Dreame Bot L10 Ultra: Fewer features, lower price, but same design

The Dreame Bot L10 Ultra robot vacuum cleaner is a stripped-down version of the 2022 flagship, Dreame Bot L10s UltraThe main difference is the lack of a sensor system and camera on the front bumper for remote tracking and accurate obstacle avoidance. A number of other changes have also reduced the price by approximately $300-400. For comparison, the higher-end L10s Ultra costs up to $1,100, while the lower-end L10 Ultra costs between $700 and $800. However, the robot still has a lidar sensor, a similar cleaning module, and a similar-looking station. This is quite interesting. So, below, I'll thoroughly test the Dreame Bot L10 Ultra, after which I'll express my opinion on whether it's worth the extra cost for the more advanced model, or whether it's worth saving and choosing the more affordable option without a camera. I'll also summarize all the differences I discovered between these two robots in a table. So, let's get started!

Equipment

The package includes:

1. Power adapter.
2. Spare bag for the base.
3. Brush for cleaning the station.
4. Two napkin holders.
5. Operating instructions.

The equipment is, as always, minimal.

Appearance

Let's take a look at the Dreame Bot L10 Ultra's design. Let's start with the robot itself. It's round and comes in white. It's virtually identical in appearance to the Dreame Bot L10s Ultra, unless you look closely at the bumper.

We see that there are no 3D sensors on the sides of the camera window, and instead of the camera itself, a sensor for detecting large obstacles in the robot's path is installed behind the glass closer to the top, as in most other models.

On the right side of the mechanical bumper is a wall sensor, and at the back we see charging terminals and a hole for pumping water into the robot's tank when docked at a station.

The control panel features three mechanical control buttons. Navigation is handled by a lidar sensor, which is equipped with a spring-loaded cover to prevent the robot from getting stuck under furniture.

The dust container is located under the top cover. Like the filtration system, it can be washed with water. The container contains a mesh filter and a HEPA filter. The dust container holds up to 350 ml of dry waste. The water tank is hidden inside the robot and is not accessible. The water tank capacity is 80 ml.

The robot has four fall protection sensors installed underneath. A carpet detection sensor is located next to the swivel roller. There's a single side brush: a three-beam, quick-release brush.

The central brush unit is floating, which is a plus. As usual, the central brush is silicone and can be disassembled on both sides for easy cleaning of hair and pet hair.

Two round, rotating microfiber cloths are located behind the brush unit. They attach easily to the robot vacuum cleaner's body with magnets and are held in place with Velcro. Like the previous model, they do not extend beyond the edges of the body, so cleaning floors close to furniture and baseboards remains a challenge, as with similar models. A system has been implemented to lift these cloths when entering and exiting carpets. They simply unscrew or rewind as needed. The cloths can be lifted up to 7 mm.

Ultimately, we see that the robot is identical in design to the older L10s Ultra model, with the exception of the camera and sensors on the bumper. Let's see if the station has changed.

The only visual change was the color of the lid behind the trash bag. It's now white instead of silver.

But what's more interesting is that inside the platform, in the wipes rinsing area, there is a removable, cast module that has a bottom.

For comparison, here's what the same module looks like on the L10s Ultra. The cast design is more practical. We removed the tray, washed it, and returned it to the base. Apparently, they thought about it and partially tweaked the design to make the station easier to maintain. That's definitely a plus.

Above the platform is a compartment with a waste bag. It's hidden behind a magnetically secured lid. The lid itself stores the robot's cleaning tool—another convenient feature. The bag itself holds 3 liters of dry waste.

There are also some differences on the top of the station. The touch control buttons have been removed. It's not a big deal, but I still use them sometimes on the L10s Ultra, for example. Under the top cover are two equally large tanks for clean and dirty water, each holding 2.5 liters. They're small compared to some similar models from other brands. Beneath them is a compartment for the detergent cartridge. And here's where things get interesting.

When unpacking, I was surprised to find no cartridge included. I thought they'd skimped on this consumable. But it turned out to be much worse – the cartridge slot remains the same as on the L10s Ultra, but if you remove the cap at the bottom, there's no nozzle for attaching the cartridge. I checked with the brand's representatives – this model doesn't support automatic detergent dispensing to the wipes' rinse zone. This is another SIGNIFICANT difference with the stripped-down model. Not a very good decision, considering the station's design hasn't changed. However, there are plugs inside for connecting to the station's utilities. There are no openings on the outside, though, and they also specified that the station doesn't connect to the sewer or water supply. Overall, the station's design is definitely odd.

Ultimately, we see that both the robot and the station differ in design. But in any case, the model still boasts a solid set of engineering solutions. These include a cloth lift on carpets, two rotating discs with cloths, a silicone brush, and the station's functions, including self-cleaning, cloth rinsing, and hot-air drying. Thankfully, at least they retained that feature.

Technical specifications

The main characteristics of the Dreame Bot L10 Ultra, as stated by the manufacturer, are summarized below.

