I have a feeling that the robot vacuum cleaner market will experience an additional boom in 2021. What is the reason for this? One can only speculate here. It’s possible that many people took advantage of the pandemic-related time in the home office to make their own four walls a little smarter. Or maybe it’s because the little household helpers are now also available at affordable prices. One manufacturer that regularly scores with great value for money is Yeedi.
The Chinese company has once again launched a real fighting chance with its Yeedi Vac Hybrid in August 2021. With a current price of just over 200 Euros, Yeedi also expands its portfolio in terms of price. After all, you can also buy devices from the manufacturer that cost much more at around 500 Euros. Do you have to live with a much worse suction performance and user experience for so much less money? We want to clarify that in our test.
Technical details of the Yeedi Vac Hybrid
| Dimensions | 350 mm x 350 mm x 77 mm |
| Suction power | 2,500 pa |
| Volume dust container | 450 ml |
| Volume water tank | 240 ml |
| Max. volume | 67 dB |
| Battery capacity | 5,200 mAh |
| max. charging time | 360 min |
| max. suction time | 200 min |
| Features | App support, Alexa support, Google Assistant support, carpet detection, fall sensors |
| Price | € 67.09 * |
Scope of delivery of the Yeedi Vac Hybrid
Design and workmanship
Let’s first take a look at the robot vacuum’s appearance and materials used. Yeedi goes for a classic white when it comes to the color scheme. This not only looks good, but also has other advantages. For example, you can hardly see dust deposits on the device. In addition, the Vac Hybrid is pleasantly inconspicuous. At least when you place it in front of a white wall. There’s no experimenting with the shape, either. Thanks to the round design, the device maneuvers through the corners of your home with ease.
A look at the top of the sucker reveals the company logo in the middle. A little offset from that is the camera, which is used for orientation. To the right of it, you’ll find the device’s on/off switch. The front of the Yeedi Vac Hybrid also has a kind of bumper, which is supposed to protect not only the vacuum, but especially expensive furniture and your heels from damage. In general, the robot vacuum makes a rather robust impression. This is primarily due to the polycarbonate that is used here.
If you then take a closer look at the vacuum, it quickly becomes clear that Yeedi had a clear goal when designing it. Thus, with its height of just 8.5 cm, the Vac Hybrid is a real dwarf in the field of vacuum robots. The advantages are obvious. After all, the robot can easily drive even under furniture with short legs. However, this advantage also results in a decisive disadvantage, which mainly affects the navigation capabilities of the vacuum cleaner. The flat design means that a far more effective LIDAR sensor has to be dispensed with. But more on that later.
We also really like the details. For example, Yeedi also relies on polycarbonate for the wheels of the Vac Hybrid. What visually leaves a high-quality impression, unfortunately proves to be less practical on hard floors. An additional rubber coating could have ensured that the vacuum has a much better grip. For steering, the classic rotary wheel is used, which is located in the upper part of the vacuum. The features on the bottom are rounded off by the two magnetic attachments, which in combination with the charging station should ensure a full battery.
Speaking of charging stations. By the way, the Yeedi Vac Hybrid is also compatible with Yeedi’s Mop Station. This ensures that the vacuum robot works a little more autonomously. It empties the suction container of the vacuum cleaner. However, those who spend so much money to buy the Mop Station should rather think about whether a higher-quality vacuum cleaner is appropriate. After all, this plays in about the same price range as the Vac Hybrid.
The main controls
Not only in the design, but also in the controls, clear parallels to other vacuums from Yeedi can be seen. The on/off switch on the top of the device serves as the centerpiece here. You can also access the dirt container of the device via the “lid”. It holds 450 ml and therefore only needs to be emptied about once a week. Also under the cover is the power switch and the pairing button, which you can use to connect the vacuum to your network. Even though the Yeedi Vac Hybrid is a comparatively inexpensive device, the manufacturer does not skimp on the features here.
Thus, the device not only offers a conventional suction function, but also a wiping function in addition. However, the corresponding water tank is rather tight with a filling volume of 240 ml. If you want to use the wiping function, you’ll have to refill it very often. In large apartments, it is even doubtful whether the water tank is even enough for a wiping process. In my apartment of just under 82 m², one tank load was just enough. Whether the wiping feature is worth it at all, however, is something we want to shed light on at a later time.
The app
If you want to enjoy the full features of the Yeedi Vac Hybrid, you should definitely download the appropriate app. The Yeedi app certainly can’t score with a gigantic scope. But does that even have to be the case? I know so many apps that have to cope with a loss of overview in view of a large scope. The Yeedi app does what it is supposed to do and does without (in my opinion) unnecessary bells and whistles. The first start of the robot is very uncomplicated. Yeedi takes a somewhat unconventional, but effective approach.
