Of all the reviews I've worked on in 2025, DysonThe new robot vacuum cleaner arrived with great excitement. No, really. I love my Dyson vacuum, I was disappointed to find out how bad the reviews were for Dyson's latest robot vacuum, and I love a good old fashioned redemption story.
It's rather awkwardly called Spot+Scrub Ai. This is Dyson's attempt to redeem itself in the robot world by adding some of the translucent, bagless cyclone technological wizardry that has made the British-Singaporean firm so successful in the chic vacuum space.
The nice thing is that the base station does not have a bag – which is surprisingly rare in the field of robotics. Instead of buying new bags every few months and trying to figure out what type and size of bags the robot needs, you simply remove the dust bag and throw it in the trash like any other bag. Dyson vacuum cleaner.
I would have preferred the bin's contents not being visible through the clear plastic window to show visitors just how grimy my carpets were before they arrived, but I agree that it's a design touch that fits with the rest of Dyson's aesthetic. I also wish Dyson included some floor cleaning detergent in the box. Adding a small amount of water to the water tank is one of the first instructions, but is sold separately for £19.99. For £1050 empty (US and Australian pricing to be confirmed) It seems a bit sneaky.
A little unnecessary ointment
The setup process is quite simple, especially if you have used any other robot vacuum cleaner. However, so far I've been a little disappointed with the app – I expected more from a premium high-tech company like Dyson. It's not unstable or contains the poorly translated English seen in competing vacuum apps, but it's also not particularly logical, and I had trouble editing the map after the bot failed to identify some doorways the first time I ran the map.
For a robot vacuum that apparently has artificial intelligence smart enough to identify more than 190 objects and substances (it's best not to get too hung up on that last one), its inability to detect a doorway, even when there's a threshold and transition from hardwood floors to carpet, is disappointing. I may be being picky, but anyone who spends four figures on a robot vacuum has every right to do so. And in any case, competing vacuums I've tested do a much better job of mapping doorways and even labeling rooms based on their contents.
I'm afraid there are a couple more problems with the app. After cleaning, the robot adds orange traffic cones to the map, but they are not labeled and clicking on them does nothing. Did he notice a sock, a stray USB cable, or a mouse? I'll never know. Rivals at least try to guess, and some even attach photos, although they often resemble evidence from a Netflix crime documentary.
Additionally, while you have to spend time marking the map – living room, kitchen, hallway, toilet, etc. – these markers are unfortunately not on the screen to tell the robot where to clean and are instead assigned a number. For some reason, my kitchen and living room have the same icon, and since I live in a predictably symmetrical new build, it's not immediately clear which is which. It's always best to double check, otherwise I'll worry that Dyson will try to wash the carpet in the living room instead of the kitchen.
My first impressions of the app aren't great, but I'll pass on those if the rest of the robot lives up to expectations—and after a couple of scrubs, the Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai seems pretty smart. It handles well – something its predecessor struggled with – and I think it looks good in that regard. I also like the bagless design and am especially interested in how well it cleans the floor. Given the design of the rollers, ability to get into corners and use of warm water for cleaning, I have high hopes – plus it claims it will use artificial intelligence to more aggressively detect dirt and clean these parts, which will be interesting to test around the holidays.
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