Midea M6 (VCR21LDSW): a budget robot vacuum cleaner with lidar and wet cleaning

The Midea M6 (VCR21LDSW) is a new budget robot vacuum cleaner with lidar navigation and a wet mopping function. It launched at around $140 (that's less than $200). For that price, you could count on one hand the lidar-equipped robots currently available. And not all of them are recommended. I thoroughly tested the Midea M6 and then expressed my opinion on whether it's worth buying. So, let's get started!

Equipment

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

The package includes:

1. Charging base.
2. Power adapter.
3. Operating instructions in English.
4. Holder with microfiber cloth.
5. Spare HEPA filter.

Appearance

Now let's take a look at the Midea M6's design. It's white and has a square body with rounded corners. This should allow the robot to sweep debris into corners, which will be tested.

A soft-touch mechanical bumper is installed at the front. The control panel above contains two mechanical control buttons and a Wi-Fi connection indicator. A lidar sensor is used for navigation. It is equipped with a spring-loaded button to prevent the robot from getting stuck under furniture.

The combined water and dust container is removable from the rear. It's quite roomy. The tank holds up to 250 ml of water, and the dust container can hold 600 ml of dry waste. A pump is installed inside the tank for electronically controlling the water flow. The filtration system uses a mesh and HEPA filter, which is washable with water. The container is also washable. The top lid conveniently stores maintenance tools.

The holder with the napkin is secured with two clips. The napkin is secured with Velcro and a pocket. Water flows through four holes into the napkin.

The robot has four fall protection sensors installed underneath. It has two side brushes. They are three-pronged, quick-release, and have tumbler brushes. The central brush unit is floating, but it's the frame that floats, not the turbo brush itself, which is very odd. The frame has a tumbler strip, which likely helps collect pet hair and fur from the floor.

The central brush is equipped with soft bristle inserts. It can be removed on both sides for easy cleaning of tangled hair and pet hair.

Overall, I have no complaints about the robot's design. Some features were pleasing, especially considering the model's price.

Technical specifications

Main characteristics of Midea M6, as declared by the manufacturer:

• Battery: Li-Ion 3350 mAh
• Suction power: up to 2000 Pa
• Cleaning area >100 sq.m.
• Battery life: up to 120 min
• Dust collector: 600 ml.
• Water tank: 250 ml.
• Obstacle clearance: up to 20 mm
• Dimensions: 340*97 mm

Among the features, I'd like to once again highlight the increased capacity of the water and debris compartments. Also worth noting is the moderate suction power, which will be confirmed in a real-world test. The battery is also on the weak side, but it's sufficient for areas up to 100 square meters.

Functional capabilities

Main functions of Midea M6:

1. Saving multiple cleaning maps in memory.
2. Automatic zoning of premises into rooms.
3. Selecting rooms and areas for cleaning.
4. Setting the number of robot passes: from 1 to 3.
5. Setting up virtual walls and no-go zones.
6. Separate restricted areas for wet cleaning.
7. Continue cleaning after charging at the base.
8. Automatic power increase on carpets.
9. Adjusting the power and water supply level.
10. Manual control.
11. Setting up cleaning according to a schedule.
12. Voice notifications in Russian.
13. Yandex.Alice support.
14. Do not disturb mode.
15. Cleaning log.
16. Monitoring the status of consumables.

As you can see, there are quite a lot of functions and they will definitely be enough to automatically maintain cleanliness in the house.

Interestingly, the robot responds to the Midea i5c remote control, which arrived for review at the same time. However, not all buttons work, only the Start/Pause button.

Testing

A detailed video review of the Midea M6 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 test the Midea M6's navigation in a room with obstacles. After leaving the base, the robot navigates the room's perimeter and then cleans it in a zigzag motion. It didn't get stuck on the dryer. It also swept around the dryer and the chair legs. This test was successful!

Speaking of navigation within the home, the Midea M6 cleans room by room, following the perimeter and then in a serpentine motion. There were no uncleaned areas, but in the kitchen dining area, the robot spent more time between the chairs and the table than its more conventional, round counterparts. Its angular shape makes it more difficult to turn and get out of tight spaces. Therefore, I recommend slightly moving the chairs apart to give the robot more space. Overall, however, this model's navigation is good.

