Xiaomi Lydsto S1: Lidar, Self-Cleaning, Wet Mopping, and Even a UV Lamp

The Xiaomi Lydsto S1 Robot Vacuum Cleaner, priced at $450-$500, boasts a self-cleaning station, dry and wet cleaning options, lidar navigation, a wide range of features for flexible cleaning settings, and even a germicidal UV lamp for surface disinfection. In short, this robot has all the essential features. Below, I'll thoroughly test the Lydsto S1 and then express my opinion on whether it's worth buying. So, let's get started!

Equipment

The robot vacuum cleaner arrived in a branded box like this:

In addition to the robot itself and the self-cleaning station, the kit includes:

1. Operating instructions in English.
2. Six spare bags for the station.
3. Nozzle with a cloth for wet cleaning.
4. Set of 30 disposable wipes for wet cleaning.
5. Robot cleaning tool.

The manufacturer didn't skimp on spare consumables; if only they'd included a replacement HEPA filter, it would have been absolutely fantastic!

Appearance

Now let's take a look at the Lydsto S1's design. Let's start with the robot vacuum. It's round and comes in both white and black. Visually, it's identical to its smaller siblings. R1 And R1D, which were previously reviewed.

Wall sensors are located on both sides of the mechanical bumper. A sensor for detecting obstacles in the robot's path is located in the center. The robot's body is 98 mm high from the floor.

The top cover houses two mechanical control buttons. A lidar sensor is responsible for navigation and is equipped with a mechanical button to prevent the robot from getting stuck under furniture. A combined water and dust container is mounted at the rear. It features a self-cleaning dust container flap and charging terminals.

The dust container holds up to 300 ml of dry waste. It features a triple filtration system: mesh, foam, and HEPA filters. The water tank holds 250 ml. An electronically controlled pump is installed inside.

A nozzle with a cloth is attached to the bottom of the container. Attaching the cloth to the nozzle is very convenient thanks to Velcro and a groove.

The robot's underside is equipped with four fall protection sensors. It has a single, three-beam side brush, secured with a screw. An ultraviolet lamp for surface disinfection is located above the turbo brush.

The central brush unit is floating, which is a plus. The central brush, made of bristles and petals, can be disassembled on both sides for easy cleaning of tangled hair and pet hair.

We'll also consider a self-cleaning station. Waste is discharged from the end, not the bottom. The waste bag is located under the top cover. It's a standard design. The station itself features an informative display that shows the battery percentage and the robot's status.

The bottom waste discharge channel can be removed for cleaning if something gets stuck inside and blocks it. It's also worth noting that the self-cleaning station features an ozonation system, which neutralizes unpleasant odors in the bag and kills bacteria.

Overall, the Lydsto S1's build quality is on par with other Xiaomi robot vacuums. The plastic is high-quality, with no looseness or uneven joints. Considering the price, that's a plus! It's also worth noting that the Lydsto S1 is identical in appearance and design. Viomi Alpha UV, which costs one and a half times more.

Technical specifications

The main characteristics of Lydsto S1, as declared by the manufacturer:

• Li-Ion battery 5200 mAh.
• Suction power up to 3000 Pa.
• Operating time up to 150 min.
• Cleaning area up to 200 sq.m.
• Dust collector 300 ml.
• The water tank capacity is 250 ml.
• Obstacle clearance up to 20 mm.
• Dimensions: 350*98 mm.

Overall, the specifications are standard for a modern lidar robot vacuum. Compared to its predecessors, the R1 and R1D, the suction power has been increased by 300 Pa. I'll definitely check this out during my tests. Let's move on!

Functional capabilities

Let's move on to an overview of the Lydsto S1's features. Currently, the robot vacuum can only be controlled via the Lydsto app. Connection to Mi Home and syncing with Yandex.Alice are currently unavailable. However, the brand's representatives state that they are working on this.

On the main control panel, the robot vacuum cleaner creates a room map and automatically divides it into rooms. Below the map are three main cleaning modes: room-by-room cleaning, where you can also set the cleaning order for selected rooms. You can also select a point on the map where the Lydsto S1 should clean, or create rectangular cleaning zones.

The map editor lets you set virtual walls and no-go zones, even creating separate no-go zones for wet cleaning mode. You can also edit room boundaries and even set up a custom mode. I'll go into more detail about this. For each room, you can customize the suction power, the degree of mopping, and the number of passes the robot makes: one or two, which is a plus. It's also worth noting that the Lydsto S1 can store multiple unique maps in its memory.

For automatic cleaning of the entire available area, you can also adjust the suction power, the water flow rate onto the cleaning cloth, and select a floor cleaning mode and a user mode. The floor cleaning mode, however, isn't the Y-pattern I expected, but rather a complete shutdown of the suction during wet cleaning.

