Xiaomi Mijia 3C B106CN: the most budget LIDAR robot vacuum with mopping mode

Hi everyone! Welcome to Robotobzor ! Today we will review the Xiaomi Mijia Sweeping Vacuum Cleaner 3C Robot Vacuum Cleaner. Model number B106CN. At a cost of about $200-220, this device claims to be the best budget robot vacuum cleaner with lidar and mopping function. Indeed, for such money there are not so many robot vacuum cleaners with lidar for navigation. And considering the quality of cleaning to be good, very rare you will find such models. I will test the Mijia 3C in detail and express my opinion whether it is really a leader among budget models or not. Let’s go!

Equipment

In addition to the robot itself, the package includes:

1. Charging base.
2. Power adapter.
3. Adapter for euro socket.
4. Nozzle with a mopping pad for wet cleaning.
5. Instruction is in Chinese.

Equipment is minimal. Let`s move on!

Design

Let`s see how Mijia 3C is designed. It is made in white color, the shape of the case is round. A large obstacle detection sensor is installed on the front mechanical bumper. There is no side wall sensor. The charging terminals are installed on the back of the case. The height is 95 mm from the floor.

There are 2 mechanical control buttons on the top. Lidar is responsible for navigation, it is fixed motionless, the cover is not spring-loaded. Under the top cover there is a combined container, next to which the cleaning tool of the robot is conveniently stored. The dust container holds up to 300 ml of dry debris. Filtration system based on HEPA filter only. The reservoir holds up to 200 ml of water. Inside there is a pump for electronic control of the liquid supply.

A holder with a mopping pad is attached to the bottom of the case, which is attached with Velcro and a pocket.

Mijia 3C is equipped with 4 fall protection sensors. One side brush: three-beam, quick-detachable. The central brush block is not floating. The turbobrush itself is bristly-petal. Non detachable which is not convenient.

In general, the build quality of the robot is budget. All nodes have been reduced in price as much as possible in order to reduce the cost of the device to the limit.

Specifications

The main characteristics of Xiaomi Mijia 3C, declared by the manufacturer:

• Battery Li-Ion 2600 mAh.
• Suction power up to 4000 Pa.
• Operating time up to 100 min.
• Cleaning area up to 100 sq.m.
• Dust collector 300 ml.
• Water tank 200 ml.
• Passage of obstacles up to 20 mm.
• Dimensions: 350*95 mm.

Here it is important to highlight the increased claimed suction power, which will be verified in tests. Well, given the presence of lidar and such a powerful engine, the battery is very weak, in my opinion. I’ll try to check this.

Functionality

Speaking of features, Xiaomi Mijia 3C is controlled through the branded Mi Home mobile application. The main functions of Xiaomi Mijia 3C are displayed on the screen:

• Saving multiple cleaning maps in memory.
• Automatic zoning of rooms into areas.
• Choice of zones and rooms for cleaning.
• Virtual walls and No-Mop/No-Go zones.
• Suction power adjustment.
• Adjustment of water supply.
• User mode.
• Cleaning log.
• Setting cleaning schedule.
• Double cleaning cycle.
• Y-shaped trajectory of wiping the floor.

The functionality is not rich, of course, but it’s very cool that there is a user mode that allows you to flexibly configure cleaning parameters individually for each room. Well, Mijia 3C is able to move like a floor polisher in a Y-shaped path in mopping mode, which can also be considered as advantages of the robot.

Testing

Quick video review with all tests:

Navigation

And finally, let’s move on to the tests. First of all, let’s check the navigation of the robot in the room with obstacles. The robot vacuum cleaner cleans the entire available area around the perimeter, then with a snake. Separately swept around the box and the legs of the chairs, did not get stuck on the dryer. The video shooting of the trajectory of the movement could not be completed, because in the best traditions of the Chinese Xiaomi, the application had a glitch. But speaking of navigation, this test passed successfully.

As for navigation within the home, Mijia 3C moves room after room, first along the perimeter, then in snake. The cleaning speed is high, there are no uncleaned areas left. This test also passed.

Here I would just like to add that I ran the robot at maximum power. And now for cleaning 42 sq.m. useful area, he spent 42 minutes, during which he spent 56% of the battery. At 15%, the robot moves to the charging station. So, on a single charge, it can clean up to 80 sq.m. at the set maximum power. Not to say that the battery is very weak, but I checked it on a new battery. Over time, it will begin to discharge faster and the maximum cleaning area on a single charge will also be reduced. This is important to consider.

