Dreame A3 AWD Pro 3500 REVIEW: AWD-power meets LiDAR precision

With the Dreame A3 AWD Pro, Dreame is launching a robotic lawnmower that clearly wants to stand out from the crowd. While many models are primarily designed for simple, flat gardens, this device is deliberately aimed at demanding properties. Four-wheel drive, LiDAR navigation without a boundary wire and an unusually large cutting width of 40 cm certainly sound like a pretty uncompromising combination. That’s exactly what made me curious. In practice, it quickly becomes clear whether such features provide real added value or are more of a marketing ploy. We put the Dreame A3 AWD Pro through its paces and tell you what the robot is really capable of.

Technical data of the Dreame A3 AWD Pro

Model	Dreame A3 AWD Pro
Weight and size	23.9 kg at 74.0 x 53.2 x 32.5 cm
Recommended lawn area	max. 3500 m²
Mowing capacity	max. 3500 m²/day
Cutting width	40 cm
Cutting height	3 to 10 cm
Climbing ability	up to 80 %
Drive	All-wheel drive with omnidirectional front wheels for maneuverability on the spot
Navigation and obstacle detection	OmniSense 3.0 (360° LiDAR, visual obstacle detection and AI cameras)
Water protection	IPX6
Price	€ 2,599.00 *

Scope of delivery of the Dreame A3 AWD Pro

• Dreame A3 AWD Pro robotic lawnmower
• Charging station
• pegs
• Spare blades
• Power supply
• Extension cable
• Quick Start Guide
• Instruction manual

Design and workmanship of the Dreame A3 AWD Pro

Even at first glance, it is clear that the Dreame A3 AWD Pro does not fall into the “typical robotic lawnmower” category. The housing, consisting of a glossy gray cover and matte black body with a bulky bumper in a sophisticated carbon look, looks robust and functional. The whole thing looks more like a small work tool than a smart garden helper. The semi-circular LiDAR tower and the control unit with display are located on the top.

The latter is protected under a protective flap. The Dreame can be stopped at lightning speed using the striking red emergency stop button. The large, non-slip rear wheels in combination with the movable front wheels are of course particularly striking. This is where it becomes clear that the A3 AWD comes with all-wheel drive. The result is a kind of hybrid between a classic lawn robot and an off-road vehicle.

However, it is not only the all-wheel drive aspect that is exciting, but also the concept of the front wheels. These have many smaller wheels that rotate sideways – Dreame calls them omni-wheels. This ensures that the rather large and heavy robot can easily turn on the spot, which in turn results in the smallest possible turning circle. In practice, the powerful drive is immediately noticeable.

The robot sits firmly on the ground, appears stable and also copes surprisingly well with uneven ground. Roots, small edges or slightly uneven patches in the lawn hardly upset it. The bright red color of the axle suspension for the front wheels is also really cool. This gives the A3 a sporty character.

The elongated rear light of the Rasenrobo is also sporty, with great light effects when switched on and a new firmware is installed. On the side is the EdgeMaster 2.0 system, which is designed to ensure great edge mowing. The mowing disc is extended sideways to cover as much area as possible – with an edge accuracy of less than 3 cm, according to the manufacturer.

The Dreame’s extensive camera system is located at the front. A binocular AI camera is used here, which should also be able to work well in the dark thanks to LEDs. If you then turn the A3 AWD Pro upside down, the gigantic double mowing disc immediately catches the eye. This ensures a considerable mowing area of a whopping 40 cm.

Overall, I really like the design of Dreame’s garden flagship. The workmanship matches the price level and goes one better than the almost identical MOVA LiDAX Ultra 1000 AWD (Review | Price not available *). Everything sits firmly, nothing creaks or looks cheap. At the same time, the device is also quite heavy and large. It measures 74.0 x 53.2 x 32.5 cm and weighs almost 24 kg.

That’s not a problem in principle, but it does mean that you can’t move it around quickly, which can be annoying if it gets stuck. Fortunately, the manufacturer has put a little thought into this and placed suitable recessed grips on the sides. However, the weight can certainly lead to problems on very soft or damp ground, as the A3 AWD Pro can leave slight marks when turning – a risk that should be kept in mind.

