Dreame L40s Pro Ultra: Flagship Cleaning Performance, But More Affordable

Hello to all readers of the project! This review will examine the Dreame L40s Pro Ultra robot vacuum cleaner. It's very similar to the flagship X50 Ultra Complete. It features the same design and functionality, as well as an identical cleaning module and object recognition system. There are a few visible differences at first glance: a different color, simpler packaging, a lidar sensor that doesn't recess into the body, and a simplified wheel design for overcoming thresholds. The suction power is also slightly lower: 19,000 Pa. However, the price is significantly better. At the time of writing, the robot costs under $1,000. Below, I'll thoroughly test the Dreame L40s Pro Ultra, highlight its pros and cons, and express my opinion. I'll also briefly compare it to the older X50. So, let's get started!

Equipment

The robot vacuum cleaner arrived in a branded box like this:
Dreame L40s Pro Ultra: Top View

In addition to the robot and station itself, the delivery kit includes:

1. Two napkin holders.
2. Power adapter.
3. Robot cleaning tool.
4. Branded cleaning product.
5. Spare bag for the station.
6. Documentation for the robot with translation into Russian.

Appearance

Now let's take a look at the Dreame L40s Pro Ultra's design. Let's start with the robot vacuum itself. It comes in white, combined with stone gray accents.

The robot vacuum cleaner itself is round. The body is 103.5 mm high. A wall sensor is mounted on the right.

In the center is a system of sensors and cameras for recognizing and accurately avoiding objects on the floor. A backlight is installed next to the cameras, preventing the robot from becoming blind in complete darkness.

In addition to object recognition, the camera can be used for remote monitoring of your home via a smartphone.

A lidar is responsible for navigation. It is equipped with a spring-loaded cover to prevent it from getting stuck under furniture. Three mechanical control buttons are located next to the lidar.

The dust container and QR code for connecting the robot to the Wi-Fi network are located under the top cover. The dust container holds 310 ml. The filtration system uses a washable HEPA filter. The water tank is hidden inside the body and is automatically filled at the station.

The robot's underside is equipped with four anti-fall sensors and a carpet sensor. It has a single, three-beam side brush secured with a screw.

The side brush extends into corners and under furniture for thorough sweeping. It can also be raised when mopping floors, on carpets, and when returning to the station or over thresholds.

The robot's wheels deserve special attention. They are equipped with so-called claws for overcoming thresholds. This technology is called EasyLeap. It is claimed to be able to overcome thresholds up to 22 mm wide on a single level and up to 40 mm wide on two-level thresholds. Interestingly, the claws themselves are removable.

The cleaning module features a redesigned design, similar to the older X50 model. It features two bristle-petal turbo brushes called HyperStream. The central brush unit not only floats but also lifts up during floor cleaning. The turbo brushes are cone-shaped and have a free end to remove tangled hair and fur. They are held in place by spokes. The suction opening is positioned toward the edge, where tangled hair is removed.

For wet cleaning, the robot mops the floor with two round, rotating pads. They are of a standard design and are held in place with Velcro.

One of the cloths extends to the edge of the body for a thorough cleaning of the floor along the walls and furniture.

There's even an algorithm for back-swiping under furniture. Furthermore, the robot backs up into corners to minimize blind spots.

The wipers can automatically lift up 10.5 mm when entering carpets, as well as during dry cleaning and returning to the station. Furthermore, the robot can automatically drop the wiper holders at the station for a complete dry cleaning.

As for the station, the Dreame L40s Pro Ultra self-cleans the dust bin, washes the cloths with hot water, automatically mixes in detergent, and dries the cloths with warm air after the cleaning cycle.

Interestingly, the UV lamps for disinfecting the trash bag and wipe tray have been removed, compared to the X50 model. I'll add that the station is equipped with wipe soilage sensors, allowing for re-rinsing when necessary. Furthermore, this station can be connected to the sewer and water supply by purchasing the appropriate module, called RAW7. Let's go through each component in turn.

The station's bottom has been updated. It's now flat, without ridges. Water is supplied to the cloth wash area through 20 nozzles, which evenly wet both cloths. The water temperature during washing reaches 75°C.

The robot's access ramp is removable, as is the coarse filter in the tray. However, the tray itself is not removable.

Above the napkin washing area, under a grey cover, there is a standard waste bag and a container for detergent, which is mixed with clean water when washing napkins.

The water tank is traditionally located under the top lid. The dirty water tank holds 4 liters, while the clean water tank holds 4.5 liters. The clean water tank contains a water disinfection module.

We see that the robot vacuum cleaner has been significantly updated, compared to both the L30 and X40 models. The pros and cons of this design will be discussed in the test summary.

