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 received caught on nearly every part. In case you’ve been holding off on shopping for a robotic vacuum since you don’t belief it to do the job effectively — issues have modified. Robotic vacuums now have extra succesful mapping and improved cleansing options, which means they will do extra than simply vacuum: They will additionally mop, aid you 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 newest tendencies within the vacuum trade. I’ve watched vacuum know-how 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 turn into the last word house helper.
Learn extra: CNET is Choosing the Best of CES 2026 Awards
What I count on within the coming yr — and at CES — is much more acceleration and innovation. Large 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 laborious to ship what we, the customers, really need: true automated cleansing. Meaning higher vacuuming, smarter mopping, genuine stair climbing capacity, auto-refilling water programs and even evaporative water recycling, all whereas we people don’t carry a finger.
Right here’s what I believe customers will see at CES 2026, and in our properties, within the subsequent few years.
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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 come back down for premium options
We’ll see at the least one robotic vacuum efficiently climb a flight of stairs
PCMag, CNET’s sister website, received a firsthand take 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 because the first mannequin was launched in 2001. In case you dwell in a multi-story house 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 believe 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 count on to see the primary robotic vacuum that may climb stairs at CES this yr and are available to market in 2026.
We noticed previews of stair-climbing capabilities at CES final yr, 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 need 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 dwell 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 current robotic vacuum — just like the Omni S2 in Eufy’s case — and use limb-like treads to climb stairs. As soon as on the prime, the robotic exits the shell and will get to work. It’s price noting that, for now, neither demo can clear the steps themselves, although that will change in future iterations.
Eufy says its Marswalker will finally 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 count on to see some model of this know-how 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
Choosing up and sorting gadgets appeared like an odd function for a robotic vacuum once we first noticed the Roborock Saros Z70 reveal 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 yr, my fundamental takeaway was that the OmniGrip arm, whereas a neat function, solely labored appropriately among 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 sophisticated, because the robotic struggled to navigate round them and couldn’t deal with my greatest use case: pet toys.
The Saros Z70 comes outfitted with a robotic arm to assist decide up and type gadgets.
The addition of the arm function got here with trade-offs: a smaller dustbin, extra shifting components and software program bugs which have taken time to iron out. Usually, what I need most from a robotic vacuum is dependable object recognition and impediment avoidance — choosing up and sorting gadgets is a pleasant bonus, however provided that it really works effectively.
Since then, the Saros Z70 has acquired some software program updates which have improved its capabilities and made it extra dependable at finishing sorting duties. Nevertheless, the gadgets it could possibly acknowledge, decide up and type are nonetheless restricted. In a CNBC article, Roborock famous that the problem in bettering the robotic arm is primarily in on software program and knowledge finish, relatively 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 advocate. 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 believe that value is the actual purpose we haven’t seen different producers, apart from Dreame, race to get arm-equipped robots onto the market. The software program must be improved to be extra useful and dependable, and the associated fee wants to come back down (extra on that under). As soon as that downside is solved, I count on to see a wider vary of producers bringing forth the aptitude.
I predict solely a handful of robotic vacuum producers will try to include robotic arm know-how. The actual breakthrough will come on the software program aspect — when firms can prepare robotic arms to acknowledge and grasp frequent family muddle like pet toys, kids’s toys and clothes. That form of superior object recognition can profit robotic vacuums even with out arms, and that’s what I count on to see extra of at CES 2026. As for the robotic arm itself? I don’t assume it’ll go mainstream for a number of extra years.
The L40s lineup brings extra premium options from the X50 Extremely to extra inexpensive vacuums.
Most hands-free upgrades can be mainstream
One other pattern I’m seeing amongst robotic vacuum producers is a push to scale 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, making certain your flooring are solely mopped with recent water. This pattern factors to a future with minimal human involvement. Generally, all you’ll must 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 only some 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 novel auto-fill and drain system. This requires you to hook up the bottom station to a water connection and drain from below 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 robotically, 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 working from below your kitchen sink to a robotic vacuum (or needing to drill into cupboards) makes it impractical for renters and unappealing to householders. 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 doubtlessly 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 most important I’ve seen at some 18 inches vast, 18 inches deep and practically 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 count on 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 — at the least till we see actually 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 value. A few of the fanciest robotic vacuums we advocate can price 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 often see in costly vacuums have gotten extra frequent throughout a variety 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 possibly can see that the Roborock already has numerous hair caught on the curler and the Dreame has none.
“If we solely give attention to the premium phase, ultimately, apart from being the most effective robotic vacuum cleaner firm on the planet, we could have nothing,” said Quan Gang, Roborock president, in a translation by CNBC. He emphasised the necessity to decrease the worth of premium robotic vacuums to encourage extra individuals 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 fair decrease adoption fee at 5.6%.
This can be a pattern we’re already beginning to see. Our present crop of midprice and finances robotic suggestions price $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 affords each mopping and vacuuming for an inexpensive value.
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 whilst they turn into extra succesful. It’s much less frequent to search out robovacs that don’t have options like mopping, such because the extremely low-cost Eufy RoboVac 25C (often $150 or much less on Walmart), than it’s to search out ones which have each vacuuming and mopping, as a result of that’s most of them.
I count on 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 enable robots to beat obstacles and robotic arms that assist them kind. That is much like the pattern we noticed with cordless vacuums lately, with among the best-performing cordless vacuums in terms of suction and battery life being extra inexpensive ones.
