Dreamer
Dream L20 Ultra
Cleaning
Suction force: up to 7000 Pa
Suction power: quiet, standard, strong, turbo
Volume: below 63 dB(A)
Container: 350 ml dust + 80 ml water (installed)
Wiping system: DuoScrub + MopExtend edge cleaning
Wipe Intensity: Water-saving, Standard, Deep
Mop lift: 10,5 mm
Dirt detection: Yes (CleanGenius)
Navi
Mapping: 2D + 3D
Object Recognition: Pathfinder Smart Navigation (AI + 3D Structured Light)
Room card: Yes (4 cards)
Room layout: yes
Restricted zones: yes
Virtual Wall: yes
connectivity
App: Dreamehome / Mi Home
Connection: WiFi 2.4 GHz
Live Video: Yes
Alexa: Yes
Google Home: Yes
Siri: Yeah
Battery
Capacity: 6400 mAh
Running time vacuuming or wiping: up to 260 minutes (quiet mode)
Running time vacuuming and wiping: up to 180 minutes (quiet mode)
Charging time: 3 hours
Suction station
Extraction power: Unknown
Bag Type: Disposable
Bag Size: 3,2L
Fresh water tank: 4,5 L
Dirty water tank: 4 L
Detergent: Yes, cartridge
Mop cleaning: fresh water
Mop drying: hot air
Mop removal: station (automatic)
Height Weight
Size (robot vacuum): 35 x 35 x 10,38 cm
Size (station): 60,65 x 42,6 x 49,9 cm
Weight (robot vacuum): 4,3 kg
Weight (station): 13,3 kg
Dreame L20 Ultra: design, workmanship and scope of delivery
Robotic vacuum
With its round shape and a diameter of 35 centimeters, the Dreame L20 Ultra remains in the classic line. However, with a height of 10,38 centimeters, it is comparatively tall and therefore cannot fit under every piece of furniture - it just barely fits under an Ikea Besta.
On the top there is the laser tower for scanning the room and in front of it there are three control buttons: a power button, a "home" button for returning to the charging station and a button for the so-called spot cleaning. The lid is completely removable and is held in position with magnets. Below this is the removable 350 milliliter dust container, the QR code for setup and the WiFi reset button.
There is a camera in the direction of travel that enables obstacle detection and live image transmission. The camera is flanked by two bright LED headlights that make it easier for the robot to find its way in the dark. Multiple infrared sensors strategically placed and an integrated shock absorber complete the sensor package.
In contrast to models with a removable water tank, the 80 milliliter tank is permanently installed here. It is filled automatically when docking via the 4,5 liter tank in the cleaning station. The charging contacts are also located in the rear area, so that the robot always parks in the station with the camera facing forward.
There is a centrally placed rubber roller and an attachable side brush underneath the robot. However, the latter showed weaknesses in the test and often got caught in the carpet. A screwed model would probably have been a better choice here. The two mops in the rear area are held magnetically on the vacuum robot and can be removed for cleaning.
Cleaning station
The cleaning station of the Dreame L20 Ultra is a giant with dimensions of 60,65 x 42,6 x 49,9 centimeters, but its elegant design means it fits very well into different living styles. It is equipped with three illuminated buttons at the top: one to start cleaning, one to dry the mops and one to call the robot vacuum cleaner back to the station.
When you open the lid, the water tanks are revealed: a 4 liter dirty water tank and a slightly larger 4,5 liter fresh water tank. In between there is a compartment for a cleaning agent cartridge, which Dreame offers as a consumable accessory. Another compartment houses a cleaning brush that can be used to clean the tanks and base plate.
If you remove the gold-colored, magnetically held cover of the station, you will find the 3,5 liter dust bag behind it. A hidden lock prevents the lid from accidentally coming off or children playing around with it. Operating the station bagless does not work. But let's be honest, emptying is quicker and more hygienic with a bag.
To dock, the Dreame L20 Ultra moves onto an angled base plate. This prevents water from getting on the floor when cleaning the mops and parking the vacuum robot. There is also a removable dirt tray in the cleaning station, which makes regular maintenance easier. However, the station does not remain completely dirt-free. Dried water leaves its mark and requires regular scrubbing.
You should also pay attention to how hard the water is. Over time, the self-cleaning process became louder and louder because the rotating nubs, which you can clearly see in the picture below, became sluggish and began to squeak. A drop of WD-40 can help.
