iLife V4

iLife is a Chinese manufacturer that has been producing robotic vacuum cleaners for the home since 2010. Currently, iLife offers a wide range of products in various price categories, ensuring every customer can find the perfect device for their needs. The new iLife V4 robotic vacuum cleaner is a budget-friendly model for dry cleaning of various flooring types, including wood, laminate, linoleum, tile, and parquet. It can also lightly vacuum a small rug or carpet, removing crumbs, dust, and small debris. The robotic vacuum cleaner is easy to maintain and operate, requiring little storage space and time for maintenance and cleaning. It can safely be considered a budget-friendly robot, as its price in 2019 does not exceed $100. This iLife V4 review will allow you to explore the model's specifications, features, and functions, as well as its main pros and cons.

Equipment

iLife V4 Contents:

1. Robot vacuum cleaner.
2. Charging station.
3. Power adapter.
4. Remote control with batteries.
5. Spare side brushes.
6. Additional filters (2 pcs.).
7. Brush for cleaning the dust collector.
8. Operating instructions.

The robot and its components are packaged in a branded white cardboard box and supplied in an additional protective box. The package does not include a movement limiter (magnetic tape or virtual wall), however, for such a budget device this cannot be called a significant drawback.

Design

The robot vacuum cleaner has the manufacturer's signature appearance: a compact, round, white plastic body. The front panel is minimalist, housing three control buttons (the largest of which, in the middle, is used to start the device), as well as a dust compartment cover.

When viewing the robot from the side, you can see a protective bumper, exhaust vents, an on/off button, and a socket for directly connecting the power adapter.

On the back of the iLife V4 are two drive wheels, one swivel wheel at the front, a battery compartment, contact pads, two side brushes and a suction hole in the center.

Ten pairs of sensors are mounted around the perimeter of the robot vacuum cleaner to prevent collisions with surrounding objects and possible falls from heights and stairs.

Technical specifications

Before we explore the robot vacuum's functionality, we suggest you familiarize yourself with the iLife V4's technical specifications:

Type of cleaning	Dry
Power supply	Lithium-ion battery, capacity – 2600 mAh
Opening hours	100 minutes
Charging time	300 minutes
Power	22 W
Cleaning area	2-3 rooms
Permissible obstacle height	15 mm
Dust container type	Cyclone filter (bagless)
Dust collector capacity	300 ml
Dimensions	300x300x78 mm
Weight	2.2 kg
Noise level	55 dB

The lithium-ion battery lasts for 100 minutes, allowing the robot to clean two to three rooms. Recharging the battery takes approximately 300 minutes.

Thanks to its low profile, the robot vacuum cleaner can crawl under furniture and clean hard-to-reach areas. It can also overcome obstacles up to fifteen millimeters high, allowing it to navigate small thresholds between rooms.

The noise level is only 55 dB, which is an excellent indicator among inexpensive robots for maintaining home cleaning.

Functional capabilities

The robot vacuum cleaner cleans the room with two side brushes, which sweep debris toward a suction opening in the center of the base. Through this opening, debris is collected in a 300 ml dust container, and the air passing through is cleaned by a filter. Because the dust container is small, it needs to be emptied after almost every cycle. However, this procedure is not labor-intensive and doesn't take much time.

The iLife V4 lacks a central turbo brush, so it won't have any problems getting tangled up in hair and pet fur. However, this means the device isn't designed for thorough cleaning of carpets and rugs, and will only lightly sweep the surface without removing the lint.

The robot vacuum cleaner offers the following operating modes: automatic, spot cleaning, and perimeter cleaning (along walls, furniture, and corners). Thanks to its powerful motor, the iLife V4 also features increased suction power and a Max mode.

In addition, the robot vacuum cleaner features a scheduled cleaning function, which is unusual for budget devices. Wet cleaning is not supported.

After completing a cleaning cycle or when the battery is low, the device automatically returns to the docking station to recharge. The cleaner can also be charged directly from the power outlet.

Advantages and disadvantages

Let's conclude our review with a list of the main advantages and disadvantages of the iLife V4 robot vacuum cleaner.

Pros:

1. Low cost (average - $94).
2. Attractive design.
3. Equipment.
4. Small size.
5. Lithium-ion battery.
6. Automatic return to the charging station.
7. Good cross-country ability.
8. Obstacle and anti-fall sensors.
9. Several operating modes.
10. Cleaning programming.
11. Low noise level.
12. Easy to operate and maintain.

Cons:

1. Small volume of waste container.
2. There is no movement limiter.
3. No control via a mobile app (in this price segment, some robots are controlled via a smartphone).

However, to be fair, it should be noted that at this price, most other manufacturers don't even offer this range of features and specifications. Therefore, these drawbacks are more of a formality than they can truly be considered shortcomings of iLife V4.

Finally, we recommend watching a foreign video review, which clearly demonstrates how this robot vacuum cleaner cleans:

Analogues:

• Xiaomi Xiaowa Robot Vacuum Cleaner Lite
• Clever & Clean SLIM-Series VRpro
• Kitfort KT-516
• Philips FC8792 SmartPro Easy
• iLife A6
• REDMOND RV-R300
• iBoto X410