Why you can trust TechRadar
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
DJI Romo P: two-minute review
On the face of it, it’s a perfectly logical step for a highly established drone manufacturer like DJI to venture into the smart-home world of automated floor cleaning. After all, the Chinese company’s drones have been boasting autonomous navigation since 2016 and successful robot vacuuming is much more about accurate navigation and successful obstacle avoidance than it is about raw suction power.
The Romo P marks an ambitious first step for DJI into the world of smart-home floor cleaning and I think the company’s tech bods have mostly hit the nail on the head. The Romo P’s key feature is its sophisticated navigation system combining dual fisheye cameras with solid-state LiDAR to enable precise obstacle detection — even for items as thin as 0.08 inches / 2mm. Believe me, this model truly impresses when it comes to avoiding obstacles of most sizes.
With a whopping 25,000Pa suction and extendable cleaning brushes and mops for edge coverage, the Romo P delivers flagship-level performance on hard floors and it’s not bad on carpet either; at least no worse than the majority. The ROMO P’s self-cleaning dock is equally impressive, offering dust collection, automated mop washing and decently long maintenance intervals of ‘up to 200 days’ according to DJI.
Smart features like remote monitoring through the robot’s front camera, app control and voice assistant integration enhance convenience, although these have also introduced some privacy considerations which are typical of connected home devices.
Overall, I’d say that the Romo P is one of the most technologically advanced models I’ve seen to date. It vacuums hard floors exceedingly well, isn’t bad on carpet and its navigation and obstacle avoidance is second to none. However, its dock’s dust bag is on the small side which isn’t great for pet owners and the air intake when emptying the robot’s bin could easily clog with pet hair if you don’t run enough cleaning schedules. Otherwise this is a brilliant opening salvo from DJI in an arena that it is already chock full of very competent autonomous robot cleaners.
DJI Romo P: price & availability
- List price £1,299 / €1,899
- Launch date April 2026
- Availability UK, Germany, Netherlands
The DJI Romo P has finally been launched to market in the UK, Germany and Netherlands. As of writing, the ROMO P model we are reviewing here is available to pre-order in the UK from DJI Retail at a price of £1,299, with dispatch from 15 April. However, it is also available to buy right now in Germany and the Netherlands for €1,899.
These figures put the Romo P firmly in the upper bracket of robot vacs, along with premium models from Roborock and Dreame. For instance, Roborock’s new, to-be-reviewed Saros 20 retails at £1,129 in the UK which is roughly in the same ball park as the Romo P. However, the Saros 20 is slim enough to venture under low furniture and mount thresholds up to 8.8cm, which the Romo P can’t compete with. But on the other hand, the Romo P’s navigation and obstacle avoidance is more impressive than the Saros 20 and much more suited to very cluttered households. Swings and roundabouts spring to mind.
According to research, the entire Romo series is currently rolling out region by region rather than globally all at once. Aside from China, we believe it’s set for a rollout in several European markets, including Germany, France, Spain and Italy.
As of April 2026, availability in the United States and Japan has not been officially confirmed or announced by DJI, so launch dates for those regions remain pending.
DJI Romo 3: specs
|
Robot dimensions (W x H) |
14 x 3.8 inches. / 35.5 x 9.7cm |
|
Cleaning dock dimensions (H x W x D) |
17.7 x 15.8 x 17.3 inches / 45 x 40 x 44cm |
|
Suction |
25,000Pa |
|
Cleaning dock bin size |
2.5 quarts / 2.4 liters |
|
Clean water tank size |
3.7 quarts / 3.5 liters |
|
Dirty water tank size |
3.2 quarts / 3 liters |
|
Navigation & obstacle avoidance |
High-Performance Binocular Fisheye Vision Sensors and Dual-Transmitter Solid-State LiDARs |
|
Carpet detection |
Dynamic Cleaning for carpet pile up to 3cm |
|
Threshold crossing |
With optional ramp |
|
Mopping functions |
Mop lifting, 140˚F / 60˚C mop washing and hot-air drying |
|
Robot noise level |
59.2dB at five feet |
DJI Romo P: design
- Unique transparent dock and bot
- A full banquet of navigational aids
- Not squat enough for low furnishings
I’m coming to this review as a big fan of DJI and have reviewed many of its drones and stabilised cameras over the past decade or so. Granted, the company’s first slew of Phantom drones never had any autonomous navigation systems on board aside from GPS receivers and downward-facing sensors but that all changed with the launch of the Phantom 4 in 2016, which was the first DJI drone to feature an advanced obstacle avoidance system and high-level autonomous navigation capabilities.
