We tested DJI’s vacuum-mop, and discovered it’s more than a gimmick

Of all the companies one could imagine entering the robotic vacuum market, DJI was probably not one of the options. For years it established itself in the world of drones and imaging, with a focus on precise navigation, advanced sensors and motion control – but always far from the living room floor. Now, that move is becoming official here as well: The company launched the DJI Romo series in Europe and Israel, a few months after its debut in China, thus entering the home robotics field for the first time.

We received the vacuum for review from Banda, DJI’s official importer in Israel, and right from the start it’s important to be precise – our test unit is the P model, the flagship model in the series. Alongside the A and S models, this is the version that concentrates most of the capabilities and features DJI brings to this category, with a clear emphasis on navigation and sensing technologies that come directly from the company’s DNA.

On paper, it sounds like an impressive entry into a particularly crowded and competitive category – but also one that comes with a high price tag (NIS 5,300) that places it directly against the strongest players in the market. We set out to check how it works in practice, and whether DJI really manages to bring something different – or simply joins the existing game.

At first glance, the DJI Romo doesn’t look like just another standard robotic vacuum-mop. The review unit I received is the P model, the flagship in the series, and it’s also the only one that comes with a robot and docking station that are almost completely transparent. This is not just a design choice, but a statement.

Because unlike almost every other vacuum I’ve tested, which tries to blend into the home and disappear into a corner, here the opposite happens. The docking station is large, prominent, and impossible to ignore. In a spacious apartment like mine it’s less of an issue – it has somewhere to stand without taking over the space – but it’s still a product you need to consider where it sits, not one that “disappears” next to the wall.

And what’s special here is not just the size, but what you can see. Or more precisely – what isn’t hidden. DJI chose to expose almost everything: The dust bag, the mechanisms, and the entire tank system. Instead of hiding the complexity, it’s put on display, and it gives a slightly different feeling – more like a device for tech enthusiasts like me than just another home product.

As mentioned, the vacuum itself continues the same design line. The top part with semi-transparent elements, together with the sensor and camera array at the front, feels like a direct continuation of the world DJI comes from. It doesn’t look like a “classic” vacuum, but like a product that grew out of the drone world – only this time it stays close to the floor.

One of the areas where I most felt DJI brings something different to the table is navigation. This is not just “another robot that knows how to move around the house”, but a system that feels much closer to what the company does in the drone world. The combination of wide-angle vision sensors and LiDAR translates into very fast mapping – in less than five minutes the house was fully mapped, including a clear division into zones. (And I’ll sum up the experience with DJI’s app in one sentence: One of the best I’ve encountered in the vacuum world).

In most uses, detection is accurate and consistent. The vacuum knows how to identify carpets and avoid mopping on them, while continuing to clean around them without issue. That may sound basic, but in practice not all competitors manage to do it smoothly, especially in more complex environments.

Where it really becomes impressive is in real-time behavior. I scattered cat toys on the floor – the kind most vacuums simply swallow, get stuck on, or drag along – and the Romo simply identified and avoided them with ease. No hesitation, no getting stuck, and no creating a new mess during cleaning. This is a level of environmental awareness I haven’t encountered before.

Even in less ideal situations it performs exceptionally well. I physically moved it to another location while it was working – a scenario that usually confuses robotic vacuums and causes them to spin in place or stop. Here, that didn’t happen. It managed to reposition itself almost immediately and continue cleaning from the same point, without drama and without delays.

The same thing happened when I stopped it mid-clean and restarted it. Instead of “searching for itself” or hesitating – it simply knew where it was and continued the job as if there had been no interruption. This is behavior that feels much closer to a device that understands its environment, not just reacts to it.

On the other hand, the Romo can handle height differences, such as those at the entrance to a safe room, if you have one at home (in the spirit of the times), and can even climb steps or thresholds – but this doesn’t always happen smoothly on the first attempt. It took me several tries.

Like almost every vacuum-mop in the premium category, the Romo P also comes with a docking station that does exactly what you expect – it doesn’t try to reinvent the category, but simply execute it properly. It empties the dust container, refills water, washes and dries the pads, and in practice allows the robot to operate for long periods without much intervention on your part.