In the settings section, you can set up a cleaning schedule by selecting the time, days of the week, desired rooms, and even custom settings. Manual control and voice notifications are also available. The Lydsto S1 speaks Russian.

Additionally, we recommend enabling double cleaning of the entire accessible area, an additional perimeter walk after the main cleaning, setting a time when the robot vacuum cleaner should not disturb you, sharing control with other users, enabling the automatic power increase when entering carpets, setting the self-cleaning frequency, reviewing the operating instructions in Russian (available online), viewing the cleaning log, monitoring the status of consumables, and updating the firmware to the latest version if necessary.

The Lydsto S1 has quite decent functionality and allows you to flexibly customize cleaning parameters to suit your needs. That's a plus.

Testing

Finally, let's move on to the tests, which will clearly demonstrate the robot's effectiveness. A detailed video review of the Lydsto S1, including all the tests, has already been prepared and published on the channel:

Navigation

First, let's test the Lydsto S1's navigation in a room with obstacles. First, the robot vacuum cleaner traverses the entire accessible area along its perimeter, then cleans it in a zigzag pattern. The legs of a clothes dryer presented no problem. Separately, the robot swept around the legs of a chair and a box, then returned to the charging station. Test successful!

Speaking of navigation within the home, the Lydsto S1 goes room by room, first along the perimeter, then in a serpentine pattern. Cleaning speed is high, and there are no uncleaned areas. This model has excellent navigation.

Suction power

The S1's suction power is quite average. It was only able to suck up debris from a 2mm gap, just like its predecessors, the R1 and R1D. However, this power is still sufficient for automatically maintaining cleanliness in your home, especially if there are no or minimal carpets on the floor.

Dry cleaning

Dry cleaning performance on laminate floors is good. The robot vacuum was able to pick up most of the debris from the floor, including not only small household debris but also pet hair and hair. Only a little debris remained in the corners, where almost all round robots on the market fail to clean effectively. The center and side brushes caught some pet hair and hair. Test successful!

Carpet cleaning

The same trash was scattered on the carpet. The Lydsto S1 performed admirably. All the trash was collected. The test was successful.

Wet cleaning

There are no complaints about wet cleaning either. The quality of cleaning dirt from laminate is on par with similar products. Only one streak remained along the baseboard, but this is a weak point of all the robot vacuums reviewed so far.

It's also important to note that the S1 can vacuum and mop at the same time, which is a plus.

Wet cleaning and carpets

Regarding wet cleaning on carpets, although the Lydsto S1 detects carpets and automatically increases suction, it doesn't avoid them in wet cleaning mode. It also doesn't stop the water supply when it enters carpeted areas. This is worth keeping in mind.

Obstacle clearance

As for the robot's maneuverability, the S1 can navigate thresholds up to 2 cm high, even with the cleaning pad attachment installed. Its obstacle clearance is good.

Driving on dark surfaces

However, like most robots in the Xiaomi ecosystem, the robot vacuum cleaner is sensitive to dark surfaces. This is a drawback.

Noise level

Finally, we measured the Lydsto S1's noise level in different modes. At minimum power, the noise level is between 61-62 dB. In standard mode, it can reach 63 dB. In high power mode, the noise level reaches 65 dB, and at maximum power, the peak was 69 dB. The noise level is quite standard for robot vacuum cleaners.

Let's sum it up

Xiaomi Lydsto S1 has been thoroughly reviewed and tested. our evaluation system he managed to gain 73 out of 100 pointsThe result is good for a budget lidar robot vacuum cleaner with self-cleaning.

Overall rating of robot vacuum cleaners tested on robovac.washerhouse.com: https://robovac.washerhouse.com/en/rejtingi/robovac-obshhij-rejting-robotov-pylesosov-robo.html.

I'll share my personal opinion about the robot. I liked the following:

1. Good navigation.
2. Self-cleaning function.
3. Simultaneous dry and wet cleaning.
4. Good cleaning quality on different surfaces.
5. A large number of functions for flexible adjustment of cleaning parameters.
6. Automatic power increase on carpets.
7. Ability to overcome 2 cm thresholds.
8. Optimal price for a lidar robot with a waste unloading station.

Speaking of disadvantages, it is worth highlighting the temporary impossibility of connecting to Mi Home and the fear of dark floor coverings.

Overall, the robot vacuum cleaner left a mostly positive impression, and for the price, especially if the price stays around $450, it's a very attractive option. In terms of cleaning performance, it's comparable to the Lydsto R1 and R1D models. The only difference from the R1 is the UV lamp, the effectiveness of which is difficult to objectively evaluate, while the only difference from the R1D is the self-cleaning station.

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