You have to forward a QR code using the integrated camera of the vacuum cleaner. Once this is done, the app guides you through the rest of the setup. After a few minutes, the vacuum cleaner can start its first cleaning tour. When the robot makes its first rounds through your apartment, you will quickly notice that it sometimes seems a bit disoriented. This is not by chance. As already mentioned, Yeedi does without a LIDAR sensor, which the Roborock S7, for example, offers. This laser technology provides a much better orientation of the device.
With better orientation comes better mapping of your home. This is where the Yeedi Vac Hybrid loses hands down in a direct comparison. You have to let the vacuum perform at least three complete cleaning processes so that it can reliably map your own four walls. Once this is done, you can let off steam in the app. This then offers the option of creating invisible barriers, for example. You can also define cleaning schedules and details about the suction and wiping performance here.
All in all, the app is the perfect companion for the Yeedi Vac Hybrid. With the help of the smartphone application, you always have the robot vacuum under control. By the way, we find it particularly convenient that it can also be connected to the popular voice assistants Alexa and Google Assistant. This way, you can also send the vacuum cleaner through your apartment on demand.
The suction and mopping performance
But now we come to the essentials of the Yeedi Vac Hybrid. So what do the end results actually look like? The vacuum works with a maximum suction power of up to 2,500 pa. Of course, this does not make the smart household helper a top performer, but it is in the solid midfield. However, the not too high suction power also results in a decisive advantage. It works relatively quietly even at maximum speed. But of course, the comparatively low suction power also ensures that the Vac Hybrid cannot keep up with expensive models like the Roborock S7.
Where the high-end mop vacuum gets the best results with just one pull, Yeedi’s inexpensive robot has to go over two or even more times to show similar results. In my opinion, the Vac Hybrid could have improved its satisfactory suction performance with the help of a second side brush. However, since it runs comparatively quietly through the apartment anyway, I did not find it annoying that the Vac Hybrid has to run over a spot several times to clean it satisfactorily.
The wiping function of the Yeedi Vac Hybrid is rather untypical in this price range. However, the fact that you have to fill the tank of the vacuum wiper with fresh water after every cleaning tour is a bit annoying and, to be honest, not really suitable for everyday use. After all, the idea of a vacuum robot actually lives from the fact that the robot is largely autonomous.
However, if you leave the sheer size of the water container aside, you really can’t complain. The results were good on both tile and parquet floors. Of course, you have to leave the church in the village. After all, the Yeedi Vac Hybrid also relies on a static mopping surface that is simply dragged over the floor. Fine-grained dust residues are picked up, but you won’t get shiny tile floors here either. A direct comparison to the Roborock S7 would be unfair here as well, but it can clearly show where the future journey of vacuum cleaners should go. This one relies on a vibrating mop, which almost polishes the floor.
Other features and battery life
The rest of the features of the Yeedi Vac Hybrid pay off especially in practice. There is, for one, the automatic carpet detection. The manufacturer has installed special sensors for this purpose, which register whether a carpet is present or not. The vacuum adjusts its suction power accordingly. Another sensor that pays off in practice is the anti-fall sensor. As the name suggests, this is intended to prevent the Vac Hybrid from falling down a flight of stairs, for example.
If you take a closer look at the small robot while it is maneuvering through the apartment, you sometimes get the feeling that it has major weaknesses when it comes to orientation. For example, it likes to crash into walls and prefers to rely on its shock absorbers rather than use its sensors. Of course, this is also due to the lack of a LIDAR sensor. However, that’s the price some might be willing to pay. After all, the Yeedi Vac Hybrid’s lack of a LIDAR sensor also means it doesn’t need the obligatory tower, so it’s much lower.
However, the flat design does not only result in the omission of a LIDAR sensor. The battery capacity is also lower than in many other models. The practical test showed that the vacuum managed a complete cleaning tour of my 82 m² apartment at maximum level. However, it urgently needed a pit stop in the charging station afterwards. Considering the fact that the cleaning results can only be called good after two rounds, the battery life unfortunately turns out to be a bit short. However, for those who have the Vac Hybrid run daily, that should be plenty.
Conclusion of the Yeedi Vac Hybrid review
Let’s not kid ourselves. The Yeedi Vac Hybrid is not a flagship among the vacuum robots. However, the smartly designed and well-made household helper delivers a good performance in all disciplines. On the one hand, there is the good app connection. Thanks to a clear application for iOS or Android, you can manage the robot very well. It scores satisfactory to good results in vacuuming and mopping. However, it could have used a bit more power. The Yeedi Vac Hybrid’s best selling point is its slim design. This means that it can even drive under flat furniture without any problems. If that’s more important to you than strong suction and mopping power, you should definitely take a closer look at the Yeedi Vac Hybrid.
Yeedi Vac Hybrid
Design & workmanship
Features
App
Suction power
Wiping performance
Value for money
84/100
With the Yeedi Vac Hybrid, you get a consistently solid robotic vacuum cleaner at a fair price.
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