Airrobo P20 Review

The Airrobo P20 aims to break the stereotype of a budget robot vacuum – something that can’t clean a lick.

Rarely do I accept a free budget robot vacuum for a review because most don’t offer (even) acceptable performance, but this manufacturer insisted I try, so I acquiesced.

This robot was surprisingly good, but it’s by no means, perfect. Nonetheless, the performance is bordering on above-average, as good as other brands, more than a hundred bucks costlier.

I’ve tested this product for the past few days to see how it holds up to the various testing scrutiny, and I’ll share the good and bad in this review.

Introduction to the Airrobo P20

It’s been a while since I reviewed a budget robot vacuum, but here we are with the Airrobo P20.

This model is their second product after the P10 and offers efficient navigation that goes in a straight back-and-forth pattern instead of pinballing around.

I haven’t tested the P10, so I cannot comment on its cleaning performance or navigation, but the P20 is above average in both aspects.

Top View

The Airrobo P20 utilizes a round, puck-shaped form, which most manufacturers use for better efficiency in tight spaces since a round frame can maneuver around these areas better.

I like the matte finish with the triangle pattern (a nice touch), but aside from this decorative feature, the P20 has a simple interface with only two buttons – home and power.

It comes with a remote out of the box, but you’ll need to download the Airrobo app to get the most out of this robot.

The remote provides consumers access to the robot’s features, like cleaning modes, and a way to turn it on without bending over and touching it.

However, the app provides more features, such as scheduling.

View Underneath

Underneath, you’ll see a twin-side-brush system that works well, especially at cleaning edges.

These brushes don’t have any bolts so that you can remove them without any tools.

One issue with bristled side brushes is their tendency to wear out more rapidly – keep an eye on this.

It also utilizes a combo brush for picking up debris, and tests reveal it has pretty good agitation since it picked up an above-average score (at least with surface debris).

There’s no slot for a mop, so this product can only vacuum floors.

The brush roll is relatively narrow but efficient despite the sub-par airflow.

Airrobo says it has a “scraper technology” that helps it pick up debris, regardless of surface, and the cleaning experiments seem to back up this claim.

The “scraper” technology Airrobo is referring to is the rubber strip behind the brush, helping funnel debris toward the suction chamber.

Dustbin and Filter

The Airrobo P20 dustbin is located behind the robot, similar to most robots in the budget category.

This functional placement provides easy access to the dustbin even when the robot is docked.

Also, it enables a larger dustbin to be used – Airrobo says it has a 600 ml capacity, which is a big deal since it doesn’t have a self-emptying feature.

The scissor-type mechanism provides lots of access and easy dirt disposal.

This open space makes it easier to clean. Also, a mesh filter shields the primary filter behind it to extend the cleaning intervals.

Here’s how the primary filter looks after many cleaning experiments, and I did a LOT.

The dark stuff in the photo is from the coffee grounds test, but it’s relatively clean otherwise.

One trick I do to dislodge debris from the folds is taping it on a solid surface. This hack will extend the filter’s life and help maintain the robot’s vacuum performance.

Dock

The Airrobo P20 has a standard dock since it doesn’t have a self-emptying feature.

You’ll notice it has a slot for the remote, in case you use it, which is a nice touch for convenience.

Unfortunately, it does not have a self-emptying feature in auto-empty robot vacuums.

But that’s how it is with robot vacuums, at least for the budget options – you won’t get the premium features.

What comes in the box?

1. P20 robot vacuum
2. Remote control
3. Dock with power cord
4. Extra pair of side brush
5. Brush cleaning tool
6. Not included in the photo is the extra filter

Consumers will also get an extra filter out of the box. Airrobo sells these consumable parts in their Amazon store, and I recommend purchasing extra filters and side brushes.

App Features

This variant is compatible with the Airrobo app, available in your favorite app store (iOS or Android).

You can search for Airrobo or scan the QR code on the manual.

After downloading the app, follow the steps on the app to connect the robot.

The Airrobo app will require users to enable Bluetooth and specific (nearby devices) permissions on the app.

The process is straightforward and takes only a few minutes to complete.

Next, we’ll go through the features of the app – the most practical aspects.

Since this robot doesn’t have SLAM or VSLAM, it can’t save maps or track its location, so don’t expect too much.

The app offers the convenience of accessing the robot without being close to it.