Well what a difference a decade makes because today’s fleet of DJI drones are so insanely adept at self navigation they can follow — and keep up with — a user through pretty dense woodland while avoiding all manner of obstacles in their path.
While I like to think I have my ear to the ground regarding all things DJI, I have to admit that I did not see this hybrid robot coming. And what a bot it has turned out to be. Yes, I’ve read the news about 7,000 or so DJI Romos around the world being accidentally accessed by an early adopter who just wanted to steer his Romo using his PlayStation controller. DJI is said to have fixed this glitch and we can only hope this never happens again.
But truth is, when you opt to have your home filled with smart gear, that’s a risk you take. For all I know my security cameras could be filming my every move and my smart virtual assistants could be listening in to every conversation. After all, we’ve all experienced those weird moments when we spot an advertisement in our social media feeds for a product we were privately discussing within earshot of our phones. Coincidence? Who knows. Welcome to the 21st century.
My editor sent me the flagship Romo P variant with a unique transparent frontage on the dock and the same on the robot’s top shell. However, there are another two Romo variants available: the Romo A with transparent robot top and white base station, and the Romo S which is all white and the cheapest of the bunch.
Looking at the paucity of specs on the range, all three variants have the same suction power (25,000Pa) and mechanical features, plus cleaning solution and dust box drying ability, but only the P model comes with a floor deodoriser and dust bag UV disinfection. In fact, the only difference between the Romo A and Romo S is that the A has a transparent robot appearance and the S is all white. Finalised pricing hasn’t been announced yet but it looks like the Romo A’s transparent top could cost up to £200 (about $270 / AU$380) more, which seems a bit steep.
But I digress. I wasn’t sure what my final thoughts would be on unboxing the ROMO P but I certainly loved the notion of a transparent household product. However, I’ll admit that I was dreading my wife’s reaction on unveiling this machine and its dock in the lounge because she has such impeccable taste in design. Well my jaw hit the floor when she said she loved the look of the entire package. I do too, though, just to prove how subjective style is, my tech-obsessed brother thought it was pug ugly and said it reminded him of Apple’s coloured 1998 range of transparent iMac G3s.
I personally think the Romo P’s futuristic base station looks more like Roborock’s QRevo Curv series, which isn’t my favourite, it has to be said. However, I’m prepared to forgive the bulbous shape of this dock because I love seeing all the gorgeous transparency and, more crucially, the inner parts and workings of both the dock and the robot. To be more accurate, you can’t actually see any moving parts on the dock but you can see its smaller-than-average 2.4-liter dust bag exploding outwards against its clear Perspex-style cover when it’s emptying the contents of the robot’s much smaller dust receptacle. However, you can see some moving parts in the robot unit, most notably the spinning nubs that are attached to the robot’s two spinning mops.
I’ve tested many robot vacs over the years and have seen some pretty poorly built and designed bots moving around my home, but I have to say that the Romo P is easily one of the best built models I’ve ever come across. The plastics look unbreakable, and the fit and finish throughout is exemplary. But then I knew this would be the case because everything DJI turns its hands to is built to well above average standards.
Let’s take a look at both the Romo P robot and its base station in more detail.
Robot design
Unlike the majority of flagship models coming out of the Roborock and Dreame stables that boast a low operating height of just 3.1 inches / 7.98cm, the Romo P clocks in at 3.8 inches / 9.7cm so it won’t scuttle under very low furnishings. Its width, however, is the standard 13.8 inches / 35cm.
Like many hybrid bots these days, the Romo P both vacuums and mops using a split Roborock-style tangle-free roller for the vacuuming function and two spinning mops on the rear that appear to be a little more plush and a tad more absorbent than others I’ve seen. Also like most of it competitors, the right-hand mop articulates outwards by a few inches for cleaning around furniture legs, along skirting boards and, to some degree, in corners. However, unlike some high-end hybrids that either raise their mops on carpet or leave them behind in the dock when vacuuming, this bot’s mopping pads remain fixed in position though they at least raise up when on carpet.