Suction power

The suction power of the robot vacuum cleaner is really increased, but not as high as the manufacturer claims. He managed to suck out the debris from the slots 2 and 4 mm deep. For automatic maintenance of cleanliness in the house, this is more than enough.

Dry cleaning

The quality of dry cleaning on the laminate is good. The robot vacuum cleaner was able to pick up most of the debris from the floor. And this is not only small household waste, but also wool and hair. There is only a little debris left in the corners, which almost all round robots on the market are not able to sweep with high quality. Part of the wool and hair wound around the central brush. Most of the debris is collected in the dust collector. Test passed successfully!

Carpet cleaning

But the quality of carpet cleaning is below average, which is typical of most Mijia robot vacuum cleaners. The robot left some of the wool and hair after a few rides on the carpet. So cleaning carpets is clearly not his forte.

Mopping

The quality of wet cleaning also disappointed me. The robot vacuum cleaner did not cope with this task even in the floor polisher mode. The mopping pad surprisingly does not press too hard on the floor, and the water supply at the maximum level is not enough, which is not typical of Mijia robots. Perhaps, of course, something is wrong with my robot, but the fact remains that it failed the test.

Well, in general, this robot is suitable for collecting dust after brushing and delicately wiping the floor. It is important that it is able to simultaneously vacuum and wipe the floor, unlike many budget models, in which the dust collector changes to a water tank.

Mopping and carpets

Well, as for wet cleaning in the presence of carpets, Mijia 3C does not recognize carpets, means it does not go around them in wet cleaning mode and does not turn off the water supply when driving on carpets. So it is better to protect carpets with No-Mop zones.

Passage of obstacles

Passage of obstacle is good. The robot vacuum cleaner easily moves 2 cm threshold even with a wet cleaning mopping pad installed. This is a plus.

Passage of dark surfaces

But Mijia 3C is afraid of dark surfaces like most other robot vacuum cleaners of the Xiaomi family. This is important to consider.

Noise level

And finally, we measure the noise level of the robot in different modes. At minimum power, it is in the range of 64-65 dB. At medium power it reaches 66 dB. In boost mode, the noise level reaches 68 dB, and in Turbo mode, the peak value was 72.5 dB. The noise level of this model is increased, but this is due to the increased power of the robot.

Personal opinion

Xiaomi Mijia 3C was reviewed and tested in detail. According to our rating system, it managed to score 83 points. The result is far from the best among budget lidar robots due to design features, cleaning quality and functionality. But we’ll talk more about this later.

Overall rating of robotic vacuum cleaners that have passed the Robotobzor test: https://robotobzor.com/ratings/general-rating-of-robot-vacuum-cleaners.html.

First, I will highlight the discovered pros and cons of Mijia 3C.

What I liked:

1. Good navigation and the presence of lidar for this price.
2. Increased suction power.
3. Simultaneous dry and wet cleaning.
4. Flexible settings for cleaning parameters.
5. Good quality dry cleaning on hard surfaces.
6. Y-shaped trajectory of movement.
7. Good passage ability.
8. Affordable cost.

There are also disadvantages:

1. Weak battery.
2. Poor quality of carpet cleaning.
3. Poor quality of wet cleaning.
4. Afraid of dark surfaces.
5. The central brush is not detachable.

To sum up, I wouldn’t say this is the best budget robot vacuum cleaner with lidar. Yes, it’s good and definitely worth the money. Moreover, for this price, you can find gyroscope robots that are not able to store a map in memory. But there are definitely a lot of shortcomings. Well, important to remind that the cleaning quality of Mijia 3C is also lame. So, within $ 200, I would still choose either Midea M6, which costs even less, it is also equipped with lidar, but at the same time it sweeps in the corners. Or the same iLIFE A10s, which has better both dry and wet cleaning and has additional features like a remote control and a replaceable rubber turbo brush. So my answer is “No!” – Xiaomi Mijia 3C is not the best budget lidar robot. Of course, it will enter the TOP-5, but the hype around it is not justified.

On this note, I would like to end the review. If you have any questions, ask them in the comments below. Happy tech shopping. Bye!