Suction power

The suction power was also a pleasant surprise. Even with a claimed suction power of only 2000 Pa, this robot managed to suck up debris from a 4 mm deep crevice. In reality, this model has even greater suction power.

Dry cleaning

When it came to dry cleaning, the Midea M6 managed to pick up all the debris on the stand, even reaching corners almost perfectly thanks to its specially designed body. Some hair and fur got caught in the turbo brush and lodged in the fluffy area of ​​the frame, but the bulk of the debris was still collected in the dust bin. Passed this test!

Carpet cleaning

However, the carpet cleaning performance isn't as perfect. In my opinion, the robot vacuum cleaner only cleaned the carpet averagely, despite its increased power. It's possible the turbo brush lacks the rubber inserts, leaving some hair stuck to the carpet, or perhaps the turbo brush itself doesn't float and doesn't press down as well. Overall, it's not a deal-breaker, but it's far from the best result.

Wet cleaning

There are no complaints about the dirt removal performance. The Midea M6 was able to remove dried-on dirt from the laminate flooring. It left a streak of dirt along the baseboard, but this has been a weak point of all the robot vacuums I've reviewed so far.

Wet cleaning and carpets

Regarding wet cleaning around carpets, even though the Midea M6 can detect carpets, it doesn't avoid them or shut off the water supply when the cleaning cloth is attached. I recommend setting up designated "no-go" zones for wet cleaning in carpet areas.

Obstacle clearance

I also have no complaints about its off-road capability. The Midea M6 can overcome thresholds up to 20 mm high, as stated by the manufacturer.

Driving on black surfaces

The situation with driving on black surfaces is somewhat unclear. Initially, the robot backed up when driving onto the black surface, but then began driving onto it and moving freely. In any case, I don't consider the test valid, as there are some issues, but in reality, the robot may be able to drive onto black surfaces.

Noise level

Finally, we measured the Midea M6's noise level in different modes. At minimum power, the robot operates quite quietly, with noise levels ranging from 54-55 dB. At medium power, it rises to 62-64 dB. And at maximum power, the peak was 67 dB. This robot's noise level is not high.

Personal opinion

Midea M6 has been thoroughly reviewed and tested. our evaluation system he managed to gain 108 pointsThe result is very good considering the price.

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

I'll share my personal opinion about the robot. I liked the following:

1. Sweeps out trash from corners.
2. Simultaneous dry and wet cleaning.
3. Increased suction power.
4. Good cleaning quality on hard surfaces.
5. All important functions in the application.
6. Good cross-country ability.
7. Spacious compartments for water and waste.
8. Yandex.Alice support.
9. Low noise level in quiet mode.
10. Budget price, as for a lidar robot vacuum cleaner.
11. Availability of warranty and service support.

It's important to highlight the last point here. This robot vacuum cleaner is sold not only on AliExpress but also through official Midea distributors in the market. Therefore, purchasing from them means you receive a full warranty and service support throughout the Russian Federation. This is important for many.

Speaking about the shortcomings, the following were found:

1. Fear of dark floor coverings.
2. There are problems with cleaning medium pile carpets.
3. Software problems.

I'll elaborate on that last point. Reviews of the MSmartHome app are overwhelmingly negative, and this applies to all robots, not this particular model. However, even with the Midea M6, an issue was discovered. Several times during testing, the robot vacuum disconnected from the Wi-Fi network and had to be reconnected. The cause is unclear. The Wi-Fi connection simply disconnected while charging on the base. This is perhaps the only serious criticism, which is why I deducted points. But perhaps the problem is specific to my robot, who knows?

In any case, at under $150, this is a very interesting robot vacuum to buy. It has received mostly positive reviews and is therefore recommended as one of the few robot vacuums capable of sweeping debris out of corners.

On that note, I'd like to end this review. If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments. Don't forget to subscribe and like. Happy shopping. Bye!