Dreame X40 Ultra – adds a new dimension to cleaning (cleaning review)

The Dreame X40 Ultra is its latest flagship. It has increased vacuum power to 12,000pa, improved AI obstacle detection with a dual-line laser, and added an extendable/liftable ‘SideReach’ whisker brush for improved corner cleaning.

Add that to the last generation ‘Mop Extend’ and ‘RoboSwing’ (crabwalk to clean edges), and it is excellent at edge cleaning. Its new Anti-tangle TriCut brush resists hair entanglement.

Let’s position the Dreame X40 Ultra

At present, this is the most fully featured ‘Best’ Gen 5 robot. We will go through the features, but no other robot has features such as 32 levels of mop moisture control, an intelligent cleaning station, real 360° 3D LiDAR, 4D maps (3D plus detailed furniture mapping), 120+ Object detection, TriCut brush, and specific Pet Zone settings. It remembers previous cleans and how best to clean difficult areas.

We have a guide Five tips for choosing a robovac/mop (we update this after every review) that you should read before making a purchase. It defines what the five generations of robovac/mops do and helps guide you toward what is best.

Australian review: Dreame X40 Ultra Model RLX63CE

AU Website	Australian site Product page Owners guide
RRP Price	$2,799, but shop around and look for sales events.
From	Dreame Online, Harvey Norman (and sub-brands), JB Hi-Fi, Robot Specialist
Warranty	36-months
Elevator pitch	The smartest robovac by far.
Made in	China
About the company	Dreame (Est 2015) is a member of the Xiaomi Ecological Chain and the driving force and leading enterprise of smart household cleaning appliances (at least in China). It focuses on high-end cleaning appliances by leveraging astrodynamics technologies (the study of ballistics and celestial mechanics).
More	CyberShack cleaning news and reviews CyberShack Dreame news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Passable (meets low expectations), Pass (meets expectations), Pass+ (near Exceed but not class-leading) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

We are also tightening up on grading. From now on, Pass, for example, means meeting expectations for the price bracket. We consider a Pass mark to be 70+/100 with extra points added for class-leading and excellence.

First Impression – Exceed

This is our third Dreame review – the DreameBot L20 Ultra is a very smart, efficient robovac/mop, and the Dreame L10s Pro Ultra Heat – value premium robovac/mop precedes this review.

While there are several Gen 5 robovac/mops—Ecovacs, Roborock, Eufy, and Narwal, to name a few—Dreame has consistently led the field with useful innovations. The Dreame X40 Ultra has done it again, although I don’t think it will be long before the other brands’ yet-to-be-released models try to catch up.

This has

• A liftable and extendable side whisker brush to avoid spills and clean corners better (Roborock S8 Max has an extendable).
• MopExtend and RoboSwing to clean corners, edges and under overhangs (almost unique).
• A new TriCut brush that beats long hair (currently unique)
• 120+ object detections courtesy of the line laser and camera (about 2x as much as others)
• 32-level automatic moisture controls (most have 3-6 levels)
• 300ml internal dustbin
• 80ml internal water tank
• 12,000 Pascal and five levels of suction (most are <10,000)
• New 6400mAh battery and faster charging
• If required, 10.5mm mop lift and automatic mop removal for longer carpet vacuum only.
• 350mm (round) x 103.8m (H)

The Ultra cleaning station has:

• A new, more svelte cleaning tower that has the same capacity but takes less space.
• 4.5L clean water tank
• 4L wastewater tank
• 3.2L dustbin bag
• 70° hot water mop clean (and repeat if the dirt sensor indicates it needs more cleaning)
• Hot air mop drying
• Washboard cleaning (semi-manual requires brush)
• 200ml Internal cleaning solution tank – dose 1:200

CleanGenius – Exceed

But it is more than hardware innovation. Dreame is easy to use and gives consistently good results. I find its CleanGenius (Dreame loves inventing marketing terms) more intuitive and does more with little to no house prep required. It automatically recognises room and floor types and adopts the best cleaning ‘strategy’—the right water level, suction, etc.

Pet owners will appreciate the new programming’s ability to identify pet faeces and increase suction for pet hair areas. It will also determine how dirty an area is and clean it until it makes a difference. The TriCut rolling brush is particularly effective for longer pet hair.

