The Dreame Z1 Pro robotic pool cleaner pulls 8,000 GPH of suction and maps as it goes, and PCMag gave it an 'Editors' Choice' among cordless models. PCWorld's Christopher Null found erratic performance and extremely slow operation that keep it from being perfect. It has a magnetic charging system, visual app mapping, and an underwater remote, though reviewers criticized the slow speed and the awkward remote control. Buyers who value smart features over speed are the fit; anyone who wants faster cleaning should look elsewhere.
Full review
Suction that outclasses the category
At 8,000 gallons per hour the Z1 Pro pulls far harder than the cordless cleaners it competes with, several of which sit between 3,700 and 5,500 GPH. PCMag's John R. Delaney rated the cleaning performance outstanding, and the machine covers floor, walls and the waterline rather than stopping at the floor.
The waterline work is the part that distinguishes it in practice. Scrubbing horizontally along the tile line is the job most robots either skip or do badly, and it is the one that otherwise needs a brush and a human. Coverage is rated to pools of up to 2,160 square feet.
Very, very slow
PCWorld's Christopher Null is the dissenting voice and the important one. He found the performance erratic and the operation very, very slow, and that is what keeps the Z1 Pro short of perfect in his assessment despite everything it does well. Suction and speed are different problems, and this machine solves only the first.
One owner's experience makes the same point from the other direction: after their first unit failed with water inside the electronics, the replacement they moved to was dramatically faster, and that speed was what made them keep it. If you want the pool cleaned before lunch rather than by evening, this is the wrong machine.
Magnetic charging and a map of the pool
PCWorld called the magnetic charging mechanism a game-changer, and it comes with a microfiber cloth attached to the cable for drying the terminals, which is the kind of detail that suggests someone actually used the thing. There is no docking station to find space for.
Null also singled out the app's ability to draw a visual map of the pool after a run as the coolest feature, and the first of its kind he had seen. Beyond the map, the app schedules cleans, tracks history and calls the robot to the edge for retrieval, and PCMag credited it with more monitoring options than rivals offer. It works over both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, which is worth noting because outdoor Wi-Fi coverage is not guaranteed.
The remote is the worst part
PCMag's Delaney found the included light-pulse remote awkward, slow and difficult to use. It is a genuinely clever idea, since light communication works underwater where radio does not, but the execution makes manual control more frustrating than useful.
There are two other gaps. The robot will not climb over a ledge to reach a sun shelf, which limits it in pools with that geometry, and there are no water-temperature readings or filter-cleaning alerts, both of which are basic monitoring features to omit at this price. Early units also needed a significant firmware update before they cleaned properly.
Three hours of runtime, four to recharge
The battery runs about three hours and takes four to refill, which given how slowly the robot works is the constraint that decides whether it can finish a large pool in one pass. It resumes where it stopped after a recharge, which mitigates the problem without solving it.
PCMag gave the Z1 Pro an Editors' Choice among cordless cleaners, and that is the fair summary: buy it for the suction, the waterline scrubbing and the mapping, and only if you do not care how long the clean takes.
Strengths
- +Powerful 8,000 GPH suction for effective cleaning
- +Visual pool mapping via mobile app
- +Magnetic charging system with microfiber cloth for cleaning contacts
- +Cordless design with 3-hour battery life and 4-hour recharge time
- +Underwater remote control with light communication technology
Watch-outs
- −Very slow operation despite powerful suction
- −Remote control is awkward, slow, and difficult to use
- −Required major firmware update to clean effectively
How it compares
The Dreame Z1 Pro Robotic Pool Cleaner is rated at 8,000 GPH of suction, close to the 8500 GPH of the Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max, and costs less than the Aiper. Its 3-hour runtime compares with 5 hours of floor cleaning for the Aiper and a 2-hour cycle for the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi. It works very slowly, and its remote control is awkward to use.
Rating sources
Counts as 3.64/5 in our score — this publisher's 60 scores on the site average 4.02, so its scores are adjusted up to compare fairly with other publishers.
Counts as 4.74/5 in our score — this publisher's 19 scores on the site average 3.87, so its scores are adjusted up to compare fairly with other publishers.
Our 4.2 score is the average of the 2 scored reviews above, each adjusted for how strictly its publisher scores; 1 more reviewed it without printing a score and is not in the average. More about methodology.
