Dreame R20 cordless vacuum: two-minute review

The Dreame R20 is a sterling compact, lightweight cordless stick vac that delivers exceptional cleaning performance at a very competitive price. Its exceedingly powerful suction, useful dust detection, superb maneuverability and user-friendly design make it a very strong competitor to expensive premium brands like Dyson and Miele.

A sub-brand of the massive Xiaomi empire, Dreame (pronounced Dreamy) is fast becoming a lead player in the arena of innovative floor cleaning products. Whether it's stick vacs, robot vacs or wet and dry hard floor cleaners, it seems the Chinese company has a product to suit all pockets and applications.

At 2.7 kilos, the R20 also one of the lightest stick vacs currently on the market, and that's not something to be sniffed at. Some of the best cordless vacuums on the market are notoriously heavy in the hand and therefore tiring to use for long periods of time.

Despite one minor anomaly – namely the over-sensitive on/off trigger – the R20 is a joy to use (if vacuuming could every be considered a joy). If you're in the market for a highly accomplished cordless stick vac that costs a fraction of the price of a Dyson and even some Shark models, step right this way. This is one of the very best budget vacuums I've tested. Read on for my full Dreame R20 cordless stick vacuum review.

Dreame R20 review: price & availability

• List price: $449.99 / £279
• Available: UK, US, various other territories (not Australia)

Those living in the US can head straight to the US Dreame store where it has a list price of $449.99, but is currently selling for just $269.99. Amazon also lists the R20 though it's currently unavailable on its website.

If you live in the UK, the list price is £279, discounted (very slightly!) to £259 when shopping direct at the UK Dreame store. Alternatively, it's stocked at a range of third party retailers, including Amazon, Currys and B&Q.

Incidentally, the Dreame website lists 27 countries in all – including most European territories – so head there if you have trouble sourcing this product in your country. Although Dreame does have a presence in Australia, the R20 isn't currently available there.

In the US and UK, the Dreame R20 sits near the bottom of the mid-range price bracket, and offers excellent value for that price, competing exceedingly well with premium brands like Dyson and Miele in terms of features and performance. In fact, it's become my new favourite vac, beating the excellent Halo Capsule X for size and storability and the Dyson Gen5detect for price and weight. It also ships with a wide range of accessories, including a short bendy suction tube for reaching deep under beds and sofas.

• Value for money score: 5 out of 5

Dreame R20 cordless vacuum specs

Dreame R20 review: design

• Compact cordless, bagless stick vacuum
• Light in the hand and very easy to maneuver
• Overly sensitive power trigger, easily accidentally activated

Although I've only reviewed two Dreame products to date – this mid-size cordless stick and the excellent Dreame L40 Ultra robot vac and mop – I have to say that I'm suitably impressed by what I've seen so far, at least when compared to some of the competition.

This model arrived in a larger box than the norm but that's only because it ships with a multitude of attachments, including two main floorheads for hard floor and carpet, a mini motorized head for upholstery and carpeted staircases, a ridiculously lightweight carbon fibre suction tube, a short Shark-like articulating suction tube that bends forwards 90 degrees for reaching under beds and sofas, plus the obligatory crevice tool with pull-down brush for cleaning hard-to-reach areas and along skirting boards and, to top it all off, a rectangular dusting brush for shelves and around the fireplace.

It also came with a Dyson-style wall-mounted charger that is thankfully far less fiddly to fit, and a power plug that looks identical to those provided by Dyson. A lot of Dyson-esque stuff, in other words. (See how it compares to those brands' top offerings in TechRadar's guides to the best Shark vacuums and the best Dyson vacuums.)

The Dreame R20 weighs in at 6 lbs / 2.7kg – almost a kilo lighter than my (admittedly very weighty) Dyson Gen5detect, and 26g lighter than the comparable Dyson V15 Detect. I put much of this lower weight down to the R20's featherweight carbon fibre suction tube (a paltry 205g against the Dyson Gen5's 387g) and the smaller size of its handheld motor and bin housing. Believe me, you'll come to appreciate this model's lower weight when it comes to a full clean of the home; it not only makes the R20 easy to push but also just as easy to carry from room to room, and especially up a flight of stairs.

