Dreame X60 Ultra review: When smaller makes more sense

Robot vacuums these days feel like they’re all trying to outdo each other, don’t they? Bigger numbers, bigger docks, and more features that feel more novel than practical (who really wants a robot arm that picks up their socks?). The reality is, the day-to-day experience of most robot vacuums released over the past couple of years hasn’t actually changed that much.

So when Dreame sent over their newest X60 Ultra, I wasn’t expecting much beyond the usual token upgrade. More suction power? Sure. Smarter navigation? Okay. What I definitely didn’t expect was for the biggest difference to come from something as simple as its size.

Because Dreame’s new kid on the block is noticeably more compact than its previous Ultra models, with a lower profile that lets it slip under furniture easier than those that came before it. The first time I ran it, it disappeared in the gaps under my cabinets that were unreachable by other robot vacuums. And it’s not just the robot. The dock is smaller too – which, honestly, might matter just as much.

Dreame hasn’t gone minimal here; it still does everything you’d expect from a flagship dock – auto-emptying, mop washing, drying – but it doesn’t feel like it’s trying to take over your living room. Compared to the Aqua 10 Pro or the Matrix10 Ultra, both of which I’ve previously tested, the difference is pretty obvious. Those docks stand out quite noticeably, thanks in part to their large footprint. The X60 Ultra’s dock, however, is easier to live with. Don’t get me wrong, It’s still sizeable but you can tuck it along a wall or into a corner far easier than Dreame’s previous models.

Setup is straightforward too. Personally for me, the Dreame app is still one of the better ones out there compared to the competition, and mapping my home the first time around is quick and simple enough.

Putting it through its paces

As usual, I made a “mess” for my tests – a mix of crumbs, dust, and human hair across my marble floor and rugs gave the X60 Ultra something to work with, and on hard floors, it vacuumed exactly how I’d expected it to do. Dreame says the X60 Ultra has a 36,000Pa rated maximum suction, and I honestly can’t tell if it eats up dirt any better than the Matrix10 Ultra’s 30,000Pa suction. But my self-created mess disappeared in a single pass. No drama here.

On carpets and rugs, the extra suction does show up more clearly, especially with debris that’s worked deeper into the fibres. Even though I’m not focusing on suction here, it’s still worth pointing out that the X60 Ultra has more than enough power, and it shows in how consistently it picks things up without needing multiple passes. But honestly, what stood out more wasn’t just how well it cleaned – it was where it could clean. Because of its smaller size, it covered areas that bigger robots tend to avoid. And this, matters to me more than the Matrix 10 Ultra’s auto-swappable mop pads.

Speaking of mopping. And this is where things get a bit more subjective, especially if you’ve used roller systems before. The X60 Ultra is, oddly enough to me anyway, sticking with dual spinning mop pads, and to be fair, they work. With heated water and enough downward pressure, it actually scrubs rather than just dragging a damp mop across the floor. As far as I can tell, it handles dried stains better than its direct X40 and X50 Ultra predecessors

But having used the Aqua 10 Pro Track and the Ecovacs Deebot X11 Omnicyclone, I’ve grown to prefer roller mops, honestly. This is because the roller is constantly being rinsed as it moves – dirty water gets scraped off and fresh water is reapplied – so the roller mop is perpetually clean, and your floors are not being scrubbed with the same dirt that’s stuck on a spinning mop. This is more pronounced when you’re dealing with dirtier areas.

The X60 Ultra’s spinning pads don’t quite have that same effect here. They’re cleaned at the dock, and while they’re effective enough on a single run, they don’t have that continuous rinse mid-clean. So if you’re dealing with heavier grime, you can sometimes feel the difference between the two different mopping approaches.

That said, the X60 Ultra does make up for it in other ways. Because it’s smaller, it can mop more of the floor in the first place – especially furniture with lower height gaps where “taller” roller-equipped robots might not be able to reach. It also helps that it moves around the house with a bit more confidence than the X40 and X50 Ultra in general. Obstacle avoidance is an improvement too. It handles socks, small towels, and most everyday clutter without much issue, and what I like here is that it doesn’t play it too safe. Instead of giving obstacles a wide berth like some older models, the X60 Ultra gets in much closer and cleans right up to the edges before moving on. That might sound like a small thing, but it means you’re actually cleaning more of the floor instead of leaving a “buffer zone” of dust around everything.

Final thoughts

The Dreame X60 Ultra doesn’t feel like it’s trying to reinvent anything. If anything, it feels like Dreame is stepping back and fine-tuning what already worked on the X50 Ultra – with more focus on the size of both the robot and the dock.

The smaller size of both the robot and the dock changes how it fits into everyday use. The docking station, in particular, feels far less conspicuous than what I remember from the X50 Ultra – it’s still there, but it doesn’t immediately draw your attention or force you to rethink where everything else goes. The slimmer robot also makes a more noticeable difference than I expected, especially in homes with lower furniture or tighter gaps. It gets into places that most robot vacuums would normally skip entirely, which means you’re not constantly thinking about what it might have missed.

At the same time, it’s not without trade-offs. If you’ve used roller mop systems like the Aqua 10 Pro or Ecovacs’ newer models, you might still prefer the way those handle continuous cleaning during mopping. The X60’s spinning pads are effective, but they don’t quite give you that same “always-clean mop” confidence. Not to me anyway. Then again, if you’re not too fussed about how the mopping works, or you’re living in a smaller apartment where space is always tight, the X60 Ultra’s smaller footprint might just make more sense.

The Dreame X60 Ultra is available for purchase at Dreame’s webstore for $1,699. Click here to buy.