DREAME X40 Ultra Review

This thing is packed with features. From advanced mapping customization that lets you set detailed cleaning sequences, to onboard object recognition that can identify and avoid over 120 common household items, it's packed with smart, convenient touches that make daily use feel effortless.

Cleaning Performance

We tested the DREAME's cleaning power using a mix of everyday messes in different sizes—Cheerios, dry rice, and fine sand—to see how well it could handle both large debris and smaller crumbs across different surfaces.

On conventional carpets—also known as low pile—this vacuum picked up 77% of the mess by weight, which included Cheerios, rice, and sand. That's a strong showing and well above average. Still, a few larger pieces like Cheerios were left behind, likely pushed deeper into the carpet by the front wheels before the brush could catch them.

I also noticed it tended to make just one pass over open areas, rather than using a grid pattern like most competitors. As a result, a few stray crumbs were often left behind, especially compared to the top-performing models that make more methodical passes.

On hard floor surfaces, performance was significantly improved, but the overall story remained the same. It picked up 90% of the debris, leaving a few grains and cereal towards the center of the testing area. It hunts out large piles of crumbs, but it may overlook the smaller, more inconspicuous dirt sections.

Capturing all dust and dirt along walls and in corners is often the toughest task for a robot vacuum due to its circular design, but here it was clearly a strength. Our coffee grounds test for this metric was so well cleaned that it was hard to believe.

The DREAME secret is an extendable arm for the side spinning brush. A few other models have tried this too from time to time, and it usually ends up being ineffective. Here, it's no gimmick.

What this means for you: You'll get cleaner edges along baseboards and around table legs, where most robot vacuums tend to leave behind a trail of dust and debris. It's one of the few robots we've tested that actually reaches into corners well, saving you the trouble of following up with a handheld vacuum.

Another important note is the auto-emptying feature, thanks to the prominent large dock. The dock's dust bag has a 3.2L capacity, the largest of the pack, helping to extend the day until you have to remove and replace it.

Navigation

Navigation performance is more due to the set of sensors on board and how advanced the programming is, and I can say definitively no competitor we've tested is smarter than the X40 Ultra.

The DREAME has the same prominent pop-top head housing for its laser mapping Lidar sensor we see on most other models in this space. The smart mapping capabilities are as smooth and accurate as you may expect from a product in this price tier. Cleaning coverage and the plan of attack on an area didn't seem to follow a logical grid, but all said and done, there was only the rare missed spot.

The crown jewel feature, however, is the DREAME's unmatched object recognition. Nothing in our lineup comes close, and I have nothing but praise to give here. It's all due to the onboard camera paired with excellent AI recognition; the manufacturer claims the DREAME recognizes 120 common objects it would encounter in the average home, and it certainly recognized everything we tested for.

Shoes and soft objects like hats and socks were no problem at all. Cords and cables, long the bane of robot vacuum users, were also navigated and maneuvered without issue. All objects it encounters, it'll stop, dutifully photograph and think over, pop an icon on the map in the app, and then divert and continue cleaning. This robot is the perfect cleaning companion for messier homes.

We want to give props, too, to a niche but important category: pet accident avoidance. The DREAME was our only tested model that reliably and confidently avoided all three sizes of simulated poos we set up. For homes with older or accident-prone pets, this is the model to get.

Pet Hair

Gathering and cleaning of hair and fur was one of the rare misses for the X40 Ultra. We find this metric has everything to do with the design of the main roller brush, and the robot doesn't quite cut it.

Only about half of the hair we placed during testing—both pet fur and long individual strands—actually made it into the dustbin. It often took multiple passes to fully suck up larger clumps of fur. In several cases, I watched it roll right over hair and leave it behind, as if the vacuum wasn't even turned on. That said, it did manage to collect most of the long strands, which is helpful for households with long-haired family members. Still, given the price, we expected a stronger overall performance.

I will point out that with the spinning edge brush, which the manufacturer claims is an “Anti-Tangle Side Brush,” there was, miraculously, no hair caught. This is a common issue with many other vacuums, where brushes get so tangled that they can't even move. The center roller brush did have one large wad of long hair balled up in the crevice between the wheel and the wheelbase, but I was able to pull it out easily. Ultimately, this robot was very easy to clean hair from—if only it were better at picking up fur and hair from the carpet in the first place!

App Performance

The app feels incredibly interactive. This is a tech enthusiast's dream, rather DREAME, there's a ton of features included, and tons of ways to customize those features and cleaning practices. You'll find all the standard features included, like child lock, virtual barriers, and real time following of your robot on the map; as well as some wild new ones like off-peak charging, fine-tuned carpet settings, and even live video monitoring.

You'll find all the standard options like a child lock, virtual barriers, and real-time tracking of your robot on the map, along with some standout extras like off-peak charging, fine-tuned carpet settings, and even live video monitoring.

The DREAM builds the most detailed and customizable mapping I've experienced thus far with testing robo-vacs. You can set 2D or 3D and full color viewing, specifying curtains and thresholds, and even your preferred sequence of rooms can be set.

As you might expect, the X40 is compatible with Apple, Google, Dreame Home, and Alexa products for voice commands and more. This is the perfect addition to your fully decked-out smart home.

Mopping

Can the X40 Ultra do more? Oh yes. The development team put in considerable effort to get the mopping experience just right.

The mopping pads sit on two spinning heads that effectively scrub as they clean. Once the cleaning job is complete, the dock steps in—and best of all, it cleans the pads with water that it can automatically heat to 158°F to kill bacteria. It also dries the mop heads to help prevent that all-too-familiar musty smell. Strangely, though, the dock saves its precious detergent for cleaning the pads but doesn't mix any into the hot water actually used on your floors.

Dry stains and actively wet spills alike were no match for the DREAME. Nearly all stains were taken care off after one pass, and if not, a second pass did the trick. With wet spills there was no indication after the DREAME got after it, no damp floor or anything. Just a job well done.

We'd be remiss not to mention that the mop heads do lift out of the way during vacuum-only tasks. However, their travel is limited to just 1 cm (about 3/8 of an inch), so they occasionally get caught on the edge of carpets while climbing on. To avoid soggy mop pads dragging across your rugs and carpet, I recommend setting two separate cleaning cycles: vacuum first, then mop.

Noise

Most users will run their vacuums while they're out running errands, but noise levels can still be an annoying part of owning a robot vacuum. The X40 Ultra is a bit louder than average, which we attribute to the advanced mechanics on board.

The DREAME has a whirring noise while in use. Loudness increases when suction power does, so you'll notice a change in pitch and sound as it automatically adjusts to new surfaces. You won't want it running while you're trying to focus on work or watch a show, so it's worth being strategic with your scheduling—set it to clean while you're out of the house for the least disruption.

Should You Buy the DREAME X40 Ultra?

It's expensive, there's no use in beating around the bush here. We couldn't in good conscience give the DREAME X40 our Editors' Choice award simply because it'll be inaccessible to much of the market. But it is the top performer we've found available, and beyond a few small gripes, will be the most reliable cleaner for anyone who takes the plunge.

The DREAME is best suited for larger homes with busy families that need help keeping things under control—think playrooms with scattered toys, kitchens with crumbs everywhere, and entryways constantly tracked with mud and dirt from kids and their soccer cleats.

What Other Robot Vacuum Should You Consider?