The Dreame R20 wins no awards for unique design innovation since it adopts the same motor housing and bin configuration as the vast majority of other manufacturers, Dyson notwithstanding. Nevertheless, the hand unit feels comfortable enough to hold when being used, though the jury's out on the position and sensitively of the on/off trigger. It's not a major bind but I found that my index finger inadvertently set it off when carrying it from one part of a room to another.

I'm also not too enamored with the flat finger guard below the trigger, which feels a bit uncomfortable at times. There is, thankfully, a little button on the rear of the housing that engages the motor for continual running but even this handy feature is spoiled by the fact that you need to hover the index finger above the trigger or you might mistakenly turn it off again. In truth I'd prefer to have seen a system like that used on some of Dyson's most recent products where there's a single on/off button on the rear and no trigger whatsoever.

While we're discussing the hand unit, I should also mention the cute little elliptically-shaped LCD interface on the back. This provides battery information in percentage terms and a pretty butterfly icon that indicates which suction mode is in use.

There are two main modes – Standard (which lights up green) and Boost (which shows up blue/white). You can switch between the two manually by simply tapping a small button just below the rear interface. However, the vacuum also contains sensors that mean it'll automatically ramp up from Standard to Boost mode if there's a lot of dust about. This works really well – I used the vacuum to sweep my fire log shelf and it switched in and out of Boost on a regular basis. There's also a supercharged mode for when the sensor detects a really filthy section (the butterfly icon turns red for this).

Most modern stick vacuums will have a low-powered mode to extend the battery life when dealing with light cleaning tasks, but that's missing here. However, runtimes are still exceptional (more on this in the Battery section).

Before we look at the floorhead setup, let's take a tour of the R20's bagless dust bin. The bin itself has a 0.6-litre capacity which is about 0.2-liters less than much of the competition. This means the bin will fill faster and perhaps require an extra trip to the dustbin to empty it, especially if you have a household of shedding pets. It also means that this model may not be suitable for a larger house, unless you have one on every floor.

Like a lot of stick vacs, the R20's bin-emptying system is a basic affair comprising a simple latch that opens the bottom flap to eject the debris. When it's full of general detritus like dust, crumbs and the like, this system works perfectly well. But when it's full of mostly pet hair you will almost certainly need to reach into the canister with your fingers or tweezers to extricate the clumps. This isn't a slight on the product, mind, because it's the method used by the vast majority of vacuum manufacturers – an exception being Dyson. Besides, pet hair is one of the most obstreperous forms of debris found in the home and the nemesis of most vacuum cleaners.

One of the R20's standout features is its exceptional suction power. Equipped with a 190 Air Watt motor, it effortlessly tackles dust, debris, pet hair and even larger particles like puffer rice cereal and biscuit crumbs on both hard floors and carpets. However, the motor does produce an annoying high-pitched whine in both power settings.

It's not the worst I've ever heard and you'll soon get used to it, but it's also a bit of an irritant when vacuuming with someone else in the room. Dreame lists it at 85dB but I measured a more reasonable 75.4dB in Boost mode at head height.

In terms of filtration, the blurb says the R20 has a five-stage filtration system that supposedly deals with 99.9% of particles. All I can say is that it does indeed seem to effectively trap dust and allergens, ensuring cleaner air in the home. Cleaning the filter is a doddle and simply involves pressing a latch and removing the main cyclone housing, which you then rinse under a tap along with its small circular cloth filter. Just be sure that both parts are thoroughly dry before refitting, or you'll end up with a vacuum cleaner that smells.

