Dreame H12 Pro: Full-width roller, warm air drying, increased power

The Dreame H12 Pro upright vacuum cleaner is a new product that went on sale in 2023. The main differences from Dreame H12 The Dreame H12 Pro features a dual-sided roller outlet, increased power, a larger dirty water tank, and a hot-air drying function. These are features that were sorely missing from its predecessor. Additionally, a new operating mode has been added and the self-cleaning function has been upgraded. All in all, the work has been done, and it remains to be seen how successful the changes are. So, below, I'll thoroughly test the Dreame H12 Pro and then express my opinion on whether it's worth the money. The price at the time of writing is between $370-450, or $480-575, placing it in the premium segment. So, let's get started!

Equipment

The Dreame H12 Pro arrived in this branded box:

The package includes:

1. Removable handle.
2. Charging and self-cleaning base with accessory holders and non-removable cord.
3. Vacuum cleaner cleaning brush.
4. Spare roller.
5. Spare HEPA filter.
6. Branded cleaning product.
7. Operating instructions.

The kit is well-packaged. It includes all the necessary consumables and even a cleaning solution, which is a plus!

Appearance

Now let's take a look at the Dreame H12 Pro's design. Let's start with the cleaning module. As mentioned, the roller has been updated. It now extends to the edge of the housing on both sides. However, as you can see, the roller doesn't extend right to the edge; there are also locking tabs on both sides, so we can expect a narrow, non-rinsable area on both sides to remain, but it will be much smaller than on most similar devices.

The top cover is removable, and the roller lock is released by pressing a button on top. Once the roller is removed, we see a unique holder that actually rotates the roller. It's non-removable. Behind this holder is a scraper for collecting residual water, a suction hole, and a comb for combing the roller. Access to the suction hole is limited, so there are doubts about how easy it will be to clean and how effective the self-cleaning function will be. We'll test this out.

Above the cleaning module are the dirty and clean water tanks. The clean water tank remains the same, with a capacity of 900 ml. However, the dirty water tank has been increased from 500 to 700 ml, which is a very good thing. A HEPA filter with a mesh and electronic water level sensors are installed inside. A coarse filter is not included.

The display is conveniently located on the top of the body. It shows the battery charge, the selected operating mode, the power level, and service messages. There are five operating modes in total: automatic, ultra mode, suction mode, self-cleaning, and roller drying. I'll cover each briefly.

In automatic mode, the Dreame H12 Pro automatically adjusts suction power depending on how dirty the floor is. The Ultra mode remained a mystery to me until the end of my tests. It's marked with an icon similar to bacteria protection, and when the vacuum cleaner turns on this mode, it calls it "disinfection mode." It's unclear what it's disinfecting or how, and the promotional materials and instructions even state that this is a high-power mode. Basically, when turned on, it starts a 10-second warm-up period, after which suction kicks in. However, I didn't notice any difference in power between the automatic and Ultra modes, either in terms of noise level or feel. The lights inside the dustbins also don't turn on. Overall, it's unclear what the engineers intended when developing this mode.

In liquid suction mode, suction is activated without supplying water to the roller. Self-cleaning is already a standard feature for cordless wet vacuum cleaners, but during drying, the roller is blown with warm air, ensuring the pile is completely dry after drying. This is a plus.

The handle contains buttons for power on/off, mode selection, and self-cleaning on the base. There's also another button on the back of the vacuum cleaner for setting the voice notification language. The Dreame H12 Pro also speaks Russian.

Technical specifications

The main characteristics of the Dreame H12 Pro, as stated by the manufacturer:

• Battery: Li-Ion, 4000 mAh.
• Power consumption: 300 W.
• Working time: up to 35 min.
• Clean water tank: 900 ml.
• Dirty water tank: 700 ml.
• Noise level: 72-73 dB.
• Weight: 4.9 kg.

It's important to note that the noise level was measured personally. It's in the 72-73 dB range, the same as the previous model. It's lower than some similar models.

Testing

And finally, let's move on to the tests. A detailed video review of the Dreame H12 Pro, including all the tests, has already been prepared and published on the channel:

The Dreame H12 Pro performs well for everyday floor cleaning, both on wood and tile surfaces. It's streak-free and, when used correctly, won't damage delicate flooring.

