Xiaomi outs cheap and powerful robot vacuum with laser mapping on top

Xiaomi just listed the Mijia Robot Vacuum 4 on JD.com ahead of its April 7 launch. At the very affordable price of 1,443 yuan, or about $210/€185, some buyers can pay even less with regional government subsidies applied, making Xiaomi's new robot vacuum one of the cheapest in its category.

At that price point, the spec sheet shouldn't be all that good, and yet it is surprisingly decent. The headliner is 10,000 Pa of suction, which is not a number you routinely see in this segment. Navigation is handled by LDS laser, too, rather than the cheaper camera-based systems rivals often sneak into their budget offerings. The closest rival one can get in the US is actually the Roborock Q7 M5+ robot vacuum and mop with 10,000 Pa suction that is available for about $250 on Amazon.

Four cleaning modes give the Mijia Robot Vacuum 4 some flexibility, and dual anti-tangle side brushes suggest Xiaomi actually thought about the long hair problem that turns most robot vacuums into a quarterly maintenance chore. The 520 ml dustbin and 270 ml water tank capacity cover up to 300 square meters in open-plan conditions. That would be enough for a large apartment or a small house, and the decent 5,200 mAh battery would run the robot vacuum for 180 minutes in standard sweep-and-mop mode.

Obstacle clearance tops out at 20 mm, so most door thresholds won't strand it between rooms, though it is a far cry from Xiaomi's way more expensive new robot vacuum offering. Design follows Xiaomi's familiar all-white family look, and what surprises is, again, the LDS laser navigation, which at this price remains relatively unusual outside China. Most Western brands charge a $100-plus premium to graduate from optical bumping to proper laser room mapping.

The Mijia Robot Vacuum 4 goes on sale April 7, and if the domestic subsidy scheme doesn't apply to all buyers, the $210 price equivalent still converts to a figure that undercuts most comparably specced alternatives from the likes of Roborock or Dreame, making Xiaomi a formidable competitor to just about everyone else.