Okay, let's get down to floor level and the business end of this model. The Dreame R20 ships with two main floorheads: a motorised 22.5cm roller fitted with hard plastic ribs and two curvy bristle brushes that's been designed for carpet use; and a 21.5cm bristle-coated head for hard floors. The ribbed head can also be used on hard floors if you can't be bothered to keep swapping heads though I have to say that the hard floor-specific roller is more efficient on wooden and tile flooring. And besides, it buffs up the flooring in the process. Both heads swivel at a near 90-degree angle for Dyson-like manoeuvrability.

Like many modern stick vacs, this model's carpet floorhead is also fitted with two bright blue LEDs that project onto the floor, illuminating hidden dust and debris that might otherwise go unnoticed. No, it's not as effective as Dyson's innovative laser light system but it's arguably better than much of the remaining competition.

Overall construction of the R20 seems very good, and the smooth shiny plastics used appear to be very robust, too. I especially like the look and feel of the carbon fibre suction tube, which adds a touch of class while dramatically reducing the weight of the whole package. However, I'm not sure the carbon tube would survive the weight of a misjudged foot were the unit lying on the floor – let's just say that it has a little more flex in it than I would expect from carbon fibre. At least I'm presuming it's authentic carbon fibre, given that it's mentioned on the Dreame website.

• Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Dreame R20 review: performance

• Excellent suction performance on hard floor and carpet
• Superb manoeuvrability
• Light in weight

On test, the Dreame R20 delivered exceptional suction power for its compact size and I've been extremely impressed by its floorheads' ability to steer around chair legs and swivel at almost 90 so they can reach into the tightest of spaces. Top marks in this respect.

However, the high suction combined with the design of the main carpet-specific floorhead means that it's difficult to push the R20 on medium- and deep-pile carpet. I really needed to put my shoulder into it – a bit of a workout, in other words. But wait, I lie, because I subsequently found a small, almost invisible sliding air intake that improved carpet resistance immeasurably without affecting the R20's cleaning power. Just wish Dreame hadn't disguised it so well.

This model generally feels remarkably light in use and it's amazingly manoeuvrable – as easy to steer as any Dyson I've tested, I'd say. The flexible hose attachment further enhances its versatility, allowing for convenient cleaning under furniture and beds.

For my tests I stuck to the usual TechRadar remit and scattered a mixture of oats, flour and crushed digestives on both my wooden kitchen floor and medium-pile rug. I also scattered some Coco Pops for good measure (no, I haven't grown up yet).

I was frankly blown away by the R20's performance in the hard floor test because, as soon as its 'intelligent dirt detection' system kicked in, the motor ramped up to Boost and everything disappeared up the tube and into the bin, leaving a clear path with zero evidence of any flour remaining in the wooden floor's grooves. Yes, it scattered a couple of pieces of rice cereal up against the skirting board, but I simply aimed the front end at them and they were easily snatched by the fast revolving bristle head. Top marks again.

I then performed the same task on my pet hair-strewn medium pile carpet rug and it sailed through the test collecting almost every last scrap in a single pass. Again, it flung some large biscuit crumbs and a few Coco Pops to the fore but these were easily collected with a second pass.

I was also amazed at the huge volume of dog and cat hair it collected at the same time with no evidence of tangles on the floorhead. And that just goes to prove that this model handles pet hair with aplomb – I'd rate it amongst the best vacuum cleaners for pet hair. However, you may need to visit the kitchen dust bin more often because, as mentioned above, the R20's 0.6-litre dust container is a bit smaller than many of its competitors.

I had zero issues using the controls other than accidentally pressing the trigger when carrying it. In fact, I found this one to be one of the easiest interfaces I've used. I also liked the way the digital display provided real-time feedback on both battery life and colourful info relating to its intelligent dirt detection.

I also gave it a whizz in handheld mode, using the long suction tube and rectangular detail brush to sweep the shelves, and it didn't feel too heavy in the hand. I also gave the mini motorized upholstery attachment a whirl on the dogs' bed; it worked a treat though I did need to apply some vigorous back and forth movements.

