iLife Vacuums

iLife has been making robot vacuums in Shenzhen since 2007, which makes it one of the older names in the budget end of the category. A 2018 announcement had it selling in more than 30 countries, and its US presence has always been built on low prices rather than flagship docks. Its current range runs from an entry V series through a mid-tier A series to a high-end T series, and the models listed here come from the bottom two.

The V-series models are bump-and-turn robots with no map. The now-discontinued V5s Plus could vacuum or mop, but you swapped a dustbin tray for a water tray to choose. The V2 ($100) is vacuum-only, works from a remote with no app or Wi-Fi, and uses a suction inlet with no roller brush, so hair has nothing to wrap around. The A series adds LiDAR mapping with no-go zones: the A30s ($180) is vacuum-only, and the A30 Pro ($250) adds a self-emptying dock and a single 200ml tank that holds both dust and water so it can vacuum and mop in one pass.

The A30 Pro is the only model listed here with enough owner reports to summarize, and the reports split cleanly. Owners and testers rate its vacuuming far above its price, with very strong suction, near-perfect pet-hair pickup and good carpet results. The app is the problem: owners report connection dropouts and a bug that deletes saved maps, which undoes the room and no-go setup the mapping is for. Mopping is weak on dried stains, the pad does not lift on carpet, and there is no obstacle avoidance.

Two practical checks. The app-connected models listed here join only 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, so confirm the router offers that band. And iLife's online warranty service covers only products bought from an official distributor in the US or Canada, so a marketplace seller of uncertain origin can leave the robot without support.