 Pro maintains its maneuverability. It quickly and gently navigates corners and around chair legs, without any unnecessary touching or movement.
4. Maximum wet cleaning efficiency. This is due to the retractable cleaning cloth, which allows the robot to thoroughly clean areas along baseboards and furniture. Moreover, thanks to updated algorithms, the cloth is better at cleaning corners and narrow spaces under furniture. Incidentally, the robot's dirt removal performance is better than that of the X30 and previous models in the line. This may also be due to the cloths being hotter after washing.
5. The turbo brush self-cleans with built-in blades and doesn't get tangled with hair or fur. There's no need to clean it manually.
6. High-quality dry and wet cleaning on any surface.
7. Very high suction power, both in figures and in real tests.
8. The presence of a floor recognition system allows the robot to clean more accurately and is less likely to chew on a cord, sock, or other household item.
9. Automatic removal of napkin holders at the station for complete dry cleaning.
10. Automatic lifting of cloths, turbo brush and side brush.
11. The app offers a wide range of features. You can customize cleaning parameters to suit your needs. There's also a CleanGenius smart cleaning mode. New threshold-cleaning capabilities are also available. There's even talk of adding a feature for cleaning behind curtains in the near future.
12. It is possible to install creative voice packs.
13. High-quality assembly and high brand authority.
14. Remote home monitoring by connecting to the robot's camera via a smartphone.
15. Convenient maintenance of the robot and station.
16. Good cross-country ability.
17. The robot vacuum cleaner is not afraid of black floor coverings.

Speaking about the shortcomings, I would highlight the following serious ones:

1. The robot vacuum cleaner is designed for the Chinese market, and therefore has a regional lock that must be bypassed.
2. Full service and warranty support from the manufacturers are not provided. Again, this is because this version is for the Chinese market.
3. The built-in voice assistant only understands phrases in Chinese.
4. Image transmission is delayed due to work through Chinese servers.
5. The object recognition system becomes blind in the dark and requires some improvement.
6. It is not possible to turn off the side brush lift on carpets, which reduces the cleaning quality on carpets.

Of course, in terms of features, cleaning quality, and design, this is the best robot vacuum cleaner on the market, as of early June 2024. We see that the first four of the six issues will be addressed with the global release of the Ultra series. It's unclear, however, how long we'll have to wait and what the price will be. But the robot vacuum itself is OBJECTIVELY close to perfection. The cleaning module does its job superbly.

I'd like to end this review on that note. If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments below the video. Happy shopping, everyone. Bye!