2023-09-23 12:00:00
Dreame has launched its new flagship robot for the 2023 school year. Replacing the L10S Ultra, whose good performance we highlighted in our test, the L20 Ultra logically promises to go a little further. It even allows itself to innovate on the washing side, with the possibility of spreading its mops to wash along the walls. As on its predecessor, or on the latest Deebot, two are provided and the L20 Ultra can also remove them in its station to vacuum the carpets without wetting them, then put them back alone; a feature that isn’t entirely new, but has only been seen on the Ezviz RS2 so far.
To vacuum, moreover, the latest from Dreame benefits from a new motor supposed to allow it to deliver a suction power of 7000 Pa, while a laser rangefinder, accompanied by a camera and intelligence artificial, should allow it to map the house and navigate while avoiding obstacles. When it has finished its round, the L20 Ultra returns to its station, which charges it and takes care of key maintenance tasks to allow it to start once more for a new cycle without user intervention. The set was launched at the recommended retail price of €1,199.
Convenience of use
Dreame’s new robot isn’t much different from previous ones, and also looks a lot like most competing robots. It is round, shiny and topped with a laser rangefinder which risks blocking it once morest furniture even if its body, only 8 cm thick, passes. In total, the L20 Ultra measures 4 inches tall.
We can still highlight some originalities, such as the little golden touches which please as much as they displease in our editorial staff. The camera visible on the front is not that common either, especially since flashes have been added on both sides, which still makes a small difference compared to the L10. Thanks to them, the new model should be able to identify obstacles even in the dark to avoid them as best as possible, just like the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra. The L20 Ultra can also count on other sensors distributed around its circumference and its belly to avoid the many pitfalls of the house, while the telemeter mentioned earlier intervenes for the mapping.
To vacuum, but also wash, there is also a rubber roller in the center under the robot, complete with a side brush with 3 branches, as well as two small round mops that it can turn on themselves. He can also raise them and even remove them in his station to preserve the carpets. In addition, it can shift one to one side in order to wash along the walls. A fairly simple system that promises to solve a problem encountered with most, if not all, robots, but it still needs to be effective. We will judge later.
The waste sucked up by the L20 Ultra ends up in a small 300 ml collector. This is accessible through the cover, which can be completely removed like that of the Deebot X1 and T10 from Ecovacs. A water tank is also provided to moisten the mops, but Dreame did not consider it useful to provide access to it. It is automatically filled by the station, and its small capacity (80 ml) may force the robot to go there often to refuel. The station also empties the dust bin, but it is still important to have access to clean and replace your filter regularly.
Like its competitor Roborock, Dreame uses the name Ultra for the robots that it accompanies with multifunction stations. That of the L20 Ultra is therefore responsible for emptying its dust bin and filling its water tank, but also for washing and drying its mops. To do this, it is equipped with a 3.2 liter dust bag, two 4.5 liter tanks for clean water and dirty water, and a heating element. In addition, there is a slot for adding a detergent cartridge between the water tanks.
Although it ultimately doesn’t bring much more than the L10s Ultra station, Dreame still wanted to mark the occasion by offering a new station. A little larger and more elaborate, it is strangely reminiscent of that of the Deebot X1 Omni, except that it only exists in white. If you are looking for a discreet robot, this is clearly not the best option.
Now that we know the iRobot Roomba Combo J9+, we also regret having to access the water tanks from the top, which prevents us from placing objects on them as we would on a console. Access to the dust bag is not very practical either. You have to remove the gold part following unlocking it using a small latch that is a little too well hidden behind. We get used to it, but you have to know it. It’s not very intuitive.
Connectivity & application
The L20 Ultra connects to the home Wi-Fi network and then to the Dreamehome app, which has never offered so many options. For example, it is possible to separate suction and washing thanks to the automatic removal of the mops, and in addition to the usual power and water flow settings, there are several movement modes for more or less thorough washing. A CleanGenius mode also appears to make programming easier. Depending on the coatings and the history, the latter must adapt the settings and can also add a second pass if too much dirt is detected. The L20 Ultra is also capable of detecting obstacles, but also of identifying them and integrating them into cleaning maps with a bonus photo. The latter also allows the AI to be corrected if necessary, and it is also possible to access the live feed from the camera, as with a surveillance system.
We of course find with this more common functionalities, starting of course with the creation and personalization of maps of the house and its different floors, the automatic increase of the suction power on the carpets, or even the automatic recovery cleaning at the end of charging if the robot ran out of battery to complete its mission. The maps created are more precise and updated depending on the furnishings, but we still note small translation errors and even outright omissions which may disturb non-English speaking users.
Interview
The L20 Ultra is a fairly easy robot to live with thanks to its station. This is responsible for emptying its collector at the end of the cycle, or even during it if necessary, and can also fill its water tank and wash, or at least refresh its mops, once more during or following a cycle. cleaning. The idea is to free the user from essential tasks between two cycles so that he can program the robot and let it pass for several days without worrying regarding it. And the promise is kept.
We have not encountered any major problems, either with emptying, filling or washing. Be careful, however, not to forget it completely, because the L20 Ultra still requires regular maintenance, particularly regarding the filter provided in its collector. This becomes clogged very quickly with dust and small particles.
