Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Track S review: Mo' Mopping

It surprised me somewhat to discover that it has been a couple of years since I last reviewed a Dreame robot vacuum.

It surprised me even more to discover how far the technology has come in that time.

The last model I tested was the L10s Pro Ultra Heat. While it did a good job of vacuuming, within two weeks the roller brush had been torn to shreds by the long hair it had collected on the job.

The Aqua10 Ultra Track S is years beyond the models I’d previously tested. And as the name suggests, the key development comes in the robot vacuum’s mopping performance.

But is it enough to be considered one of the best robot vacuums in Australia? Let’s find out.

What makes the Aqua10 Ultra Track S stand out?

Dreame has packed a lot of tech inside this robot vacuum, so it’s difficult to determine where to start talking about it.

Given my previous experiences, the biggest development here for me is the upgrade to a detangling combination of vacuum brushes. Rather than a single roller brush, Dreame has a two roller system that’s designed to avoid tangles.

But for most people, the mop is likely to be the bigger selling point. Dreame has updating its mop to a track roller system, which constantly applies 45ºC hot water to the roller via 24 nozzles, and scrapes off the dirty mess as it goes.

It’s flat, oblong design allows it to apply more floor pressure for better cleaning, while also sitting a bit wider than previous mops.

While it’s not really an issue I’ve ever encountered reviewing robot vacuums in my home, the Aqua10 Track S also has an innovative system for clearing obstacles. Two small legs can be popped out of the vacuum to allow it to clear obstacles as high as 6 cm.

And with that also comes increased suction power, up to 30,000 Pa, and an elegantly designed multi-functional dock, which has a unique finish on the front. The dock will also wash the vacuum’s mop pad in 100ºC hot water before using 50 degree hot air to dry it.

So collectively, a specification powerhouse. How does it perform, though?

Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Track S specs

Design and build quality

While most robot vacuums all tend to look the same, Dreame has managed to make the Aqua10 Ultra Track S look a bit more refined than many competitors.

The vacuum itself bears a matte black finish, which is matched by most of the charging dock.

The top half of the dock, however, has a marbleised gold and grey finish, which makes me think of elegant European kitchens.

The water tanks are tucked away under the lid, and the vacuum bag and cleaning solution sit behind an easily removable panel on the front.

The vacuum itself looks much like every other robot vacuum on the market. Dreame has designed the head to retract, giving the vacuum a sleeker look when docked or the vacuum is getting under furniture.

There’s a single side brush on the Aqua10, paired with the twin main rollers underneath, which are designed to avoid tangles. The back of the unit houses the mop pad, which is a flat track style like the Narwal Freo.

The vacuum’s dustbin is quite small at just 220 ml, which does create some problems. But you get the impression it needs to be to house both the clean and dirty water tanks on board.

Cleaning performance

The first week of testing the Dreame Aqua10, I was confident it was destined for the top of my best robot vacuum list. Having tested this just after the Narwal Freo, I’m convinced that the track style mop is the best way to tackle mopping on a robot vacuum.

While robot vacuums won’t typically accelerate to maximum suction unless you tell them to, I found that the Dreame’s motor did a really solid job of pulling up dirt, dust, and debris from my floors.

At least at first.

After a few weeks of daily cleans, I started to notice that crumbs were left scattered on my floor. Another week later, I found a massive ball of dust on my floor, left behind from the vacuum itself.

The issue – as far as I can see it  – is that the shape and capacity of the Aqua10’s on-board dust bin doesn’t allow for easy emptying. There are narrow channels where the dust and fluff easily gets stuck, particularly if you have carpets through your home.

Over the course of the 3 months or so I’ve been testing this vacuum, I’ve had to manually empty the dustbin in the vacuum multiple times. Even though it’s supposed to auto-empty into the base-station’s dust bag, either the base’s suction power is insufficient or the design of the vacuum’s dust container is too awkward to let that happen.

When the vacuum’s dustbin is empty, suction is great and cleaning performance shines. But if it’s full, it’s disappointing.

On the plus side, the mopping capability here is fantastic. The combination of hot water cleaning and the track mop style meant that my floors felt great after the Aqua10 had done its job.

Not only is the mopping great, I can’t really fault the obstacle avoidance, either. Even with the house left fairly messy (I have teenagers), the Dreame never got tangled while navigating the house.

This is particularly impressive given how even a couple of years ago, I had to really clean up around the home before sending a robot vacuum out.

Ease of use

Setting up and controlling the Aqua10 is straightforward with the Dreame Home app.

The mapping capabilities here were fantastic. I’ve struggled recently with robot vacuums that don’t detect bedroom doorways or carpeted floors in my home, but Dreame’s software did it first time.

I still needed to make a few tweaks to the map to get it just right, but that’s the challenge you face when you live in an open-plan home

Once the map is just right, cleaning your home is straightforward. You can set it up on a schedule to clean at a regular time every day, or run ad hoc cleans to tidy up after you make a mess.

The Aqua10 also has Matter support, which means you can control it using Apple HomeKit, Google Home or Alexa voice controls.

That HomeKit support allows for some useful automations. Have a scene set up to start cleaning when you leave home, and finish cleaning when you arrive (if it’s still going).

Of course, the one area that Dreame hasn’t solved (though neither has any other brand) is how to best deal with the barrel of disgusting that is the dirty water tank.

My only advice is to empty it after every use, before it has the chance to fester. If only I followed my own advice.

Power and battery

There’s a good-sized 6,400 mAh battery in the Aqua10 Ultra Track S. Under most conditions, it should get through cleaning a 3-bedroom home on a single charge.

I did find that running it on a deeper clean, mop after vacuum setting drained the battery before it had finished. It didn’t take too long to charge up enough to finish the job – everything was always done by the time the kids came home from school.

If you can manage to set the Aqua10 up on a routine to clean when you aren’t at home, it’s all the better.

Verdict

I took a little longer writing this review than normal because I wasn’t sure about the vacuum’s cleaning ability. While it started strong, after a few weeks the robot’s dust bin started clogging up, needing manual intervention to let the vacuum continue cleaning properly.

It’s an issue, definitely. You buy a robot vacuum so you don’t have to touch the dustbins, right? But compared to the L20 Ultra and the L10S and their rubber brush issues, I actually think there’s enough on offer from the Aqua10 that manually checking and emptying the dust bin isn’t too much trouble.

Especially when you get a powerful, refined vacuum with some of the best mopping and mapping I’ve experienced in a robot vacuum before. I could go a couple of weeks after cleaning the dustbin before realising it was blocked again.

It’s not a cheap vacuum, by any stretch. But for a premium product, it’s got the looks and a lot of the performance.

Buy the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Track S if you:

• Want a stylish looking base station to fit with your decor
• Have a lot of hard floors that require the best mopping
• Have 5 cm ledges, you need a robot vacuum to step over

Skip the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Track S if you:

• Absolutely refuse to empty the dustbin from a robot vacuum
• Don’t want to invest in a premium-price vacuum
• Aren’t too fussed about having mop rollers washed and dried with hot water/air

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