As a Dyson stan, I would not inform anybody to purchase the Dyson 360 Vis Nav robotic vacuum

Desk of Contents

I will be the primary individual to inform somebody to simply develop up and purchase a pleasant Dyson relatively than accept a less expensive cordless vacuum. Sure, the Dyson buy most likely requires additional saving up, and sure, I acknowledge {that a} vacuum costing the identical (or extra) than a month’s hire places it within the “overpriced” class. However if you happen to can swing it, I feel a Dyson stick vacuum is price it.

And that is just because my Dyson with a laser does such an excellent job that it makes me favor doing the chore manually. If a robotic vacuum does a crappy job of cleansing a tough flooring, my Dyson V12 Detect Slim will snitch instantly, utilizing its inexperienced laser to spotlight any leftover hairs or specks {that a} robotic vacuum missed. It is nonetheless clutch to have the ability to depend on a robotic vacuum for surface-level jobs in a pinch, however for higher or for worse, my final take a look at for my military of robotic vacuums is how they get up towards my Dyson stick vacuum.

So what higher robotic vacuum to compete with my beloved Dyson stick vacuum than a Dyson robotic vacuum? I went into my expertise with Dyson’s 360 Vis Nav with excessive expectations, regardless of already figuring out about Dyson’s odd option to omit essential robotic vacuum options like mopping and self-emptying. Here is my Dyson robotic vacuum assessment.

Dyson not often releases robotic vacuums, so this was large

The 360 Vis Nav initially offered out at Dyson’s web site inside hours of launch on March 19, 2024. Inventory subsequently dwindled fully at different retailers like Amazon and Greatest Purchase inside the following days. That is not shocking — demand for a Dyson robotic vacuum has been effervescent since 2016, which is the final time Dyson launched a robotic vacuum within the U.S. And it was a flop.

Almost a decade later, the premise of a Dyson robotic vacuum felt far more auspicious. Dyson has perfected its cyclonic suction energy within the realm of cordless stick vacuums, so it should not have any drawback changing that experience to robotic kind, proper?

The 360 Vis Nav got here out with the promise of being the world’s strongest robotic vacuum, aided by a flat edge and a genius extending aspect duct for higher nook cleansing than what a spherical robotic vacuum can handle. A D-shaped robotic vacuum is exclusive, however is not one thing we have by no means seen earlier than. And it is undoubtedly not probably the most… attention-grabbing alternative Dyson made with this bodily design. Let’s begin there.

This bodily design could be very distinctive (derogatory)

You’ll be able to inform a Dyson vacuum is a Dyson vacuum simply by taking a look at it. The metallic grey our bodies, daring pops of shade, and chunky industrial particulars are fairly recognizable to anybody who has shopped for a vacuum earlier than.

And I’ve by no means minded that boldness. My V12 Detect Slim, which is grey with a bizarre orange tentacle-looking piece on the mud bin and a purple filter cap, is a flex mounted on the wall in my kitchen. When company come over, they instantly acknowledge and respect that this can be a Dyson family.

That being stated, Dyson ought to have reined in its signature design with the 360 Vis Nav, as a result of it is sort of an eyesore. Reasonably than sticking to graphite, the whole physique is vivid indigo. That’s topped off with an exterior round dustbin that was most likely meant to offer cool uncovered gear vibes, however extra so resembles a curled-up centipede.

One thing concerning the 360 Vis Nav and the Fleetwood Mac file simply do not vibe.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

You’ll be able to select a cleansing mode on the touchscreen, however that is about it.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

I assume the polarizing design alternative could be interesting to ultra-modern maximalists, however given my company’ puzzled reactions once they see the 360 Vis Nav in my lounge, the shortage of curb attraction feels fairly palpable.

Even supposing robotic vacuums have gotten more and more widespread, they will nonetheless really feel a bit misplaced in lots of houses — manner too tech-y to mesh in an in any other case cozy room. Different manufacturers have caught onto the patron’s desire for chicness and subtlety, just like the dapper, all-white or all-black our bodies of the Roborock Saros 10 and Saros 10R (two of my favourite robotic vacuums of 2025).