Interesting things can be seen at the back of the station. Hidden behind a cover is the slot for “connecting the water connection set”. With the help of the set, you could connect the vacuum robot directly to the water pipe and drain and only have to worry about regularly cleaning the dirty water container. It is not yet known whether and when the set will appear in Germany.
application
Apart from the problematic side brush, the workmanship of the Dreame L20 Ultra leaves nothing to be desired. The cleaning station is functional and well thought out, even if it is not completely spared from dirt and the design of the dust bag holder can be seen as needing improvement.
By the way, Dreame has increased the warranty on this device from two to three years. This covers manufacturing defects that occur during the warranty period. Dreame describes in detail which guarantee is available on which components Customer.
What's in the box
There are crucial differences in the scope of delivery between the normal Dreame L20 Ultra and the Dreame L20 Ultra Complete. The latter comes with a huge accessory package that supplies the robot vacuum cleaner for a whole year. Otherwise the models are identical.
In addition to the basic model, the Complete Edition also includes a large number of spare parts and extras that make the vacuuming and wiping experience even more convenient. From extra mops and HEPA filters to a replacement roller and side brushes, everything is included. The special cleaning agent that can be used in the cleaning station is also included in sufficient quantities.
In the conventional version, the accessory package is narrower. The only additional accessories included are an additional dust bag for the pre-installed dust bag in the station and a cleaning cartridge. There are no extras, such as the replacement roller.
Dreame L20 Ultra: Setup and App Usage
Equipment
The Dreame L20 Ultra can be controlled either via the in-house Dreamehome app or the Mi Home app, although the choice of app is ultimately a matter of taste. Both apps are very similar in functionality. We chose the Dreamehome app for our test.
The setup went smoothly and was completed in just a few minutes. All steps are clearly explained in the app. If you still encounter difficulties, the multilingual manual will help, which also contains a list of all error messages. A small but important note: The robot only supports 2,4 GHz WiFi networks, a 5 GHz network is not compatible.
Surface
The interface of the Dreamehome app is clear and intuitive. Here you can quickly find what you are looking for. Helpful tips after setup also guide you through the different functions of the app. If a room map is not yet available, the app suggests a quick map. The room map is created within about 10 minutes.
Various settings can be made via the Dreamehome app: from the segmentation of rooms, to the creation of cleaning plans, to the direct control of the vacuum robot and the cleaning station.
The app offers the possibility to save maps for up to four floors. Prohibited zones, virtual walls, and even furniture and carpet edits can be set. However, there were difficulties in displaying the 3D map in the test. Here and there, there were also minor translation errors in the app.
live image transmission
An interesting addition is the live image transmission from the integrated camera, which is protected by a four-digit PIN. There is no mechanical cover for the camera, but you can completely disable it in the app.
While the picture quality doesn't work wonders, it's sufficient to check, for example, whether the stove is switched off or where the pets are at the moment. The vacuum robot can be controlled in camera mode using a virtual control pad or by marking it on the map.
It also has a microphone and speaker for two-way communication. In the dark, two LED headlights provide adequate lighting.
Voice control
As a convenient alternative to the app, the Dreame L20 Ultra also offers control via voice command. Alexa, Siri and Google Home are supported, which makes the robot particularly versatile in operation.
Overall, the app control convinces with a wide range of functions and ease of use, although there is still room for improvement. It remains to be seen whether Dreame will fix the existing bugs before the market launch.
Dreame L20 Ultra: practical test
Strong suction power
If you put the Dreame L20 Ultra on your shortlist for a vacuum and mopping robot, it is certainly because of its outstanding suction power of 7000 Pascal, which is achieved by its Vormax suction technology. This figure is significantly higher than what other top models on the market can currently offer. In the test, we spread 100 grams of household dirt on various surfaces. The robot vacuum cleaner was able to vacuum up a full 97 grams of tiles and at least 95 grams of carpets. A result that is more than convincing.
An interesting feature is the Dreame CleanGenius. The Dreame L20 Ultra automatically recognizes how dirty a room is and which cleaning strategy is the optimal choice. By default, the CleanGenius is in “Daily Mode”. There is also an “Ultimate Mode” for more intensive cleaning.
In the test he CleanGenius recognized that the hallway is more polluted than other rooms. This is also logical because the hallway is directly behind the front door and most of the dirt is carried in from there. CleanGenius subsequently decided that he would clean the hallway a second time at the end of the first cleaning cycle.