Robot vacuum cleaner:

• Li-Ion battery 5200 mAh.
• Suction power up to 5300 Pa.
• Operating time up to 210 min.
• Cleaning area up to 200 sq.m.
• Dust collector capacity is 350 ml.
• The water tank capacity is 80 ml.
• Obstacle clearance up to 20 mm.
• Dimensions: 350*97 mm.

Station:

• Power consumption (charging/rinsing and drying/self-cleaning): (≈55W/78W/1000W).
• Clean water tank: 2.5 l.
• Dirty water tank: 2.5 l.
• Bag in the station: 3 l.
• Dimensions: 423*340*568 mm.

The only important specification is the claimed high suction power, which will be verified in tests. The rest of the parameters are in line with similar models. There are no differences in specifications from the L10s Ultra.

Functional capabilities

Let's move on to an overview of the Dreame Bot L10 Ultra's features. The robot vacuum is controlled via the new Dreamehome app. The app interface is in Russian. Connection is simple; follow the manufacturer's instructions.

The main functions of the robot vacuum cleaner are displayed on the screen:

• Self-cleaning.
• Rinsing napkins at the station.
• Drying napkins with hot air.
• Lifting napkins on the carpet.
• 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 (by area, by zones).
• User mode.
• Cleaning log.
• Setting up cleaning according to a schedule.
• Voice notifications in Russian.
• Automatic power increase on carpet.
• Carpet cleaning in wet cleaning mode.
• Cleaning the base station.
• Yandex.Alice support.

The functionality allows you to flexibly customize cleaning parameters to suit your needs. For household cleaning, all the basic settings are available, including the ability to select the desired cleaning mode for each room. A new feature not found on the L10s Ultra is "Base Station Cleaning." In this mode, the robot moves away from the base station, filling the removable tray with water, prompting you to grab a brush and clean this module. After 3 minutes, the water automatically drains.

It's not entirely clear why you would do this if you could simply remove the entire module, take it to the sink, and rinse it thoroughly under running water.

Testing

A detailed video review of the Dreame Bot L10 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 Dreame Bot L10 Ultra's navigation in a room with obstacles. The robot vacuum first navigates the perimeter of the room, then cleans the entire accessible area in a serpentine pattern. The legs of a clothes dryer presented a slight challenge, but the robot navigated freely. It also swept around a box and chair legs, then returned to its 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. Every 10 square meters, as I've determined, it returns to the station and rinses the cloths, then resumes cleaning from where it left off. There are no uncleaned areas left; this model has excellent navigation!

Identifying objects on the floor

I also tested how the Dreame Bot L10 Ulta handles object detection. Perhaps I was mistaken and there's a more accurate sensor inside. But no, the robot fell for all the traps. It doesn't detect small objects on the floor, not at all. It's only sensitive to larger objects, which are scanned by the lidar and the sensor on the bumper. In my case, it was a stuffed animal and a sneaker.

Suction power

However, the Dreame Bot L10 Ulta has one significant advantage over the more advanced Dreame Bot L10s Ulta: it proved more powerful in real-world tests. It sucked up debris from a 10mm gap, while the older model was able to clean debris from 2mm and 4mm gaps.

Why is this so, I honestly don't understand. The situation reminded me Mijia OMNI B101CN And OMNI 1SEither I actually got a defective L10s Ultra, or the engineers decided to restore the Dreame robot's former power, like the younger model. L10 Pro, for example. Or maybe this particular vacuum cleaner was anomalous. But the fact remains, it's more powerful and has a high output. 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. All debris is collected in the dust bin. It's important to note that the central brush has minimal hair accumulation. Most of it is wrapped around the sides under the caps, and this hair is easily removed from the brush. This is the main advantage of silicone brushes!

Carpet cleaning

The Dreame Bot L10 Ultra also cleaned the carpets well. However, the silicone brush is less effective on medium-pile carpets than a standard bristle-and-petal brush. We can see that a few clumps of hair and fur remained. However, compared to the carpet's condition before and after, I think the robot vacuum did a good job! And a quick tip: you can install the Mijia OMNI B101CN bristle-and-petal brush to enhance carpet cleaning, should the need arise.

Wet cleaning and carpets

When wet cleaning on carpets, you can choose between two robot behaviors. The first is to automatically lift the cleaning cloths when entering carpets, allowing the Dreame Bot L10 Ultra to simultaneously vacuum and mop, leaving the carpets dry and clean. The second option is to enable automatic carpet avoidance in wet cleaning mode. This is especially useful for high- and medium-pile carpets, to completely eliminate any contact between the cleaning cloth and the carpet.

Wiping off dirt

I didn't want to get the robot dirty with dirt and sauce, as it would be very difficult to clean the wheels and other components of this dirt later. Since the cleaning module is identical to the L10s Ultra, I used its test results. This robot vacuum cleaner copes with dirt removal, taking into account several intermediate trips to the cleaning station to rinse the wipes. This is the main advantage of such robots. Dirt won't be ground into the floor during the entire cleaning cycle. Therefore, in several passes, the robot can actually clean the floor, not just mop it. A narrow section of the floor along the baseboard remained unwashed because the wipes don't extend to the edges. This is a problem with all the robot vacuum cleaners tested.