This model also comes with two front-mounted side-spinning brushes instead of just one, and that’s a massive bonus in my mind because, well, two brushes are obviously better than one. What’s more, one of the brushes extends by an inch or two to sweep debris in tight corners and along walls into the path of the robot’s suction.
And speaking of suction, the Romo P sports a whopping 25,000 Pascals of dust-grabbing oomph which is on par with the Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Pro but still shy of the Dreame Matrix10’s 30,000Pa and Roborock’s soon-to-be launched Saros 20, which boasts a whopping 36,000Pa. Where will it end?
Where most of today’s flagship models are able to mount thresholds of between 0.6 inches / 2cm and 1.6 inches / 4cm in height, this one can only manage about 1.5cm at a pinch so perhaps avoid it if you have any protruding thresholds between your rooms.
I also noticed that it can’t scale the edge of a thin, loose rug. I have one such vintage rug on the hard floor in the lounge and the Romo P simply cannot get over the front lip where practically every other bot I’ve tested manages to eventually make it. I’m not sure if it has something do with the twin spinning brushes that are always flush with the floor or if the undercarriage is set low for better suction, but it means I have had to stick the rug’s leading edge down using some sticky rug tape.
When it comes to all-important navigation, this model is on another level. According to the spec sheet, all Romo models are equipped with ‘High-Performance Binocular Fisheye Vision Sensors and Dual-Transmitter Solid-State LiDARs’. DJI emphasises that its drone guidance tech has been adapted for use in this first fleet of robot vacs and I’m inclined to believe every word because, on my evidence, the Romo’s obstacle avoidance is insanely good.
Believe me, I’ve tested dozens upon dozens of robot vacs over the past six years or so and I can’t remember seeing any other model steering through a minefield of obstacles with such elegant precision, with hardly any pausing or spinning around, and with impressive pace, too. But more on this in our Performance chapter.
By the way, for those who like the idea of being able to watch the world through their robot’s camera, you can do just that with this model and, like others on the market, drive it around the house like an RC car. You can also operate it using various voice commands.
Score ref: 4/5
Dock design
As mentioned above, the transparent Romo P’s dock is reminiscent of Roborock’s Qrevo Curv range. I must say I’m rather smitten by it and, despite its sci-fi looks, it seems to magically meld into its surroundings — and that’s more that one can say for many other robot base stations.
As is the norm, this dock comes with the obligatory dust-emptying function from robot to the dock’s smaller-than-average 2.4-liter dust bag via a large 16mm waste port. It also boasts full autonomous mop cleaning using hot water at 140˚F / 60˚C (Roborock’s is nearer 212˚F / 100˚C) and hot air mop-drying. However, unlike Roborock and Dreame’s cleaning basins, which self-clean and come with removable trays for deeper cleaning, the Romo P’s has a fixed base which is much harder to clean by hand.
Unlike every other robot vac I’ve reviewed, the Romo doesn’t empty the contents of its own bin into the dock’s larger bin bag on completing a task. Instead, it starts to dry the robot’s undercarriage and dustbin area for a period of time, along with a blast of UV rays for disinfection purposes. This dust box drying sequence is to prevent moisture from any mopping sessions from mixing with the dry debris and causing caked-on muck on the robot’s undercarriage. Instead, the bin from subsequent clean-ups empties just before its next task. I think it’s a great method and possibly the way forward for all robot vacs. However, I really do think this model’s dust bag should have been bigger because mine is nearly a third full with pet hair after a week or use.
On the mopping front, the Romo P’s dock is also equipped with a sealed bottle of hard floor detergent and, unique to the P model, another sealed bottle of deodoriser which does make the floor smell rather fragrant. Since the bottles are sealed, you can’t fill them with third party solutions, which isn’t great it must be said.
Despite the unit’s transparency, I have seen no evidence of any dust forming on the inside of the Romo P’s dock casing or the robot, and that’s a very good thing because it shows how well sealed everything is. Hope it stays that way.