Low-maintenance rubber roller
It is particularly pleasing that hair very rarely gets caught in the rubber roller without bristles. This minimizes the maintenance effort and makes the use of the robot much more pleasant in everyday life. The L20 Ultra is also surprisingly quiet. While other models with a similar roller construction often emit an annoying squeak, this is hardly noticeable with the Dreame L20 Ultra.
Innovative wiping with MopExtend technology
Dreame went one step further with the L20 Ultra and introduced the so-called MopExtend technology. This enables the robot to automatically extend its mops a little. This makes it easier to get into corners and hard-to-reach places like chair legs and baseboards. In the test, the robot vacuum came within 2 millimeters of edges with the help of MopExtend technology.
For comparison: Without the extendable mops, the vacuum robot leaves about 4 centimeters of air. Nevertheless, even with MopExtend, there were some marginal areas that were out of reach or that the vacuum robot simply ignored. Overall, however, the advantage of the MopExtend feature is clearly visible, which was shown well by the fresh wipe track.
The settings can be used to determine how frequently MopExtend is used. In intelligent mode, the robot decides itself when it makes sense to activate this function. However, you can also specify that the vacuum and mopping robot uses the function for every cleaning cycle. However, Dreame itself does not recommend this and mentions that it reduces the cleaning performance and cleaning efficiency.
Dreame does not go into the exact reason. One assumption would be that the mechanism of the extendable wiper arm is wearing out. Our long-term test will show whether this is actually the case.
Intelligent carpet detection
One of the special advantages of the Dreame L20 Ultra is its ability to intelligently combine both suction and mopping. Not only can it do both at the same time, the robot also shows remarkable adaptability when transitioning from hard floors to carpets.
The vacuum robot automatically lifts its mops at carpet edges so that there is a distance of 10,5 millimeters between the mop and the floor. In most cases, this is sufficient to prevent carpet fibers from getting wet.
If you have high-pile carpets, you don't have to worry about them getting soaked when you drive over them. With the automatic mop separation, Dreame has introduced another interesting function that was designed for exactly such cases. The Dreame L20 Ultra is able to automatically park its mops in the station, which means that mops on carpets do not become an obstacle in the first place.
It then drives back to the station, docks the mops back on and continues the cleaning process. It all works fully automatically and without manual intervention. Both worked without any problems in the test, which makes the Dreame L20 Ultra one of the most versatile vacuum and floor mopping robots on the market.
Automatic mop drying
After the cleaning cycle, the cleaning mops are dried. According to Dreame, the hot air flow has been optimized so that drying takes place at up to 45°C. This means that the mops dry faster and odors are avoided. The drying time can be set to two, three or four hours in the settings. The default setting is two hours, which is enough for the mops to dry.
The background noise that occurs during drying can be heard as a soft whirring. However, this is the case with all devices with hot air drying. Louder for some, quieter for others. Dreame is about average in terms of volume.
Navigation and obstacle detection
The Dreame L20 Ultra navigates safely and has well-functioning obstacle detection. For the test, we placed several items around the room, including a white USB cable, a toy ball, and a sock. He recognized each of these objects in the light and in the dark and avoided them. That is not a matter of course. Cables in particular push many obstacle detection systems to their limits.
In the Dreamehome app, you can also use a photo to show exactly what was recognized. This even goes so far that the recognized objects are divided into different categories with the help of artificial intelligence and the probability of the category applies.
cleaning time and battery
Because the Dreame L20 Ultra moves very carefully through the rooms, regularly washes the mops and cleans with CleanGenius, it takes a little longer to clean than other models. For a comprehensive cleaning of 60 square meters, it takes about 105 minutes. Depending on the structure of the apartment and the degree of soiling, the value can be slightly higher or lower.
According to Dreame, the battery capacity is 6.400 mAh. This is more than the standard value, which is usually given as 5.200 mAh across manufacturers. Larger living areas of 140 square meters can be vacuumed and mopped in one go without any problems. A full charge takes three and a half hours.
Dream L20 Ultra
Very good build quality
Lots of accessories in the Complete Edition
Fast and easy setup
Good to use app
First-class suction and wiping performance with MopExtend
Automatic mop separation for high pile
Good and fast mop drying
Side brush can come loose
Maintenance effort despite removable dirt tray
App still has some bugs
The Dreame L20 Ultra is definitely a vacuum robot that is second to none. We are dealing with a high-end vacuum and floor mopping robot that is perfect in almost every respect. The L20 Ultra performs excellently both when vacuuming and mopping, leaving floors clean right to the edges. With its automatic mop separation, it can also handle high pile without manual intervention and thus presents a function that other brands are at least still missing.
