Dyson 360 Vis Nav robotic vacuum assessment: Dyson ought to simply keep on with upright vacuums

Desk of Contents

I will be the primary particular person to inform somebody to only develop up and purchase a pleasant Dyson slightly than accept a less expensive cordless vacuum. Sure, the Dyson buy most likely requires additional saving up, and sure, I acknowledge {that a} vacuum costing the identical (or extra) than a month’s lease places it within the “overpriced” class. However in the event you can swing it, I feel a Dyson stick vacuum is value it.

And that is just because my Dyson with a laser does such job that it makes me choose doing the chore manually. If a robotic vacuum does a crappy job of cleansing a tough ground, my Dyson V12 Detect Slim will snitch instantly, utilizing its inexperienced laser to spotlight any leftover hairs or specks {that a} robotic vacuum missed. It is nonetheless clutch to have the ability to depend on a robotic vacuum for surface-level jobs in a pinch, however for higher or for worse, my final check for my military of robotic vacuums is how they get up in opposition to my Dyson stick vacuum.

So what higher robotic vacuum to compete with my beloved Dyson stick vacuum than a Dyson robotic vacuum? I went into my expertise with Dyson’s 360 Vis Nav with excessive expectations, regardless of already realizing about Dyson’s odd option to omit essential robotic vacuum options like mopping and self-emptying. This is my Dyson robotic vacuum assessment.

Dyson hardly ever releases robotic vacuums, so this was enormous

The 360 Vis Nav initially bought out at Dyson’s web site inside hours of launch on March 19, 2024. Inventory subsequently dwindled fully at different retailers like Amazon and Finest Purchase throughout the following days. That is not stunning — demand for a Dyson robotic vacuum has been effervescent since 2016, which is the final time Dyson launched a robotic vacuum within the U.S. And it was a flop.

Almost a decade later, the premise of a Dyson robotic vacuum felt rather more auspicious. Dyson has perfected its cyclonic suction energy within the realm of cordless stick vacuums, so it shouldn’t have any drawback changing that experience to robotic kind, proper?

The 360 Vis Nav got here out with the promise of being the world’s strongest robotic vacuum, aided by a flat edge and a genius extending facet duct for higher nook cleansing than what a spherical robotic vacuum can handle. A D-shaped robotic vacuum is exclusive, however is not one thing we have by no means seen earlier than. And it is positively not probably the most… fascinating selection Dyson made with this bodily design. Let’s begin there.

This bodily design may be very distinctive (derogatory)

You’ll be able to inform a Dyson vacuum is a Dyson vacuum simply by it. The metallic grey our bodies, daring pops of coloration, and chunky industrial particulars are fairly recognizable to anybody who has shopped for a vacuum earlier than.

And I’ve by no means minded that boldness. My V12 Detect Slim, which is grey with a bizarre orange tentacle-looking piece on the mud bin and a purple filter cap, is a flex mounted on the wall in my kitchen. When visitors come over, they instantly acknowledge and respect that this can be a Dyson family.

That being stated, Dyson ought to have reined in its signature design with the 360 Vis Nav, as a result of it is sort of an eyesore. Reasonably than sticking to graphite, the complete physique is shiny indigo. That’s topped off with an exterior round dustbin that was most likely meant to provide cool uncovered gear vibes, however extra so resembles a curled-up centipede.

I assume the polarizing design selection is likely to be interesting to ultra-modern maximalists, however given my visitors’ puzzled reactions after they see the 360 Vis Nav in my lounge, the shortage of curb enchantment feels fairly palpable.

Even though robotic vacuums have gotten more and more widespread, they’ll nonetheless really feel a bit misplaced in lots of houses — means too tech-y to mesh in an in any other case cozy room. Different manufacturers have caught onto the buyer’s choice for chicness and subtlety, just like the dapper, all-white or all-black our bodies of the Roborock Saros 10 and Saros 10R (two of my favourite robotic vacuums of 2025).

So the mud bin is not hid on the underside or again prefer it historically is on standalone robotic vacuums. Sure, because of this the wad of grey mud shall be dealing with outward till it is time to empty. You would be off the hook from that for weeks and weeks had Dyson made its robotic vacuum in a position to empty itself like so many others do. However a minimum of the 360 Vis Nav’s 0.15-gallon mud bin is bigger than most non-self-emptiers, I assume.

And granted, if a robotic vacuum goes to require handbook emptying, Dyson’s system is unquestionably the mildest ache within the ass. Simply pull up the deal with and un-click the bin whereas the vac is charging, maintain it over a trash can, and push the purple button. The door swings open downward, and all the pieces falls immediately into the trash.

However then, the truth that it will probably’t empty itself nonetheless has me circling again to the truth that it is simply not a sexy equipment — the handbook emptying requires easy accessibility to the mud bin, and meaning you may’t simply retailer the robotic vacuum below a bit of furnishings and name it a day. For instance, the 3i G10+ robotic vacuum that I examined is not a cute robotic vacuum, both. Nevertheless it has a cool mud compacting system that basically acts like a self-emptying dock, minus the precise dock that takes up area. It may subtly be saved nearly anyplace — the G10+ merely lived below my TV stand throughout testing, its cumbersome design saved out of sight in my carefully-decorated lounge.

