Dyson 360 Vis Nav Robot Vacuum Cleaner Review

Dyson makes some of our favorite full-sized vacuums. And now the famed British company has released a new robot vacuum cleaner. The Dyson 360 Vis Nav (available at Target for $999.99) is the successor to the Dyson 360 Eye and this new model has come a long way.

Dyson went all out with this robot vacuum, giving it all the company’s top-notch technology, including a top-mounted camera, a full-width brush roll, and a powerful battery. Our testing showed that the Vis Nav is a great vacuum, but isn’t the best robot. It does a phenomenal job cleaning up dirt and debris—when it can reach it.

About the Dyson 360 Vis Nav

• Weight: 9.9 pounds
• Dimensions: 3.9” x 13” x 12.6” (H x D x W)
• Cleaning modes: Auto, Quick, Quiet, Boost Mode

The Dyson 360 Vis Nav is a robot vacuum that specializes in deep cleaning. It is driven by a digital motor and is capable of producing 65 air-watts of suction. The motor is powered by a battery that can run up to 65 minutes.

What we like about the Dyson 360 Vis Nav

Absolute powerhouse when it comes to cleaning dust and crumbs

The Vis Nav has several features that make Dyson cordless vacuum cleaners so great. First off, it has a full-width brush roll at the front. It carries three different types of bristles: soft nylon, stiff nylon, and anti-static carbon fiber. We’ve tested similar brush heads on cordless vacuums like the Dyson Gen5Detect.

The 360 Vis Nav devoured crumbs and pet hair during our cleaning tests. On average it picked up 9.75 grams of dirt and debris per run, which is more than the 9.45 grams iRobot’s latest j9+ picked up.

Now, 9.75 grams doesn’t sound like a lot, but that’s enough to maintain your floors between cleanings over the course of the week. And it did all this without side brushes. Instead, this robot vac uses a combination of its edge-to-edge brush roll and extending side ducts to clean corners.

You can press a button or you can use the app

The 360 Vis Nav is compatible with the MyDyson app. We found the setup to be super simple, with all the directions spelled out plainly on the screen.

Through the app you can schedule cleanings, what areas to cover, and how you want the robot to clean. The app also displays smart maps that give a readout of where in your home the Vis Nav encountered tons of dirt.

However, if you’re not interested in hooking your robot vacuum up to the Internet, you don’t have to. All the major functionalities can be accessed via the robot itself. There’s an LCD screen atop the Vis Nav that gives you access to all the cleaning modes. All you do is press a button and the Dyson 360 Vis Nav sets off cleaning.

We appreciated the ability to ignore all smart features and still have a good experience with the Dyson 360 Vis Nav.

It’s easy to keep the Vis Nav clean

The dirt receptacle, the filter, and the brush roll are three essential components to keeping your robot vacuum in working order.

Dyson engineered all three of these features to have a more seamless user experience.

The Dirt receptacle reminds us of the ones on the cordless units. It pops out by pressing a spring-loaded button and it has a carrying handle on top. The handle also has a switch to empty the receptacle. We found this pretty clever, since it allows you to empty the dirt cup while holding it inside the trash can to prevent a dust plume.

The filter can be accessed via a pop-out panel on top of the robot. It contains a washable HEPA-grade filter.

The brush roll can also easily be removed to be washed in a sink.

What we don’t like

It got stuck multiple times

A robot vacuum cleaner is always a balance between the robot and the vacuum. The Dyson 360 Vis Nav is clearly a better vacuum cleaner than it is a robot.

In our eyes, a robot floor cleaner should be able to navigate your home’s terrain and avoid areas where it might get stuck. The 360 Vis Nav did a passable job at this when compared to all robot vacuums, but below average when you factor in its price point.

On multiple occasions, we had to recuse the Vis Nav after it beached itself on our throw rug. We have to give it kudos for climbing up there when most robot vacuums never even attempt it, but anti-kudos for getting stuck up there.

We could have used the smart mapping feature to tell the Vis Nav to avoid the throw rug, but we wanted our rug to get vacuumed.

Another time, the Vis Nav sent a signal to the app that it had successfully returned to dock, but when we went to check on it, we found the robot trapped underneath a bar cart.

The competition brings more

At the time of review, the Dyson 360 Vis Nav costs around $1,200. That’s a steep price. It’s not the most expensive robot vacuum we’ve ever tested that distinction goes to the Ecovacs X2 Omni’s $1,500 MSRP. However, most of the robot vacuums that cost as much as the Dyson 360 Vis Nav offer more features and functionality. The aforementioned X2 Omni can self-empty, mop, and act as a mobile security camera.

The trade-off is that the Vis Nav is a specialist and is unable to transmit visual data, so it’s more private.

Whether or not it’s a good trade-off comes down to what you want for your money.

What owners are saying about the Dyson 360 Vis Nav

We tested the Vis Nav pretty early in its lifecycle, so there aren’t that many user reviews online. Of the 175 on Dyson’s website, 126 of them are five stars. Owners cite how much they like the Vis Nav’s power and convenience. People were critical of how loud it was and disliked that it occasionally missed spots. During testing, we measured the noise level of the Vis Nav on Quiet Mode at around 60 dBA, which is a similar volume to a normal conversation.

Should you buy the Dyson 360 Vis Nav?

Yes, especially if you’re a Dyson fan

The Dyson 360 Vis Nav is one of the most powerful robot vacuums we’ve ever tested. Normally, pure air wattage doesn’t amount to much, however, the Vis Nav knows how to apply it. With its full-width brush roll, its ability to deal with dust, pet hair, and crumbs, it’ss head and shoulders above the competition.

It’s also a robot that’s geared for human usage. The engineering is on point. The buttons have a satisfying click, the app is intuitive to use, and the whole package is quality.

But quality is not perfection. The Vis Nav does have some issues navigating cluttered and tight spaces. We also understand why, for more than a thousand dollars, you’d want a floor cleaner that could do more like mop or self-empty. If that sounds appealing, we’d suggest checking out the Eocvacs X2 Omni.