Robot vacuum cleaners are gradually finding their place in the Indian household appliance market. Testing the waters, Chinese OEM Dreame Technology has introduced its Dreame D9 Max robot vacuum cleaner in the country. The cleaner is competitively priced at Rs 24,999 on Amazon.in right now and competes with brands such as Eureka Forbes and Ecovacs. I’ve been using the Dreame D9 Max robot vacuum cleaner for about a month now. While it has certainly made my life easier, there are still aspects that leave more to be desired. Read on to discover more in this Dreame D9 Max review.
Table of Contents
Design
The Dreame D9 Max follows the standard design seen in many other robot vacuum cleaners. It sports a compact, circular form factor that allows it to effortlessly navigate under furniture. The cleaner is constructed from durable plastic, which may not be scratch-resistant but does seem sturdy.
Its top edge has a reflective finish and features a flap that opens to reveal the dustbin container as well as a cleaning brush to clean the device. Moreover, the top edge sports a matte-finished dome housing a LiDAR sensor for navigation. You’ll also find a couple of buttons for controlling the device. These buttons can be used to start cleaning, pause the cleaning process, and send the device back to the charging dock, all without needing to use the companion app on your smartphone.
At the bottom edge of the D9 Max, you’ll find wheels for moving in multiple directions, a suction zone with a brush, and slots for attaching accessories, including a silicone “tangle-free” side brush and the mop pad, provided in the box. Notably, the slot for the mop pad is conveniently placed, allowing you to attach or remove the accessory without flipping the device upside down. The device’s side edges are symmetrical and divided into two sections. The back section includes vents for air circulation and speakers, while the front section serves as a bumper to protect the device from minor damage when it encounters obstacles during cleaning.
Overall, the Dreame D9 Max robot vacuum cleaner boasts a well-designed aesthetic and will seamlessly complement your home decor.
Features
The Dreame D9 Max is impressively feature-rich. It excels in autonomous cleaning and effortlessly mopping while utilising LIDAR navigation to generate a virtual map of your living space. With a robust maximum suction power of 4,000 Pa and four modes, it tackles a wide range of surfaces, including tile, marble, stone, and carpets. The D9 Max is equipped with a 270ml water tank and a 570ml dust box. Moreover, it boasts a HEPA filter that adeptly captures an abundance of tiny particles, ensuring a high-quality cleaning experience. The robot vacuum cleaner also supports Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri for hands-free control. However, I preferred controlling the device via the companion app and the built-in buttons.
Performance
During the review, the Dreame D9 Max robot vacuum cleaner efficiently operated on my marble flooring, successfully eliminating dust and debris. It even cleaned out my dog’s hair which was stuck underneath the bed or furniture where the regular broom had a hard time cleaning. However, it’s worth noting that the device may not handle larger objects well, such as pieces of paper exceeding a couple of inches in diameter. You’ll need to manually pick up such items. In fact, the app advises you to clear the floor of any large objects during the initial setup before using the D9 Max vacuum cleaner.
That said, you won’t need to pick up every item from the floor; carpets and doormats can stay put. The Dreame D9 Max easily glides over them, though it might face some difficulties when mopping is used simultaneously. Nonetheless, it generally does a fine job removing dust and debris if not hair. Furthermore, you have the option to enable the ‘Carpet Boost’ setting through the companion app which increases the cleaner’s suction power when it detects carpets or mats. The Dreame D9 Max can cross objects up to 0.8 inches high, which is good enough if you have a minor step between two rooms. The device can easily climb up/ down with no assistance required.
When it comes to mopping, the Dreame D9 Max comes with an attachment featuring a water tank and a large velcroed pad. You’ll need to manually fill the tank with regular water as the company advises against using detergents or any other chemicals. The water output can be adjusted via the app, and even when set to the maximum, there was still 10-20 percent water left after thoroughly cleaning a 3BHK flat. However, it’s important to note that the mopping function isn’t as effective as the vacuum cleaner. Despite a ‘Deep mopping’ cycle, some stains were still present on the floor.