Talking of questionable design selections, not even the non secular RuPaul’s Drag Race stan in me can justify the black and white checkered flags caught to the 360 Vis Nav’s dock. This skinny panel must be hooked up to ensure that the vac to map appropriately and discover its means again. With out it, the 360 Vis Nav appears like me making an attempt to parallel park. No different robotic vacuums I’ve examined require obnoxious stickers to drive themselves again to the dock.

Sensible mapping is correct, however customizing zones is irritating

A small LCD touchscreen and a small clear sphere often known as the Eye sit atop the 360 Vis Nav. You employ the touchscreen throughout setup when connecting to the WiFi, and I recognize that the entire steps are specified by quite simple phrases. You can even use the touchscreen to pick out from 4 cleansing modes (which you may as well do on the app): auto, increase, quiet, and fast. They’re fairly self-explanatory.

The opposite piece of tech on prime, the Dyson Eye, replaces the round LiDAR tower that’s seen on a number of competing robotic vacuums. The Eye has a 360-degree view of its environment and, with the assistance of 26 completely different sensors, is alleged to research as much as 10,000 information factors a second, permitting it to recollect your property’s structure and navigate round giant obstacles like furnishings and partitions.

The 360 Vis Nav’s mapping run proved to be fairly correct the primary time round, a minimum of when assessing the final perimeter of the ground plan. (Dividing rooms within the app wasn’t as seamless.) After every cleansing session, the MyDyson app affords what appears like a warmth map model of its sensible map, exhibiting the place it discovered probably the most mud. It’s going to work tougher in these areas the subsequent time you begin a full residence cleansing.

Navigation-wise, the 360 Vis Nav is nimble when coping with difficult furnishings. It by no means obtained caught as soon as in my condominium, and was in a position to carve tightly round our acorn-shaped espresso desk. I am not over the shortage of small impediment avoidance know-how, although. And I elaborate on these gripes within the downsides part of this assessment.

Suction energy: Nice on carpet, however tough across the edges

When it first got here out, Dyson insisted that the 360 Vis Nav had double the suction energy of any robotic vacuum. At first, it was almost not possible to show or disprove that — Dyson traditionally measured vacuum suction energy in Air Watts (AW) as an alternative of the extra widespread measurement of Pascals (Pa). In some unspecified time in the future since its spring 2024 launch, Dyson quietly up to date the 360 Vis Nav’s on-line description with “22,000 Pa of suction energy.” That is a terrific quantity and all, nevertheless it confirms that the 360 Vis Nav doubling the suction energy of every other robotic vacuum is simply not true. A number of flagship Roborock robotic vacuums clear with 20,000 to 22,000 Pa, and new Dreame robotic vacuums coming in fall 2025 are stated to dish out 30,000 Pa.

However how effectively does the Dyson robotic vacuum clear in apply? Success tales first: The Dyson 360 Vis Nav is a stable robotic vacuum for carpet and rugs. It aced any particles check I threw at it, audibly boosting suction (in auto mode) when it got here throughout a multitude. These three piles of crushed tortilla chips, soil, and cat fur have been completely cleared earlier than the 360 Vis Nav went again to its dock, even once I was skeptical after it missed some items on the primary go.

The effectiveness might be a mixture of sheer suction energy and the triple-action brush roll. It is principally a spitting picture of the one on Dyson’s Digital Motorbar cleansing head for its cordless vacuums, combining tender nylon, stiff bristles, and anti-static carbon fiber strands that dig into carpet pile, appeal to particles like velcro, and suck it out.

When it comes to battery life, Dyson alleges that the 360 Vis Nav can run for 65 minutes. I used to be in a position to ship the Dyson out to cowl two rooms that took just below half an hour every, and it had sufficient juice for each on one cost. Nevertheless, I can see this run time dwindling considerably if extra of the ground is carpet or must be cleaned in increase mode. Plus, whereas an hour of juice is ok for a full clear of a small area like my condominium, a bigger residence would most likely require double that battery life.

Exhausting flooring have been extra of a wrestle than carpet, which is stunning as a result of it is often the opposite means round for robotic vacuums.

My lavatory is one place the place I want a robotic vacuum to reliably clear every day. It is the place one in every of my cats’ litter bins is, and it is the place my hair sheds probably the most — and is the one place within the condominium the place I all the time stroll barefoot. So inform me why, on a number of events, I walked in there after a 360 Vis Nav run to see the again third of the ground nonetheless scattered with kitty litter and lengthy hairs. Both the 360 Vis Nav’s suction did just about nothing, or it did not try to return there in any respect. Contemplating a $299 Shark robotic vacuum efficiently got here to the rescue afterwards, neither of these excuses will fly.

Equally, the laser on my Dyson V12 Detect Slim confirmed an honest quantity of mud nonetheless remaining in entrance of the litter field within the kitchen after the 360 Vis Nav cleaned there.