My final thoughts? As close to full marks as you can get, especially given the generally low asking price. Yes, I might suggest a model with a larger bin if being used in a three story house but for everyone else, the Dreame R20 will suffice just fine.

• Performance score: 4.5 out of 5

Dreame R20 review: battery life

• Maximum runtime is 90 minutes (well above average)
• Expect shorter runtimes if the floor is dirty
• Recharge is also fast, at around 2 hours

According to the manufacturer, the R20’s maximum running time is a well-above-average 90 minutes. I suspect this figure applies more to laboratory conditions than the real world, but it's still incredibly impressive. To put that in context, most cordless stick vacuums offer 40 minutes to an hour, and prior to testing this model, the longest maximum battery life I'd seen was offered by the far more expensive Dyson Gen5detect, with up to 70 minutes.

In my hard floor test I managed to eke 84 minutes out of the battery in standard mode with no automatic boost kicking in (I started by vacuuming, then propped the vacuum up with suction lock on, and timed how long the R20 lasted before running out of juice).

If used to clean for the whole time, I suspect the runtime would be closer 75 minutes if used on a dusty hard floor and quite a lot less (between 45 and 60 minutes) when used on medium-pile carpet, which adds much more friction to the roller brushes. To be honest, I don’t know anyone capable of vacuuming for more than 40 minutes in any one session without an arm falling off, so these figures are more than sufficient in my opinion. Since the battery is removable, you could also purchase a spare to swap in, if you need even longer than that.

At this juncture I should also point out that the juice-hungry Boost mode is almost too powerful for use in any scenario other than cleaning hard-to-reach areas of the car because the battery percentage drops by almost one percentage point every five seconds or so. And that means Boost mode won’t get you much more than about seven minutes of use out of it. (It's not unusual for a vacuum's maximum suction mode to bleed the battery very quickly.)

• Battery life score: 5 out of 5

Should you buy the Dreame R20?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Dreame R20: alternatives to consider

How I tested the Dreame R20 cordless vacuum

TechRadar adopts a strict testing regime for all its products so potential buyers know exactly what they're getting. As usual I stuck to the remit and lived with the machine for a couple of weeks before putting it through some rigorous carpet and hard floor tests using a variety of obstreperous ingredients, including flour and raw oats. I also considered the unit's ergonomics, overall design and experience of using it before alighting on my final verdict.

Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners

• First reviewed January 2025

Yeedi C12 Combo: two-minute review

The Yeedi C12 Combo is an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink solution to vacuuming. The base station matches that of the Yeedi C12 Pro Plus, but with the more basic, mopless C12 robot vacuum, along with a cordless stick vacuum that can also mop, and accessories that can be added to the cordless vacuum for use as a handheld. It's quite the all-in-one tool.

The idea is fairly unique at time of writing, and its execution is perfectly decent but not amazing – don't expect the bot's performance to match that of the best robot vacuums nor the manual stick vac to be as powerful as today's best cordless vacuums.

Both the robot vacuum and stick vacuum have plenty of suction to do the job, and the robot vacuum's mapping and object avoidance are good. Mopping is also fine, although I don't love the way it's implemented here – the way the mop attachment fits on the wand makes the vacuum harder to push, and the mop pad takes a while to soak through properly. Perhaps more of an issue is that the mopping is manual at all, especially because most modern robovacs (even cheap ones) tend include an automatic mopping function. I also had a few niggles with the build quality: the latch that connects the handheld portion of the stick vacuum to the telescopic tube doesn't seem to work well.

However, none of these compromises are deal-breakers for me. Thanks to the relatively affordable price, its shortcomings are worth overlooking considering the savings you'll make compared to purchasing each vacuum type individually. That's the short version; read on for my full Yeedi C12 Combo review.

