The AOSO S3 is smaller than other robot vacuums I have reviewed. At 12.4 inches diameter and at a height of 3 inches, it can get underneath most pieces of furniture and does not take up much space when docked.
The S3 does not have a LIDAR bump on the top of the vacuum. Instead, it navigates its way around the space using a wide angle camera mapping system. It has touch-sensitive icon buttons on the top of the unit which are nice and sensitive.
Unusually, the S3 side brushes need to be fixed to the unit with a screw and need a screwdriver to fit them. All of the other robot vacuums have had push-to-click brushes on the unit. Fortunately a screwdriver and fixing screws are supplied in the box.
This model also has a remote control, and 2 AAA batteries. There is also a charging dock, a filter and an AC power adapter.
Like most other robot vacuums, the S3 has four cleaning modes: auto – which sweeps rooms in a structured way, spot, which cleans an area in an outward circle pattern, edge, which cleans round the walls, and scheduled cleaning which will clean to a specific time.
It will find its way back to its charging station when its 3200mAh battery is low – after almost two hours cleaning – and will continue cleaning when its battery is fully charged again.
The AOSO S3 does not have its own app. It uses an app called TuyaSmart which looked very familiar to me. I then realised that the UI is exactly the same as the SmartLife app which I installed to review the iClever smart air monitor.
Having said that, the AOSO connected easily to my 2.4GHz Wi-Fi – unlike some other robot vacuums I have tried. The AOSO also supports Alexa and Google Assistant
The app manages the cleaning patterns, sends the robot back to its docking centre, and opens the manual control option. You can also manage the robot suction from low, medium, to high. You can also set the cleaning schedule in the app, mute its voice controls, or find the robot if it is locked.
In use, I noticed that the AOSO S3 is really fast. It moves around really quickly, not slowing down significantly when it encounters an obstacle. It has a suction power of 2000Pa, dustbin of 510ml, and is supposed to have a noise level of 65db – but this robot seems much louder than this.
On max, or medium suction power the robot volume completely drowns out the voice prompts. Only on low suction (which is not effective on carpets) can the voice prompts be heard. Its wheels grumble occasionally when it is in motion too making it squeal when it turns. It is really loud sometimes.
The S3 has other features common to other robot vacuums. It has ledge sensors to stop it falling down the stairs and can climb over low ledges of about half an inch.
It does not seem to get stuck under objects as much as other robots do, nor does it complain too much if it encounters electrical cables.
All in all, for under $250 the AOSO S3 robot vacuum is a fast and efficient single mode sweeper with an app that works, and is easy to connect to.
If you do not mind the noise it makes when in use, then this is a great vacuum which will sweep your space quickly as possible.