Technical specifications

The main characteristics of the Dreame L40s Pro Ultra, as stated by the manufacturer:

Robot vacuum cleaner:

• Li-Ion battery 5200 mAh.
• Suction power up to 19,000 Pa.
• Operating time up to 180 min.
• Dust collector 310 ml.
• Water tank 80 ml.
• Obstacle clearance up to 40 mm.
• Dimensions: 350*103.5 mm.

Station:

• Clean water tank: 4.5 l.
• Dirty water tank: 4 l.
• Bag in station: 3.2 l.
• Dimensions: 590*340*457 mm.

Compared to the X50, we reduced the suction power, battery capacity, dust bin size, and throughput. We'll see how this impacts the robot's performance in our tests.

Functional capabilities

Speaking of features, the Dreame L40s Pro Ultra is controlled via the proprietary Dreamehome app. It connects to the network without any issues, and there are no regional locks or workarounds. The app is in Russian, and the robot itself also speaks Russian. Everything is convenient and intuitive.

Main functions:

• Self-cleaning dust collector.
• Wash napkins with hot water (75°C).
• Drying napkins with warm air.
• Automatic addition of detergent.
• Raising the wipers, side and central brush.
• Side brush extension in corners.
• Recognizing objects on the floor.
• Camera illumination in low light conditions.
• Remote home monitoring via smartphone.
• Saving multiple cleaning maps in memory.
• 3D map of the room.
• Automatic zoning of premises into rooms.
• Selecting areas and rooms for cleaning.
• Virtual walls and no-go zones (and for wet cleaning mode).
• Suction power adjustment.
• Setting the frequency of rinsing wipes.
• User mode.
• CleanGenius mode.
• Spot recognition.
• Cleaning behind the curtains.
• Cleaning log.
• Setting up cleaning according to a schedule.
• Automatic power increase on carpet.
• Carpet cleaning in wet cleaning mode.
• Automatic removal of napkin holders at the station.
• Yandex.Alice support.
• Support "Ok, Dreame"
• Dynamic cleaning of an area with obstacles.
• Hair compression in the dust collector.

The high washing temperature of the napkins is worth noting. This model also supports control via the proprietary "Ok, Dreame" voice assistant, which understands Russian phrases. While the range of phrases is currently limited, the built-in assistant is very convenient, and there's room for improvement to make the robot more user-friendly.

There is also a remote home monitoring mode via the robot's camera, which will be useful for many.

It's good that they've retained the curtain cleaning mode, which most lidar robots aren't capable of.

It's also worth mentioning the new dynamic spot cleaning mode. This feature allows the robot vacuum to clean missed areas where people and pets were detected and could interfere with the cleaning process. That's great!

And now there's a new feature that compresses hair in the dust bin during cleaning. I haven't really noticed how effective it is, but it's worth mentioning.

Overall, we see that the functionality is constantly being updated, and new useful features are emerging that many missed in its predecessors.

Testing

A detailed video review of the Dreame L40s Pro Ultra, including all tests, has already been prepared and published on the channel:

 

Navigation

And finally, let's move on to the tests. First, we'll test the robot's navigation in a room with obstacles. After leaving the station, it navigated the perimeter of the room, recognizing and carefully navigating around the legs of a dryer. After that, it began cleaning the entire accessible area in a serpentine pattern. It swept around several table legs and a box before returning to the station. Interestingly, the mirror didn't introduce any errors into its map.

Speaking of navigation within the home, the robot vacuum cleaner cleans room by room, following the perimeter, then in a serpentine pattern. At set intervals, it returns to the station and washes the cleaning pads, then resumes cleaning where it left off. There are no uncleaned areas; this model has excellent navigation!

Passing under low furniture

The minimum clearance height of the robot was also tested. Considering the robot itself is almost 104 mm tall, it can't fit under a standard 10 cm clearance of furniture. However, it can fit under 11 cm.

Autonomy

I also tested the battery life when running the robot at maximum power with wet cleaning enabled. It lasted 119 minutes, cleaning 102 square meters of usable space. In reality, that's enough to clean a two-bedroom apartment twice. However, it's worth noting that the robot can resume cleaning after charging at the base, meaning it can clean twice as much. Compared to the X50, the robot cleaned the same area on a single charge, so the reduced battery capacity didn't noticeably impact its battery life.

Recognizing objects on the floor

As for the object avoidance system, it's as close to perfect as ever! In good lighting, the robot was able to accurately avoid 6 out of 6 objects on the floor, correctly identifying 5 of them, except for a toy. It was also able to correctly identify and accurately avoid 3 out of 3 socks, all 4 out of 4 wires, and 6 out of 6 simulated pet surprises.