So the mud bin is not hid on the underside or again prefer it historically is on standalone robotic vacuums. Sure, which means the wad of grey mud will likely be going through outward till it is time to empty. You would be off the hook from that for weeks and weeks had Dyson made its robotic vacuum capable of empty itself like so many others do. However not less than the 360 Vis Nav’s 0.15-gallon mud bin is bigger than most non-self-emptiers, I assume.

You maintain the dustbin like a handbag and click on it open by way of the deal with.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

And granted, if a robotic vacuum goes to require guide emptying, Dyson’s system is certainly the mildest ache within the ass. Simply pull up the deal with and un-click the bin whereas the vac is charging, maintain it over a trash can, and push the crimson button. The door swings open downward, and every part falls instantly into the trash.

However then, the truth that it may well’t empty itself nonetheless has me circling again to the truth that it is simply not a sexy equipment — the guide emptying requires quick access to the mud bin, and meaning you’ll be able to’t simply retailer the robotic vacuum beneath a bit of furnishings and name it a day. For instance, the 3i G10+ robotic vacuum that I examined is not a cute robotic vacuum, both. But it surely has a cool mud compacting system that primarily acts like a self-emptying dock, minus the precise dock that takes up house. It will probably subtly be saved nearly anyplace — the G10+ merely lived beneath my TV stand throughout testing, its cumbersome design saved out of sight in my carefully-decorated lounge.

Talking of questionable design selections, not even the spiritual RuPaul’s Drag Race stan in me can justify the black and white checkered flags caught to the 360 Vis Nav’s dock. This skinny panel must be connected to ensure that the vac to map accurately and discover its manner again. With out it, the 360 Vis Nav appears to be like like me attempting to parallel park. No different robotic vacuums I’ve examined require obnoxious stickers to drive themselves again to the dock.

Sensible mapping is correct, however customizing zones is irritating

A small LCD touchscreen and a small clear sphere often called the Eye sit atop the 360 Vis Nav. You utilize the touchscreen throughout setup when connecting to the WiFi, and I recognize that the entire steps are specified by quite simple phrases. You may also use the touchscreen to pick out from 4 cleansing modes (which it’s also possible to do on the app): auto, increase, quiet, and fast. They’re fairly self-explanatory.

The opposite piece of tech on high, the Dyson Eye, replaces the round LiDAR tower that’s seen on quite a lot of competing robotic vacuums. The Eye has a 360-degree view of its environment and, with the assistance of 26 totally different sensors, is claimed to research as much as 10,000 knowledge factors a second, permitting it to recollect your own home’s format and navigate round massive obstacles like furnishings and partitions.

Tight-knit desk legs or kitchen chair legs didn’t journey the 360 Vis Nav up as soon as.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The 360 Vis Nav knew to not use its aspect suction round these defenseless blanket tassels.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The 360 Vis Nav’s mapping run proved to be fairly correct the primary time round, not less than when assessing the final perimeter of the ground plan. (Dividing rooms within the app wasn’t as seamless.) After every cleansing session, the MyDyson app presents what appears to be like like a warmth map model of its good map, displaying the place it discovered probably the most mud. It’s going to work tougher in these areas the subsequent time you begin a full dwelling cleansing.

Navigation-wise, the 360 Vis Nav is nimble when coping with tough furnishings. It by no means received caught as soon as in my house, and was capable of carve tightly round our acorn-shaped espresso desk. I am not over the shortage of small impediment avoidance know-how, although. And I elaborate on these gripes within the downsides part of this assessment.

Suction energy: Nice on carpet, however tough across the edges

When it first got here out, Dyson insisted that the 360 Vis Nav had double the suction energy of any robotic vacuum. At first, it was practically unattainable to show or disprove that — Dyson traditionally measured vacuum suction energy in Air Watts (AW) as an alternative of the extra widespread measurement of Pascals (Pa). Sooner or later since its spring 2024 launch, Dyson quietly up to date the 360 Vis Nav’s on-line description with “22,000 Pa of suction power.” That is a terrific quantity and all, however it confirms that the 360 Vis Nav doubling the suction energy of another robotic vacuum is simply not true. A number of flagship Roborock robotic vacuums clear with 20,000 to 22,000 Pa, and new Dreame robotic vacuums coming in fall 2025 are stated to dish out 30,000 Pa.