Setup and commissioning of the Dreame A3 AWD Pro

Set-up is one of the most exciting aspects of the A3 AWD Pro, as there is a clear difference to many classic robotic lawn mowers: A boundary wire is not necessary. Instead, Dreame relies on a combination of LiDAR and camera (the so-called OmniSense 3.0 system) to detect the garden. In theory, this sounds like maximum convenience – in practice, however, it is not quite as smooth as I had hoped.

Once you have anchored the charging station in the ground, connected it to a power socket using the power cable and inserted and switched on the robot, you can grab your smartphone with the Dreame app installed. The app and robot are then paired via Bluetooth so that the A3 Pro can then obtain the necessary network data from the smartphone.

Finally, it is connected to your Wi-Fi and is ready for mapping. In my test, however, it unfortunately took two to three hours before I was finally able to set up the mower. In the end, it just wouldn’t load the mandatory firmware update. This is apparently (still) a common problem, as my research on the relevant Reddit forums and the Dreame forum itself revealed.

In the end, a combination of switching the robot’s language to English, quickly confirming the data protection regulations that only appeared for a fraction of a second and closing the protective flap on the control unit was the key to success. I was then able to continue with the mapping. As is now common practice, the Dreame also gives you the choice between manual mapping or automatic mapping. I first tried out the automatic mapping, but wasn’t really convinced by it.

The Dreame didn’t always recognize the edges of the lawn reliably and even got stuck in the end. I therefore resorted to manual mapping, where you move the robot through the garden like a remote-controlled car. This takes a little longer, but leads to much better results. I can only recommend that you use manual mapping in general. Even if the whole process takes maybe 10 minutes in total, you will benefit from much more accurate results in the end.

Once you have overcome this hurdle, the system works reliably and stably. At the end, you will have a complete map of your garden. Now you can create additional mowing zones and link them to the previously created one. Apart from the hurdle with the firmware update and the automatic mapping, setting up the system is really child’s play and, under optimum conditions, may take a maximum of half an hour.

Dreame app

The app is the heart of the control system and offers a whole host of functions. From creating maps and defining mowing zones to schedules and individual settings such as the mowing height (3-10 cm, continuously adjustable via the app) or mowing direction, everything you would expect is included. The A3 AWD Pro can also be integrated into existing smart home systems – Amazon Alexa and Google Home are supported.

In everyday use, the operation is largely reliable. The option to control the robot manually is particularly practical. This is extremely helpful, especially when mapping or readjusting individual areas. However, you can tell in some places that the app is not yet fully developed.

The user interface is not always intuitive, and minor problems can occasionally occur when editing maps. This is nothing dramatic, but it is definitely noticeable in day-to-day use. On the positive side, many settings can be customized. If you get used to it, you can adapt the robot very precisely to your own garden.

Navigation and obstacle detection

Navigation is one of the most exciting aspects of the Dreame A3 AWD Pro – and also one of the biggest differences to conventional robotic lawn mowers. Instead of boundary wires or pure GPS, Dreame relies on the OmniSense™ 3.0 system consisting of 360° 3D LiDAR sensors and an AI-supported binocular camera. The LiDAR sensor detects an area of up to 70 meters with centimetre precision.

In everyday use, this is particularly noticeable in the highly structured driving style. The robot does not work in a chaotic manner, but instead covers the area in clear paths. This not only ensures a more uniform cutting pattern, but also saves time because unnecessary overlaps are largely avoided. I found the Dreame’s turning maneuver exciting. After completing the path, it first moved a few centimetres sideways to the front before turning backwards and returning to the path.

Thanks to the sideways turning Omni wheels at the front, it has an amazingly small turning circle. I was particularly impressed by how well the robot navigates around the room. Even in winding gardens or where there are many individual areas, it keeps an overview. In view of the chaotic automatic mapping, I honestly hadn’t expected this in practice. I also had no problems under trees or in changing light conditions.

