The ILife A10s Robot Vacuum Mop: A Decent Cleaning Companion, But Not Quite a Superstar
In the burgeoning world of smart home devices, cleaning robots have emerged as a powerful ally for busy homeowners. While the segment is relatively young in India, brands like ILife have been quietly building a reputation for reliable, affordable cleaning solutions. Their latest offering, the ILife A10s Robot Vacuum Mop, promises a significant leap forward with laser navigation, map creation, and even the ability to program specific cleaning routines. But is the A10s truly the ‘smart’ and efficient cleaning robot it claims to be, or does it fall short of the competition? Let’s dive into this in-depth review and find out.
Unboxing and First Impressions
The ILife A10s presents a familiar disc-shaped form factor common to many cleaning robots. It’s adorned with a raised module at the top holding the laser navigation equipment and features a flexible front bumper for obstacle protection. Two sweeping brushes at the front aid in gathering dirt, while a central vacuum zone utilizes a roller brush to direct debris into the dustbin. A removable module at the back accommodates either the dustbin or the water reservoir for mopping.
ILife boasts a ‘vibrating tank’ function in the water reservoir module. This supposedly helps to release water more effectively and evenly for gentle, efficient mopping.
Included in the box, alongside the robot itself, are essentials like a charging dock and plate, a power adapter, and a remote control. You also get a variety of spares, including extra sweeping brushes, a rubber roller brush, and an additional dust filter.
Navigating with Laser Precision: Mapping and Cleaning
Unlike its camera-based predecessor, the ILife A9s, the ILife A10s features laser navigation for greater accuracy and sensitivity to obstacles. This technology also enables the robot to function effectively in low-light or even dark rooms.
The A10s stores maps of your home, allowing you to customize cleaning routines by setting no-go zones, carpet areas, invisible walls, room divisions, and more. While competitors like the 360 S7 and Mi Robot Vacuum Mop-P have demonstrated the benefits of laser navigation, the ILife A10s shows promise but encounters some navigation hiccups.
In my testing, the A10s generally navigated quickly and efficiently, avoiding collisions with walls, furniture, and even the legs of chairs. However, specific guidance was required through the app to set no-go zones and carpeted areas, and I found it necessary to move loose rugs and wires out of its way. The A10s occasionally got stuck in sliding door tracks and even had trouble with rugs, especially those with tassels.
When properly set up and potential obstacles cleared, the ILife A10s cleanly traversed my 900 square-foot home in around 45 minutes when vacuuming. Mopping the same space took roughly the same amount of time.
The ILife Home App: Control at Your Fingertips
The ILife A10s robot vacuum mop can be controlled through the ILife Home app, available for both Android and iOS devices. While quick access is possible via the remote or the physical buttons on the device itself, the app provides significantly more control over the robot’s functions.
This includes remote control and monitoring, even from outside the home, map management, customizable cleaning schedules, setting restricted zones and invisible walls, and much more. The initial setup took a bit longer, but once completed, connectivity and app responsiveness remained consistent throughout my testing.
The default app screen displays your home map, complete with indicators showing the cleaning area coverage, time taken, charging status, and battery level. Further options allow you to adjust suction power, side brush speed, water usage level, update firmware, set schedules, and view cleaning logs.
A valuable feature of the ILife Home app is the ability to install it on multiple devices. This allows different members of your family to control the robot as needed. Contrast this with the 360 S7, which only allows for use on one device simultaneously. The intuitive user interface and real-time tracking of the robot’s location, areas covered, and time taken further enhance the app’s utility. However, all of this functionality relies on a stable Wi-Fi connection between the robot and the app.
Cleaning Performance: The Real Test
Despite minor navigation hiccups and a relatively simple app compared to its competitors, the ILife A10s emerged as one of the more effective cleaning robots I’ve encountered. While the suction power is not explicitly stated, it proved sufficient for everyday cleaning of hard floors.
