While we’re fond of reviewing high-end robotic vacuum cleaners (e.g., machines like the Roomba 980, 960, or Botvac Connected), we’re well aware that most families simply don’t have that much money available to spend on what’s likely to be a second vacuum (even if it isrobot a ). As a result, we try to spend time reviewing the other end of the market–the affordable end. Standout budget robots we’ve reviewed so far include the Deebot N79, Dibea D960, and ILIFE A4s. Today we’ll review another upriser in the budget robot revolution, the ILIFE V3s Pro Robotic Vacuum, and compare it to the A4s and N79. Our ten second summary is to choose the V3s Pro if you only have hard floors, to buy the A4s if you have carpets but don’t have a smart phone, and to upgrade to the N79 if you have both. We review it fully below and you can buy it here.
Pros, Cons, and Key Features of the ILIFE V3s Pro Robotic Vacuum
The biggest pros to the ILIFE V3s Pro are likely its low price in both US and Canadian markets and ILIFE’s ability to fit in many of the features of vacuums costing up to twice its price. Its battery will last for about 90 minutes of cleaning hardwood floors, and along with it, you’ll get a remote control, the ability to program cleaning schedules, an automatic return-home functionality when battery charge runs low, and one-touch operation from the vacuum itself when you can’t find the remote. The V3s has a 12 inch cleaning radius, weighs 4.5 pounds, and is 3 inches tall. ILIFE specifically notes it’s designed to clean hardwood floors (and pet hair in particular), not carpeting. It also includes the same too-short one year warranty common to just about every robotic vacuum you can buy today.
It’s important to note what doesn’t come with the V3s Pro: Wi-Fi and smart phone connectivity. There are a number of other vacuums in its price range also missing this functionality (such as the Roomba 652, 650, and 614), but there are also vacuums in its price range that do let you sync them with smart phones, including the Roomba 690, Shark 750, and Deebot N79, so keep this in mind if it’s important to you.
How does the ILIFE V3s Pro compare to the A4s and Deebot N79?
As we mentioned above, the main difference between the V3s Pro and the A4s is the fact that the A4s will do a good job cleaning low-pile carpeting and rugs while the V3s Pro will not. Beyond that, the A4s also features a significantly longer battery life at up to 140 minutes compared to the 90 minutes in the V3s Pro. Both will clean equally well on bare floors, and both do an admirable job of chasing down pet hair.
Compared to the Deebot N79, the salient difference is the presence of Wi-Fi on the N79 and absence of it on the V3s Pro. You can’t add it after the fact, either. As with the A4s, all three machines can be programmed directly from the robot or via a remote; the N79, however, will also allow you to sync to it from your Apple or Android phone to send it on its way or get information about its cleaning progress. Another N79 advantage to keep in mind is battery life; the N79 reaches 100 minutes while the V3s Pro tops out at around 90 minutes. Both will clean hardwood floors and pet hair on such floors equally well. However, like the A4s, the N79 will also clean low-pile carpets, while the V3s Pro will not.
How well does the ILIFE V3s Pro clean pet hair from hardwood floors and carpets?
When spending this little on a robot, we’re not looking for perfection; we don’t even expect that when spending three times as much for a robot like a Roomba 980 or 960, although we certainly expect much greater cleaning power, reliability, battery life, and intelligence in navigation. However, if we’re spending less, we find it best to be realistic about what we’re going to get.
With the V3s Pro, we get a vacuum that’s reasonably intelligent (it stayed away from stairs and didn’t bump into too many things) and capable of chasing down the several pounds of hair our golden retrievers shed all day, every day. It wasn’t capable of handling carpets–it would breeze over them but wouldn’t clean them–but was happy to pick up dirt, dust, and a range of other unwelcome objects from hardwood floors, tile, laminate, and concrete. Battery life was better than expected in this price range, and we were happy with fit, finish, and the ease with which we could empty the dust bin. Overall, it was a satisfying experience using the V3s Pro as long as we didn’t expect it to do things it wasn’t designed to do.
Why buy the ILIFE V3s Pro?
In our books, the main reason to buy the ILIFE V3s Pro is because you want a robot vacuum to clean up pet hair, dirt, dust, and small bits of food and garbage from hardwood, tile, or laminate floors while spending as little money as possible. You don’t want this machine if you’re expecting it to clean your carpets for you, because it won’t; you’ll want the A4s instead. You also don’t want the V3s Pro if you want to control it with your smart phone; you’ll want something like the Deebot N79 instead. But if you’re happy using a remote and don’t have carpeting or rugs, you can be perfectly happy with the V3s Pro while laughing all the way to the bank.
You can buy the ILIFE V3s Pro here on Amazon or buy the ILIFE A4s here. For an upgrade to both and smart phone compatibility, buy the Deebot N79 here instead.
Canadians can buy the ILIFE V3s Pro here, buy the ILIFE A4s here or buy the Deebot N79 here for an upgrade to both and the ability to use your smart phone.
If you find our research on PMC helpful, you can follow our efforts to keep maniacally reviewing home cleaning tools by shopping through our links above. We promise to keep fighting the good fight against every horror children, animals, and grown, yet messy humans can inflict upon a clean home.