This is where the laser-based LiDAR system clearly shows its strengths, as it works independently of the lighting conditions. Obstacle detection works at a high level overall. According to the manufacturer, the A3 AWD Pro detects over 300 different types of obstacles – which is really noticeable in practice. Not only larger objects such as garden furniture, toys or animals are reliably detected and avoided.

The Dreame also reliably recognized smaller objects such as my plastic hedgehog family or my garden shoe. The robot reacts with foresight and brakes at an early stage instead of swerving at the last moment. One positive thing I noticed here was that it still drove very close to the obstacle in order to get the maximum mowing area.

In practice, the driving behavior is pleasantly calm and controlled. There are hardly any hectic changes of direction or unnecessary stops, which is familiar from simpler models. However, a prerequisite for good handling is, of course, a map that is as accurate as possible. So it really is worth investing a little more time at the beginning to create as precise a basis as possible for the Dreame. The bottom line is that navigation and obstacle detection are definitely among the strengths of the A3 AWD Pro.

Mowing performance of the Dreame A3 AWD Pro

In everyday life, one thing counts above all: how well does the robot mow? And here the A3 AWD Pro delivers a very strong performance overall. It starts with efficiency. Thanks to the large cutting width of 40 cm – realized by two blade discs in separate levels – it works significantly faster than many other models. Areas are systematically cut in tracks, which means that there are no unnecessary double paths.

This saves time and at the same time ensures an even cut. The cutting height can be conveniently set between 3 and 10 cm via the app, offering suitable options for almost every type of lawn. According to Dreame, the robot should also be able to handle dense, overgrown grass over 15 cm high without any problems – I was able to confirm this in the test.

There is also little to complain about when it comes to the actual mowing result. The lawn looks neatly cut, even if it was a little higher or denser beforehand. I only had two or three small spots where a few stalks were left standing. However, the Dreame can easily be controlled again manually using the remote control mode. I noticed the edge cutting using the EdgeMaster 2.0 system as a positive feature.

The A3 AWD Pro gets quite close to edges – the edge accuracy of less than 3 cm is not just an empty advertising promise, but can be felt in practice. This means that little reworking is necessary. You can’t always do it completely without manual trimming, but compared to many other devices, the result is significantly better. It is an advantage if you have lawn boundaries that the robot can drive over. In this case, there is no edge at all, as the robot reaches over the edge with the mowing disc. However, the A3 AWD Pro shows its greatest strength off-road – all-wheel drive.

Thanks to the 4WD hub motors, it can manage gradients of up to 80% (equivalent to around 38.7°) and overcome obstacles up to 5.5 cm high. If you have a lot of slopes and rough areas in your garden, you will have an excellent helper at your side. It masters hills where other robot mowers have long since given up with astonishing ease. Even on uneven ground, it remains stable and hardly loses any traction. This is a real advantage, especially in more complex gardens, which is quickly appreciated.

Conclusion

The Dreame A3 AWD Pro is not a robotic lawnmower for everyone – and that is meant as a compliment. If you have a flat, uncomplicated garden and are just looking for a solid robotic lawnmower, you may well opt for a cheaper alternative given the high price. But that’s not exactly what it was built for. For anyone who has a demanding garden with slopes, uneven ground and complex layouts, the A3 AWD Pro is simply in a different category. The combination of true all-wheel drive with up to 80% gradeability, the OmniSense 3.0 wireless navigation system consisting of LiDAR and binocular AI camera and the 40 cm wide double blade results in an overall package that is unparalleled in the robotic mower market.

Added to this are the high-quality workmanship, the impressive EdgeMaster 2.0 edge cutting system and reliable obstacle detection of over 300 object types. There are downsides, but they are manageable: the initial setup can be bumpy (firmware update problems, weak automatic mapping), the app still has room for improvement and the heavy weight of almost 24 kg makes spontaneous relocation actions a small test of strength. On very soft ground, slight twisting can also occur. If you accept these points, you get one of the most powerful robotic lawn mowers currently available – a real all-rounder for the garden off the beaten track. And for that, I give it a clear recommendation to buy.