However, it is not entirely without criticism. In the test, the side brush came loose from time to time and although Dreame has integrated a removable dirt tray into the cleaning station, residues still collect underneath due to the draining dirty water. All in all, the Dreame L20 Ultra is worth recommending and its functions are currently hard to beat.
Tanya Lesch
1. September 2023 21 to: 35
Hello, I want to pre-order the vacuum robot on Amazon, but I can't find it. What am I doing wrong?
Timo admin
4. September 2023 10 to: 15
Hi Tanya,
You can now also find the L20 Ultra Complete on Amazon and Mediamarkt. You can find the links a little further up.
Wolfi
5. September 2023 08 to: 25
The L10 lost Wi-Fi very often for me. When I tried to start it from the office, it didn't work because it was displayed as offline in the app. Does the new one have the same problem?
Timo admin
5. September 2023 10 to: 25
Hi Wolfi,
I haven't had any WiFi problems yet. Everything runs smoothly, as it should. LG
Petra Meis
5. September 2023 12 to: 17
Short question. It costs €1199 at Media Markt and €1299 at Amazon. At Amazon I get the Complete with hairdryer as a gift and at Media Markt I only get the normal version without a hairdryer? It would be great if someone could explain this to me because I still want to order today. Kind regards Petra
Timo admin
5. September 2023 12 to: 24
Hi Peter,
At Mediamarkt you can get the L20 Ultra in the standard version with the Dreame Glory hairdryer for 1199 euros. At Amazon you can get the L20 Ultra Complete with the Dreame Glory hairdryer for 1299 euros.
I hope I was able to answer your question. 🙂 LG Timo
Petra Meis
5. September 2023 12 to: 49
Hello Timo, thank you very much for the quick answer. It will be complete. 🙂
RM
8. September 2023 00 to: 37
Hello everyone. Would it be possible to refill these cleaning agent cartridges? I would be very interested to know if that would work.
Timo admin
8. September 2023 09 to: 46
Hi RM, we haven't tried it yet, but you can probably refill the liquid by opening the air valve at the top of the cartridge and filling it in there. At least the trick worked with the predecessor. The cartridges of the L20 Ultra have a slightly different shape, but are constructed similarly.
Otherwise, you can of course add a cleaning agent directly to the fresh water tank. However, be careful not to use any thick cleaning agents, otherwise the power system may stick.
Pauli
20. September 2023 10 to: 52
Hi, do you have a comparison between the L20 Ultra, the Roborock S8 and the Ecovacs X2 Omni? After your test, I'm leaning towards this one because I mainly want to use it for mopping and the dreame gets into the corners better than, for example, the Roborock or the Ecovacs. Can you confirm that?
Timo admin
20. September 2023 20 to: 17
Hi Pauli,
Unfortunately, I can't offer you a comparison test at the moment. However, I will receive a test sample of the X2 OMNI in the next few days. Then I will of course compare the two devices. 🙂
But even so, you can't go wrong with the L20 Ultra. It's a top vacuum robot that there's hardly anything wrong with. And it cuts an excellent figure, especially when wiping.
Emmy
28. September 2023 13 to: 38
Good day
Can the robot also overcome higher skirting boards and small height differences between wooden and tiled floors?
Best regards! Emmy
Timo admin
28. September 2023 21 to: 30
Hello Emmy,
It drives over speed bumps up to 2 cm high. I hope this has answered your question. 🙂
Patrick Renner
8. November 2023 07 to: 26
How long does the robot travel with 80ml of liquid? I want him to also clean my rooms on the first floor, where there are no stations.
Can I set such times manually?
Thank you.
Hannes
13. March 2024 08 to: 20
This depends on how high you have set the water output and how often you want the mops to be cleaned. I have everything on the standard settings and it then wipes around a 20 m² room before driving back to the station.
Petra
12. March 2024 08 to: 18
Hello Timo,
Do you have a comparison between this and the new roborock Qrevo MaxV? Which would you prefer? LG
Hannes
13. March 2024 08 to: 21
Get it on sale here. Will not regret it.