At present’s robot vacuums aren’t the identical Roomba your dad and mom first purchased. The earliest variations had little to no navigation, barely managed to hoover and acquired caught on nearly all the pieces. In case you’ve been holding off on shopping for a robotic vacuum since you don’t belief it to do the job properly — issues have modified. Robotic vacuums now have extra succesful mapping and improved cleansing options, that means they’ll do extra than simply vacuum: They’ll additionally mop, enable you to sort items, overcome obstacles and even climb stairs.
Collectively, our Louisville testing lab and I’ve examined greater than 100 robotic and cordless vacuums, giving us a strong pulse on the most recent developments within the vacuum trade. I’ve watched vacuum expertise innovate and develop over the previous few years — and at CES 2026, I predict it’s going to be a robotic vacuum showdown within the race to change into the final word residence helper.
Learn extra: CNET is Choosing the Best of CES 2026 Awards
What I anticipate within the coming 12 months — and at CES — is much more acceleration and innovation. Massive names like Eufy, Dreame, Ecovacs and Roborock, together with lesser-known manufacturers like SwitchBot, 3i and Yeedi, are all competing to be the highest robotic vac with premium options. These manufacturers are working exhausting to ship what we, the customers, actually need: true automated cleansing. Which means higher vacuuming, smarter mopping, genuine stair climbing potential, auto-refilling water programs and even evaporative water recycling, all whereas we people don’t carry a finger.
Right here’s what I feel customers will see at CES 2026, and in our properties, within the subsequent few years.
Do not miss any of our unbiased tech content material and lab-based evaluations. Add CNET as a most well-liked Google supply
My robotic vacuum predictions for CES 2026:
- Profitable stair-climbing capabilities
- Robotic arms with improved object recognition
- True hands-free robotic vacuums with all-in-one base stations
- Market costs to return down for premium options
We’ll see no less than one robotic vacuum efficiently climb a flight of stairs
PCMag, CNET’s sister web site, acquired a firsthand have a look at the Cyber X in motion — watching the robotic climb stairs.
What I prefer to name “the stair downside” has existed for robotic vacuums for the reason that first mannequin was launched in 2001. In case you stay in a multi-story residence with steps or stairs, your solely recourse has been to bodily carry it up and down the steps or shell out for a second or third unit. For many individuals with multi-level properties, I think the reply is to decide on to not purchase a robotic vacuum in any respect. That’s set to alter in 2026 and past. I anticipate to see the primary robotic vacuum that may climb stairs at CES this 12 months and are available to market in 2026.
We noticed previews of stair-climbing capabilities at CES final 12 months, with the Saros Z70 and X50 Extremely capable of cross twin thresholds as much as round two inches excessive. That wasn’t fairly the identical as climbing stairs, although, since each robovacs nonetheless want human help if you’d like them to climb a flight.
That modified at IFA Berlin in September 2025, the place we noticed two separate demonstrations from the Eufy Marswalker and Dreame’s Cyber X concept.
Our colleague at PCMag Andrew Gebhart noticed a stay demo of the Marswalker taking up stairs.
Neither is strictly a robotic vacuum by itself. As an alternative, they’re autonomous shells that match over an present robotic vacuum — just like the Omni S2 in Eufy’s case — and use limb-like treads to climb stairs. As soon as on the high, the robotic exits the shell and will get to work. It’s value noting that, for now, neither demo can clear the steps themselves, although that will change in future iterations.
Eufy says its Marswalker will ultimately come to market, although pricing and availability have but to be introduced. Dreame’s Cyber X, in the meantime, stays a proof of idea. Nonetheless, I anticipate to see some model of this expertise attain customers — and for different robotic vacuum makers to affix the race to unravel the stair-climbing problem — at CES 2026.
Extra robotic arms with improved object recognition
Selecting up and sorting objects appeared like an odd function for a robotic vacuum after we first noticed the Roborock Saros Z70 display it at CES 2025. Since then, it’s appeared on the Dreame Cyber10 Extremely, and there’s been rumblings about different producers adopting the function. However thus far, no others have introduced it to market. But.
When I tested the Saros Z70 earlier this 12 months, my important takeaway was that the OmniGrip arm, whereas a neat function, solely labored accurately a few of the time. Most notably, the Z70 would usually start sorting however hand over midway by. Including a number of pets (I’ve three cats) made issues much more difficult, because the robotic struggled to navigate round them and couldn’t deal with my greatest use case: pet toys.
The Saros Z70 comes geared up with a robotic arm to assist decide up and type objects.
The addition of the arm function got here with trade-offs: a smaller dustbin, extra transferring components and software program bugs which have taken time to iron out. Usually, what I would like most from a robotic vacuum is dependable object recognition and impediment avoidance — choosing up and sorting objects is a pleasant bonus, however provided that it really works properly.
Since then, the Saros Z70 has obtained some software program updates which have improved its capabilities and made it extra dependable at finishing sorting duties. Nonetheless, the objects it will possibly acknowledge, decide up and type are nonetheless restricted. In a CNBC article, Roborock famous that the problem in enhancing the robotic arm is primarily in on software program and information finish, fairly than the {hardware} finish. The Saros Z70 was additionally staggeringly costly at launch, priced at $2,600 — making it the most costly robotic vacuum we suggest. That mentioned, it does often go on sale for much less.
PCMag’s Andrew Gebhart watched the Cyber10 Extremely decide up and transfer a sock.
I think that worth is the true cause we haven’t seen different producers, other than Dreame, race to get arm-equipped robots onto the market. The software program must be improved to be extra practical and dependable, and the fee wants to return down (extra on that under). As soon as that downside is solved, I anticipate to see a wider vary of producers bringing forth the potential.
