XIAOMI Mi Robot Vacuum Mop Essential
incl. VAT, plus shipping
Free shipping on domestic orders over 50€
Delivery Time 1 - 2 Business days
With the Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop Essential, Xiaomi has taken home cleaning to the next level.
Automation has become a significant part of our daily lives. And it continues to increase. Going back a few years ago, automation took off with the likes of our coffee and bread makers. But, if you really think about it, the tech has been around for quite some time. From something as basic as alarm clocks, in-car settings and the likes.
These days, however, things have become quite more advanced with the advent of smart technologies. We can set our smartphones to turn on the TV or home theatre system to a specific channel or music dependent on the time or simply just walking into the house. Xiaomi has been one of the leading manufacturers when it comes to such tech.
Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop Build and Design
As with all new technology, there is a huge crossover when it comes to the build and design. Early robot vacuums, although smaller in comparison to conventional units, were noticeably larger than we have today. With the Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop Essential, we see a much more streamlined design, even compared to many modern units. It features the default circular design approach while keeping the overall look quite minimalistic.
Xiaomi’s range of robot vacuums are available in both black and white options. However, the Essential unit is only available in white. That said, that’s not a bad thing. I much prefer the white option over the black. It just looks more natural overall. It does, however, make it easier to notice some dirt build-up from the dust, but also makes it easier to spot and clean.
The device is split into three sides – the top, bottom and outer cylinder. The top features two sections of its own. First, there the lid, which opens up to reveal the water and dust tank system. Users can simply click the release button to remove it and then click it back into place when done. The second portion on the top houses two buttons. This gives you the option to turn it on and off, or to pressing the home button to pause the clean and send it back to its docking station.
The side is also made of two distinct sections. On the front is the Lidar sensor, which is notable by means of the thick black strip across it. This section also serves as the bumper, leading the unit. The bumper has some play with a spring system, so that if it does bump into an object, it simply pushes back the sensor, forcing the unit to stop and then get on with its job. The rear end of the side houses a grille, which has the speaker system behind it. Its speaker is used to communicate voice messages to the user for updates.
Moving to the bottom. This is where you’ll find most of the replaceable components. This includes the brushes (side and main), as well as the mop itself. Additionally, the wheel system is made up of three wheels. The first two are standard rubber wheels that simply move forward and back. The third wheel does the majority of the steering, allowing the device to spin in place in order to move around quite freely around obstacles.
Overall, the design and build of the unit is quite solid and easy on the eye. It looks elegant without drawing too much attention to itself.
Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop Setup and Features
One would expect that a modern robotic vacuum would require quite a bit of setting up. But that’s not the case at all. Once you’ve unboxed the unit, there are three simple steps to follow. Attach, connect and work.
The attach phase requires users to attach some of the components that weren’t in place straight out the box. It’s not complicated by any means, with a simple plug in and click into position.
The connecting phase is just as straightforward. Once you’ve plugged the docking station into the power socket, you’ll need to connect the device to your smartphone. This is done via the smartphone app. Here it’ll ask you to connect to your home Wi-Fi, after which you will have the option to perform remote requests, scheduling and the likes.
Finally, there’s the work phase. There are two options to put the Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop Essential to work. This can be done via the app you’ve connected it to, or simply tap the power button for it to start.
Being the entry-level variant in the range, the unit doesn’t have the most features available to the user. It’s fairly straightforward overall. Once you’ve opened the Xiaomi Home app and navigate to the vacuum, you can select the various options available. These options include the variation of the speed of the brushes, as well as the amount of water used during mopping.
Other options include setting a schedule, a vacuum spot where you can manually move the unit around and clean a particular spot, do-not-disturb time and statistics of the consumable components. For every clean you conduct, the app creates a map of the home of where the unit cleaned. On the Essential version, it simply gives you a view of the layout. On the standard and Pro variants, users have the option of using the map to add zones and set when to clean each, or even which areas are restricted.