Xiaomi Mijia 3C (B106CN): a very affordable robot vacuum cleaner with lidar and wet cleaning

The Xiaomi Mijia Sweeping Vacuum Cleaner 3C (model number B106CN), priced at around $2.00-$2.20, is a contender for the title of the best budget robot vacuum cleaner with lidar and wet mopping. Indeed, there aren't many robot vacuum cleaners with lidar navigation for this price. Furthermore, you can count the number of robot vacuum cleaners with good cleaning performance on one hand. So, below, I'll thoroughly test the Xiaomi Mijia 3C and express my opinion on whether it truly is a leader among budget vacuum cleaners. So, let's get started!

Equipment

The robot arrived in a box like this:

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

1. Charging base.
2. Power adapter.
3. Adapter for European socket.
4. Nozzle with a cloth for wet cleaning.
5. And the instructions are in Chinese.

The set is minimal. Let's move on!

Appearance

Let's take a look at the Mijia 3C's design. It's white and has a round body. A large obstacle detection sensor is mounted on the front of the mechanical bumper. There's no side wall sensor. The charging terminal is located on the back of the body. It stands 95 mm above the floor.

Two mechanical control buttons are located on the top. Navigation is handled by a lidar sensor, which is permanently mounted and has a non-spring-loaded lid. Under the top lid is a combined container, conveniently located next to which are the robot's cleaning tools. The dust collector holds up to 300 ml of dry waste. The filtration system is HEPA-based only. The reservoir holds up to 200 ml of water. A pump is installed inside for electronically regulating the liquid flow.

A holder with a napkin is attached to the bottom of the body, which is secured with Velcro and a pocket.

The Mijia 3C is equipped with four anti-fall sensors. It has a single side brush: a three-beam, quick-release design. The center brush unit is non-floating. The turbo brush itself is made of bristles and petals. It doesn't disassemble, which is a bad thing.

Overall, the robot's build quality is budget-friendly. All components were kept as cheap as possible to keep the cost as low as possible.

Technical specifications

The main characteristics of the Xiaomi Mijia 3C, as stated by the manufacturer:

• Li-Ion battery 2600 mAh.
• Suction power up to 4000 Pa.
• Operating time up to 100 min.
• Cleaning area up to 100 sq.m.
• Dust collector 300 ml.
• Water tank 200 ml.
• Obstacle clearance up to 20 mm.
• Dimensions: 350*95 mm.

It's important to highlight the increased claimed suction power, which will be verified in tests. And given the lidar and such a powerful motor, the battery is very weak, in my opinion. I'll try to test this as well.

Functional capabilities

Speaking of features, the Xiaomi Mijia 3C is controlled via the proprietary Mi Home mobile app. Since this model is for the Chinese market, you need to select the China region when connecting. And here I was in for a very unpleasant surprise. The app interface is only in Chinese. You can't even select English. I hope this issue will be fixed with a firmware update, but at the time of writing, using the app without additional steps is impossible.

I had to install Mi Home from vevs. After half an hour of additional setup, the Xiaomi Mijia 3 is controlled via a Russian-language app and even speaks Russian. This is certainly cool, but only for those who can tinker with the settings. In fact, this is a major drawback of this model.

Another caveat: in Mi Home by VEVS, you'll also have to select the China region. When you select Russia, the robot vacuum creates a map and saves it, but then the map disappears, and you can't set cleaning zones or select rooms on the map. So, there are some nuances.

The main functions of the Xiaomi Mijia 3C are displayed on the screen:

• Saving multiple cleaning maps in memory.
• 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.
• Water supply regulation.
• User mode.
• Cleaning log.
• Setting up cleaning according to a schedule.
• Double cleaning cycle.
• Y-shaped floor cleaning pattern.

The functionality isn't extensive, but it's great that there's a custom mode, allowing you to flexibly adjust cleaning parameters for each room. The Mijia 3C also features a Y-shaped mopping motion in wet cleaning mode, which is another advantage of robots.

Testing

A detailed video review of the Xiaomi Mijia 3C has already been prepared and published on the channel. I recommend watching the video:

Navigation

And finally, let's move on to the tests. First, we'll check the robot's navigation in a room with obstacles. The robot vacuum cleaned the entire accessible area along the perimeter, then in a serpentine pattern. It also swept around a box and chair legs, and didn't get stuck on a dryer. We couldn't complete the motion tracking test because, in true Xiaomi fashion, the app froze. But as for navigation, this test was successful.

When it comes to navigating within the home, the Mijia 3C navigates room by room, first along the perimeter, then in a serpentine pattern. Cleaning speed is high, and there are no uncleaned areas. This test was also passed.