Score ref: 4/5
DJI Romo P: performance
- Impeccable obstacle avoidance
- Excellent hard floor cleaning
- The dock’s dust bag is on the small side
Navigation performance
DJI has made great claims about this hybrid floor-cleaning robot’s drone-sourced navigation credentials and so far I’ve been extremely impressed by its sure-footed and speedy navigation. Aside from getting stuck trying to climb over my thin vintage rug (now solved), the Romo P’s initial mapping run was extremely successful, even though the final map treated my whole open plan area as one giant room which I had to correct in the DJI Home app — no great shakes.
By comparison, the Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Pro I tested recently divided the rooms pretty accurately while the Dreame Matrix10 Ultra miraculously mapped and named almost every room correctly, including the kitchen and living room. In DJI’s favour, I’m sure the ROMO’s mapping feature – and the app’s clean but overly-simple map presentation – could be improved with a few software tweaks.
Score ref: 4.5/5
Obstacle avoidance
Clearly quite a large chunk of DJI’s amazing drone navigation tech has been implemented here because I’ve never seen a robot vac negotiate obstacles as quickly and as accurately as the ROMA P. In fact, it’s almost human like in the way it dodges obstacles.
For my main test I programmed a kitchen vac session that entailed a short trip across the dinning area floor. I scattered more dog toys than ever before and complimented them with two really small aromatic oil bottles, two phone cables — one long, the other short — and two dreaded half-inch-high nylon dog chews that have caught out almost all previous robot vacs I’ve tested.
On test number one it shot out of its base and, with no faffing about, quickly started its way to the kitchen through 90% of the obstacles before stopping to think at the last hurdle. It then went the long way round under a dining room chair before arriving in the kitchen — and that was good enough for me. On its return, it had a few thinks at some of the obstacles but continued quickly on its way and proceeded to dock.
Test two — mind blown. This time it took a similar route but, instead of going the long way round under the chair, it made a bee-line straight for the kitchen, twisting and turning like a slalom skier on steroids. It literally dodged all obstacles as if it had learned the best route from its previous run. Its return run was equally successful.
What surprised me was the speed with which the ROMA P navigated a pretty complex assault course, and without knocking anything over. In fact, it was so fast I nearly missed catching it on video.
In a nutshell, I consider this model’s obstacle avoidance to be the best I’ve ever tested – for both accuracy and speed. A high-five to DJI’s clever little sausages for giving us such amazing results.
Score ref: 5/5
Vacuuming
From a day-to-day cleaning point of view, I’ve been exceedingly impressed with this model’s vacuuming performance, especially on hard floor. Also, the twin spinning brushes really make a difference in my opinion. Since their speed is varied during the cleaning process, they don’t scatter debris as much as models with just one side brush. I’ve also noticed that the extendable brush on the right is employed more frequently than other bots.
I should add that my tests have involved setting its suction to Max (there are three levels) and Turbo on carpet, selecting two passes from a choice of three, and opting for the Fine route setting which performs a checkerboard clean (you can also choose Fast and Standard). I always like to go above board on suction and route settings with robot vacs because they’re working in the background and this model’s amazing battery can certainly handle it.
For my hard floor zone test I used 0.21oz / 6g of flour plus some oats, muesli, rice, and loosely crushed cornflakes, amounting to 1.27oz / 36g in total. I then set up a zone clean in the kitchen and selected Max suction mode, plus two passes and the Fine route setting. The Romo P collected an impressive 1.2oz / 34g, leaving just 0.07oz / 2g (a pinch) of flour in the floor cracks. During this test I could also hear the suction motor increase in speed when its sensors encountered increased levels of detritus.
I then produced the same vacuum test on a carpeted rug but this time set the suction to Turbo since that is what I would always use on carpet. However, I forgot to set two passes in the app. I used the same set of ingredients, though this time it was 50g worth.
Despite setting only a single pass in Fine route mode, the Romo P collected a pretty decent 1.62oz / 46g. Decent because at least 0.11oz / 3g of missing dirt was the flour still remaining in the carpet. Flour is a notoriously obstreperous substance for robot vacs and I’ve always had some flour remaining on the carpet after a robot test which I then sweep up with a cordless vacuum cleaner. After all, no robot vac on earth can beat a human pushing a vacuum cleaner.
DJI makes great pains to explain that the ROMA is equipped with a ‘three-stage sound suppression system that filters up to 80% of noise during dust collection’ and I’m inclined to agree because this model is much quieter in operation than the vast majority other models I’ve tested over the years. I measured it at 59.2dB from five feet away and that’s a very decent figure.