Two sweeping brushes significantly enhance the A10s’ ability to sweep dirt and debris out of its path and into the vacuum zone. While no cleaning robot can be completely perfect, the A10s handles this task more effectively than many competitors featuring just a single brush. Even dry spills, often leaving behind a stubborn mess, were cleaned effectively by the robot.
However, like any cleaning robot, manual sweeping is still required around edges, corners, and difficult-to-reach areas every few days. A handheld vacuum cleaner like the Dyson Omni-glide can also prove useful for these spots. I discovered that setting the suction power to around 80 percent resulted in optimal cleaning effectiveness while keeping noise levels manageable.
Mopping with the ILife A10s relies on a separate water reservoir module that vibrates to release water and features a small dustbin for capturing dirt collected by the vacuum. However, vacuuming with the dedicated dustbin module is recommended for better dirt collection, as its capacity is significantly larger. The mop tank easily holds enough water for cleaning an entire home and comes with a mop cloth to wipe up the released water.
I found the ILife A10s to be highly effective at mopping, surpassing the 360 S7 and Mi Robot Vacuum Mop-P in this regard. While it is not advisable to add cleaning agents to the water tank, I experimented with a few drops of cleaner on the floor before mopping, and it resulted in an excellent cleaning outcome.
Maintenance Matters: Keeping Your Robot in Top Shape
Similar to all cleaning robots, regular maintenance is crucial to keep the ILife A10s functioning at its best. This includes cleaning and untangling any debris from the sweeping brushes, main brush, and water tank, emptying the dustbin, and cleaning the mop cloth.
Without proper maintenance, the ILife A10s can experience a noticeable drop in cleaning efficiency. The app provides helpful reminders about the health of consumable parts such as the brushes and filters, signalling when replacement is necessary.
Power Up: Battery Life and Charging
The ILife A10s features a 2,900mAh battery with a claimed runtime of 80 to 100 minutes per charge. This proved sufficient to vacuum and mop my 900 square-foot home, requiring around 90 minutes to complete both tasks sequentially.
While the app doesn’t provide a specific battery percentage, it indicated that the battery was almost depleted after approximately 90 minutes. The ILife A10s took roughly four hours to fully recharge, which is considered slow. However, if you primarily use the robot once a day for vacuuming and mopping, this charging time shouldn’t be an issue.
The docking station needs to be placed in a visible and accessible area for the robot to return to for charging. The A10s uses its generated home map to navigate back to the dock, even from a different room without a direct line of sight. As a bonus, you can also charge the robot directly via the power adapter. This proved handy on a few occasions when the battery ran completely flat and the robot couldn’t start charging on the dock.
Verdict: A Step Forward, But Not a Giant Leap
ILife holds a solid position in the Indian and Asian cleaning robot market. The A10s stands as a decently priced option under Rs. 40,000, offering an upgrade over its predecessor with the implementation of laser navigation. This technology enables mapping, room-wise cleaning, the setting of invisible boundaries and no-go zones, and more. The cleaning performance, while requiring separate vacuuming and mopping runs, remains commendable.
Despite dealing with a few navigation hurdles, my experience with the ILife A10s was generally positive. The cleaning effectiveness often made up for these minor drawbacks. However, I found the overall user experience to be superior with the 360 S7 and Mi Robot Vacuum Mop-P. Even with the advantage of laser navigation, the ILife A10s simply lacks the same degree of ‘smartness’ as its competitors.
In conclusion, the ILife A10s offers a worthy entry into the world of cleaning robots, particularly those seeking affordability paired with laser navigation and advanced features. However, if you are willing to invest a bit more, the superior navigation, app functionality, and overall user experience of higher-end models like the 360 S7 and Mi Robot Vacuum Mop-P might be more rewarding.
Price: Rs. 34,900
Rating: 7/10
Pros:
- Effective vacuuming and mopping
- Remote control is very useful
- Laser navigation and mapping
- Easy-to-use app
Cons:
- Vacuuming and mopping must be done separately
- Minor navigation issues