This cordless vacuum cleaner can be used not only for cleaning floors but also for vacuuming up liquids. And, as in my case, it even passed the now-traditional test of picking up a mixture of raw egg and flour. It took a while to suck up the eggshell, but it finally managed to suck it into the dirty water tank.

The Dreame H12 Pro can also be used to clean slightly dried-on dirt from floors. As you can see, there are no marks or streaks left. The floor is perfectly clean.

Because the roller is secured with a retainer, it doesn't extend directly to the edge of the housing. A narrow strip of 8 mm remains. There's still room for improvement in the cleaning module's efficiency, but even this result is better than most similar products.

This vacuum cleaner was able to remove even the toughest dried-on coffee and sauce stains. As with similar products, it took some time to remove the sauce stains. The brand's cleaning product was used in this test.

So, I can say that both the feel and the time it took to remove dirt have really improved the suction power. For example, the Dreame H12 Pro took 4.5 minutes. The Dreame H12 completed the task in 9 minutes, while its main competitor Roborock Dyad Pro in 5 minutes. So, it seems that the Dreame H12 Pro is, in fact, the most powerful wet/dry vacuum cleaner I've tested so far.

Furthermore, this wet/dry vacuum cleaner can also be used for dry cleaning. It easily picks up debris of various textures from the floor. There are no blind spots along baseboards or in corners; all debris is collected directly from the stand. That's a plus!

Considering this is a wet/dry vacuum, it's not practical for cleaning carpets. However, it's still possible if you don't add water to the tank or use the wet mode, which simply vacuums up debris without applying water. The roller, despite its fluffy texture, is capable of picking up pet hair, hair, and other debris. However, debris can clog the suction hole and block the brush, which is what happened during testing, as the suction system doesn't work properly without water. Overall, I recommend cleaning carpets with a regular upright vacuum, or entrusting the job to a robotic vacuum cleaner of a suitable design and power.

I can say that during testing, the Dreame H12 Pro truly demonstrated high-quality floor cleaning and powerful suction. However, all tests were conducted on a single battery charge, and the battery was only half full. So, it's not only powerful, but also a cordless floor cleaner.

All that remained was to check the self-cleaning performance after all the tests, and here, again, the Dreame H12 Pro impressed. It cleans itself effectively of dirt and debris. The self-cleaning algorithm has also been updated. The roller rotates alternately in different directions, improving cleaning performance. And most interestingly, even after such a challenging test, the cleaning module was completely clean, with no dirt remaining behind the roller holder or on the roller itself. Both the top cover and the platform were clean. Self-cleaning is very well implemented on this model. The test was passed successfully!

Personal opinion

The Dreame H12 Pro upright vacuum cleaner has been thoroughly reviewed and tested. I'll share my thoughts on it.

I liked the following:

1. Very high power.
2. High quality floor washing and dirt removal.
3. High-quality self-cleaning.
4. Complete drying of the roller with hot air.
5. It removes dirt along the baseboard better than many similar products.
6. Automatic power increase when contamination is detected.
7. Stylish design.
8. Increased capacity of water tanks.
9. Ergonomic design.
10. Informative LED display on the body.
11. The noise level is below average.
12. Voice notifications in Russian.
13. Good complete set, including branded cleaning product.
14. High quality assembly.
15. Availability of warranty and service.

The disadvantages are the same as those of the previously released Dreame H12, namely:

1. There is no manual adjustment of suction power.
2. There is no way to regulate the water supply level.
3. Not suitable for cleaning carpets.
4. It doesn't wash a narrow strip along the baseboard, although it must be admitted that this strip is very narrow.

Well, it's not so much a remark, but simply an unresolved question about what the ultra mode is, and whether it actually has any strong side that would qualify it as an advantage.

Overall, I really liked the new Dreame H12 Pro. Definitely one of the best upright vacuum cleaners of 2023. But if only this model had a removable main unit, like Dreame M12, it would be much better. As it stands, this is apparently a transitional model to the Dreame H12 Dual, which will have two rollers and a removable main unit with a set of attachments. So, you need to focus on the price, and if it's attractive, there's definitely no compelling reason not to buy this wet/dry vacuum cleaner. Hot air drying is the key feature missing from its predecessors.

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