If you want a robot vacuum cleaner, the Dreame L40 Ultra is for you

A robot that vacuums and scrubs the house while you go shopping, go to work or simply enjoy a movie on Netflix. €1099 separates you from this dream come true.

The Dreame L40 Ultra is not just any robot vacuum cleaner. It is a robot vacuum cleaner with automatic emptying. It is also a robot that mops. In addition, it is a robot that comes with a camera, artificial intelligence functions and a self-cleaning base system.

That’s why I’m telling you that it’s not just another robot vacuum cleaner. Its launch price of over a thousand euros is already a good clue that it is a high-end product aimed at the most demanding users.

Dreame is a company of Asian origin founded in 2017, specializing in the production of household devices and in the writing we have already tested products from their catalog before, such as the Dreame L10s Pro Ultra Heat (very similar to this model, by the way).

In this review with opinions of the Dreame L40 Ultra I am going to tell you what I thought of this robot vacuum cleaner that scrubs after having used it almost daily at home.

I’m not sure if it’s a robot vacuum cleaner or a self-driving car

It’s not every day that you see a cleaning robot with a LiDAR (light detection and ranging) sensor for navigation, like the one used in autonomous cars.

The L40 Ultra is a robot vacuum cleaner of considerable dimensions, 350 x 350 millimeters, with a height of 103.80 millimeters.

The most striking part of its design is at the top, where the LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor is located which, through its sensor and four cameras, is capable of detecting countless obstacles with greater precision than a standard camera or sensor.

In addition to the aforementioned sensor, the action buttons are also located at the top of the cleaning robot.

If you look at the front, you will see that it has a camera with an LED flash to which, as I said before, you can connect at any time to see how the house is or enjoy seeing pictures of your pets.

On one side of the front is the side brush which, in addition to having an extendable system to reach all corners, can be raised and lowered to pass over any surface (carpets, for example).

The two mops it comes with are also extendable, to reach every corner of the house, and can be easily removed for manual cleaning (although they also clean themselves).

You may have noticed that the robot comes with a large station: this is the cleaning base, it’s where the vacuum cleaner charges its battery and also empties its entire system so you don’t have to worry about a thing.

An automatic emptying system that deposits all the dirt in the charging station.

Because one of the things that characterizes this Dreame L40 Ultra is that it cleans itself.

Both the dirt collected by the vacuum cleaner, as well as its mops and the liquid resulting from mopping, are emptied and cleaned autonomously in this station.

Specifically, the robot’s two mops with RoboSwing MopExtend technology are automatically cleaned with hot water at a temperature of 65 ºC. They are also removable.

The dirt vacuumed up by the robot goes into an integrated 300 ml tank.

But it turns out that the dust that the robot sucks up during cleaning does not need to be emptied manually either, as the charging station is compatible with a 3.2-liter vacuum bag (included) to which all the dirt goes.

This bag is hidden, along with the mop liquid reservoir, behind a removable cover located just above the robot’s charging base.

The brand claims that you can forget about cleaning the system for up to 75 days, although I find that somewhat optimistic, especially if you have pets at home and are going to use the robot vacuum cleaner on a daily basis.

Both the clean water that the robot needs for each cleaning and the dirty water it leaves behind are managed autonomously through the two tanks with a capacity of 4.5 (clean water) and 4 liters (dirty water), respectively.

Each of the tanks is removed from the station and is very easy to fill or empty; they have a tab that allows the top cover to be opened and its contents emptied.

Even this process of filling and emptying the tanks could be automated if compatible water outlets are available that can be connected to the station, for which it will be necessary to purchase accessories that are sold separately.

There is also an additional tank for filling with cleaning fluid, which comes in a 200 ml bottle in the box.

The first robot I’ve seen that, as well as vacuuming well, scrubs without leaving the floor worse than it was before

With its 11,000 pascals of suction power, its side brush with lift and extension and its extendable mops, I assure you that the L40 Ultra is as good as a manual vacuum cleaner at home.

I consider myself a specialist in household cleaning, and with the L40 Ultra it is the first time that I feel it has the quality to take care of the daily maintenance of the floors.

There are very few corners left uncleaned (only those places it can’t reach because of its height), and the areas it does clean are really good.

Its object detection systems perfectly recognize any obstacle and avoid it, both to avoid colliding with it (if it is furniture or large objects) and to prevent the brush from getting stuck (if it is fabric, for example).

Thanks to the TriCut anti-tangle brush, it doesn’t matter if you have pets at home (in fact, it’s a very suitable robot for homes with pets): the brush will cut and deposit the tangled hair in the dust container, so you can have peace of mind knowing that it won’t get clogged with your dog or cat’s hair.

The robot’s mopping action is also of very good quality. I like the fact that it doesn’t use too much water, but uses just the right amount to leave the floor clean and allow it to dry quickly (I take the dogs out and, when I return, the floor has already been vacuumed and mopped, as well as being completely dry).

As for the battery, with a capacity of 5200 mAh, the manufacturer guarantees up to 194 minutes of autonomy. But that doesn’t matter: if the robot needs to be charged to continue cleaning, it will do so by itself and you won’t have to worry about a thing.

An app full of features that automatically categorizes the rooms in your house

If the features of the L40 Ultra surprise you, wait until you discover how Dreamehome, the robot’s official application, works.

It has an almost endless list of functions. If you really want to get the most out of it, you will have to spend a few hours understanding how it works and, above all, configuring the extra options that will give an additional touch of quality to the cleaning.

For example, it would be advisable for you to manually configure those prohibited areas that you don’t want the robot to go through, or to indicate to it exactly where all the carpets in your house are so that the robot can clean them with greater precision (you can choose whether or not you want it to scrub them).

Anyway, don’t worry: the L40 Ultra can pass over obstacles up to 22 millimeters high, so it won’t get stuck on a rug.

It’s great fun because, if you have pets, the app allows you to see images of your pet captured by the camera during vacuuming in the cleaning history.

From the app you can also see everything that happens at home through the camera, what’s more, you can even move the robot freely from your mobile to keep an eye on what’s happening in each room. You can also talk through the speaker.

The app will notify you at all times of the cleaning status, and if you leave the robot connected to your home WiFi network, you can start it remotely so that the floor is clean when you get home.

Unfortunately, the robot’s native voice control only works in English for now. The good thing is that it can be linked to Google Assistant, Alexa and Siri (Apple).

Verdict: the robot vacuum cleaner your house needs so you can spend your time on what really matters

Robot vacuum cleaners have come a long way in recent years, and this Dreame product is one of the best examples of this.

From not being able to vacuum up even the most visible dust, and I’m not even talking about how the first models “scrubbed”, to having the ability to keep the house clean with this Dreame L40 Ultra.

It has made me realize that I need to have a robot like this at home. The fact that it vacuums and mops to a very high standard, as well as its autonomous emptying system and app-based control, make this product an indispensable companion in any modern home.

If I had to highlight any negative aspects of this robot, apart from its high price, it would be two things: the excessive noise made by the base when the robot is cleaning and its great height (due to the LiDAR sensor), which prevents it from going under certain surfaces.

Furthermore, I have the feeling that there is a bit of chaos in terms of the brand’s robot vacuum models, so it is possible that you will find versions very similar to this one on offer (Dreame X40 Ultra or Dreame L10s Pro Ultra Heat) but at a lower promotional price.