Sensors – Exceed

The DreameBot X40 Ultra is a true Gen 5 robot with 3D LiDAR, dual-laser and HD AI camera and various IR and presence sensors. It has:

• 3D 360° LiDAR (LDS – laser distance sensor).
• LED fill light (important for use in dark areas and for the camera).
• AI camera for AI object identification and avoidance.
• HD RGB camera for video and AI avoidance.
• 3D dual-line front IR laser sensors (object avoidance).
• 1 x IR edge sensor (edge detection on the right side).
• Microphone
• 4 x cliff sensors.
• Carpet/hard floor ultrasonic sensor.
• Automatic vacuum boost sensor.
• Dust/water capacity sensor.
• 180° Bumper.
• Microphone for Google, Alexa and Siri voice commands.

Add to this Dreame’s Pathfinder Smart Navigation (ensures no missed spots) and AI that recognises 120+ different types of objects to avoid, and it is a very smart robot.

Setup – Pass+

Download the Dreamehome App for Android or iOS and follow the prompts. It is the most fully-featured app we have seen, but relax – the default settings are fine.

While it requires you to set up an account, the data collected is limited to what is necessary to provide a service. Servers are in the USA, Germany, and Singapore (for Australia) and are protected by the privacy rules of these countries. All data, including video (stored on the device – not in the cloud), can be deleted via the App, and the account can be deleted. The Privacy Policy and Terms of Use are at the end of the review. In all, the privacy policy is benign.

App settings – Comprehensive Pass+

While the Dreame X40 Ultra ‘CleanGenius’ default settings are fine, we found that the best vacuum/mop setting was standard vacuum power (Quiet, Standard, Turbo and Max) and balanced mop pattern (you can select light, balanced or deep for really dirty floors). There is no setting for multiple passes – only simultaneous vacuum and mop or mop after vacuum; however, CleanGenius detects dirty areas and makes as many passes as needed.

There are also settings for the tower where you can adjust return triggers (small, medium, and large homes), mop drying times, etc. The settings are very comprehensive. The screenshots below cover most headings.

Quick Map – Pass+

Quick Map covers about 10m2 per minute and is very accurate. For this run, you should complete a comprehensive home prep (see our guide). Then, you set boundaries, no-go zones, and room names.

Once the map is complete, it will update it with any new areas it finds and report via the cleaning history log.

Vacuum and efficiency – Exceed

It has a 350ml internal dustbin that does not need to be emptied, as this occurs at the tower, into a 3.2L disposable bag. The internal dustbin has a filter that needs regular manual cleaning.

Note: This is a dry vacuum and wet mop only. You cannot vacuum liquids, which will damage the suction motor. However, you can set it to mop only if you wish to mop small wet spills.

12,000 Pascals is about 1500 Air Watts is almost twice the power of many current robots (some get to 10,000 Pascals). As the detritus is auto-emptied about every 15m2, we could only gauge effectiveness using a Dyson Gen5 that detects and counts dirt particles. It found little more.

In vacuum and mop (default power) on a hard floor, it picked up a mix of fines and up to rice at near enough to 100%. On short pile carpet, that dropped to about 88%, but CleanGenius returned and got that closer to 95% – superb.

It has a 17cm TriCut tangle-free brush (13-17mm is typical of all-round robots), which means it needs to make more overlapping passes to vacuum the floor.

Mopping and efficiency – Pass+ (possibly Exceed)

It has an internal 80ml water tank, which is adequate as it is refilled when it returns to the 4.5L clean water container in the tower. It returns to the tower every 15m2 (can be set from 10-20m2 or by room/zone) or when the mop is dirty or the reservoir is low.

Dreame claims that the tower can provide enough clean water for 300m2 mopping.

Edge and Corner Clean mop – the secret sauce – Exceed

The whisker brush extends, and the rear right mop extends (only on hard floors).

Under furniture – Pass

At 103.5mm, it clears most furniture and cupboard overhangs quite well. It has a headlight and does not get lost under beds, etc. It also now recognises curtains and will take extra care around them.

Carpet lift – Pass+

As it auto-detects carpet, you don’t need to set no-mop zones. Most home carpets are 5-7mm, although longer piles can be up to 10mm. The mop pads lift 10.5mm over the carpet and stop rotating with water cutoff. Carpets were not damp (tested by a Klein moisture meter), but the edges of 10mm or thicker rugs showed some moisture.

The ability to auto-remove the mops is perfect for longer pile carpets.