Score ref: 4.5/5
Mopping performance
I’ve watched the Romo P do a number of general mopping runs in the kitchen and it has been no better or worse than the vast majority of high-end mopping bots. If you set a series of regular mopping schedules, it will keep on top of daily grime and light stains and leave the floor looking relatively shiny and clean. But don’t expect miracles from any of these robot mopping bots because you would be better served by using a little elbow grease with a simple mop and bucket or grabbing a dedicated cordless mopping machine and letting it do the hard work for you. This is because most mopping bots with spinning pads simply drag their mops over a dirty area and then smear the often unseen residue over the rest of the floor. And you only notice this hours later when you walk on a sticky floor.
I’m personally not a fan of robotic floor cleaners that also mop, and wish manufacturers would produce at least one high-end robot that vacuums only, with a dock that forgoes all the mop-cleaning malarky and smelly dirty water containers in favor of a whopping dust bag that I don’t have to change every two weeks. Please, someone do it!
Image 1 of 2
Rant over, for my main kitchen mopping test I created a small zone and selected two passes, medium water flow, the Fine route for criss-cross cleaning, Degreasing mode, and re-mopping with clean water. This is way more than I would normally use on my engineered wood flooring because too much water is never a good thing for wooden floors.
I then squirted some tomato ketchup, soy sauce and milk on the floor, and set the Romo P on its way. I should add that I would never perform a test like this in the real world, mostly because robot vacs are designed for general day-to-day mopping of footfall marks and light stains and not for cleaning up liquid spills, despite what you might read or see on the internet.
Image 1 of 2
Anyway, the Romo P duly went off to tackle the mess I created and, sure enough, it appeared to wipe up most of the mess. However it positively refused to tackle one dense section of tomato ketchup because it thought it was an obstacle. You might consider this a failure, but I consider it a success because, as mentioned directly above, I don’t want my robot getting overly filthy with smelly foodstuffs clinging to its undercarriage. Yes, this model will dry itself after its robust self-cleaning regime but you can bet there will still be residue remaining around the brush head area that will eventually go rancid and require reaching for a toothbrush to clean it. Some Roborocks get around this by lifting the whole brush section when mopping.
Before I leave this chapter — having successfully put you off using your robot to clean up liquid spills — I should add that regular mopping of wooden floors is not a great idea, especially if you have thin laminate flooring. Also, every cleaning session removes a little more of its floor protection coating and this may result in the floor losing its sheen. Well I’m here to the rescue with a shout-out to Bona and its tried-and-tested Wood Floor Polish, which genuinely helps restore tired wooden floors after too many mopping sessions.
Score ref: 4/5
Dock performance
I was considering giving the charging base / cleaning dock a very respectable 4.5 stars for functionality but I’ve dropped it to 4 because of one slightly annoying anomaly that has also affected some Roborocks I’ve reviewed.
Let me explain. When you have pets in the home — I have two labradors and a cat — you have to expect to live with a lot of loose hair floating about. It gets everywhere, even in areas you never thought possible. It’s a fact of nature — most dog breeds molt, especially in spring and autumn when old coats are discarded and new ones grow. This creates an awful lot of hair on a daily basis so to keep on top of it you need to set at least a bi-weekly schedule on your robot vac or the robot’s bin will get so packed with hair that the dock’s strong suction may fail to remove it properly.
In its favor, DJI has equipped this model’s dock with an extra large dust intake from the robot’s bin to the dock’s 2.4-liter dust bag. But even this was no match for the amount of Labrador and cat hair the robot had collected in my lounge.
I knew something was wrong when I didn’t hear a whoomp sound during emptying and, sure enough, it had failed to budge any of the matted hair from the robot’s bin. Instead, as my images illustrate, it got halfway out of the robot bin’s outlet before jamming. This has happened a few times with my Roborock Saros 10R and a couple of other models in the past, and I think it’s down to a lack of raw suction power in the base station.
Image 1 of 2
I now schedule my Saros 10R to perform much more regular runs around the home. And, of course, being a robot that never grumbles, it now goes out on a triweekly basis and I’ve had no problems since. To prove this, I set the Romo P to do another lounge clean a couple of days later and I have no more bin-emptying issues to report. With this model, regular scheduling is clearly key to keep on top of pet hair clogging.
