I saw dozens of new robot vacuums at CES 2026, and many of them had particularly eye-catching features. There was a robot with actual legs for striding up and down stairs and over uneven terrain. There was a robot vacuum that could turn into a manual vacuum, and back again. There was even a robovac that could apparently help you find your lost keys. And that’s alongside stair-climbing robovacs and this bot with an arm that can reach for detail tools, both first unveiled at IFA in September 2025.
While all those things are certainly impressive, most aren’t quite market-ready yet, and some – dare I say it – might ultimately fall into the ‘gimmick’ category. In terms of robots that I’d actually want in my home, two new models stood out from the crowd.
Roborock Saros 20
The Saros 20 is the successor to the hugely popular Saros 10R. It keeps everything we loved about that older version, but introduces a couple of significant updates that help level it up. The main one is an upgraded ‘AdaptiLift’ system. This is essentially all the tech surrounding the little feet that can lift the robot up away from the ground.
The Saros 20 will be able to climb over even taller room thresholds than its predecessor. I saw it tackle a massive double step in the Roborock demo area at CES, and while it did come down with a bit of a bump, it was still impressive to behold. If you have high room thresholds in your home, this improvement could make all the difference.
There’s a second trick related to the AdaptiLift feature: it can now hold the robot at a range of preset heights. This means it can hover at just the right height over a thick carpet or rug, cleaning it efficiently without getting stuck.
Beyond that are all the things that made the Saros 10R such a great all-rounder. There are dual, rotating mop pads, one of which is able to kick out to the side to get right up to the edges of rooms. The suction specs are strong, and there’s the same anti-tangle roller that’s so successful on other Roborock bots I’ve tested. Plus, I’d expect an intuitive app and generally excellent reliability and user-friendliness. Of all the Roborock bots launched at CES, the Saros 20 is my one to watch.
Dreame X60
Dreame is another of my favorite robot vacuum brands, consistently delivering reliable, effective, and user-friendly bots. Like Roborock, it was showcasing a few different models at CES, but the one that’ll be most practical for most people is the X60.
This is the model built on the foundation of the outstanding Dreame X50, and again, there are some welcome tweaks and changes. The key update is that this bot has been on a diet – it’s significantly shallower than its predecessor, and in fact might well be the thinnest robot vacuum on the market right now (it’s about the same height as the Saros 20 above).
If you have a low-slung sofa, chances are this bot will now be able to venture under it and clear away all the dust bunnies that have built up since you last bothered to lift the sofa out and clean beneath it.
Another headline update here is that the cleaning station now uses hotter water to wash the mop pads. Much hotter. Boiling, in fact. The idea is that it’ll cut right through any grease and grime so your mop pads are like-new by the time the robovac ventures out on another cleaning spree.
As with the Roborock Saros 20, there’s also a retractable LiDAR puck (helping to keep the overall height down), and mini legs to vault it over tall room thresholds.
Pricing and availability
Both Roborock and Dreame are widely available in various countries, including the US, UK, and Australia, but not everything arrives at the same time.
At the time of writing, the Saros 20 is listed on the global Roborock site, but not available to preorder or buy.
The X60 Max Ultra Complete is available for preorder in the US from dreametech.com, $1,359.99 with shipping from 10 Feb. At list price, it costs $1,699.99 (equivalent to around £1,260 / AU$2,525), but is currently discounted by $340, with various accessories bundled in.
We’ll be getting both models tested out, and will have full reviews with you as soon as possible. In the meantime, I have spotted some big discounts on the older (but still outstanding) version of each bot, which are well worth checking out…
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