The vacuum cleaner also leaves one wanting more when it comes to corner cleaning. The single-side brush had trouble reaching into the corners to remove dust and debris. However, despite these minor hiccups, I genuinely appreciate the effort the company has put into this vacuum cleaner. It efficiently cleans the area without causing any harm to furniture. While the device may not come equipped with a camera, it also boasts eight built-in infrared sensors that aid in detecting and avoiding big and relatively heavy objects. However, it can’t detect cables or go around slippers.
Companion app
The Dreamehome app is the gateway to the D9 Max controls and settings. The app is available for download on both Android and iOS devices. Though the Android app with v2.0.4 kept crashing on my Pixel 8 for some reason, it worked seamlessly on the iPhone. After initial setup, the app will ask you to connect the device to a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network to send the battery, cleaning status, and more information across. Your smartphone and D9 Max need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network to fetch the information.
Besides that, the Dreamehome app UI is relatively clean and intuitive to navigate. All the main functions are right there on the home screen, including cleaning settings, map management, charging, and more. Additionally, the app allows you to mark a no-go zone, which you can further customise with a no-mop zone and a virtual wall. You can also set spot cleaning for the device, schedule cleaning, and remote control the Dreame D9 Max via the app.
Maintenance
The Dreame D9 Max typically needs weekly maintenance, although this can vary based on usage. It features a spacious bin, which, in my experience, became full after seven days of cleaning a carpet area spanning over 1500 sq ft. The mop needs to be cleaned and refilled with water after every usage though. That being said, it is relatively easy to do so.
What is difficult though is removing hair from the side brush and the main brush. The hair gets tangled with the brush, especially the main one, pretty badly and may require some effort to get rid of them. If there’s a significant amount of hair on the floor, it’s recommended to clear it before operating the Dreame D9 Max.
Moreover, the HEPA filter, side brush, and main brush have a life of approximately 150-300 hours after which you will have to replace them. You can check their service life via the companion app as well. The company doesn’t provide a spare filter or brush. You will have to purchase them separately in a pack with one main brush, six side brushes, four filters, four mop clothes, and two cleaning brushes via Amazon.in for roughly Rs 4,000.
Battery life
The Dreame D9 Max is equipped with a substantial 5,200mAh battery, rated to last up to three hours between charges. I typically achieved about two and a half hours of usage with ‘Strong’ Suction settings and mopping simultaneously. Impressively enough, the device would automatically plug in for charging when the battery is low and resume cleaning from where it left off when it has enough juice.
Charging the Dreame D9 Max is convenient with its compact dock that can be placed almost anywhere. The vacuum cleaner easily locates the dock in its initial position after scanning the room. If the dock is moved, the cleaner may have some initial trouble finding it, but rest assured, it will eventually find its way. The D9 Max takes approximately six hours for the D9 Max to achieve a full charge from empty, which should not be a concern if you are using it once during the day.
Verdict
To sum it up, the Dreame D9 Max robot vacuum cleaner may not provide the same level of satisfaction as manual cleaning, but it justifies its purchase for everyday use/ cleaning. Its robust suction power, LIDAR navigation, and spacious dust box make it a solid choice for keeping your floors clean. While the corner cleaning and mopping is not great, it excels at navigating over carpets and doormats. Maintenance is also relatively straightforward, except for removing tangled hair from the brushes, which can be a bit of a chore.
The companion app further provides convenient control and customisation options. Lastly, the vacuum cleaner boasts a substantial battery life and a seamless charging solution. All these factors make the D9 Max a valuable addition to your household, despite some minor limitations. The Dreame D9 Max robot vacuum cleaner is priced in India at Rs 29,999, but it is currently selling at a discounted price of Rs 24,999.
Editor’s rating: 8 / 10
Pros
- Effective cleaning
- Decent battery life
- Impressive LIDAR navigation
- Large dustbin
Cons
- App support on Android is finicky
- Removing tangled hair can be a challenge