Dyson’s hyped edge cleansing was an enormous letdown

Other than rocking a flat edge to scoot into 90-degree angles higher than a spherical vacuum, the 360 Vis Nav is provided with facet ducts that reach when cleansing alongside a wall. These goal suction energy to the facet of the vacuum that the wall is on, changing the normal flimsy spinning facet brushes that function on mere hope. This was going to be enormous if true: Robotic vacuums universally wrestle to seize the mud bunnies that blew into the nook behind the sofa or the crumbs pushed up in opposition to cupboards or home equipment.

Sadly, the 360 Vis Nav fell wanting edge-pectations. Throughout my spill-rice-on-purpose problem, the vac did an OK (simply OK) job at clearing the center of the ground, however hardly grabbed any of the rice hanging out below the lip of the cupboards. Particles being left behind across the outskirts of a room was a recurring theme. A fast skim of my Roborock Saros 10R assessment and also you’d know that it really is feasible for a robotic vacuum to be good at cleansing corners.

Downsides: Dyson skipped essential options, then charged an excessive amount of

My checklist of cons of the 360 Vis Nav shall be fairly easy — not as a result of Dyson obtained only a few issues fallacious, however as a result of there’s really not a ton of options to guage. No self-emptying, no mopping, no small impediment avoidance. I will cowl these within the part exploring the competitors, however first, I need to contact on the options which are current, however disappointing.

There’s a number of misplaced innovation occurring right here. Reasonably than guaranteeing some fundamental options that each high-end robotic vacuum ought to have, Dyson put its power into issues like a touchscreen. That might have been cool in the event you might do something extra proactive than choose the cleansing mode via it.

Equally, I’ve already gone off about how the 360 Vis Nav does not even reliably clear edges — the one factor it was imagined to excel at.

Spot cleansing is one other enormous miss. Generally, scheduling a cleansing for one room particularly is not particular sufficient. Generally, you simply have to immediately sort out the few toes surrounding the kitchen counter, or the entrance door, or the litter field. If the flexibility to bodily choose the vacuum up, plop it within the spot that wants consideration, and press a button on the highest to make it go is not an choice, I will accept drawing a zone within the app.

The MyDyson app does not differentiate between rooms and zones, regardless of referring to the complete room-labeling course of as “zoning.” Probably the most intuitive robotic vacuum apps can help you drag a rectangle onto no matter space of the map you want for a one-time cleansing, no questions requested.

However if you wish to spot clear with the 360 Vis Nav, it’s a must to put dividers up similar to you’d when separating a bed room from the hallway. That’d be high quality if the dividers have been straightforward to arrange along with your finger. However they barely reply to pinching or dragging, after which get mad at you for not being organized appropriately. This as soon as once more had me sending a $299 robotic vacuum to cowl these spontaneous spots.

The competitors

Dyson’s selection to easily omit options like self-emptying and mopping is unforgivable at this worth level. These “superior” autonomy options might have been thought of premium in 2020, however have grow to be accessible at any worth level prior to now two years. You’ll be able to simply rating a dependable robotic vacuum and mop combo that additionally empties itself for lower than $500 even with out a sale.

Different robotic vacuums on the market hovering on the identical $1,000 worth level are means extra autonomous than the 360 Vis Nav. A ton of premium robotic vacs are geared up with small impediment avoidance know-how to keep away from run-ins with widespread home goods like charging cords, laundry, or pet waste. One of many extra enjoyable options turning into extra widespread is a roving livestream pet digicam that reveals a POV of what the vacuum sees whereas it is cleansing.

Not solely do these premium hybrid robotic vacuums mop, however they’re additionally absolutely self-sufficient via computerized mopping pad washing and drying, and self-refilling clear water tanks.

It is also not possible to not examine the 360 Vis Nav to Dyson’s personal stick vacuum lineup, particularly when the 360 Vis Nav prices extra than the costliest cordless Dyson, the $1,049 Gen5 Outsize. That vac greater than doubles the suction energy and dustbin capability of the 360 Vis Nav, plus it may be trusted to get into corners. Sure, you may be the one doing the work, nevertheless it’s really enjoyable whenever you’re guided by a game-changing laser that highlights precisely the place mud and particles are. You already know I again the V12 Detect Slim, which may typically be snagged for lower than $500.

Is the Dyson 360 Vis Nav value it?

Nope. And that is not an “except you may have the finances to spend $1,000 on a robotic vacuum” nope. It is only a laborious nope. I do not suppose I used to be alone in my skepticism about this Dyson’s worth — Dyson completely dropped the 360 Vis Nav Value from its unique $1,199.99 to $999.99 in 2025, if that is any indication of its public notion. Even now, it is nonetheless ridiculously overpriced.

Equally-priced opponents empty themselves, mop, wash and dry their very own mopping pads, and might detect small obstacles like cords, pet waste, and socks. The 360 Vis Nav does not do any of that, and does not even ace edges, the principle factor it claimed to be good at.

And even when the 360 Vis Nav wasn’t drowning in competitors from different robotic vacuums, it will nonetheless lose to its primary enemy: its personal cordless stick vacuums.

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