Removing difficult stains

The Dreame Bot L10 Ultra can handle even the toughest dried-in stains. Granted, it might not be the first time. But at least it's up to the task. It's important to note that the pads don't apply much pressure to the floor compared to dedicated robotic floor cleaners. However, the two rotating pads are far superior to a single, stationary standard pad—that's a fact.

It's also important to note that the Dreame Bot L10s Ultra can simultaneously vacuum and mop large areas without compromising cleaning performance. So, in principle, this robot vacuum cleaner can be considered a mopping robot.

Rinsing quality of wipes

Now, I'd like to test the effectiveness of the station itself. Let's start with the rinsing quality of the wipes. In everyday use, after washing the floor, the wipes aren't in too bad a condition. And after rinsing, I can say they're actually clean. A minimal amount of dirt is removed under the pressure of warm water. That's a plus!

If you perform a test after a difficult cleaning with a dirty floor, the cleaning pads on the station don't clean perfectly. But then again, the robot isn't designed for such conditions.

Here's how the station's cleaning function works. The water pumped in, I cleaned the tray with a brush, and then the water drained. Some dirt was washed away, but some remained, along with larger debris, including hair. Additionally, some dirty water collects under the removable tray in the drain area.

As I said at the beginning, it’s easier to remove the tray and wash it in the sink, and then put it back.

Self-cleaning quality

The dust bin's self-cleaning performance is close to perfect. Again, I tested the similarly designed L10s Ultra. I ran the robot vacuum in a room with a lot of debris. It cleaned everything perfectly, and we saw that the dust bin was completely full. Returning the robot vacuum to the docking station, we saw that the dust bin was completely empty after self-cleaning. Self-cleaning is well implemented.

Obstacle clearance

The Dreame Bot L10 Ultra easily navigates the 2 cm thresholds, lifting up the napkins in the process. 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 noise levels, they range from 59 to 67.5 dB, depending on the selected mode. This is 1-2 dB higher than the L10s Ultra, but not a significant difference. In any case, given its high suction power, the robot operates quietly compared to its competitors, which is a plus.

Personal opinion

The Dreame Bot L10 Ultra robot vacuum cleaner has been thoroughly reviewed and tested. our evaluation system he managed to gain 163 points and enter the top ten tested robotsWhile the more advanced L10s Ultra scored 176 points and topped the rankings at the time of writing. There's a gap, given the differences in capabilities, but it's not as large thanks to the L10 Ultra's higher power.

I'll highlight the robot's pros and cons, and then share my thoughts on it. I liked the following:

1. Combined station for self-cleaning and rinsing of wipes.
2. Effective drying of napkins with hot air.
3. High-quality self-cleaning and rinsing of wipes.
4. High suction power.
5. High-quality dry and wet cleaning on any surface.
6. The robot vacuum cleaner is capable of vacuuming and washing the floor at the same time.
7. Two rotating cloths remove dirt better.
8. Automatic lifting of napkins when driving onto carpets.
9. Convenient maintenance of the robot and station.
10. Complete Russification.
11. A large number of functions for flexible adjustment of cleaning parameters.
12. Good cross-country ability.
13. The robot vacuum cleaner is not afraid of black floor coverings.
14. Low noise level.

Among the disadvantages I would like to highlight:

1. There is no possibility to connect the station to the sewerage and water supply.
2. There is no automatic supply of detergent when rinsing the wipes.
3. There is no system for identifying objects.
4. Small capacity of tanks for clean and dirty water.
5. The robot vacuum cleaner does not sweep out debris in the corners.
6. Doesn't scrub the narrow area along the baseboard.

Overall, I liked this robot vacuum, just like the Dreame Bot L10s Ultra, which I've been using for six months now. Moreover, I think cutting some features while reducing the price so significantly, at least at launch, is a very good idea. Many people don't need the camera and the floor detection system, and some are even wary of it. But the removal of the detergent cartridge option was the most disappointing. It's not like this feature is a priority when choosing a robot. But there is a seat, and the robot and its docking station have not changed. They cut corners, in my opinion.

While the Dreame Bot L10s Ultra was definitely one of the best in 2022 in terms of features and capabilities, hence its popularity, this model is a solid choice after carefully weighing all the pros and cons. There are also the Mijia OMNI B101CN, OMNI 1S, and Hobot LEGEE D8 on the market, all of which are roughly the same price, as are other robots with similar features, even from the Dreame line. Therefore, if the above-mentioned issues aren't critical to you, I definitely see no serious reason not to recommend this robot vacuum.

It's still a Dreame, and the robot is quite well-built, efficient, and easy to use. It's just not a flagship, and it's not so budget-friendly that it stands out from the competition. I'd personally choose the higher-end model, as I find the object detection and detergent delivery systems to be very useful features. But if you're not willing to spend that much, the L10 Ultra is a good alternative in terms of cleaning quality.

And as promised, here's a table showcasing all the differences between the Dreame Bot L10 and L10s Ultra:

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