Sill negotiation – Pass+

It had no issue with 20mm sills. However, it refused to cross a Sill from light hardwood to dark carpet. Its cliff detector thought it was just that. The solution was to set a virtual ramp in the app—all is well.

Obstacle Avoidance – Exceed

Home Prep is mainly unnecessary, although the more you do, the better it will be able to clean. For example, if you lift dining chairs, it does under the table. If you leave them, it tries to clean around the legs and can miss spots around them.

The new AI camera recognises 120+ different obstacle types and will take a picture of known and unknown obstacles. We don’t know what those types are, but we do know it has a pet mode that allegedly can recognise ‘solidish’ pet poo and avoid it.

Several tests with shoes, shoelaces, cables, Lego bricks, etc., were 100% successful.

Camera mode – Pass+

Dreame clarifies that camera video footage remains on the device—not in its cloud. The camera is important to help identify unknown obstacles or where it may get stuck—not that it did.

It can act as a sentry or record a video of your clean.

Voice control – Google, Alexa, Siri – Pass(able)

There are very few commands and no custom room commands. The usual commands include the watchword and

• Start/stop/pause/resume vacuuming/cleaning.
• Clean the named room (it may not work with custom names).
• Return home.

Remember, If you enable voice control, your data privacy/protection is that of Google, Alexa or Siri.

Cleaning Solution – Pass+

The tower has a refillable reservoir for Dreame Multi-surface floor cleaner that costs $39.95 per litre. It certainly seems to have more grease-cutting ability than water.

Our engineer panellist likes to analyse the various cleaning solutions. This contains water, alcohol, C12-14 (surfactant), ethoxylated polyether-modified polydimethylsiloxane (lowers surface tension), coconut diethanolamine (foaming and emulsifying agent), ethoxylated isotridecyl alcohol (fragrance), and 1, 2-benzisothialolin-3-one (disinfectant).

He believes any floor cleaner designed for robovac/mop should work. Still, the dispenser dilutes at 1:200, which means every litre of concentrate makes 200 litres of solution. Unless you can find a robot cleaning product with a similar dilution ratio, it would be inadvisable to use other brands.

Base station – Pass+

It is smaller than the L20 Ultra at 590 (H) x 340 (W) x 430 (D with ramp). Weight is 13.3kg plus 4.5l of water. It presents very well in black with gold highlights.

The Dreame X40 Ultra returns approx. every 15m2 for mop clean. Note that you must move the station to each floor if you use multiple floor maps.

Speed – Pass+

Approx 1m per m2 default settings – about average

Battery – Pass+

It has a 6400mAh 14.4V/6.4A/92W battery, and runtime depends on the cleaning mode—vacuum and mop, vacuum only, mop only, number of repetitions, and suction levels.

In theory, it should get 180 minutes in quiet settings. We found that the run time for CleanGenius mop and vacuum defaults was about 150 minutes (170m2). That is a very long time for a robovac/mop.

Charge Time with the 20V/2A/40W base station is approx. 4 to 5 hours

AC maximum power draw 1160W (hot water cleaning)

Build quality – Exceed

The Dreame X40 Ultra is a premium product with a premium build and a three-year warranty.

Maintenance and inbox – Pass+

The App keeps track of replacement schedules. The tower cleaning bay and ramp need occasional cleaning to remove detritus. There is a semi-manual washboard program.

Part	Replacement regularity	Price
Clean water tank	After each use
Wastewater tank	After each use
Cleaning solution	As needed – several months for a 1L bottle	$39.95
Dust bags	3.2L claimed 75 days of use	$49.95 3-pack
Mop pads	Every 1-3 months – washable	$49.95 4-pack
Washboard base	2 months
Dustbin filter in robot	Every 3-6 months – washable	$49.95 2-pack
Side brushes	Every 3-6 months	$44.95 2-pack
Roller brush	Every 6-12 months	$49.95
Roller cover	Every 6-12 months	$39.95
TriCut brush	As required – no time limit	$199.95
Sensors	Wipe over monthly
Ultra kit	6 mop pads, 2 filters, 2 side brushes, 2 dust bags, 1 Roller brush	$199.95
Solution		$39.95 per 1l

CyberShack’s view – Dreame X40 Ultra tops them all – today

We test them all, and without a doubt, this is a quantum leap over the L20 and L10s, which were already our 2024 top Gen 5 picks. As we said earlier, it is not that it is so much better, but the new technologies, like the extending/lifting whisker and crabwalk extendable mop pads, are game changers. The app has more features, too.