The setup here is familiar: A clean water tank, a dirty water tank, and a dedicated soap container. Everything is accessible and clear, and especially in the transparent model – there’s really no room for guesswork. You can immediately see the water status, what needs refilling and what needs emptying, and that makes maintenance easier on a daily basis, even if it’s less “visually clean” for those who are less into it.

DJI does try to differentiate itself mainly through the self-cleaning mechanism. Here too it’s not a new idea, but the implementation includes relatively high-pressure water washing, with wide drainage that is meant to prevent dirt buildup. In practice, the station stays relatively clean over time, and the pads come out of washing in good condition, without quickly entering a cycle of odors or stuck dirt.

The company talks about up to 200 days of use without routine maintenance, and as usual with such numbers – they should be taken in proportion. It doesn’t mean you can completely forget about the station, but rather that the hassle is significantly reduced. You still need to refill water and empty the dirty tank, but it happens less frequently compared to simpler models.

Ultimately, this is a docking station that does what it’s supposed to do – no more, no less – but in a convenient, accessible way, with a few small touches that make daily use less cumbersome.

When it comes to real-world performance, the DJI Romo mostly delivers the goods – but not without some reservations. On floors, it handles everyday dirt, dust and small particles well, especially when switching to stronger suction modes. The suction power here reaches up to 25,000 pascals – not the highest figure we’ve seen on the market, but in practice it’s definitely enough, and the suction feels excellent in daily use. Combined with the dual brush system, it manages to collect hair, dust and dirt efficiently even in higher-traffic areas of the home.

The mopping also delivers a very good result in routine use – and there’s even an interesting advantage here that isn’t always discussed. Unlike the trend of quite a few manufacturers who moved to roller brushes for mopping, which tend over time to leave marks on the floor as they wear out, DJI didn’t try to copy. Here you get two round pads that rotate and scrub the floor more evenly. In practice, this means the cleaning feels gentler – but also looks cleaner, without those “tracks” or marks that start to appear after a few months of use with rollers. It may sound like a small detail, but in daily life it’s a noticeable difference.

The pads themselves stay moist over time, and the system’s ability to regulate water and combine cleaning solution gives a feeling of uniform cleaning rather than smearing. It works especially well for daily maintenance, when you just want to keep the floor clean without too much effort.

One of the standout advantages here is edge cleaning. The extendable side arms, together with DJI’s algorithms, allow it to reach corners and edges much more effectively than most competitors. It’s not perfect in every situation, but it’s noticeable that there’s a real attempt here to solve one of the classic problems of robotic vacuums.

On carpets, performance is good – especially when it comes to cat fur, which the Romo managed to collect quite impressively. However, to achieve a truly clean result, in most cases it requires at least two passes. This is not unusual for the category, but it’s something to take into account if you have many carpets at home.

Another point worth mentioning is noise. During vacuuming it’s not particularly unusual, even in stronger modes, but the docking station is much more noticeable – especially during dust emptying or pad washing and drying processes. This is part of the price of a fully automatic system, but it is something you hear, especially when the cycle lasts a while.

But alongside that, there are also drawbacks to consider. The first is the price – around NIS 5,300, a price tag that already puts it in territory where you can find more advanced models, or at least ones that offer a more complete package without certain compromises. This is not a product aimed at those looking for “maximum value for money”, but rather for those who connect with DJI’s approach.

The second point is the issue of transitioning between areas. The Romo can handle height differences, and even climb steps or thresholds – but as mentioned, this doesn’t always happen smoothly on the first attempt. There were cases where it simply gave up, and only after another attempt, with a bit of “persistence”, did it manage to complete the transition. It works, but not always intuitively.

Still, there’s an element here that’s hard to ignore: This is a DJI product. A company with a very strong reputation in everything related to technology, sensors and precision – and that is felt here as well. This is not just another generic vacuum trying to resemble competitors, but a product with a clear identity. Bottom line, it’s not an automatic choice for everyone – but a product aimed at a very specific audience.