Xiaomi Mijia H40: On-station napkin washing, turbo brush with blades, and object avoidance

The Xiaomi Mijia H40 robot vacuum cleaner is a new product for 2024, going on sale this fall. Model number D101CN. Priced at around $400, this device boasts a cloth washing station, a floor detection system, a turbo brush with blades for cutting through tangled hair, suction power of up to 6000 Pa, and two rotating cloths that clean close to baseboards by rotating the body and automatically lift when entering carpets. Overall, it's an interesting combination of features at a great price. Below, I'll thoroughly test the Xiaomi Mijia H40, highlight its pros and cons, and then express my opinion on whether this robot vacuum is worth buying. So, let's get started!

Equipment

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

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

1. Power adapter with Chinese plug and adapter.
2. Two napkin holders.
3. Disposable dust bag for robot.
4. Operating instructions in Chinese.

The package is standard. I was also pleased to find a fan as a gift in the box.

Appearance

Now let's take a look at the design of the Xiaomi Mijia H40. This round robot vacuum cleaner comes in white and measures 104 mm in height.

There is no side wall sensor. A system of obstacle detection sensors is located in the center.

The technology is called S-Cross AI, I will definitely test it.

The main navigation device is the lidar, which is equipped with a spring-loaded button to prevent it from getting stuck under furniture. Two mechanical control buttons are located nearby.

The dust container is located under the top lid. It has a larger capacity, stated at 700 ml. The bottom opens to empty the dust at the press of a button.

A filtration system based on a HEPA filter with a mesh. The HEPA filter with a layer of activated carbon apparently serves as an antibacterial protection and acts as a sorbent.

Instead of a regular dust bag, they suggest using these disposable bags. One is included, the others are purchased separately. According to the manufacturer, they hold up to 1 liter of dry waste. It's an interesting solution, but it all depends on the cost of disposable dust bags. At the time of writing, I couldn't find any for sale.

Unfortunately, the robot does not have a water tank; the wipes are only wetted at the station.

The robot has four fall protection sensors installed underneath. There's no carpet sensor either. It has a single, three-beam, quick-release side brush.

The central brush unit is floating. One of the key features of the Xiaomi Mijia H40 is its turbo brush with blades, like the top-end Dreame and the older model. Xiaomi Mijia M30sThe brush itself is equipped with blades for cutting through tangled hair and fur. The brush itself also disassembles for cleaning. A truly innovative solution that has already proven effective in testing.

Standard-size cloths. They automatically lift when the robot enters carpets, returns to the station, and moves to the selected cleaning area.

There's no retractable mechanism. To clean close to baseboards, the robot vacuum rotates its rear end as it moves around the perimeter.

As for the station, the Xiaomi Mijia H40 is charged, washed, and dried on it.

The dust collector is not self-cleaning, which is important to keep in mind. The washing and drying temperatures for the wipes are not specified in the promotional materials. Experiments have shown that the wipes are washed without heating water and dried with air at room temperature.

The ramp for the robot to enter and the tray for washing wipes are removable, which is a plus!

The water tanks are located on top, each holding 4 liters.

Automatic mixing of detergent from a separate tank is still not implemented. Another issue is that the station cannot be connected to the sewer or water supply by purchasing an additional module. This is also not ideal.

The pros and cons of this design will be discussed during the final review. Let's move on!

Technical specifications

The main characteristics of the Xiaomi Mijia H40, as stated by the manufacturer, are displayed on the screen:

Robot vacuum cleaner:

• Li-Ion battery 5200 mAh.
• Suction power up to 6000 Pa.
• Dust collector 700 ml.
• Water tank: none.
• Obstacle clearance up to 20 mm.
• Dimensions: 350*104 mm.

Station:

• Clean water tank: 4 l.
• Dirty water tank: 4 l.
• Dimensions: 442*340*457 mm.

The increased suction power is noticeable here, which will be verified in tests. The other characteristics are in line with similar devices.

Functional capabilities

Let's move on to a review of the Xiaomi Mijia H40's features. The robot vacuum cleaner is controlled via the proprietary Mi Home app. This version is for the Chinese market. There's no need to worry about blocking the app; simply set the region to China in the app. While the app interface is in English at the time of writing, the robot vacuum cleaner speaks Chinese. This is important to keep in mind.

