Over the years, I’ve tested dozens of robot vacuums for various different publications, the major standout for me in 2025 wasn’t an super-premium, tech-packed bot with an eye-watering price tag. Instead, it was an ultra-capable, affordable robovac that nails the basics and adds some useful extra features on top: the 3i G10+.
When I reviewed the 3i G10+, I did not give it its almost-perfect score lightly. It may not be as fully featured as some of the best robot vacuums out there – you certainly can’t talk to it like you can with some of the ones fetching a $2,000 / £2,000 price tag. But this robot vacuum is a stellar option for us mere mortals that don’t have 2K spare sitting in the bank.
Of course, it’s affordable, but there are plenty of cheap robot vacuums on the market (and especially if you’re willing to skip the whole mopping part). What’s special about the 3i is the fact that it not only pairs that affordability with solid performance, but also includes a crucial special ability in its dust collection.
More specifically, it’s able to pack in a lot more dust and debris in its onboard dustbin than most robot vacuums. Typically, robot vacuum makers offer a bulky self-empty base station for those people who don’t want to have to empty the tiny onboard bin every hour or so. 3i has found a solution that doesn’t require the big dock.
The 3i G10+ is not necessarily the best at absolutely everything, but it’s among the best in its size and price point, and that says a lot.
The price is right
Now, I’m not saying that this is the only deal in town. But getting a robot vacuum with mopping ability for the G10+’s list price of $449 is very decent, and this model regularly attracts significant discounts that make it even better value for money. Right now, it’s down to its lowest-ever price of $269.99 at Amazon, which is an absolute steal.
For a mopping robot vacuum, even at MSRP you’re in frankly budget territory. To go cheaper, you have to give up that mopping ability or get an outdated model that the retailer or brand is trying to dump to make space for new inventory. Considering that things like mapping, object avoidance, and edge cleaning have come a long way in the last few years, you may end up saving money only to gain frustration.
The 3i G10+ isn’t the only robot vacuum to do away with the bulky dock and offer onboard dust compaction as an alternative. However, of the handful of models on the market that have gone down this route, it’s the strongest option – the Narwal Freo X Plus and the Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo sit at the same price but don’t offer quite the same performance. And the latter is probably a model worth avoiding altogether.
Small package, big capacity
Price alone is not enough to set a robot vacuum apart. The cleaning performance needs to be solid (more on that later) and it still needs to have another feature that sets it apart. With the 3i G10+, that feature is in its ability to hold a lot of debris and do it in such a way that you won’t need to empty it all that regularly. 3i advertises that you won’t need to empty it for 60 days, but your mileage may vary if you have a lot of pets and/or children and run regularly.
Still, this is very impressive without a self-emptying base station – most robot vacuums require emptying at least once a week, if not more frequently (those with self-emptying base stations can be 90 days or more). But what is exactly happening that allows the 3i G10+ to do this?
There are two related aspects. The first is that the onboard dustbin is relatively huge at one liter. Most onboard dustbins are closer to 200ml. The other is how the 3i makes use of that one liter, and that’s the fact that it compresses everything that gets sucked up using a paddle inside the dustbin. Think of how much more garbage a trash compactor can hold – that’s what’s happening here.
Since the debris will theoretically sit inside the robot vacuum for up to two months, there is a built-in UV light to disinfect the contents.
As cool as all that is, the robot vacuum needs to perform well in the first place. And, luckily, the 3i G10+ does. It has a powerful 18,000Pa of suction power available to it (many models are around 10,000Pa). Debris of all sizes – except for the kind of stuff you should clearly be picking up by hand – all get sucked up with equal vigor. Since the side brush extends out, the 3i G10+ is adept at clearing out edges, too.
The mopping ability is pretty decent as well. The singular flat mop pad is not the most ideal option – although it is the most economical – but this robot vacuum makes the most of it and does a solid job with liquids. The mop pad extends out so it will get into edges, but, more importantly, it mops evenly. Some models that use a mop pad can be on the streaky side.
Not all is perfect with the 3i G10+. I had to refill the water tank every single time I ran the robot vacuum if I wanted it to mop. There are a number of combination robot vacuums that have a dock that contains a water tank that’s used to refill the bot’s onboard reservoir, although you will typically need to pay a lot more for this find of functionality.
I was also frustrated with the fact that the robot vacuum has trouble undocking from the base station when placed on carpet. This has been a common theme among robot vacuums with a flat mop pad, but it’s frustratingly limiting nonetheless.
Speaking of that mop pad, it’s tough enough to remove that I thought it wasn’t removable for the longest time. The pressure it requires to slide out makes me feel like I’m going to break it. That’s an issue, especially if you’re trying to avoid inconvenience or don’t have a lot of strength for something like that.
Overall, despite these minor niggles, the 3i G10+ is a product that’s stuck with me months after reviewing. It has the cleaning prowess and the capacity to store a lot of debris in a small package at a price point that’s such great value it almost doesn’t make sense.
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space2occupy@gmail.com (James Holland)
