Hey guys, welcome to Robotobzor! Today, I’ll review the new Xiaomi Lydsto S1 Robot Vacuum Cleaner. At a price of $450-500, this vacuum boasts a self-cleaning station, vacuuming and mopping, LIDAR for navigation, lots of functions for flexibly adjusting your cleaning cycle, and even an anti-bacterial ultraviolet lamp for surface disinfection. All in all, this robot has everything you would need. Now, I’ll test Lydsto S1, after which I’ll express my opinion on whether or not this robot is worth your money. Don’t forget to like and subscribe after watching this video. Now, let’s get rolling!
Package
The vacuum came in this box:
Aside from the robot and base, the box includes:
- Manual.
- Six additional bags for your base.
- A nozzle with a cloth for mopping.
- 30 extra single-use cloths for mopping.
- A tool for cleaning your robot.
They were definitely unselfish putting this kit together, but an extra HEPA-filter would be the cherry on top!
Design
Now let’s look at Lydsto S1’s design. Let’s start with the vacuum. It’s round, and is available in both black and white. Visually, it’s identical to the younger R1 and R1D models I had previously reviewed.
There are wall sensors on both sides of the mechanical bumper. In the center, there is an obstacle sensor. The body measures 98 mm (3.85 inches) off the floor.
There are two buttons on the top lid. The LIDAR is responsible for navigation, and is equipped with a mechanical button, to help it from getting stuck under furniture. The conjoined container for water and dirt is installed at the back. On it we see the curtain for self-cleaning and the charging ports. The dirt container holds up to 300 ml (10 Oz) of dry waste. It has a triple filter system: based on mesh, foam and a HEPA filter. The water tank holds 250 ml (8.5 Oz). There’s a pump inside for monitoring the water.
The bottom of the container is attached to the mopping nozzle. It holds up with a slider and VELCRO.
There are 4 sensors on the bottom to stop it from falling. There is only one three beamed, screw mounted side brush. Above the main brush, there is an ultraviolet lamp for surface disinfection.
The central brush is fluid, which is good. Its bristles resemble petals, and it disassembles on both sides to clean from hair and fur.
Now, let’s look at the base. Trash is discharged from the end, not the bottom. The trash bag is placed under the top cover. This is a pretty standard design.
The station itself has a screen that shows the battery charge and the robot’s status.
On the bottom, the trash canal can be dismantled for cleaning in case something gets stuck inside. Additionally, it’s worth noting that the self-cleaning station is equipped with a dirt ozonation function, which neutralizes bad smells in the bag and kills bacteria.
All in all, Lydsto S1’s build is at the same level as other Xiaomi vacuums. The plastic is good, and there are no lifted grooves or loose parts. And considering the price, this is a plus! Well, it’s also worth noting that it looks identical to the Viomi Alpha UV, which costs one and a half times more.
Technical features
Lydsto S1’s main characteristics, given by the manufacturer, are up on the screen. I recommend pausing to read all of the info:
- Battery Li-Ion 5200 mA*h.
- Suction power up to 3000 Pa.
- Battery life is up to 150 mins.
- Cleaning area 200 sq.m (656 sq.f).
- Dirt container 300 ml (10 Oz).
- Water container 250 ml (8.5 Oz).
- Obstacle size 20 mm (.78 inches).
- Size: 350*98 mm (13.7×3.85 Inches).
All in all, the characteristics are pretty standard, at least for a modern lidar vacuum cleaner. Compared to the previous R1 and R1D, they increased the suction power by 300 Pa. I’ll definitely have to check it in my tests. Let’s move on!
Functionality
Let’s move on to Lydsto S1’s functions. Currently, the robot can only be controlled through the Lydsto app. Connecting to Mi Home isn’t possible right now. However, the developers have stated that work is already underway to make this possible.
On the main screen, the vacuum builds a map of the space and automatically zones it into rooms. Under the map are three basic cleaning modes: room cleaning, where you can set the order in which rooms get cleaned, point cleaning, where you can select a point on the map to clean, or just set a rectangular zone for the vacuum to clean.
The map editor lets you set virtual walls and no-go zones, and even separate no-go zones for mopping. Also, you can edit room boundaries and even set up user mode. I’ll stop on this in more detail. For each room you can individually set the suction power, the amount of water the cloth gets, and the number of passes the robot goes through: one or two, which is good. Well, it’s also worth highlighting that Lydsto S1 is able to save multiple maps.
