Dyson's robotic vacuum, the Dyson 360 Eye, will finally go on sale on Aug. 1. But will this $1,000 device be as good at sucking up dirt as it will be sucking money out of your wallet?
Like its larger, manual vacuums, the 360 Eye uses the same cyclone technology to pick up dirt and debris. However, one tradeoff that Dyson had to make was in its size; at 4.72 inches tall, the 360 Eye is much higher than other robot vacuums, such as the 3.8-inch tall Roomba 980. That means that the 360 Eye won't be able to get under couches as easily. However, the Eye has a smaller diameter of 9 inches, versus 14 inches for Roomba's vacs.
Atop Dyson's robotic cleaner is a 360-degree camera which it uses to map its environs, aided by two IR sensors on its front.
Like the Roomba 980 and Neato Botvac Connected, you can schedule the 360 Eye using a smartphone app (the vacuum has built-in Wi-Fi), but Neato's app also lets you direct its vacuum to specific areas to be cleaned, while Roomba lets you change cleaning modes.
In a two-week hands-on trial, The Verge noted that the 360 Eye lasted about 45 minutes on a charge, a little less than half that of the Roomba 980, which is also priced at a steep $999. The Verge also mentioned that the 360 Eye was good at picking up dirt, but the vacuum fell behind both the Botvac Connected and Roomba 980 in Cnet's tests.
We hope to test the 360 Eye ourselves to judge whether it's worth the cash, or truly just a money-sucker.
