iLife V7S – revamping the most successful robot vacuum from iLife –

I remember that almost a year ago I was excited to get my hands on my first robotic vacuum cleaner from iLife, the V7 robot. Things were looking great back then for this Chinese company. The V7 was something new, as it was offering a few things that premium products from iRobot or Neato couldn’t: a cheaper price, a large and efficient battery, a powerful suction and the ability to mop and vacuum at the same time. The iLife V7S is the upgraded version of the Chuwi iLife V7, sharing some of the old features, as well as some new added capabilities. Just like all other robotic vacuum cleaners I’ve been presenting on my blog, the V7S can be a good housekeeping companion, handling cleaning duties without disturbing you from the comfort of your couch. But let us cut the chitchat and take a closer look at what iLife V7S robot has to offer. I’ll be providing today:

• a complete analysis of the technical specs of this robot vacuum
• an assessment of its overall performance
• a comparison with some of its main contenders, including the Xiaomi Mi and the iLife A4
• at least a place from where you can get a good deal for it

The design

The iLife V7S looks wonderful. As I was saying in one of my previous posts, the optimistic pink color on top of the case works very well with shabby chic or traditional furniture. Here’s the photo gallery of the product:

And here’s its video overview:

The specifications

Cleaning Power

The iLife V7S features four cleaning modes, just like the V7: Auto Cleaning – the most usable; it will the clean the area automatically and adjust its cleaning depending on the situation, Spot Cleaning – it will clean the dirty area focusing on a single place, Edge Cleaning – it will start cleaning the wall edges and Scheduled Cleaning which allows you to schedule the vacuum to leave the charging base and start working at certain time. The digital logic behind these cleaning modes is the same with the V7.  In fact, the design of the unit (except for the color) is pretty much the same. What is changed is the suction power, which is increased from 400 Pa (in the case of V7) to 600 Pa. The air intake is twice as wide as the V3 and V5 models.

The V7 family has a creative double-V brush that quickly gathers the dust. The extra side brush makes an added disturbance on carpets to loosen up dirt. The brushroll bristles are 0.6 inches long and in addition, it also has a soft rubber layer which acts as a scraper.

Input Power and Batter Life

The power voltage is 14.8V, originating from the Li-Ion 2600mAh battery, as it uses the same power supply you can find on all iLife models. There are two ways to charge this iLife robot: automatic or manual. Manual charging means pressing the remote control and making the robotic vacuum return to its charging home base. On the other hand, when the battery already is low, the vacuum will automatically find its charging bay. From the second charging and onward, the maximum charging time would be 5h. Once fully charged, the iLife V7S can clean for about 120 to 150 minutes.

Dust Capacity

Unlike its older brother, V7S features 2 recipients, one for vacuuming and one for wet mopping. Wet mopping is not possible with the V7, hence the added usability. The dry bin has a capacity of 17 oz. The water tank has a capacity of 15 oz. The mop itself is much bigger than the mop of the V7.

Filtration Efficiency

The double filter traps large particles, although it can’t really be compared to a HEPA. When the filter is too dirty, one can just take it out and clean it with water.

Weight and Dimensions

Has exactly the same weight and dimensions as the V7. It has a diameter of 13.5 inches and a height of 3.2 inches, while weighting 7 pounds. The required storage temperature ranges between 14-104 degrees Fahrenheit.

Accessories

Aside from the unit itself, the following are also included in the package:

• the remote control
• two AAA/R03 type batteries
• the adapter
• a cleaning tool, which can be used to maintain the product
• the user manual/quick starting guide
• an extra side brush
• two extra cloth filters
• the water tank
• the dust bin (which is already mounted in the robot)
• an extra mop cloth
• the removable mop bracket (which is already mounted on the robot)
• the charging dock

Warranty

The iLife V7s has a one-year warranty, just like all the other robovacs produced by this company.

Special Features

The iLife V7S has wet mopping functionality. This made the producer to redesign the mop cloth. Check out the difference between the 2:

In the case of the V7S, the mopping size is approximately 3 quarters of the entire diameter of the robot. The damp mopping process is based on the uniform wet capability. Any kind of cleaning solution can be used. The hooked shaped textile fiber helps gather the excess of dust.

Unfortunately, the V7S doesn’t come with the Bluetooth app. Anyway, since it wasn’t using Wi-fi, it wasn’t really that useful (at least not in my opinion, as you need to be in the same room with the robot in order to control with by smartphone).

Last but not least, the LCD remote control deserves a mention here.

Usability

The unit is not that noisy, running at about 60 dB. I’ve definitely seen louder robots. The four cliff sensors do their job properly and prevent the vacuum from falling down the stairs. The IR-based proximity sensors detect objects and walls approaching them, and allow the robot to navigate collision-free. The air intake is large enough, and the brushroll is surprisingly good. Hair does entangle from time to time, but removing it is pretty easy. I would say it can cover 1500 – 2000 sq ft. without any issues. The glossy finish is likeable to say the least. Switching between the tanks is a simple straight forward process. The only drawback I see is the fact that it can’t mop and vacuum at the same time. I also like the fact that the charging base has a storage spot for the remote control. This prevents losing it. The short height allows the robot to travel under furniture. Navigation could be better only if a different set of sensors would have been used. Under the circumstances, I would say iLife got the best out of it.

Price

This vacuum is priced almost the same with the V7. For less than $150, I’ve placed the iLife V7S in my list of cheap robot vacuums. And occasionally, you can find it even cheaper.

	iLife V7S	iLife V7
Suction power	600 Pa	400 Pa
Wet mopping	Yes	No
Mop size	3/4	2/5
Smartphone app	No	Yes
Cleaning radius	1400 – 1600 sq ft	1500 – 2000 sq ft

iLife V7S vs Xiaomi Mi vs iLife A4

	Xiaomi Mi	iLife A4	iLife V7S
Suction power	1600 – 1800 Pa	700-1000 Pa	600 Pa
Noise	62-68 db	70 db	57-60 db
Dust capacity	14 oz	15 oz	17 oz
Filters	HEPA	HEPA	Dual-layer filter
Battery autonomy	150 min	90 – 120 min	110 – 140 min
Smartphone app	Mi Home app	–	–

Final words and VGMrv

Although iLife V7S is not a completely new robot vacuum, it is a worthy piece of equipment. As presented above, there are several key factors which contribute to its added value. In today’s market, very few robovacs have a 2600 mAh Li-Ion battery. Among these, almost none can vacuum and wet mop. Not to mention the relatively big dust collector, or the efficient brushroll. Here’s my VGMrv:

VGMrv table for iLife V7S

Update!!!

Just got word that a new V7S version is out: the iLife V7S Pro.

The improvements are the following:

• the water tank has incorporated a water pump which controls drip. No more leaking and damp floors!
• upgraded software to include the pump addition, with a new cleaning mode – mopping reservation
• master software upgrade and an optimization of the recharge rate – faster charging and more time vacuuming
• almost at the same price as the regular V7S – use the coupon code ILIFEV7SPRO and get almost 5% off

What’s your take on this iLife? Would you buy this robot? Have one already? Share your story with us!