DJI’s Jump from Sky Kings to Floor Crawlers — The DJI Romo Robot Vacuum Reviewed
Hello everyone. Sit down, because apparently, the same company that brought us flying, high-speed, object-avoiding marvels of engineering has decided that the most logical next step is… a robot vacuum cleaner. Yes, DJI has gone from ruling the skies to licking your floors clean — metaphorically speaking, of course. Their new toy, the “Romo,” reeks of tech spectacle, marketing swagger, and the kind of unnecessary bells and whistles that make reviewers salivate and wallets wince. Let’s dig in — pun intended.
From Hovering Champions to Floor Janitors
DJI’s pedigree is as airborne as it gets — drones, gimbals, action cameras — all that fancy sky-and-shoot stuff. Now? They’ve rolled onto the floor with their Romo robot vacuum series, offering three models: the base A, the mid-level S, and the see-through halo model P. That last one? The P looks like something from Nothing’s design playbook — transparent shell, flashy innards on display, screaming “look at me, I’m premium” as though a vacuum cleaner needed that kind of drama.
Specs That Sound Like a Sci-Fi Arsenal
The Romo isn’t bumbling around like the cheapo models from your local discount store. It’s packing two fisheye cameras, three self-developed laser modules, and AI-driven mapping, allegedly accurate down to 2mm — because apparently, that stray USB cable on the floor is the real final boss.
- 25,000 pascals suction power — an ego-boosting figure that vacuum aficionados know by now is more about marketing than meaningful cleaning performance.
- Mechanical arms and scrub pads for tight-space cleaning.
- AI mapping stored locally for privacy (because the Russians don’t need to know how messy your living room is).
- 164ml fluid tank with dual cleaning agent containers for variable “strength” liquid deployment — a chemical cocktail tailored to different rooms. Delightful.
But here’s the kicker — no stair climbing, no vaulting door sills. I’m not saying I want my vacuum to reenact parkour stunts, but in 2025, if you can put three lasers on a cleaner, maybe it could manage the Everest of your living room threshold.
Noise, Cleaning, and Quieter Failure
DJI claims an 80% noise reduction through triple-stage noise filtering. That’s great until you realize a hush isn’t impressive if the robot is still doing slow laps around the coffee table because it can’t tell grit from pixel dust. It’s self-cleaning, too — a nice touch — though it’s really just the equivalent of an NPC auto-healing just enough to not need you immediately but still bug you for potions later via the companion app.
Pricing the Spectacle
Prices in China start at CNY 4,699 (~$650) for the S variant, cruising up to CNY 6,799 (~$950) for that smug see-through P variant. Not outrageous if you’re already in Roomba territory, but don’t pretend the shipping, customs fees, and “import tax special” won’t nudge that toward “I could’ve bought a PlayStation 6 instead” levels in the US.
Diagnosis from the Digital Doctor’s Office
As a doctor of sarcasm — and occasionally of questionable tech purchases — I’m prescribing reality checks here. DJI has nailed high-end hardware time and time again, but the jump from drone wars to domestic drudgery feels… well… like sticking a Formula 1 turbo in a lawnmower. Yes, it’ll do the job, and yes, it might make your neighbors jealous, but at the end of the day, it’s still mowing the lawn… or, in this case, sucking up biscuit crumbs.
Verdict
The Romo line screams “first-gen spectacle” — flashy, feature-rich, and oh-so-DJI, but it’s also missing some very practical tech that veteran robot vacuum makers have been refining for years. If you want a household cleaner with the soul of a drone and the patience of a tortoise, go for it. But if your stairs are steep and your wallet is shallow, maybe wait for Romo 2.0 before selling your old Roomba on eBay.
Overall impression? Uncertain. Equal parts impressive tech achievement and questionable market crossover. Might clean up the competition; might just end up gathering dust in clearance aisles.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is entirely my opinion.
Source: DJI goes from drones to dust with launch of new robot vacuum, https://www.androidauthority.com/dji-romo-robot-vacuum-launch-3584743/