We tested using four panellist’s homes and mine (as the reviewer).

• #1 – 100% hard floor: This is set and forget. Its obstacle avoidance is beyond excellent, and the vacuum and mop quality are the best yet.
• #2—older hardwood floors, tiles, and carpets: Once you helped me set up the map and rooms, it was the first to fully clean my home in one pass. (Reviewers note: To be fair, most Gen 5 robots do this but he has a lot of mixed floor types).
• #3- 50% carpet and 50% tiles: It correctly identified the carpets and lifted the mop. One carpet has a deeper pile, and we set it to drop the mop pads before cleaning. This is one pass, unattended cleaning for my single-level home.
• #4—Pet Owner—all hard floors: The pet setting is fabulous. The TriCut brush works a treat with my long-haired dog. The lifting whisker brush is a terrific idea and avoids contact with dog pee!
• #5—As the reviewer, I must repeat the same tests for each robot: It is slightly more capable than the L20 Ultra and L10S Ultra, mainly for edge cleaning and extra suction. I would be happy with any of the three, something I don’t often say about other brands.

Dreame X40 Ultra rating

Note that for 2024 onwards, the pass mark is 70/100 (it was creeping up over 80). It allows us to reward excellence and class-leading.

• Features: 90 – everything you could want – even things you did not know you needed
• Value: 90 – $2799 is fair for what you get, but wait for Black Friday and sales events.
• Performance: 90 – better than average mopping, mop lift on the carpet, Mop and Whisker extend edge clean, and terrific on hard floors.
• Ease of Use: 85 – The App is comprehensive and easy to use
• Design: 80—Round means it must make more passes, which makes it slightly slower. As far as a round robot goes, it is top drawer.

Summary table – Dreame X40 Ultra.

Item		Explanation	Grade
Shape	Round	Effectively addresses the ‘round’ issues with whisker and mop edge cleaning.	Exceed
Lidar	3D	Rotating 360° turret to Gen 5 standard but creates ‘4D’ maps with additional information.	Pass+
Sensor	IR	Right side IR sensor avoids walls	Pass+
Camera 1	Yes	Forward AI camera aids in 3D mapping and obstacle avoidance.	Pass+
Camera 2	Yes	HD video camera. Option to enable live view	Pass+
Maps	4	You must take the base station to each level.	Pass
Map edit	Yes	All the usual, including mop and no mop zones	Pass+
App	DreameHome	Google Play Store or Apple App Store It meets all typical needs. Modes include vacuum, mop, or both, suction, water volume, battery level, cleaning diary, area clean, navigation pattern, schedules, etc. Real-time tracking.	Pass+
Voice	Yes	Google, Alexa and Siri, but fundamental commands	Passable
Edge	Yes	It gets closer on hard floors to edges (2mm) than all other round-robovacs	Exceed
Carpet Efficiency		>88-95% on carpet and >100% on hard floor	Pass+
Carpet Lift	Yes	10.5mm	Pass+
Sills	20mm	There are no issues apart from one light-to-dark sill, which a virtual ramp fixed.	Pass+

Dreame X40 Ultra Continued

Other Sensors	All	Forward bumper sensor. The cliff detectors stop it from going down the stairs. Carpet detector IR Edge detector	Pass+
Suction	12000Pa	On Max	Pass+
Dustbin	300ml	Adequate given 3.2L self-empty function	Pass+
Water internal	80ml	It returns to base every 15m2 (can be adjusted)	Pass+
Battery life		Realistically, 150 minutes, depending on vac/mop and power levels	Pass+
Battery	6400mAh	14.4V/6.4A/92W and 4.5-hour charge	Pass+
Wi-Fi	2.4GHz	Same as most robot vacuums/mops. Mesh aware.	Pass
Size		350 round x 103.8mm high x 4.4kg	Pass
Dock		590 (H) x 340 (W) x 430 (D with ramp). Weight is 13.3kg plus 4.5l of water. Recharge time is about 4.5 hours. 3.2L dust bag 4.5L clean water 4L wastewater	Pass
Inbox		1x Base Station 1x Robot 1x Side Brush 2x Mop Pad (pre-installed) 1x Power Cord 2x Mop Pad Holder 1x Cleaning Brush (TriCut option) 1x Multi-Surface Floor Cleaner 200ml 2x Dust Collection Bag (replacement) 1x User Manual	Pass