Perhaps more concerning is the smaller size of the Romo P’s dust bag. I’ve only used the Romo for a week and the bag is already a third full. That means a bag change about every two weeks, so bear this in mind if you live with shedding pets.
Score ref: 4/5
Battery performance
It’s no surprise that the Romo’s battery holds such an exceptional charge. After all, I believe DJI incorporated its drone-battery knowledge into this model and any drone pilot will know how impressive DJI batteries are at keeping a surprisingly heavy craft aloft for up to 35 minutes at a time.
I set the Romo P off to clean the entire downstairs area and set the suction to Max and selected one pass and the Fine route for a checkerboard pattern, and it amounted to a cleaning area of 38 square metres which the bot completed in 1 hour 14 mins with 18% of battery remaining. That’ll do.
Score ref: 4.5/5
DJI Romo P: app functionality
- Excellent layout
- Extremely comprehensive
- No detailed room furnishings
It took a few moments for me to get a handle on the DJI Home app but after using it for a while, I’m pleased to report that it’s almost everything a robot app should be, and not a million miles from the way the Roborock app is presented.
The Home app’s clean, polished and intuitive interface makes controlling the ROMO very straightforward and mostly enjoyable, whether it’s creating custom cleaning zones right on the home page, adding virtual walls and no-go zones or scheduling routines.
It’s incredibly comprehensive, too, allowing the user to customise cleaning routines, suction power, level of moisture on the mops and whether you want to vac and mop, vacuum only or mop only. I personally keep vacuuming and mopping separate from each other to prevent any cross contamination of moisture mixing with dry dust on the undercarriage of the robot. One of this app’s strengths is how clearly it presents its cleaning data – you can track its progress, view coverage history and receive timely maintenance reminders for filters, brushes and water tanks.
However, there is one area I’m not too enamoured of – its map presentation. I guess I’m used to Roborock’s maps which not only illustrate the shape of each room in sharp detail with designated colours for each room, but also the furnishings within it, including sofas, tables, cupboards, etc. DJI’s method is to keep things Scandinavian clean with rooms divided into blocks with just very faint outlines of the rooms’ shapes and no furnishings other than carpeted areas. I have found this tricky to read when selecting a specific zone I want cleaning, especially if it’s directly in front of a specific piece of furniture. With the Roborock app I can place a zone exactly where I need it but with this app there’s a lot more guess work. DJI will hopefully improve this area because everything else about the Home app is extremely intuitive, comprehensive and logically laid out for both beginners and tech nerds like me.
- App functionality score: 4.5/5
Should you buy the DJI Romo P?
|
Section |
Notes |
Score |
|
Value for money |
The DJI ROMO P is expensive to buy but, in its favour, it offers strong performance, a smorgasbord of intelligent features and reliable obstacle avoidance. |
4/5 |
|
Design |
The stylish-looking DJI ROMO P offers superb obstacle avoidance and a shedload of smart functions for impressively efficient cleaning. However, it could do with a couple of hardware tweaks. |
4/5 |
|
Performance |
With its extra strong suction, incredible obstacle avoidance, efficient cleaning methods and expert navigation, this bot rocks on all fronts. |
4.5/5 |
|
App functionality |
The DJI Home app is intuitive and extremely comprehensive, but there is a little room for improvement. |
4.5/5 |
|
Average rating |
Row 5 – Cell 1 |
4.5/5 |
Buy it if
Don’t buy it if
How I tested the DJI Romo P
As per usual, I’ve had the ROMA P perform a regular set of schedules over the past week and watched how well it swept a room. I’ve been very impressed. I then set about performing a series of decisive suction tests, weighing the amount of detritus I laid down and then weighing the contents in the robot’s bin. This model has performed exceedingly well in on hard floor and well enough on carpet.
I also ran a few general mopping sequences at which it performed acceptably well, plus an over-the-top liquid spill test which was no worse than the competition but still not a patch on a mop and bucket.
However, the test that really blew me away was the ROMO P’s exquisite obstacle avoidance for which I give it full marks. With just a few small design and software tweaks, I think DJI’s next model could be up for a full five stars.
First reviewed April 2026.
Read the full article here