However how nicely does the Dyson robotic vacuum clear in apply? Success tales first: The Dyson 360 Vis Nav is a stable robotic vacuum for carpet and rugs. It aced any particles take a look at I threw at it, audibly boosting suction (in auto mode) when it got here throughout a large number. These three piles of crushed tortilla chips, soil, and cat fur have been completely cleared earlier than the 360 Vis Nav went again to its dock, even after I was skeptical after it missed some items on the primary move.

Crumbs, grime, pet hair — the same old.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The 360 Vis Nav sensed that particles was left and went again to get these items.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The effectiveness might be a mixture of sheer suction energy and the triple-action brush roll. It is principally a spitting picture of the one on Dyson’s Digital Motorbar cleansing head for its cordless vacuums, combining smooth nylon, stiff bristles, and anti-static carbon fiber strands that dig into carpet pile, appeal to particles like velcro, and suck it out.

By way of battery life, Dyson alleges that the 360 Vis Nav can run for 65 minutes. I used to be capable of ship the Dyson out to cowl two rooms that took slightly below half an hour every, and it had sufficient juice for each on one cost. Nonetheless, I can see this run time dwindling considerably if extra of the ground is carpet or must be cleaned in increase mode. Plus, whereas an hour of juice is okay for a full clear of a small house like my house, a bigger dwelling would most likely require double that battery life.

Laborious flooring have been extra of a wrestle than carpet, which is shocking as a result of it is normally the opposite manner round for robotic vacuums.

My rest room is one place the place I want a robotic vacuum to reliably clear each day. It is the place one in all my cats’ litter packing containers is, and it is the place my hair sheds probably the most — and is the one place within the house the place I all the time stroll barefoot. So inform me why, on a number of events, I walked in there after a 360 Vis Nav run to see the again third of the ground nonetheless scattered with kitty litter and lengthy hairs. Both the 360 Vis Nav’s suction did just about nothing, or it did not try to return there in any respect. Contemplating a $299 Shark robotic vacuum efficiently got here to the rescue afterwards, neither of these excuses will fly.

Equally, the laser on my Dyson V12 Detect Slim confirmed an honest quantity of mud nonetheless remaining in entrance of the litter field within the kitchen after the 360 Vis Nav cleaned there.

Sure, that is *after* the 360 Vis Nav got here by.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Dyson’s hyped edge cleansing was an enormous letdown

Other than rocking a flat edge to scoot into 90-degree angles higher than a spherical vacuum, the 360 Vis Nav is supplied with aspect ducts that stretch when cleansing alongside a wall. These goal suction energy to the aspect of the vacuum that the wall is on, changing the standard flimsy spinning aspect brushes that function on mere hope. This was going to be large if true: Robotic vacuums universally wrestle to seize the mud bunnies that blew into the nook behind the sofa or the crumbs pushed up towards cupboards or home equipment.

I assumed this was a primary move blunder, however no, it was left like this.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

As soon as once more, the Dyson V12 Detect Slim saved the day.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Sadly, the 360 Vis Nav fell in need of edge-pectations. Throughout my spill-rice-on-purpose problem, the vac did an OK (simply OK) job at clearing the center of the ground, however hardly grabbed any of the rice hanging out beneath the lip of the cupboards. Particles being left behind across the outskirts of a room was a recurring theme. A fast skim of my Roborock Saros 10R assessment and also you’d know that it really is feasible for a robotic vacuum to be good at cleansing corners.

