The large panelled section lifts off easily to reveal the bin, which is made of see-through plastic so you can easily ascertain whether it needs emptying.Īs on most robotic vacuum cleaners the bin is smaller than those on a traditional vacuum cleaner, but it’s a decent size in comparison to those on other robo-vacs. This is a vast improvement on the previous models from Neato, which had an easily-marked and dust-hungry plastic plate. The front unit has a solid plastic bumper, which allows the D7 to lightly bump into any obstacles it may not have detected, enabling it to create a more complete picture of the space.Ĭovering the main section of the body is a very aesthetically pleasing brushed-metal plate. This design allows for the mounting of a 10.9cm rotating brush at the front of the D7, allowing it to function much like a traditional vacuum cleaner head. Neato has stuck with a design that looks like a capital ‘D’, a move away from the typical circular design of Roomba and Dyson robot cleaners. With the D7, Neato clearly has tried to make the best robotic vacuum cleaner on the market, and while it’s very impressive, the question is: is it good enough to take the Roomba’s crown? Design This price tag puts it in direct competition with iRobot’s Roomba 980, which is still industry-leading despite being a few years old now. These upgraded smarts don’t come cheap, and the Neato Botvac D7 Connected comes in at a hefty $799 / £799. It also meant that if we forgot to close the door of a room we didn’t want it to go into it wasn’t a problem, as we just put a line across the door on the app and the D7 ignored the room. It's a feature that ensures the robo-vac will avoid spaces such as children’s play areas, and your pet’s favorite corner, which it may be protective of.īut for us, it instantly fixed a massive problem that we have with robot vacuum cleaners generally: they try to eat cables and so often get stuck under desks and sofas chewing away on power leads.īy creating a no-go zone that surrounded our desk, it meant the D7 didn’t even go near the cables. This may not seem like a big deal, but it's really handy. Neato Botvac D7 Connected (Black) at Amazon for £499.
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With the D7, the brand has taken this smart cleaning a step further by giving you access to the maps it creates, and allowing you to draw ‘no-go lines’ that your D7 won’t cross while it vacuums. The Botvac Connected was marketed on the fact that it ‘intelligently’ mapped out rooms and guided itself around clearing up your mess using sensors, rather than just whizzing around until it was clean. Well, almost everything, but we’ll get to that later. The Botvac D7 has taken everything we loved about the brand's previous model, the Botvac Connected, and improved upon it. In our opinion, the Neato Botvac D7 Connected should have Roomba worried. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't spend some time checking out the competition. But fast-forward to the present day and for those with the space and the cash, they're now considered a fairly viable home cleaning solution - and a larger smart home staple.Īlthough there are plenty of options these days, iRobot’s Roomba is still the most recognizable name in the field. A few years ago robot vacuum cleaner seemed like a gimmicky novelty.