Dreame X40 Master review: The pinnacle of automated floor cleaning

The Dreame X40 Master is the brand’s most advanced robovac. It’s very similar to the Dreame X40 Ultra, but features a sleeker design, which connects directly to the water supply. This means it comes without water tanks, making it both more discreet and compact, but also easier to maintain.

Just like the standard X40 Ultra, it features 70ºC hot water mop washing and an extending side brush. It also comes with a 12,000Pa suction power, which is among the highest on the market. In essence, it’s a strong competitor against the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra. The latter also comes in a compact version that connects directly to the water supply and drainage.

In this detailed review, let’s see how the Dreame X40 Master scores on a daily basis and whether you should consider it.

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Premium and bespoke design

The Dreame X40 Master is very similar to the standard X40 Ultra, but comes with a completely different dock. The latter fully encloses the robot, and comes without water tanks, making it much shorter. It’s also easy to integrate into furniture or kitchen cabinets, provided you have the appropriate water piping nearby. Because of this, Dreame has designed a drawer that’s accessed from the front. It houses the filter, detergent tank, and dust bag, making them easy to access for maintenance. The baseplate and washboard are fully removable, making them particularly easy to access and clean in a sink. The water pipes connect at the back, making them unnoticeable, just like the dock.

The robot has a classic look, with a round design and a LiDAR dome on top. A flap gives access to the HEPA filter and dust bin. At the front, it features multispectral sensors for precise obstacle and dirt detection. It also comes with a motorized side brush, similar to the one on the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra. It deploys automatically to clean corners and edges.

The Dreame X40 Master includes two rotating mop pads, with one able to extend. This helps it thoroughly clean baseboards and corners. It comes standard with a rubber roller brush, and Dreame also offers an optional TriCut brush, which helps reduce hair and pet fur tangles by cutting them.

Both the robot and dock have excellent build quality, made with sturdy and high-quality plastics.

User-friendly and customizable app

The Dreame app simplifies the setup and mapping process. As the robot creates a map, it automatically detects and divides rooms. It can store up to four maps and position itself accurately, which is handy for multi-level homes. You can rename, split, or merge rooms, as well as set virtual barriers and customize cleaning settings for each space.

The Dreame X40 Master features an AI mode called CleanGenius. It adjusts cleaning settings automatically and performs a second pass in dirtier rooms. You can also manually adjust settings like suction power, mop moisture, and mop washing frequency. Additionally, you can set a custom cleaning order or choose to vacuum before mopping instead of doing both at once.

The robot allows you to customize its behavior on carpets. It can lift its mop pads, avoid them, or drop the pads off at the dock. Mop and side brush extension frequency, detergent addition, and mop washing temperature are also adjustable.

The X40 Master can take pictures of obstacles and mark them on the map. The camera also doubles as a home surveillance feature, helping you keep an eye on what’s happening at home.

The app also lets you define off-peak hours to charge when electricity prices are lower. Similarly, you can set Do Not Disturb hours, for the robot to avoid emptying itself when cleaning at night.

While the Dreame X40 Master lacks Matter support, it does work with Google Assistant and Alexa. Also, it comes with a built-in voice assistant. This means you can talk directly to the robot, without having to use smart speakers or your smartphone.

Great vacuuming performance

The Dreame X40 Master delivers impressive suction power at 12,000Pa, one of the highest available in robot vacuums. Its bristleless brush roller efficiently collects dirt and dust with minimal maintenance. The motorized side brush also helps clean corners and baseboards thoroughly.

The vacuum performs excellently on both hard floors and carpets. Its extendable side brush automatically activates to clean corners and guides debris toward the main roller. This ensures efficient dirt capture, especially along edges.

Even at the lowest suction setting, the X40 Master effectively vacuums hard floors. On carpets, it automatically increases suction to reach deep into the fibers, extracting dirt and dust. A dual brush, like the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, would have been even better on carpets. However, the high suction power makes up for it, offering great results.

Additionally, the robot can remove its mop pads and leave them in the dock when it’s in vacuum-only mode or cleaning carpets, preventing any unwanted wetting.

Decent mopping performance

The Dreame X40 Master delivers good mopping results with its two rotating mop pads, which are cleaned with hot water before, during, and after each cycle. The MopExtend feature allows the right pad to extend automatically, ensuring thorough cleaning along edges, baseboards, and furniture legs. Additionally, the dock mixes cleaning solution with water from the detergent tank for best results.

When detecting dirt, the Dreame X40 Master automatically performs a second cleaning pass or creates a map suggesting rooms that need another round of cleaning. However, unlike Roborock’s approach, it re-mops the entire room instead of focusing on specific dirty spots.