Yeedi C12 Combo review: price & availability

• Launched: September 2024
• List price: $699.99 / (about £560 / AU$1,110)
• Available: US only

The Yeedi C12 Combo launched in September 2024 and is only currently available in the US.

For a price tag of $699.99 / (about £560 / AU$1,110), you're getting quite a lot with the Yeedi C12 Combo. For that price, you're getting a robot vacuum (albeit a fairly basic one with no mopping capabilities), a cordless stick vacuum that can also mop, and comes with accessory tools to use as a handheld, and a base station that auto-empties the dust cups of both vacuums.

TechRadar's price bands are different for manual and robotic vacuums. For a manual vacuum the mid-range is $250-$500 (above that is premium, below is budget), whereas for robovacs mid-range is $400-$800. Considering you're getting two appliances included here, it's averaging out at very decent value for money – it averages out at mid-range or budget for both parts.

At time of writing, the closest that I've seen to the Yeedi C12 Combo all-in-one system is the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo, which has a much higher MSRP of $1,199.99 / AU$2,299 (about £950), and only has a handheld vacuum as opposed to a stick vacuum. For that, there is the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo Complete for $200 more. Since we haven't reviewed that configuration, I can't speak to how good the stick vacuum is, but it's worth highlighting that it's double the price of the Yeedi C12 Combo reviewed here.

Now, most people already have a vacuum of some sort in their home, so an all-in-one system might not be as appealing. That is, unless you really want everything you clean up to auto-empty into the same place to only be emptied into the trash every couple months. If you already have a stick or upright vacuum that you like, the Yeedi C12 Pro Plus might serve you better. It's priced just a little lower at $599.99 (about £470 / AU$900) and allows for the robot vacuum to handle the mopping.

• Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Yeedi C12 Combo specs

Yeedi C12 Combo review: design

• Robot vacuum relatively basic in design (no mopping)
• Manual vacuum comprises telescopic wand, handheld vacuum, mop and other attachments
• Large base station docks both parts, and auto-empties the bins of both

The Yeedi C12 Combo comes in all black except for some splashes of red, most notably the HEPA filters visible through the clear dustbins in the base station and stick vacuum, and the silver telescopic tube of the stick vacuum. It's attractive and a bit more striking than most robot vacuum setups.

Both the stick vacuum and robot vacuum auto-empty into the somewhat sizable base station, which has to be pretty big as it also cradles the handheld portion of the stick vacuum as well as hiding the accessory tools in a compartment below it. (In fact, the dock dustbin is relatively small, compared to the market standard.) My only real complaint with the dock design is that the tools compartment doesn't clip back into place all that easily when putting the accessory tools back.

The robot vacuum itself is fairly basic. It has one side brush and a v-shaped anti-tangle brushroll with a lid held on magnetically to hide a pairing button and the small dustbin inside. It's probably the most basic part of this whole thing. There are three uncovered buttons visible through the lid: return home, power, and XXX. All basic stuff.

As far as the cordless stick vacuum goes, it's composed of two major components. The telescopic tube and the handheld vacuum. The telescopic wand and the floorhead are attached as one piece – this is a little unusual; generally you'd be able to swap detail tools onto the end of a stick vacuum's wand for cleaning up high. It's worth noting that the floorhead, which has a v-shaped brushroll like the robot vacuum, features headlamps to illuminate dirt and debris in front of it.

This cordless stick vacuum transforms into a mop – albeit in a much simpler way than most of today's best wet-dry vacuums. The attachment for mopping goes under the vac's wheels and covers them so you have to push a little harder to move the vacuum. The attachment is a small clean water reservoir with a mop pad that attaches via velcro to the bottom of it that needs to be dampened before use.

The telescopic tube, which clips into the side of the base station when the handheld is sitting in the base station to empty and charge, has one glaring issue and that's the fact that the latch to connect or remove the tube from the handheld feels very flimsy. It doesn't clip very easily into place when placing the handheld into it, and it doesn't easily disengage when pressed to pull the handheld out.