The main functions are displayed on the screen:

• Washing napkins at the station.
• Drying napkins.
• Scrolling the body at the baseboard.
• Identifying objects on the floor.
• 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).
• User mode.
• Suction power adjustment.
• Setting the frequency of washing napkins (8/10/15 sq.m.).
• Cleaning log.
• Setting up cleaning according to a schedule.
• Automatic power increase on carpet.
• Carpet cleaning in wet cleaning mode.
• Lifting napkins when driving onto carpets.

There are still limited settings for the cleaning frequency of the cleaning pads—for example, you can't choose to return to the station after each cleaned area. Since there's no carpet sensor, you need to manually set carpet zones on the map and then choose the robot's behavior in these zones: avoiding carpets or driving through them with the cleaning pads raised.

Well, the basic options for flexible cleaning settings are now available, including a custom mode.

Testing

A detailed video review with 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 Xiaomi Mijia H40's navigation in a room with obstacles. First, the robot vacuum cleaner navigates the perimeter of the room. A floor-length mirror created a non-existent room—a problem with lidar robots, but not a critical one. The legs of the clothes dryer weren't an obstacle. After 8 square meters, the robot returned to the station, washed the napkins, and continued its work. It also swept around the chrome legs of the chair and the box. There were no uncleaned areas; 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. Every 8 square meters, as I determined, it returns to the station and washes the cleaning pads. Afterwards, it resumes cleaning from where it left off. There are no uncleaned areas. This model has good navigation.

Passing under low furniture

I also checked the minimum height the robot vacuum can pass. It can't pass below 10 cm, as the body is 104 mm high. However, it can pass below 105 mm without any problems.

Identifying and avoiding objects

I also tested the object detection system. In good lighting, the robot vacuum managed to avoid five of the six objects. It only fell for the pet surprise trap. It brushed against a few other objects, but they didn't damage it.

In complete darkness, the robot vacuum carefully navigated around a scale, a sneaker, and a toy. It moved a sock, ran over a fake pet toy, and chewed on the charger cord, after which it malfunctioned. So, in the dark, the object recognition system is blind.

Suction power

As for suction power, it cleaned a 2 mm-deep crevice in the [Power] mode, and the same result in the [Standard] mode. In the [Power] mode, it reached 4 mm, and in the [Turbo] mode, the robot vacuum partially removed debris from crevices 6, 8, and 10 mm deep. So yes, this is a truly powerful robot, and that's a plus!

Dry cleaning

The collection quality of various types of debris on laminate floors is good. Only a little debris remains in corners, where round robotic vacuums can't reach. It's also important to note that the central brush doesn't pick up any hair or fur. It actually cuts them off effectively.

In everyday use, the brush doesn't actually tangle or cut through pet hair. I checked the brush several times after a full cleaning cycle. The main part is clean. A small amount of pet hair may tangle on the sides, but the brush is easy to disassemble and clean. Therefore, if you're looking for a robot vacuum cleaner for pet hair and under $400, definitely consider the Xiaomi Mijia H40.

Carpet cleaning

The same debris was scattered on a low-pile carpet. And I can say the robot cleaned the carpet thoroughly. However, there were issues with the medium-pile carpet. The bumper's sensor system detects pile as an obstacle, leaving some areas uncleaned. The sensor system can't be turned off. Consequently, we see that the areas the robot passed over were cleaned well, while the areas it avoided were left dirty. This issue is more related to the object detection system than the cleaning module. In fact, the same issue was observed with the Mijia M30s.

Wet cleaning and carpets

Regarding wet cleaning in the presence of carpets, there's a caveat. Since the robot lacks a carpet detection sensor, it can't automatically detect carpeted areas. You must manually define them on the map. After that, you'll be prompted to choose one of several interaction modes.

It can carefully navigate carpets in wet cleaning mode or clean carpets in wet cleaning mode, automatically lifting the cleaning pads when it enters carpets. This is the most optimal cleaning option.

