The AOSO S3 is a small but powerful robot vacuum with a camera-based navigation system. It can be controlled via a smartphone and has some nice app features. For the price of less than $249.99 on Amazon, it looks like a decent device. We tested the robot within a week, and here are our thoughts about the it.
AOSO S3 video review & cleaning tests
AOSO S3 Highlights
- Remote control in the box. For those who don't want to use the app.
- Short body allows reaching most places under furniture.
- Small diameter prevents the robot from getting stuck in tight places.
- Touch button. These are reacting on a touch, you don't have to press a button to make the robot work.
- Real-time mapping. You can watch the robot working in real-time (except for the edge mode).
- Resumption. The robot resumes cleaning after recharging.
Navigation & Mapping
The AOSO is equipped with a camera that takes many shots creating a map of the cleaning area. For the robots that are guided by a camera is recommended to leave the light on so it builds an accurate map. However, most of such robots have a gyroscope that helps to navigate around following a back-and-forth pattern. This does not create an accurate map but the robot is able to cover the whole cleaning area without the light turned on.
The AOSO does not run around bumping into everything, it follows a purposeful cleaning pattern. You can watch the robot's cleaning path in the app in real-time.
In the app, you can find the "edge" mode which means the robot goes along the walls. In this mode, you can't see the robot's path.
One of the best features of the robot is its small size. It has a short and narrow body which allows it to maneuver in tight places and get under most furniture.
Cleaning performance
The robot has 2,000 Pa of suction and also automatically increases suction on carpet. Even though it has 0.59 in of climbing ability, it can move on a medium-pile carpet but would not be able to provide deep clean.
One thing that is common for some robots with two side brushes is scattering debris. During cleaning tests, I noticed that the robot tends to scatter debris around on hard floor. On carpet, it does not have such an issue.
I put it through a lot of testing on hard floor, low-pile, and medium-pile carpet with sand and debris.
On hard floor, the robot scored 97% with debris and picked up 96% of sand. Keep in mind those are extreme conditions and normally you don't have such a mess to remove.
It didn't get worse with picking up debris on a low-pile carpet where the AOSO picked 96% but did get down a little with sand. The robot was able to score 74%.
As I said before, even tho the S3 has an ability to climb up to an 0.59 in obstacle, it didn't have any issues going over my medium-pile carpet. With a score of 94% on a medium-pile carpet, it was clear that the robot can pick up debris even on such carpets. As to deep cleaning, I would not get this model as it simply does not have enough power and a good cleaning brush for such purposes.
As to hair pick up, the robot has a solid brush which I find hard to maintain for someone who has long hair. Hair tends to get stuck around the edges and is being hard to get rid of. Some models have a cleaning brush with detachable side tips which makes a lot easier to remove hair off the edges. But that actually does not make a difference if your hair is short.
- 96% pick up on low-pile carpet
- hard floor debris - 97%
- hard floor sand - 96%
- low-pile carpet sand - 74%
- medium-pile carpet, debris - 94%
Battery life
The robot has a 3,200 mAh battery and lasts up to 110 minutes in low cleaning mode. On max mode, it cleans up to 60 minutes. Worth mentioning that this robot vacuum has recharge & resume features. It means it will continue cleaning after recharging from the spot it stopped if it was not able to finish the job on one charge.
The app
On the main screen of the app, you can see the following options:
- Cleaning area: real time zone the robot has cleaned during the current cleaning mode.
- Cleaning time: for how long it has been cleaning.
- Remaining Power: battery level.
The app allows to use a few cleaning modes:
- Auto which means the robot cleans the whole house
- Edge makes the robot wander along the walls. Keep in mind, in this mode, you can't track its path.
- Spot. In spot mode, the robot concentrates power in one place providing better cleaning performance.
- Recharge (docking).
- “Seek Robot” (to spot the robot in your place).
- Manual control allows you to control the robot like a radio car.
- Suction gives control over cleaning modes. There are three: low, mid, and high.
In the app settings:
Accessories Lifespan. Here you track when the accessories need to be replaced. It includes a side brush, main cleaning brush, and a filter.
Record is cleaning history. You can see how long it took for the robot to clean and what area it covered.
Schedule. In this tap you can set time, how often the robot should clean (up to 7 days a week, leave a note for yourself), to turn on notifications, and also to tap on the mode (only auto).
“Breakpoint Continue”. It makes the robot to resume cleaning after recharging in case it didn't finish cleaning the whole area on one charge.
Mute. If you don't want the robot to disturb you with its voice, you can mute it.
What is in the box
- Charging dock
- AC/DC adapter
- Robot Vacuum
- User Manual
- Warranty
- 2 side brushes
- Remote control
- 2 AAA batteries for the IR remote control
- A screwdriver
Where to buy
The AOSO S3 available to buy on Amazon for $249.99.