Product test
A robot vacuum cleaner with a roller instead of a mop – what’s the point?
by Lorenz Keller
Dreame proves: Roll has a future and replaces mops
2-10-2025
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Lorenz Keller
Yet another new robot hoover from Dreame, and yet another better one: the Aqua10 Ultra Roller Complete uses a roller instead of a mop for the first time. This makes it a cleaning wizard.
A new era is dawning for robot hoovers. After all manufacturers have switched from mop pads to round mops in recent years, a new technology is now being used for mopping: rollers or rollers with a textile cover that are supplied with fresh water and cleaned directly in the robot.
The first time I tested this technology was in the Ecovacs Deebot X9 Pro Omni. Now Dreame is launching the Aqua10 Ultra Roller Complete, the first model with a roller.
Fully automatic for perfect cleanliness
In contrast to the wet/dry vacuum cleaner, I don't have to do anything, the robot hoover does it all by itself. If it runs out of water or the tank is full, it returns to the base station and refills itself. It also gives the roll a thorough clean. Finally, the Dreame cleans the roller with water heated to 100 degrees and then dries it with warm air.
The previous models dropped the mops in the base station when they were not in use, for example when vacuuming carpets. The Aqua10 Ultra Roller Complete cannot do this. To prevent the roller from dripping carpets wet, the robot moves a cover over the roller. I have small bathroom carpets in my flat and this worked perfectly and automatically. The system recognises the condition of the floor. Even if the roller is still damp, nothing is wiped on the carpet.
In all honesty, I don't notice much difference in everyday use compared to other top models. That's not bad news, because the Aqua10 Ultra Roller Complete mops and vacuums without any weaknesses. The basic cleanliness in the home is perfect - which is what I expect from an appliance costing over 1000 francs. The edges are clean because the roller can be extended to the side.
The only weakness of the system is in corners. A retractable, round mop reaches these corners better than a roller. This is noticeable from time to time, but not so much that it is a dealbreaker.
What I didn't think about at first was the increased water consumption. Although the fresh water tank holds four litres, I had to refill it after every 200 square metres of cleaning during the test. With the previous model, the water lasted around twice as long.
A roll forward in the details
In the endurance test, the Aqua10 Ultra Roller Complete performs better than its siblings with their round mops. First, I dripped some soya sauce onto the kitchen floor. In the fully automatic «Clean Genius» mode, the Dreame appliance cleans this away in a single pass. The floor is no longer sticky and the sauce is not smeared. The roll is already better than the mops previously used.
Now the test becomes more demanding: I leave a few splashes of tomato sauce to dry overnight. I start again with the fully automatic mode: a little comes away, but the stains are still clearly visible. I start a second run: this time in «intensive wipe mode» with more liquid and more pressure. Now one of three stains is almost completely gone, the others about two thirds.
The Dreame doesn't work miracles. However, I also need two to three passes with a wet-dry cleaner for stains like these - and I have to scrub over them several times by hand.
It's a shame that the Aqua10 Ultra Roller Complete doesn't automatically recognise the dirt and go over it several times until it's gone - or at least suggests that it should.
In the video you can see the two cleaning cycles. First the endurance test with tomato sauce, then the everyday test with soya sauce.
The conclusion: the roll beats the previous technique with mops when moped. Although the difference in everyday use is not great, it is clearly recognisable with stubborn stains. This is in line with the experience gained during the first test with a roller model, the Ecovacs Deebot X9 Pro Omni.
What the Dreame does better
Let's stick to comparing the two robot hoovers I've tested so far. The biggest advantage of the Dreame is the cover mentioned above, which prevents the wet roller from accidentally moistening the carpets.
The second big advantage is the overall package: the Dreame has everything you would expect from a top model built in. It vacuums at 30,000 pascals, compared to 20,000 pascals for the previous top model X50 Ultra Complete and 16,600 pascals for the Ecovacs Deebot X9 Pro Omni.
