My Favorite Budget-friendly Robot Vacuum Is From A Brand You've Never Heard Of

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The 3i G10+ robot vacuum and mop is disposable for $230.
• The robot boosts suction erstwhile it detects carpet, compacts debris wrong itself to fto you spell longer betwixt emptying it, and navigates efficiently.
• The portion itself is 4.3 inches tall, truthful it doesn't fresh nether furnishings that is astatine slightest 4.4 inches disconnected nan ground, and it's alternatively loud.

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I emotion utilizing a high-end robot vacuum, but nan ones I bask testing nan astir are nan midrange and budget-friendly ones. I've been testing nan 3i G10+ robot vacuum for a fewer months, and it's go my favourite budget-friendly option. 

As a robot vacuum reviewer, I've tested dozens of options crossed each value points, yet nan G10+ offers immoderate of nan champion worth for money I've found, acknowledgment to its performance, obstacle avoidance, and other features. 

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The 3i G10+ is nan champion entry-level robot vacuum you tin bargain correct now. As such, it features a mini footprint, acknowledgment to its mini charging dock and deficiency of self-emptying aliases self-washing capabilities. Instead, nan G10+ has a ample 1L dustbin pinch a built-in particulate compactor, letting you spell up to 60 days without emptying it. This lets you tally your robot vacuum arsenic needed, and only interest astir returning to quiet it each fewer weeks, though your mileage whitethorn vary.

My canine sheds for a living, yet nan G10+ still lasted astir 5 weeks without maine needing to intervene and quiet it -- each while moving astatine slightest 3 times a week. And this is pinch nan robot picking up beautiful overmuch everything successful sight, acknowledgment to its 18,000Pa of suction powerfulness and beardown navigation abilities.

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I've gotten utilized to robot vacuums missing spots present and location during cleaning, but nan 3i G10+ offers immoderate of nan champion sum I've seen from a robot. It cleaned adjacent to nan edges and covered each inch of my floor, truthful I'd travel location to find pet-hair-free floors each time. Our laboratory recovered akin results, pinch a navigational sum of 86.53% crossed nan full testing area. 

A look astatine nan 3i G10+'s ample compression dustbin.

Schylar Breitenstein/ZDNET

Aside from knowing wherever it's going, nan 3i G10+ besides knows what to avoid: this robot vacuum intelligently navigates astir obstacles that different models don't, including balled-up paper, tissues, and socks. My kids are perpetually leaving these kinds of debris successful their wake, on pinch mini toys and stickers, truthful these items person go nan bane of my beingness arsenic a robot vacuum tester. 

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Most robot vacuums I've tried effort to vacuum these things up, only to person their roller brushes get stuck connected them. Thankfully, I didn't person that rumor pinch nan G10+, which simply went astir these obstacles. 

Because nan 3i G10+ is alternatively tall, it's gotten immoderate scratches connected nan assemblage erstwhile attempting to spell nether furniture.

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

While nan robot is mostly beautiful quiet, I noticed nan 3i G10+ making a weird whirring sound arsenic it moved. This wasn't a terribly large sound, but it did startle maine nan first clip I heard it. I initially thought my portion was nan problem, but I realized this whitethorn conscionable beryllium a point pinch this robot aft comparing notes pinch our testing lab, since their portion made nan aforesaid noise. The sound is different for a robot vacuum, truthful it could beryllium a problem for those delicate to noise. 

ZDNET's buying advice

So galore robot vacuums autumn short of their claims, and I was happy to spot that nan 3i G10+ did not -- instead, it exceeded my expectations. Just $230 buys you a strong, dependable, intelligent robot vacuum and mop that doesn't require you to babysit it. 

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I tested nan G10+ connected my home's first floor, wherever nan canine lives, and was happy to spot it picked up each nan hairsbreadth connected my hardwood and tile floors, arsenic good arsenic astir of it connected nan carpet. This is accordant pinch ZDNET's laboratory testing, wherever nan robot unluckily pushed much pet hairsbreadth astir alternatively of picking it up. As a result, I urge this robot vacuum for homes pinch mostly difficult floors, for illustration tile, wood, aliases laminate.