The object recognition system can also function in complete darkness thanks to the backlight. The robot was able to avoid six of six household objects, only missing a toy and slightly bumping into the scale. Of the four wires, it recognized and avoided only two, moving the other two but not chewing them. Of the three socks, it recognized and avoided two, moving one slightly but not chewing one. As for the pet surprise simulations, it recognized and avoided all six.

So, I can say that the object recognition system is very accurate. It still needs some refinement, of course, but only minimally. The robot didn't move any dangerous traps, and those that did didn't interfere with cleaning or disable it. Overall, I have no serious complaints!

Cleaning behind the curtains

A key advantage of the Dreame L40s Pro Ultra, compared to many competitors, is its ability to clean behind curtains and drapes. To do this, you set a specific zone on the map, and the robot first cleans the room in its normal mode, then gently pushes past curtains and drapes, cleaning behind them. Very cool!

Suction power

One of the most important tests is to check the actual suction power on a test bench with crevices of varying depths. In "Quiet" mode, the Dreame L40s Pro Ultra was able to clean a 2 mm crevice well, and the results were similar in both Standard and Turbo modes. In "Maximum" mode, the robot partially reached the 8 mm mark, and in "Maximum+" mode, it also partially reached the 4 mm mark.

So the result is similar to the flagship X50 - the power is actually increased, but for comparison, the predecessor Dreame X40 Ultra Complete The result was 12 mm. It's all due to the new brushes. Due to the larger suction opening and the distance between the brushes and the housing, aerodynamic losses have appeared. While not as critical as with some premium competitors, they are still present.

Dry cleaning

The quality of debris collection on laminate floors was good. Various debris was collected from the stand, including cat litter pellets, which often clog the turbo brush. Importantly, this robot vacuum cleaned corners well, thanks to the retractable side brush.

I'll note that in challenging environments, the robot doesn't completely sweep the outer corners, leaving small blind spots. This would be a good issue to address.

Let's look at the condition of the cleaning module. We see that the side brush has picked up some hair, and the second roller, located closer to the back, has picked up more hair. Given the limited space and large amount of debris, it's too early to evaluate the effectiveness of this solution. Further testing is needed.

Anti-tangle Hair Protection

I just recently tested how the new turbo brushes handle self-cleaning of hair and pet hair. I laid out hair of varying lengths on the floor. The robot picked it up, and we saw that the second roller had again picked up some hair.

I tested the brushes in a home environment after a week of use in an apartment with a shedding pet. Even under these conditions, the brushes were clean, so I think the updated cleaning module is effective in preventing hair and fur from tangling!

Carpet cleaning

Additionally, debris was scattered on a low-pile carpet. And I can say that the Dreame L40s Pro Ultra thoroughly cleaned the carpet. It can also thoroughly clean medium-pile carpet. Test passed!

Self-cleaning

Immediately after the "dirty tests," I checked how well the robot vacuum self-cleaned. I returned it to the station and started the self-cleaning routine. The results were good.

Wet cleaning and carpets

When it comes to wet cleaning on carpets, there are several robot behavior options. I'll highlight three of the most interesting. The first is the automatic lifting of the cleaning pads 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 automatic carpet sweeping in wet cleaning mode. And the third mode is the most interesting. The robot vacuum first performs dry and wet cleaning of hard floors, then returns to the base, automatically detaches the cleaning pads, and resumes cleaning, 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.

There's also a mode in which the robot uses its cloths to contact the carpet during dry and wet cleaning. This might be useful for some.

Wiping off dirt

The dirt removal performance is also excellent. The cloth presses firmly to the floor and absorbs dirt. It also eliminates the narrow area along the baseboard, thanks to the extension of one of the cloths. That's a plus!

Removing stains

When it comes to removing tough stains, the robot was able to remove even dried-on coffee and sauce stains. Granted, it didn't do it on the first try. To be precise, most of the stains were removed on the sixth try. However, two small stains were completely removed on the seventh try. A good result, compared to similar products!

Washing and drying test of napkins

I'd like to immediately talk about the effectiveness of the station itself. Let's start with the cleaning quality of the wipes. Even after extensive testing, the wipes look significantly better after washing at the station. The water heating feature certainly improves cleaning efficiency. And fortunately, the lack of ridges in the bottom of the station didn't affect the self-cleaning performance. In a domestic setting, the wipes also rinse well after washing the floor at the station. Dirt isn't washed away by the pressure of warm water. That's a plus.

I decided to check the temperature myself – in my case, in the area of ​​the water supply nozzles, the peak value was 41.1 degrees.

Measurement errors cannot be ruled out, depending on the sensor's installation location and the sensor's accuracy. However, the result is far from 75 degrees. However, the drying temperature is high—the sensor showed over 50 degrees, which is a good result!

