The New Shark Matrix Robot Vacuum

Let's go over all the results of those tests. And show how the Shark Matrix stacks up against its most likely competitor the Roomba I3+ Evo.

The basics

The Shark RV2310AE Matrix is a LiDAR-based robot vacuum meaning that it uses a spinning laser to map and then navigate around your house.

The Shark Matrix comes with an auto-empty dust bin where when the robot returns to its dock to recharge it will automatically empty the contents of its dust bin into a bagless bin. 

Shark is one of the few manufacturers that do bagless auto-empty bins which is a pro in and of itself. 

Shark has priced the Matrix pretty low it's one of the cheapest robots vacuums out there with both LiDAR and an auto-empty bin. And even though the Roomba I3 doesn't have LiDAR but uses a less accurate floor tracking system for its navigation it's still probably the Shark's closest natural competitor because of the cheap price of the Shark.

Shark RV2310AE Matrix

With Matrix Clean, the robot vacuum cleans using a precision grid taking multiple passes over dirt and debris for deep cleaning coverage.

$410.0 on Amazon

Performance tests

The Shark Matrix really shined.

In the bench test that where we test things like suction and airflow, it was well above average with airflow. This power also showed up in the crevice pickup test where it did significantly more than the Roomba I3. 

The Shark Matrix also did extremely well with the carpet deep clean test where it scored more than robot vacuums two or even three times its price. 

The Shark was also really good with debris pickup on the surfaces of hard floors and carpets. While this is something that both the Shark and the Roomba did well at as it is sort of the main job of a robot vacuum. 

I was really impressed with the Shark's sweeping ability and I think it's the best pickup test seen from the Shark robot vacuum yet. 

Navigation tests

In the new navigation test, we run each robot vacuum several times on a  fixed floor plan in different modes and on different power settings. 

The Shark Matrix does have a fast mapping mode and it mapped our 350-square-foot area in a little over five minutes compared to the Roomba I3 which took 26 minutes.

We also measured their navigation efficiency meaning how fast a robot cleaned an area. As well as how many square feet it covered during that time.

And the Shark covered about 15% more area than the Roomba and did so about 28% faster. So the LiDAR navigation really seemed to make a difference here for the Shark.

Battery efficiency

We found that the Roomba on its one power setting got an average of 1.41 minutes of run time per battery life percentage point. And the Shark got slightly less when its three power levels were averaged at 1.29 minutes per percentage point. But even though the Roomba had better battery efficiency it wasn't enough to make up for its less efficient navigation. 

So the math works out to the Roomba I3 being able to get 820 square feet per charge versus one thousand square feet per charge on the Shark. 

But take those numbers with a grain of salt since there are so many variables. 

And in any case, they both have a feature called recharge and resume where if its battery does run out it will simply return to its base recharge and then resume right where it left off on the map. 

Features

Here we should talk about the Matrix mode on the Shark since it is what this Shark model is named after. 

This is basically a mode that can only be activated in its spot cleaning or room select mode. 

Basically, instead of its usual back-and-forth pattern, it will clean in a crosshatch or Matrix pattern instead. And pretty sure it does so on max power as well. 

The idea of the Matrix mode is that it can be used in heavy traffic areas which have a tendency to be more soiled like around cat litter boxes or door entryways. It does seem to work pretty well but it really is only for spot cleaning. You can't even make the target area bigger on the map. So it is minimally useful. 

Speaking of the app Shark does have some high-end features like no-go lines on the app to keep it from going places that you don't want it to go. Which is nice especially since the Roomba I3+ does not have that feature. 

Both do have room selection and zone-cleaning though as well as lots of scheduling options. 

iRobot Roomba I3+ Evo

Cleans intelligently in straight lines back and forth, to thoroughly clean your floors while navigating around furniture. 

$499.0 on Amazon

Anti-hair wrap

The Shark Matrix also has an anti-hair wrap brush roll. Which are basically little comb-like structures that actively remove hair from their brush roll.

And Shark must have a patent for it since I don't see these other robot vacuums and while love this feature on Shark's upright and cordless vacuums.

Conclusion

In conclusion, need to say that the Shark Matrix is Shark's best-performing robot vacuum yet in terms, of power carpet and hard floor performance and navigation. 

And it's an excellent value for its price and it beat out the Roomba I3+ Evo with no troubles.