Downsides: Dyson skipped essential options, then charged an excessive amount of

My listing of cons of the 360 Vis Nav will likely be fairly easy — not as a result of Dyson received only a few issues mistaken, however as a result of there’s really not a ton of options to judge. No self-emptying, no mopping, no small impediment avoidance. I will cowl these within the part exploring the competitors, however first, I need to contact on the options which might be current, however disappointing.

There’s quite a lot of misplaced innovation happening right here. Reasonably than guaranteeing some fundamental options that each high-end robotic vacuum ought to have, Dyson put its power into issues like a touchscreen. That might have been cool if you happen to may do something extra proactive than choose the cleansing mode by it.

Equally, I’ve already gone off about how the 360 Vis Nav does not even reliably clear edges — the one factor it was alleged to excel at.

Spot cleansing is one other large miss. Generally, scheduling a cleansing for one room particularly is not particular sufficient. Generally, you simply must instantly deal with the few ft surrounding the kitchen counter, or the entrance door, or the litter field. If the power to bodily decide the vacuum up, plop it within the spot that wants consideration, and press a button on the highest to make it go is not an choice, I will accept drawing a zone within the app.

JUST LET ME PINCH THE DIVIDER EASILY, I BEG YOU.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The MyDyson app does not differentiate between rooms and zones, regardless of referring to the whole room-labeling course of as “zoning.” Essentially the most intuitive robotic vacuum apps assist you to drag a rectangle onto no matter space of the map you need for a one-time cleansing, no questions requested.

However if you wish to spot clear with the 360 Vis Nav, it’s important to put dividers up similar to you’ll when separating a bed room from the hallway. That’d be positive if the dividers have been straightforward to arrange along with your finger. However they barely reply to pinching or dragging, after which get mad at you for not being organized accurately. This as soon as once more had me sending a $299 robotic vacuum to cowl these spontaneous spots.

The competitors

Dyson’s alternative to easily omit options like self-emptying and mopping is unforgivable at this worth level. These “advanced” autonomy options could have been thought of premium in 2020, however have develop into accessible at any worth level up to now two years. You’ll be able to simply rating a dependable robotic vacuum and mop combo that additionally empties itself for lower than $500 even with out a sale.

Different robotic vacuums on the market hovering on the identical $1,000 worth level are manner extra autonomous than the 360 Vis Nav. A ton of premium robotic vacs are geared up with small impediment avoidance know-how to keep away from run-ins with widespread home items like charging cords, laundry, or pet waste. One of many extra enjoyable options turning into extra widespread is a roving livestream pet digicam that exhibits a POV of what the vacuum sees whereas it is cleansing.

Not solely do these premium hybrid robotic vacuums mop, however they’re additionally totally self-sufficient by automated mopping pad washing and drying, and self-refilling clear water tanks.

It is also unattainable to not examine the 360 Vis Nav to Dyson’s personal stick vacuum lineup, particularly when the 360 Vis Nav prices extra than the most costly cordless Dyson, the $1,049 Gen5 Outsize. That vac greater than doubles the suction energy and dustbin capability of the 360 Vis Nav, plus it may be trusted to get into corners. Sure, you may be the one doing the work, however it’s really enjoyable once you’re guided by a game-changing laser that highlights precisely the place mud and particles are. You already know I again the V12 Detect Slim, which might typically be snagged for lower than $500.

Is the Dyson 360 Vis Nav price it?

Nope. And that is not an “unless you have the budget to spend $1,000 on a robot vacuum” nope. It is only a onerous nope. I do not assume I used to be alone in my skepticism about this Dyson’s worth — Dyson completely dropped the 360 Vis Nav Value from its unique $1,199.99 to $999.99 in 2025, if that is any indication of its public notion. Even now, it is nonetheless ridiculously overpriced.

Equally-priced rivals empty themselves, mop, wash and dry their very own mopping pads, and might detect small obstacles like cords, pet waste, and socks. The 360 Vis Nav does not do any of that, and does not even ace edges, the principle factor it claimed to be good at.

And even when the 360 Vis Nav wasn’t drowning in competitors from different robotic vacuums, it could nonetheless lose to its primary enemy: its personal cordless stick vacuums.