Station maintenance

A few words about station maintenance. After a week of using the robot in a home environment, we see that the station's bottom is actually clean. Some debris has accumulated on the coarse filter, which will need to be cleaned manually periodically. Overall, the station's updated design clearly simplifies maintenance without compromising its self-cleaning performance!

Passability

An equally interesting test is the robot's maneuverability. The robot crosses a 2-centimeter threshold without any problem.

But it can't overcome 3 cm on a single level. Just like in my case, it can't cross a two-level threshold of 2+2 cm. The robot hits the second level with its bumper and backs up.

Perhaps if the threshold design were changed to make the first level deeper, the robot could grab onto the obstacle with its claws and climb over it. But the solution implemented in the X50 is clearly far superior.

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 58.2 to 72 dB, which is standard. The station's noise level during self-cleaning is approximately 73.3 dB, which is also standard.

Personal opinion

The Dreame L40s Pro Ultra robot vacuum cleaner has been thoroughly reviewed and tested. our evaluation system he managed to gain 243 points and take third place in overall ranking of tested robotic vacuum cleaners, yielding to the leader of the rating, Dreame X50 Ultra Complete, 6 points.

I'll highlight the pros and cons I discovered, and then share my opinion on the robot. I liked the following:

1. A fully charged station by 2025 standards. It has all the most popular functions: water heating, air heating, self-cleaning bottom, automatic detergent mixing, and even a wipe soil level control.
2. A separate advantage worth highlighting is the fact that the station connects to the sewer and water supply, which significantly distinguishes this robot from some competitors.
3. Maintenance of the station has been simplified thanks to a new design for the wipes. Although it is no longer removable, the flat bottom is virtually impervious to contamination and self-cleans when washed.
4. A very accurate object recognition system. It's practically perfect; the robot didn't make any mistakes or detect imitations of pet surprises, both in good lighting and in complete darkness.
5. The robot vacuum cleaner is capable of cleaning behind curtains and drapes, which makes it stand out from most lidar-based alternatives.
6. High-quality wet cleaning over large areas. The cloths press harder on the floor, removing tough stains faster. Plus, the cloth can reach up to baseboards, swivel under furniture, and reach into corners with its back. The cloths also lift up on carpets and can be dropped off at stations for a full dry cleaning. Everything here is fully charged by 2025 standards.
7. Increased suction power. Although the 19,000 Pascal rating wasn't confirmed in tests, the robot demonstrated excellent dust collection, including large debris, on a variety of surfaces, even medium-pile carpets!
8. The robot vacuum cleaner completely sweeps out debris from corners and can even partially sweep it from under furniture thanks to its retractable side brush.
9. The new dual turbo brushes virtually eliminate pet hair and lint in everyday households, yet effectively pick up debris on a variety of surfaces. Larger debris is better collected thanks to the increased clearance between the brushes.
10. Automatic lifting of cloths, turbo brush and side brush.
11. The robot vacuum cleaner is not afraid of black surfaces.
12. The proprietary app offers a wide range of features. New features are constantly being added, such as stain detection, dynamic cleaning, and even a hair compression feature that squeezes hair out of the dust bin during cleaning.
13. Built-in voice support "Ok, Dreame" to control the robot with voice commands without using a smartphone.
14. Remote home monitoring function via robot camera.
15. The app, voice notifications, commands, and instructions are fully localized in Russian. The robot is fully market-ready.
16. High-quality assembly and high brand authority.
17. Availability of warranty and service.

Among the disadvantages I would like to highlight:

1. The height of the body exceeds 10 cm, which is a standard clearance under furniture, which the robot is physically unable to enter.
2. The claimed increased cross-country capability wasn't confirmed in tests. The body itself doesn't lift to increase the robot's ground clearance. The only assumption is that it will climb, hooking its claws and slightly lifting the body. In short, this solution isn't suitable for all two-level threshold configurations. The robot's cross-country capability on single-level thresholds is standard.
3. The claimed superior suction power wasn't confirmed in tests. This is clearly due to the new central brushes. The engineers prioritized improving the quality of debris collection, including large debris, and the ability to remove tangled hair. The large gaps resulted in some losses. These aren't critical, and even 8 mm is a good result. However, in terms of actual output power, this device is inferior to some similar devices.

Overall, I don't think these comments are critical. Considering that the robot itself is practically on par with the flagship X50 model in cleaning quality and efficiency, it might make sense for many to save money and choose this option. Compared to the older X50, the Dreame L40s Pro Ultra has a taller frame, less maneuverability, fewer accessories, and lacks UV lamps in the station. However, the robot demonstrated similar power, dry cleaning performance, and stain removal speed. And the basic functionality hasn't been reduced. It's definitely an interesting option and a good alternative to the X50, or if you don't want to spend over $1,000 on a robot.

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