I'd just like to add that I ran the robot at maximum power. It took 42 minutes to clean 42 square meters of usable area, during which time it used 56% of the battery. At 15%, the robot returns to the charging station. Therefore, it can clean up to 80 square meters on a single charge at maximum power. It's not that the battery is particularly weak, but I tested it with a new battery. Over time, it will discharge faster, and the maximum cleaning area on a single charge will also decrease. This is important to keep in mind.

Suction power

The robot vacuum cleaner's suction power is indeed high, but not as powerful as the manufacturer claims. It managed to suck up debris from crevices as small as 2 and 4 mm deep. This is more than enough to automatically keep your home clean.

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. This included not only small household debris but also pet hair and hair. Only a small amount of debris remained in the corners, where almost all round robots on the market fail to clean effectively. Some pet hair and hair were caught in the center brush. The bulk of the debris was collected in the dust bin. Test passed successfully!

Carpet cleaning

However, carpet cleaning performance is below average, which is typical of most robot vacuum cleaners in the Mijia line. The robot left behind some hair and pet hair after just a few passes over the carpet. So, carpet cleaning is clearly not its strong suit.

Wet cleaning

I was also disappointed with the wet cleaning performance. The robot vacuum cleaner failed to perform well even in floor cleaning mode. The cloth, surprisingly, doesn't press very hard against the floor, and the water flow at maximum level isn't particularly generous, which isn't typical for Mijia robots. Perhaps there's something wrong with my robot, but the fact remains: it failed the test.

Overall, this robot is suitable for collecting fine dust after brushing and gently mopping the floor. Importantly, it can vacuum and mop simultaneously, unlike many budget-friendly alternatives that replace the dust collector with a water tank.

Wet cleaning and carpets

Regarding wet cleaning on carpets, the Mijia 3C doesn't detect carpets, so it doesn't avoid them during wet cleaning, and it doesn't turn off the water supply when it enters carpeted areas. Therefore, it's best to protect carpets with separate no-go zones for wet cleaning.

Obstacle clearance

Obstacle clearance is good. The robot vacuum easily navigates a 2 cm threshold, even with the cleaning cloth attached. That's a plus.

Driving on black surfaces

However, the Mijia 3C, like most other Xiaomi robot vacuums, is sensitive to black surfaces. This is important to keep in mind.

Noise level

Finally, we measured the robot's noise level in different modes. At minimum power, it ranged from 64-65 dB. At medium power, it reached 66 dB. In high power mode, the noise level reached 68 dB, and in Turbo mode, the peak was 72.5 dB. This model's noise level is higher, but this is due to the robot's increased power.

Personal opinion

Xiaomi Mijia 3C has been thoroughly reviewed and tested. our evaluation system he managed to gain 83 pointsThe result is far from the best among budget lidar robots due to design features, cleaning quality, and functionality. But we'll talk about that later.

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

First, I'll highlight the pros and cons I've discovered about the Mijia 3C. I liked the following:

1. Good navigation and the presence of lidar for this price.
2. Increased suction power.
3. Simultaneous dry and wet cleaning.
4. Flexible settings of cleaning parameters.
5. Good quality dry cleaning on hard surfaces.
6. Y-shaped trajectory of movement.
7. Good cross-country ability.
8. Very competitive price.

There are no fewer disadvantages, namely:

1. The robot is designed for the Chinese market, and the worst part is that without any additional manipulation, the application interface is in Chinese.
2. Weak battery.
3. Poor quality carpet cleaning.
4. Poor quality of wet cleaning.
5. Afraid of black floor coverings.
6. The central brush is not disassemblable.

Ultimately, I wouldn't say this is the best budget robot vacuum with lidar. Yes, it's not bad and definitely worth the money. Especially since many others sell it for that price. gyroscopic robots, unable to store maps in memory. But there are certainly many shortcomings, and the issue with the Chinese app is, in my opinion, the main criticism of the robot. If you plan to order it as a gift, you'll have to figure out the settings yourself, and this will put many off buying it. Last but not least, the Mijia 3C's cleaning performance is also subpar.

Therefore, within $200, I would still choose either Midea M6, which is even cheaper, also has a lidar, but it sweeps out corners and the app that comes with the box is in Russian. Or the same iLIFE A10s, which has better dry and wet cleaning performance and additional features like a remote control and a replaceable rubber turbo brush.

So my answer is: "No!" - The Xiaomi Mijia 3C Isn't the Best Budget Lidar RobotIt will certainly make it into the top 5, but the hype surrounding it is unjustified.

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