At the end of our test consisting of sucking up 20 g of cocoa, we found almost 7 g in the filter. The automatic emptying made it possible to extract around 4 g, but there are still 3 g remaining… It is therefore important to clean it every week to maintain good suction performance. Likewise, you should avoid letting dirty water macerate for more than a week in the station to avoid bad odors and, depending on the condition of the floors and your relationship to dirt, you may also see fit to wash the bottom of the station regularly.
In short, we are far from the 75 days of peace promised with the dust bag, for example. This type of station is certainly practical, but in reality it only postpones routine maintenance operations, and adds others that are even more time-consuming, such as cleaning the station itself. If you appreciate being able to remove your tray and even find a brush inside, it is still a much more difficult task than simply replacing the mops by putting the old ones in the machine.
The L20 Ultra station also does not avoid maintaining its sensors or brushes. As is often the case, a short summary of the elements to monitor and replace is offered in the application if necessary.
Navigation system
Dreame brought out the heavy artillery to allow its new robot to complete its missions without incident. In addition to the now usual laser rangefinder which allows him to map the house, he can count on a camera surrounded by lasers and flashes to detect and identify small obstacles even under furniture and more generally in the dark, as well as on a whole bunch of sensors distributed around its perimeter and its belly to go along walls or even avoid stairs.
On our usual route, and overall quite clear, the L20 Ultra does very well. It picked up 73% of the waste, but we still had to deactivate the option provided to limit collisions before seeing it actually go everywhere. Wanting to avoid collisions at all costs, the robot maintains such a distance from the chair or even table legs that it can ultimately avoid passing under them. Regardless of the settings, the L20 Ultra doesn’t go under curtains either and doesn’t clean corners very well, although it does go around the room well at first.
If there is a carpet in the room, by the way, he will also be able to turn around and take care of the interior of the room first. The furniture is moved around well, sometimes even a little too well, but the robot never loses track and always comes back to clean around it. He also has no problem getting on the carpet when his turn comes, whether he has his mops or not, any more than he has any problem climbing on the legs of our sled chair.
the L20 Ultra left some sawdust in the corner and once morest the carpet.
Since the L20 Ultra is well equipped to detect obstacles, we have also designed a second route for it, a little more crowded. Cable, cloth and various small objects had been deliberately placed on the ground before throwing it to try to trap it, but it must be recognized that the obstacle detection works very well. This is a little less the case for identification, on the other hand.
Artificial intelligence is supposed to optimize the trajectory depending on the type of obstacle encountered, but its small errors have never prevented the robot from continuing its task. It is also possible to correct them in the application so that the obstacles can be correctly taken into account on the next pass. All obstacles are photographed and visible on the map. We generally even find more than actually exist, but it is also possible to ignore them to avoid unnecessary detours on the next trip.
Washing efficiency
With its two rotating mops, Dreame’s new high-end robot seems at first glance to offer the same washing system as its predecessor. However, several improvements should be noted. The L20 Ultra can not only lift its mops to preserve carpets, but also remove them and move one along the walls. In addition, the application offers with it the choice of several travel patterns. Several water flow rates are of course always available to moisten the skates.
In practice, we do not notice any big improvement with the standard settings. Of the four stains to clean in our test protocol, none is completely removed, but one pass still allows a large part of the soda to disappear. The oil and carbon, on the other hand, are spread as well as possible, while the lipstick comes out almost intact.
After one wash Before washing enlarge
However, it is possible to obtain much better results thanks to the new options offered. In particular, it is possible to ask the robot to perform slower and tighter back and forth movements to increase washing efficiency tenfold with each pass, knowing that up to 3 can be programmed. It then only takes one to get rid of the soda and the oil, while the carbon disappears in the third. Lipstick is still very present, but no robot has managed to completely erase it until now.
After 3 passes Before washing enlarge
The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra did a little better with its Deep+ washing mode, but the L20 Ultra has the advantage of giving access to the best cleaning options without forcing you to choose between washing and vacuuming. It is therefore possible to save time by combining the two, although it is obviously preferable to do it in two stages with mats. Overall, it will still take time to get rid of the most stubborn stains.
Points forts
Effective navigation system.
Comfortable in crowded environments.
Excellent suction performance.
Automatic removal of glides to protect carpets from all hairs.
All in all, effective washing by giving it time.
Long battery life and fast charging.
Weak points
Substantial bulk.
Sometimes sees obstacles where none exist.
Can miss areas to avoid collisions.
Robot’s HEPA filter to be cleaned regularly.
Automatic washing system… messy.
Noisy robot.
Conclusion
Global mark
How does the rating work?
The L20 Ultra is capable of vacuuming all surfaces efficiently and, with a little time, it can also tackle stubborn stains. Its camera also allows it to avoid obstacles to explore every nook and cranny of the house, even if the new Dreame robot sometimes does a little too much, to the point of bypassing areas for nothing. So there is still a little work left, but the developments are going in the right direction, just like for the management of carpets with the abandonment of mops in the station. The latter also provides many other services, but does not exempt you from regularly checking the filter of the L20 Ultra, which remains a very good 2-in-1 robot.
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