This Rs 39,999 robot cleaner finally solves the biggest headache of Indian homes—and it even cleans its own mop

The app also lets you select the cleaning mode: vacuum-only, mop-only, or mop-after-vac — the last of which most Indian households would prefer. (Image: The Indian Express/ Nandagopal Rajan)

The self-cleaning dock is where this robotic vacuum cleaner really distinguishes itself at this price point. After every run, as the robot returns to the dock, it sucks in the accumulated dust and cleans the mops immediately. As this happens, I could see the water begin to accumulate in the waste container.

The robot is very smart and goes about its job cleaning the room diligently. Even during the first run, I could see how it was mapping my house on the Dreame app. It starts understanding the layout better with each run, mapping the areas it can reach and marking spaces beyond its reach. In two weeks of testing, the scanner never let the robot bump into any obstacle — it always avoided or retreated well before contact.

The Dreame D20 Ultra has strong suction even in standard mode and can easily pick up dirt from the floor, continuing until a particularly dirty area is thoroughly cleaned. (Image: The Indian Express/ Nandagopal Rajan)

In a few days the app had a full map of my house, allowing me to see the robot’s location at any given time, even while sitting in the office. You can use this map to define where you want the robot to clean during a particular run, and you can also mark no-go zones.

The Dreame D20 Ultra has strong suction even in standard mode and can easily pick up dirt from the floor, continuing until a particularly dirty area is thoroughly cleaned. If you want more power, you can go to the app and increase the suction by at least two more levels — it can get a bit noisy at the max level, though. On the other hand, there is a quiet mode, which is near-silent in comparison to the standard mode.

You can use this map to define where you want the robot to clean during a particular run, and you can also mark no-go zones. (Image: The Indian Express/ Nandagopal Rajan)

The app also lets you select the cleaning mode: vacuum-only, mop-only, or mop-after-vac — the last of which most Indian households would prefer. You can also select the route between a quick run and an intensive or deep clean, which makes the robot go over the space more thoroughly.

There is some intuitive intelligence built into the robot too. For instance, it raises the mop as soon as it detects a carpeted area. And in the two weeks I used it, it never got entangled in wires or strings — usually something that stumps other robots of this type.

The robot could clean my entire two-bedroom house on one charge, taking over an hour to complete the run on standard mode. This is also a significant upgrade from earlier versions of Roomba and the like. The water tanks are large and need to be cleared or replenished only once a fortnight.

The water tanks are large and need to be cleared or replenished only once a fortnight. (Image: The Indian Express/ Nandagopal Rajan)

On the flip side, the charging dock and the robot are white — perhaps not the best choice for the Indian market, where dust and grime will make the cleaner itself something you need to clean. I would have also liked the ability to use the app to remotely steer the robot to exactly where I wanted it. Implementing this should not be too difficult and would make the product considerably more useful in Indian homes.

At Rs 39,999, the Dreame D20 Ultra is a strong option for those with large homes that need regular cleaning. The product should do well in areas where household help is hard to find or too expensive. You will choose this over the competition if you want a smart robot with the ability to curate a cleaning run just the way you want it.

Review unit provided by Dreame India.