The MopExtend feature functions well, with the robot adjusting the pad extension automatically unless you opt to extend the pads during each cycle. In mopping-only mode, the robot lifts both the roller and side brushes, avoiding unnecessary friction with the floor.

Dependable navigation and obstacle detection

The Dreame X40 Master excels at navigation, moving efficiently from room to room without losing its way or getting stuck. It creates accurate maps and adapts well to different environments, ensuring smooth transitions between areas. Even in complex spaces, the robot manages to navigate effectively, covering the floor thoroughly.

Obstacle detection is also dependable. The robot approaches objects with precision, avoiding direct contact while still cleaning around them closely. Thanks to its camera, it can accurately recognize and map out obstacles, and even take pictures to inform you of what it encountered. This is especially useful in homes with pets or children, as it avoids disturbing items left on the floor. Also, the obstacle detection settings are fully customizable, which is handy if you have pets and want it to be extra careful.

In addition, the obstacle detection system isn’t just accurate but consistent, meaning the robot doesn’t need human intervention when working. It’s capable of handling various challenges without disrupting its cleaning routine.

Quiet and long-lasting performance

The Dreame X40 Master operates quietly, even with its powerful suction. At the lowest suction setting, it’s barely noticeable, allowing you to watch TV or work without distraction. While the maximum setting is louder, it’s primarily needed for cleaning thicker carpets or rugs, so it’s not used all the time.

The battery life is impressive, offering around 180 minutes of runtime, which easily covers an area of approximately 150 m². If the battery runs low during a cleaning session, the robot will automatically return to its dock, recharge, and then pick up where it left off, ensuring uninterrupted cleaning. This makes it highly efficient for larger homes, as it completes the job without needing much manual intervention.

Nearly autonomous cleaning experience

The Dreame X40 Master offers a highly autonomous cleaning process. Its built-in detergent tank, along with direct connection to both the water supply and drainage, significantly reduce the need for manual intervention. Additionally, the large dust bag lasts for months before requiring emptying, further adding to the convenience.

Maintenance is minimal, thanks to the bristleless roller brush that prevents hair from tangling. The optional TriCut brush goes a step further by cutting hair and pet fur before they can get tangled, reducing maintenance even more.

The docking station also takes care of the mop pads, using hot water at 70ºC and hot air to clean and dry them, which helps prevent bad odors. However, the washing mechanism isn’t as effective as high-speed brushes found on competitors like the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra. As a result, the mop pads may get dirty over time and need to be machine-washed about once a month.

Fortunately, the baseboard of the robot is easy to maintain. It’s fully removable, allowing you to take it out of the dock for a quick clean in the sink or with a hose, and then easily place it back. This design makes upkeep simple and hassle-free.

However, the X40 Master doesn’t offer an assistant washboard cleaning mode. This is usually handy as the baseplate is filled with clean water and automatically drained after you scrub it. Unfortunately, this isn’t available on the X40 Master as the washboard is relatively far behind, which would make the process a bit complex.

What’s more, although Dreame has designed built-in scrapers to limit the need for manual maintenance, these aren’t particularly efficient, and you’re better off cleaning the washboard yourself.

When it comes to the filter, you need to open the drawer and think of cleaning it, helping ensure optimal performance.

Is the Dreame X40 Master the right robovac for you?

The Dreame X40 Master stands out as the brand’s most advanced robot vacuum, offering a range of features that make it a strong contender in the premium robovac market. If you’re looking for a compact, low-maintenance robot that connects directly to your water supply, the X40 Master could be ideal. Its sleeker design, lacking bulky water tanks, not only makes it more discreet but also easier to integrate into tight spaces, like under furniture or inside kitchen cabinets.

It offers excellent cleaning results, thanks to a strong suction power, a motorized side brush, and an extending brush, ensuring a thorough clean. However, I personally think the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra is just a tad better, thanks to its vibrating mop and dual brush rollers, offering better cleaning results on tough stains and carpets. Also, since the mops don’t come out hot out of the dock, the Dreame X40 Master isn’t as good on greasy and dried dirt. Lastly, Roborock’s approach to mop cleaning means a dedicated high-speed brush cleans it, ensuring it’s washed meticulously. However, the dock on the Dreame X40 is much easier to clean, making it a better choice if you favor ease of maintenance.

However, the Dreame X40 Master remains a solid competitor. Its design is also particularly unique, making it stand out from the competition, while remaining discreet and easy to integrate into your interior.

Ultimately, if you’re looking for a robot vacuum that offers powerful cleaning, efficient navigation, and minimal maintenance, all while fitting neatly into your home’s existing infrastructure, the Dreame X40 Master is an excellent choice. It’s well-suited for large homes, especially those with pets, and for anyone wanting a highly autonomous, feature-packed robot vacuum that delivers on performance and convenience.