I predict solely a handful of robotic vacuum producers will try to include robotic arm expertise. The actual breakthrough will come on the software program facet — when firms can practice robotic arms to acknowledge and grasp frequent family litter like pet toys, youngsters’s toys and clothes. That form of superior object recognition can profit robotic vacuums even with out arms, and that’s what I anticipate to see extra of at CES 2026. As for the robotic arm itself? I don’t assume it’ll go mainstream for just a few extra years.
The L40s lineup brings extra premium options from the X50 Extremely to extra inexpensive vacuums.
Most hands-free upgrades might be mainstream
One other pattern I’m seeing amongst robotic vacuum producers is a push to cut back each day and weekly upkeep. And it’s not nearly self-emptying docking stations that vacant the dustbin, retailer particles in a dustbag and recharge the vacuum between cleanings.
I’ve seen extra producers including mopping capabilities to their robotic vacuums. Newer fashions, just like the Eureka J15 Pro Ultra, embody separate clear and soiled water tanks. Their self-service stations can clear, sanitize and dry the mopping pads or rollers between cycles, guaranteeing your flooring are solely mopped with contemporary water. This pattern factors to a future with minimal human involvement. Normally, all you’ll have to do is program the vacuum, refill the clear water tank and empty the soiled one.
Whereas not 100% hands-free, it is miles forward of the place robotic vacuums had been just a few years in the past.
The X11 Omnicyclone could appear to be different robotic vacuums, however it has 4WD and GaN fast-charging.
Some robotic vacuum producers try to get to 100% hands-free. The SwitchBot S20, for instance, is available in two fashions: one with an everyday, separated clear and soiled water tank, and one other with a singular auto-fill and drain system. This requires you to hook up the bottom station to a water connection and drain from beneath your sink, much like putting in a dishwasher or a washer. As soon as linked, the bottom station handles refilling the water tank and draining the soiled water mechanically, with out you needing to empty something besides the dustbin.
It’s a neat idea and a part of an ongoing pattern towards hands-free upkeep, however that is one I don’t assume will catch on. Having ugly tubes operating from beneath your kitchen sink to a robotic vacuum (or needing to drill into cupboards) makes it impractical for renters and unappealing to owners. I attempted to put in the SwitchBot S20 in my most up-to-date go to to our Louisville testing lab and shortly realized that I used to be out of my depth and would want the help of a plumber.
The 3i S10 Extremely comes with a big base station that features a water recycling system.
A extra sensible equal could also be 3i’s S10 Ultra, a water recycling robotic vacuum that distills and reuses soiled wastewater by heating and condensing it. It probably means the robotic can pull water out of the air and spare you from frequent refilling. The draw back is that the bottom station is actually huge, the largest I’ve seen at some 18 inches huge, 18 inches deep and almost 24 inches excessive. It additionally weighs a hefty 50 kilos (80 kilos whole). The sheer bulk makes it impractical for anybody tight on area.
For now, I anticipate all-in-one base stations that cost and empty dustbins and have cleansing/sanitizing options for mopping to be the mainstay of hands-free upkeep for robotic vacuums at CES 2026 — no less than till we see really autonomous humanoid robots that may do issues like empty the trash or wash dishes.
Costs will step by step come down for extra superior options
If there’s one factor stopping widespread adoption of those super-advanced robotic vacuums, it’s their worth. A few of the fanciest robotic vacuums we suggest can value upwards of $1,000, and in our present high tariff environment, tech doesn’t appear to be getting less expensive.
However the fact is that cheaper robotic vacuums have gotten simply as succesful as the most costly fashions. The premium options we normally see in costly vacuums have gotten extra frequent throughout a spread of costs. The tech race in robotic vacuums is now not about who could make one which vacuums and mops — it’s about which fashions do it higher.
A comparability of the older Roborock Q5 (left) vs. the Dreame X50 Extremely (proper) after cleansing a big space rug lined in canine hair. You’ll be able to see that the Roborock already has plenty of hair caught on the curler and the Dreame has none.
“If we solely give attention to the premium section, ultimately, aside from being the most effective robotic vacuum cleaner firm on this planet, we may have nothing,” said Quan Gang, Roborock president, in a translation by CNBC. He emphasised the necessity to decrease the value of premium robotic vacuums to encourage extra folks to purchase them. Regardless of being the second-largest marketplace for robotic vacuums, the US has an adoption fee of just 22%. As compared, China, regardless of its a lot bigger inhabitants, has a good decrease adoption fee at 5.6%.
It is a pattern we’re already beginning to see. Our present crop of midprice and price range robotic suggestions value $500 to $700, and supply 90% of the options the premium fashions do, together with self-emptying docking stations, mopping capabilities, efficient mapping and improved impediment avoidance.
Examples embody:
The Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo presents each mopping and vacuuming for an inexpensive worth.
All the robotic vacuums listed above embody mopping performance and both a base station or compressing dustbin to retailer mud for months earlier than needing to empty.
The lesson right here is that robot vacuums are becoming cheaper at the same time as they change into extra succesful. It’s much less frequent to seek out robovacs that don’t have options like mopping, such because the extremely low cost Eufy RoboVac 25C (normally $150 or much less on Walmart), than it’s to seek out ones which have each vacuuming and mopping, as a result of that’s most of them.
I anticipate this to be an ongoing improvement by 2026, with costs persevering with to fall under $500 for premium options, together with the carry programs that permit robots to beat obstacles and robotic arms that assist them type. That is much like the pattern we noticed with cordless vacuums just lately, with a few of the best-performing cordless vacuums in terms of suction and battery life being extra inexpensive ones.
