Xiaomi Mi Mop 2 Ultra review: aspires and recognizes objects but at a high price

When Xiaomi launches a product the attention is always high and the brand new Mi Mop 2 Ultra is no exception. A robot vacuum cleaner that is positioned in the medium-high range of the market with a list price of 499 euros plus the 249 euros necessary for the self-emptying base.

The data speak for themselves: 4000Pa of power, 5200mAh of battery, possibility of washing and obstacle detection. It is a robot vacuum cleaner that does its duty in an optimal way, but at the same time it is impossible not to notice certain similarities with what we consider as the best robot for price-performance ratio, namely the Dreame Z10 Pro, version with base with automatic emptying of the popular Dreame L10 Pro tested last year. Just turn the Mi Mop 2 Ultra upside down to read the words “Manufactured by Dreame“. In fact, features, functions and effectiveness are the same with some minor differences.

Xiaomi Mi Mop 2 Ultra is solid, robust and well built. The top has a glossy black finish while the side and bumper are matte black. After a few weeks of use there are no scratches or signs of wear, a sign of good quality materials. The tower that houses the LDS laser sensor for mapping is flanked by a ToF sensor in the front that allows you to detect small objects and cables and avoid them when cleaning. This is one of the few differences with the Dreame Z10 Pro which instead uses a front line laser sensor, more effective in the dark but with some uncertainty in the case of reflective surfaces.

At the bottom there are four surface sensors (there are six on the Dreame Z10 Pro), the central brush and a single three-pronged side brush. The large diameter wheels are tilting and rubber-coated, thus allowing you to overcome most obstacles up to a maximum height of about 2 centimeters. The water tank is also included together with a cloth for washing floors, of the traditional type therefore without any vibration of the cloth but with the possibility of regulating the flow of water through the application.

Technical specifications

• Weight: 4.15 kg
• Dimensions: 353 x 350 x 98.8mm
• Suction power: 4000Pa
• Battery: 5200mAh
• Wi-Fi: 2.4GHz 802.11 b / g / n
• Sensors: Laser, ToF, 3D technology
• Voice assistants: Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa
• Dust tank capacity: 550ml
• Water tank capacity: 200ml
• Suction mode: 4
• Washing mode: 3

The charging base for automatic emptying of the tank is sold separately with a price list of 249 euros in addition to the 499 euros necessary for the purchase of the Mi Mop 2 Ultra and is only compatible with the Ultra model, not with the Mi Mop 2S and the Mi Mop 2 Pro.

Inside the package a second tank is supplied to be installed on the robot which differs from the standard one for the addition of two flaps that allow you to suck up the collected dirt, which is accumulated in a bag with a capacity of four liters. At the top there is a backlit button that allows you to start cleaning the robot with a short press and to start self-emptying with a long press.

Technical specifications

• Dimensions: 285 x 397 x 468mm
• Rated power: 1000W
• Bag capacity: 4 liters (about 10 emptyings)

The Xiaomi Home application (available for iOS and Android) is simple and intuitive and also allows you to manage multiple devices of the Xiaomi ecosystem. Through the main menu you can view the map and the path traveled by the robot during the last cleaning, monitor the recharge and start the cleaning. With an upward swipe the suction power is adjusted on four levels (silent, standard, high power and turbo) and the washing on three levels (low, medium, high).

Through the settings you can change and rename the rooms and add forbidden zones. You can enter a virtual wall to avoid access to a room, a specific area that the robot must not clean or an area that the robot must not wash (corresponding for example to carpets). In the case of very large apartments, the “resume cleaning”: If the robot discharges, it returns to the base to charge and resume from the point of interruption.

Finally, it is possible to decide whether to empty the dust tank after one, two or three cleaning cycles, in order to optimize operation and reduce waste. Consumables and cleaning history can then be monitored. Xiaomi Mi Vacuum Mop 2 Ultra is not equipped with a sensor for recognizing carpets.

The cleaning experience is positive. During the test period, the robot always completed each cycle, avoiding obstacles, high carpets and cleaning almost the entire surface. Used in turbo mode, it has an excellent ability to collect dust and debris, as well as animal hair and hair, which, if too long, tend to twist both in the side brush and in the central one.

The maximum noise is around 68dB, which ensures a good comfort of use and is not extremely annoying. The washing performance is good but the washing system is basic and the water tank with reduced dimensions allows to clean with the maximum flow about 60 square meters of surface. Good for removing some cars or hardened dirt, but does not replace a mop.

The single side brush does a good job of collecting dust along the edges of the flat, but the absence of a second brush is most noticeable in the corners. Ultimately, the cleaning experience is excellent and the self-emptying base allows you to limit human intervention for emptying the dust tank.

Xiaomi Mi Mop 2 Ultra is designed to clean rather large apartments and houses, even over 150 square meters. The big 5200 mAh battery, now a standard on mid-range and high-end robots, it allows you to reach 180 minutes of suction in silent mode, but approaches two hours in turbo mode. During our tests on an apartment of about 90 square meters, it covered 35 square meters of usable surface in a time between 35 and 40 minutes, losing about 30% of autonomy for each cycle. Added to this is the ability to map multiple floors, making it ideal for use in multi-level homes.

The ToF sensor for obstacle detection works very well during the day and even with low brightness while in completely dark environments it has some more difficulties. When an obstacle is detected, it is not signaled by the application, as iRobot Roomba J7 + and Ecovacs T9 AIVI do, but simply avoided.

Xiaomi Mi Mop 2 Ultra has nothing wrong with it, aside from the price. The 499 euro list required for the purchase of the robot plus the 249 euro for the purchase of the self-emptying base bring the total to about 750 euro, an important figure that clashes not only with newcomers like theEcovacs T9 AIVI which adds the video surveillance function, but also with well-known robots such as the Dreame Z10 Pro what else is the brother of this Mi Mop 2 Ultra, available with a price list of 499 euros including self-emptying base, but often on offer at just over 420 euros.

The capabilities of the two robots are identical but Dreame’s robot is more attractive thanks to a more competitive price. However, it is likely that Xiaomi Mi Mop 2 Ultra, like the previous Mi Mop P, is the protagonist of some discounts that could make it more convenient.