Dreame L40 Ultra in test: This vacuum robot vacuums, mops and navigates brilliantly

With the L40 Ultra, Dream has brought to the market a new vacuum and mopping robot that presents itself as a worthy successor to the L20 Ultra after there is no sign of the L30 Ultra in this country. With impressive suction power and a variety of innovative functions, the L40 Ultra seeks to leave the competition behind and even its own top model, the Dream X40 Ultra (test report) has nothing more to offer. We looked at the differences in detail and tested the L40 Ultra in detail.

The Dreame L40 Ultra is currently available on Amazon 1199 euros To get. There is also X40 Ultra 1499 euros Still much more expensive.

The Dreame L40 Ultra looks a lot like the X40 Ultra Complete. The design is modern and fits seamlessly into any living environment. The laser tower, which is responsible for navigation, gives the robot a slightly elevated design as microphones for the in-house voice assistant are integrated there. This increases the height of the robot by just over 10 cm, making it more difficult to get under furniture than the X40 Ultra. The workmanship is of high quality and the robot looks just as sturdy and durable as the real top model.

There are more visual differences at the cleaning station. While the covers for suction like this visual aspect, the remaining differences are also minor. The L40 “only” cleans with water hot up to 65 degrees, while the X40 cleans up to 70 degrees. However, hot air drying is similar. Practical: The L40 Ultra’s station cleans itself with arms like a windshield wiper, similar to the X40. This reduces maintenance effort for the user.

The general structure of the station is otherwise the same. It is compact and has two large water tanks for fresh and waste water as well as a dust bag. A water connection kit is available at additional charge, which supplies the station with a continuous supply of fresh water and drains waste water directly into the drain.

The Dream Home app connects to the robot extremely easily and offers a variety of setting options for all areas of the robot and station. Nevertheless, its use remains intuitive. Users can access parameters such as creating cleaning schedules, adjusting suction and mopping performance, and setting up virtual exclusion zones. There are also detailed settings in which the water temperature for cleaning the mops can be selected in four stages. At best, the Roborock app from “competitors from the same company” explains as much in detail.

In addition to Alexa and Google Assistant, the robot also supports its own voice assistant that listens for the command “Ok, dream.” However, it currently only works in English, while the robot and app are available in German. This enables easier and more precise control of the device than Amazon or Google. The own language assistant also understands commands like “wipe under the bed”, as long as the user is (currently) fluent in English and has previously placed a virtual bed in the app in the corresponding room.

The DreamEye L40 navigates through a laser turret combined with ultra structured light and object detection supported by an RGB camera. This combination enables accurate mapping of habitable spaces and effective obstacle detection. In most cases, the robot detects even small obstacles like cables and avoids them quite intelligently. In our testing, it actually performed slightly better than the X40 Ultra. However, the L model requires a little more time overall. Carpet detection definitely works better on the L40 Ultra. While the X40 Ultra didn’t recognize carpet on a surface of the same color as the carpet in testing, it always worked with the L40 Ultra.

The extendable side brush ensures that corners and edges are thoroughly cleaned. The same applies to the right mop, which can also be extended at the edge or in narrow areas. In addition to the main brush, side brushes are also raised as soon as the robot detects large accumulations of liquid. This effectively prevents both from coming in contact with liquid. Instead, the robot tries to mop up the liquid with mops. In principle, you should not expect any miracles during a pass. If you knock over a large coffee mug, you should expect the capacity of the two mops to be exhausted quickly, resulting in a large portion of the coffee being distributed rather than absorbed. DreamEye has given the L40 Ultra a function that allows the robot to independently return to such dirty areas and clean them again.

With a suction power of 11,000 Pascal, the Dream L40 Ultra is one of the most powerful models on the market, only the Roborock Qrevo Curve (test report) has surprised with a recent jump in suction power to 18,000 Pa. In testing the robot showed very good cleaning performance on hard floors and carpets. Even stubborn dirt and animal hair were removed reliably, and we liked the included Tricut brush even more, especially for animal hair. Not only does it remove trapped hair on the carpet better, but it also cuts longer hairs with its “row of knives” so they don’t get wrapped around the brush. In testing, it didn’t work to our complete satisfaction as hair still stuck to the brush. Compared to the pre-installed rubber brush, the Tricut brush actually has smaller bristles, which means sooner or later it may have to be completely vacuumed. In testing, this brush did not clog, at least not even after prolonged use, but the “hair level” remained approximately at the same level. Thanks to the extendable side brush, the L40 Ultra also penetrates corners better than models without such a counterpart.

The mopping function of the Dreame L40 Ultra is in theory particularly effective due to the rotating mops. The mop rotates at up to 180 revolutions per minute and is pressed against the floor to remove stubborn dirt. If necessary, the mops can be lifted up to protect the carpets, alternatively, the robot leaves the mops in the station – depending on the settings in the comprehensive app. For better wiping results, a cleaning fluid is included in the scope of delivery, which goes into the tank provided behind the suction cover. The station then automatically doses water and cleaning agents.

Overall, wiping performance is very good, even if dried stains occasionally require a second clean. The overall result reassured us, but suction and mopping performance still felt a little behind the X40 Ultra. In a normal home this should not be noticeable. The task of detecting liquid is exciting. This will raise the main and side brushes to avoid getting wet. It worked reliably in testing. Thanks to the extendable mop, side cleaning is also neat.

The cleaning station of the Dreame L40 Ultra is a real highlight. It washes the mops with water up to 65°C and then dries them with hot air. Alternatively, the robot and station independently determine how hot the water should be for cleaning – that is, based on an assessment of the dirty water. This can help in saving energy. Cleaning with less hot water also prevents unpleasant odors and germ build-up. The station automatically empties the robot’s dust container, so you won’t have to worry about emptying it every few weeks. Alternatively, the station can be connected to a water supply to automatically fill and empty water tanks.

The battery of the L40 is slightly weaker than that of the X40. This means it doesn’t achieve the same area performance as the top model, but in our testing the L40 Ultra still achieved a good 120 square meters (gross), even if that wasn’t enough for an entire floor. Like the competition, the L40 returns itself to the station for intermediate charging and then automatically continues cleaning afterwards.

The Dreame L40 Ultra is currently available on Amazon 1199 euros To get. There is also X40 Ultra 1499 euros Still much more expensive.

The Dreame L40 Ultra is an impressive vacuum-mopping robot that impresses in almost all areas. Suction and wiping performance is great, navigation is precise and obstacles are easily identified. The self-cleaning station ensures successful self-cleaning so that users do not have to spend any time maintaining the device and its own voice assistant completes the overall package.

However, we do not really understand the utility of this model. The L40 Ultra is significantly cheaper than the X40 Ultra, but also almost as good – why? Those interested are happy: If you are looking for a powerful and versatile vacuum robot, the DreamEye L40 Ultra is the right choice and even saves a few euros compared to the alleged top model.

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