You can also adjust the suction power for auto mode to clean the entire available area, the amount of water on the cloth, and select floorwash mode and the user mode. Speaking of floor wash mode, it’s not just the robot going in a Y-shape like I thought, but a shutdown of suction during mopping.
In the settings, you can set a cleaning schedule by selecting the time, days of the week, rooms, and even set custom user settings. There is also manual control and voice notification settings.
In addition, you can double-pass the entire area, additionally go through the room’s perimeter after the main cleaning, set do not disturb times, share controls with other users, enable auto power increase on carpets, set the self-cleaning frequency, check the cleaning log, track the water level, and update the app if needed.
Lydsto S1’s functions are perfectly good for letting you flexibly adjust your robot’s cleaning cycle. This is a big plus!
Testing
Navigation
Finally, let’s get to testing! First we’ll test Lydsto S1’s navigation in a room with obstacles. First the vacuum passes through the whole area along the perimeter, then it goes through in a snake like pattern. The drying rack’s feet didn’t cause any problems. Separately, the robot swept around the box and chair’s legs, then came back to the base. The test was successful!
As for navigating the rest of the house, Lydsto S1 goes room by room, first around the perimeter, then in a snake like pattern. It’s fast and there’s no dirt left. The navigation is good.
Suction power
But sadly, S1 has pretty standard suction power. It was only able to suck debris out of a 2mm (.078 inch) slot, just like the earlier R1 and R1D. But even this is enough to upkeep the house. Especially if there aren’t any or very few carpets in the house.
Dry cleaning
The vacuuming on the hard floor is good. The robot picked up most of the dirt from the floor. And this isn’t just small everyday dirt, but also hair and fur. There was just some dirt left in the corners, but this is common with round vacuums. Some of the hair got caught by the brushes, but overall, the robot passed the test with flying colors!
Self-cleaning quality:
Carpet cleanin
I threw the same dirt on the carpet, and Lydsto S1 did a great job picking it up. It collected all of the trash. It passed the test.
Mopping
No complaints about mopping either. It scrubbed dirt from the hard floor at the same level as other vacuums. Only one strip along the baseboard was left, but this is the achilles heel of all the vacuums I reviewed so far.
It’s also important to note that S1 is able to simultaneously mop and vacuum, which is good.
Mopping on carpets
But as for mopping on carpets, even though Lydsto S1 detects the carpets and automatically increases suction on them, it doesn’t go around them while mopping. The water also doesn’t stop when it runs into carpets. This is worth keeping in mind.
Passage of obstacles
Regarding obstacles, S1 is able to go over 2 cm (.78 inch) tall objects, even with the napkin nozzle. So it’s really good off-road.
Passage of dark surfaces
Sadly, the robot’s afraid of dark surfaces, like most Xiaomi vacuums. This is a big disadvantage.
Volume
And finally, let’s measure Lydsto S1’s volume in different modes. At min power the volume is around 61-62 dB. In standard mode it can reach 63 dB. In power mode the volume goes to 65 dB, and at max power it peaked at 69 dB. The volume is pretty standard.
Summing up
Xiaomi Lydsto S1 was thoroughly reviewed and tested. Our evaluation system scored it at 73 out of 100 points. The result is good, for a budget LIDAR vacuum with self-cleaning. I put links to the evaluation algorithm and the overall rating of all tested robots in the description. Now I’ll share my opinion. I liked the following:
- Good navigation.
- Self-cleaning function.
- Simultaneous mopping and vacuuming.
- Quality cleaning on different surfaces.
- Lots of functions to flexibly adjust your cleaning cycle in the app.
- Auto power increase on carpets.
- Can go over 2cm (.78 inch) obstacles.
- Reasonable price for a LIDAR vacuum with self-cleaning
As for the disadvantages, I could only find that you temporarily can’t connect to Mi Home, and that the robot is afraid of dark surfaces.
All in all, the robot left a mostly positive impression of itself and for the price, especially if it stays at $450, it’s a pretty interesting option. In terms of cleaning quality the device doesn’t differ much from Lydsto R1 and R1D. The only difference from the R1 is the UV lamp, the effectiveness of which is hard to tell, and from the R1D model differs only in the self-cleaning station.
On this note I’d like to end the review. If you still have questions make sure to ask them in the comments below. Have fun shopping, bye!