Removing dirt and stains

This robot vacuum cleaner does a great job of removing dirt, leaving no streaks or marks. Moreover, you can choose to double-pass the dirty area. The first pass will remove all the dirt, then wash the cloths and rinse the floor clean. This is the main advantage of robot vacuum cleaners with a cloth washing station.

When it came to scrubbing 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. It took ten tries, to be precise. But it was still up to the task. Many similar and predecessors in the line couldn't even achieve this level of performance.

Washing quality of napkins

Now, I'd like to talk about the effectiveness of the station itself. Let's start with the quality of the wipes' washing. Even after extensive testing, the wipes look significantly better after washing with the station.

In a domestic setting, after washing the floor, the wipes are thoroughly rinsed at the station. A minimal amount of dirt is removed under the pressure of warm water. This is a plus.

I'd like to point out right away that the napkin drying system, although unheated, is nonetheless effective thanks to the ability to set a drying cycle of up to 12 hours. Even in just 6 hours, the station completely dries napkins.

Station maintenance

The station itself is easy to clean. It has a self-cleaning function that can be activated in the app. It's also convenient that the tray and drain can be removed and washed in the sink.

Obstacle clearance

The robot vacuum cleaner easily navigates 2 cm high thresholds. That's a plus!

Driving on black surfaces

It's also not afraid of black surfaces, easily driving on completely black carpet. This is another advantage of the robot!

Noise level

As for the noise level, it ranges from 59 to 74 dB. This model's noise level is higher at the last two power levels, but the suction power is actually high. These parameters are interconnected.

Personal opinion

The Xiaomi Mijia H40 robot vacuum cleaner has been thoroughly reviewed and tested. According to our rating system, it scored 159 points and this is a good result for a robot vacuum cleaner with a station for washing napkins without a self-cleaning dust container function.

Overall rating of tested robots: https://robovac.washerhouse.com/en/rejtingi/robovac-obshhij-rejting-robotov-pylesosov-robo.htmlI'll highlight the pros and cons, and then share my own opinion about the robot.

I liked the following:

1. The napkin washing station is effective and efficient. It also features spacious tanks and a removable tray for easy cleaning.
2. High-quality dry and wet cleaning on hard surfaces and low-pile carpets.
3. High suction power.
4. A turbo brush with blades that automatically cuts off tangled hair and fur.
5. Possibility of installing disposable bags instead of a dust collector.
6. Capacious dust collector.
7. Capable of cleaning areas right up to the baseboard thanks to the rotating body.
8. The robot vacuum cleaner is capable of removing even difficult stains.
9. Touch objects and furniture more accurately thanks to the object detection system.
10. Automatic lifting of the wipes is provided when entering carpets, when returning to the station and during dry cleaning.
11. Good cross-country ability.
12. The robot vacuum cleaner is not afraid of black floor coverings.
13. Optimal price for a robotic vacuum cleaner.

Among the disadvantages I would highlight:

1. The robot vacuum cleaner is designed for the Chinese market. It doesn't speak Russian, and the app interface is in English. Furthermore, it lacks full service and warranty support from the manufacturer.
2. A simplified design, or more accurately, a cheaper assembly. There's no wall sensor, no carpet sensor, and no water tank in the robot. The station doesn't heat up the water for washing or heat up the air for drying cloths. There's also no automatic detergent refill.
3. The station cannot be connected to the sewerage and water supply.
4. Limited settings for the napkin wash interval. You can't select a wash interval after each room or after a certain amount of time.
5. There are issues cleaning medium-pile carpets. The robot avoids certain areas of the carpet, detecting the pile as an obstacle.
6. Overall, the object detection system requires some improvement, as it becomes blind in the dark and is not ideal even in good lighting.

Ultimately, yes, there are some concerns, but given the price, they're not at all critical given the station. I simply showed what the robot has lost compared to premium models to fit into the sub-$400 price range.

The Xiaomi Mijia H40 is definitely worth considering and is recommended if you're looking for an affordable robot vacuum cleaner. As long as your floors aren't covered in medium-pile carpet, it will clean effectively. Overall, it's a powerful, neat, and versatile robot vacuum cleaner.

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!