The Dreame can retract the lidar tower with the sensors and can therefore get under sofas or beds with little ground clearance. However, with a height of 9.8 centimetres, the robot is still no slouch. For the first time, it is possible to use two different cleaning agents in the base station - one for parquet and one for hard floors, for example.
In contrast to the Ecovacs, the Dreame can climb over thresholds. However, the Aqua10 Ultra Roller Complete can't do as much as I thought at first glance. This is because the specified height of eight centimetres only applies to two-part inclines, i.e. a first threshold of four centimetres and then another step of four centimetres.
Under normal circumstances, the new model can overcome obstacles up to 4.2 centimetres high - just like its predecessor, the X50 Ultra Complete. When tested, the scooter cleared the 4.1-centimetre threshold without any problems. At five centimetres, it occasionally failed. After all: no other model currently manages a greater height.
By the way: While the magnetically attached mops could sometimes fall off when trying to climb, the roller is bombproof.
Where the roller is only average
To start the test, I let the robot hoovers map the same area. The Aqua10 Ultra Roller Complete manages the flat with around 120 square metres in ten minutes. This is a good result, even though both the predecessor and the top model from the subsidiary Mova were faster.
More important than speed, however, is the quality of the mapping. This is fine. But I have to correct some things manually. For example, it has divided the kitchen into two rooms and combined the two bathrooms into one room. I can easily fix that.
I'm pleased that the robot scanned part of the balcony through the glass door, but immediately recognised it as a balcony and labelled it. With one click, I can choose to ignore it during cleaning.
You need to be patient when cleaning - all scooter models seem to have this in common. In automatic mode and with the default settings for mopping and vacuuming, the Aqua10 Ultra Roller Complete manages around one square metre per minute.
No progress is noticeable in terms of volume either. I measured 63 decibels in standard mode at a distance of around one metre. That's not bad, but it's still six decibels louder than the quietest models.
Not only useful, but also sweet
The Aqua10 Ultra Roller Complete has countless features. Many of them are very useful, such as automatic obstacle detection, which works very well. Cables, for example, are consistently spared. The double brush, around which no long hair is wrapped, is impressive. The hair is sucked in perfectly.
The accessories supplied by Dreame are also exemplary: Replacement filters, several spare brushes, even a second textile cover for the roller and no less than three bottles of cleaning agent for normal surfaces and against pet odours.
Other functions must be activated in the settings. For example, you can leave the vacuum cleaner to charge at night when electricity may be cheaper. The vacuum cleaner can be controlled with voice commands, for which Dreame relies on its own assistant. And the robot's camera can be activated for a live view of the home.
An entirely new feature is actually totally superfluous, but it has charm. In the «pet care section», you can not only define zones that should be cleaned with special cleaning products or more intensively than usual, but also have «pet moments» recorded. As soon as the robot gets a cat or dog in front of its lens, it creates a small gif and saves it in the app. That's really cute - but I have to share the recordings and have them analysed in the cloud.
In a nutshell
The best robot vacuum cleaner
No other robot hoover has been as convincing as the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller Complete when tested. Instead of using mops that are cleaned in the base station, the manufacturer now relies on a roller with a textile cover that is supplied with water and cleaned directly in the robot. This pays off, especially with heavier soiling.
Dreame also provides a complete package: the robot navigates perfectly, can climb over four-centimetre-high thresholds and use two different cleaning solutions. However, the full equipment and new technology are not cheap.
Pro
- Roll better than mops
- Perfect everyday cleaning
- overcomes high thresholds
- Many adjustable software features
- Good obstacle detection
- Fast navigation
Contra
- High price
- Thorough cleaning takes time and water
- Does not always clean corners perfectly
Lorenz Keller
Senior Editor
Lorenz.Keller@digitecgalaxus.chGadgets are my passion - whether you need them for the home office, for the household, for sport and pleasure or for the smart home. Or, of course, for the big hobby next to the family, namely fishing.