On the bright side, the two accessory tools clip in nicely. And since the handheld portion of the stick vacuum isn't too heavy, using it to clean higher-up areas or upholstery is not fatiguing.

• Design score: 3.5 out of 5

Yeedi C12 Combo review: performance

• Robot vacuum has powerful suction
• Robot vacuum is loud in operation
• Stick vacuum is powerful, but has some issues with mopping

I was surprised to find that the robot vacuum portion of the Yeedi C12 Combo did not do mopping – most robovacs these days have mopping abilities; even the cheap ones. While there's a lot going on with this all-in-one package, robo-mopping is definitely a crucial feature when striving for convenience.

That said, the robot vacuum does a fairly good job at what it's tasked to do. It has quite good suction as I was able to test with some cereal, granulated sugar, and flour, which it mostly scooped up in one pass (there was a little residual sugar left over). After all, it does have a powerful 10,000Pa of suction on tap.

The robovac's object avoidance is decent as well; it danced around most objects fairly deftly. I'm hesitant to say it's amazing since there were instances, mainly with the dog dishes, where the vacuum would push something around for a second before backing off and going around. However, it didn't get stuck on anything other than cables (the regular enemy of robot vacuums).

The robovac's brushroll is anti-tangle, so I didn't have to worry about hair getting wrapped around it. Strangely, the robot vacuum is really quite loud in operation at the highest setting (there are three), measuring a whopping 68 dB.

Stick vacuum

Moving on to the stick vacuum. This also has three settings, and performed well in TechRadar's suction tests. I did the same cereal, sugar, flour test with it and got everything up in one go. And it was easy to move around and use without the mopping attachment.

Overall, I'm not a huge fan of the way the mopping is implemented here. With the mopping attachment, the manual vacuum requires a bit more pushing as the main two wheels are covered by the attachment. You also have to wet the mop pad before use, so that the water soaks through efficiently.

Unsurprisingly at this price, there's no automatic washing and drying of the mop pad, as you'll find on pricier hybrid robovac docks. That means you'll need to remember to clean it or you'll end up with a moldy mop pad, and by extension, potentially also moldy smelling floors.

Regarding the actual performance of the mopping attachment, it did seem a little streaky with the first few pushes, so I had to do a second pass on the first areas that I cleaned. But once I got going, it did a decent job of mopping.

Lastly, I do want to mention that both the robot vacuum and stick vacuum did well on carpet, especially the latter which I only needed to do one pass around the litter box to clean up some escaped litter.

• Performance score: 4 out of 5

Yeedi C12 Combo review: app

• Mapping is easy to edit
• App is straightforward and easy to use
• Somewhat limited features

When I reviewed my first Yeedi product, I had issues with the company's app in regards to limitations on map editing. That's no longer the case. From accurately mapping my space to allowing me to divide and combine rooms the way I need, I find the current app straightforward and hassle-free. It can even save up to three maps.

In fact, I would describe the whole app that way. It's easy to navigate and manipulate. Not only can I schedule cleanings, but I can create the order in which rooms are addressed. Of course, the reason it's so easy to use is partly because the robot vacuum itself is somewhat basic. There's no voice assistant support, so you won't be connecting this to Alexa or Google Home, for instance. And since there's no mopping capability on the robot vacuum, you don't have to deal with any of the related controls that pop up in the app on those models.

• App score: 4 out of 5

Should you buy the Yeedi C12 Combo?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Yeedi C12 Combo review: alternatives to consider

How I tested the Yeedi C12 Combo

To test the Yeedi C12 Combo, I used it for a week to vacuum and mop the hardwood floors and a bath mat (to simulate carpeting) in my house. I ran TechRadar's standard suction tests, using fine debris and bigger debris. I also tested all the features listed in the app, particularly its mapping. I took note of how well the vacuum cleaned the edges of a room as well as around obstacles.

Read more about how we test robot vacuum cleaners.

• First reviewed December 2024