1. Different cleaning modes

The Airrobo P20 offers four cleaning modes – auto, spiral, edge, and spot cleaning.

1. Auto: The default mode where the robot vacuums every nook and cranny in an orderly back-and-forth motion similar to a Roomba I3+ or any robot with an optical sensor.
2. Spiral: The robot goes in a spiral pattern. This option won’t work with the robot docked; you’ll have to move it to a spot you want cleaning before selecting this mode.
3. Edge: In this mode, the robot focuses on cleaning the edges. There’s no need to move it since it goes directly towards the edges.
4. Spot: It’s similar to the spiral mode in that it focuses on a specific area but moves in a straight line in a square zone. And like the spiral mode, you’ll need to move the robot to a spot.

One last mode is the manual mode, where consumers can control the robot like an RC. It’s fun to try occasionally, but I don’t use this feature.

2. Power Options

This robot offers three power settings – low, mid, and max, accessible through the app.

One quirk with the Airrobo app is the order is done in reverse, with the highest setting on the left and the lowest on the right.

3. App Settings

Consumers will have a tiny level of control through the app settings tab. It’s not much – only the voice and volume settings, scheduling (more below), and locating the robot.

Underneath, you’ll see the maintenance section showing items you’ll need to replace periodically and a countdown (in hours) of when to change them.

It’s a time-based system, so you could clean these parts often to extend their service life and tap on the reset button.

But it’s a good reminder to keep these components clean for the robot to function efficiently over the long haul.

4. Scheduling

A scheduling feature is available for those who want to automate vacuuming, and the Airrobo app can schedule multiple daily runs.

This feature helps make the P20 autonomous, but consumers still need to empty the dustbin after every run.

Nonetheless, cheaper brands are adopting this scheduling feature, which is a huge positive.

5. User Manual

The app also provides access to the user app, an added option for those (like me) who have difficulty reading size five fonts on the manual.

It’s a PDF file embedded within the app, so it’s easy to zoom in using the smartphone’s touchscreen.

How does the Airrobo P20 navigate?

Next, we’ll look at the Airrobo P20’s navigation. Unlike most budget options that traverse randomly, like the Roomba 600 and E series, the P20 moves in a predictable back-and-forth pattern.

I asked Airrobo for details, and they said this robot uses gyroscopes as its primary navigational sensor, similar to other more expensive options like the Roomba I3 and Roborock E4.

It’s one of the least expensive options with this sensor, and with its introductory price, this is a bargain.

I tested its efficiency, how much it could pick up, and how long it took before completing a two-pass run, and the results were mixed.

Here’s a “before” photo of the coverage and efficiency test. You could see how much Quaker oats I scattered.

It was efficient, finishing the two-pass run in 13:25 minutes, one of the best scores among robot vacuums I’ve tested.

However, there were missed spots; even after running the robot another two-pass run, it still missed these zones.

Nonetheless, these results are still impressive given that the P20 has below-average airflow, the passes were clean, and it got most of the debris despite not having SLAM.

There are two options for the default (or auto) cleaning cycle – meticulous and quick cleaning.

I didn’t see much variance between these modes, and surprisingly, the quick cleaning took longer (16+ vs. 14+ mins) than the meticulous cleaning.

You could experiment with which setting will work best for your home’s layout, but I’d stick with the meticulous option.

How Much Power Does the Airrobo P20 Have?

Like most Asian manufacturers, the Airrobo P20 uses Pascals as its primary power spec, and this robot has up to 2800 Pa, 200 more than the older P10 variant.

I’ve said this numerous times in my YT videos, and I’ll repeat: Pascals isn’t an accurate metric for measuring power because some robots with higher PA have lower airflow.

I use an anemometer in all vacuum experiments to measure airflow through the primary brush roll.

This is a more accurate metric because high airflow robots tend to do better, especially with cleaning embedded sand on mid-pile carpets.

Other factors come into play, like brush roll design and seal.

The P20 results aren’t great, below-average at best.

• Quiet: 7.91 CFM
• Mid: 10.98 CFM
• Powerful: 13.39 CFM

Fortunately, its brush roll and the seal behind it help it pick up debris well despite the insufficient airflow.

Cleaning Performance

Despite the poor airflow, the Airrobo P20 did well for a budget robot vacuum in the cleaning experiments, and here are the results.

• Overall: 89.64%
• Hard floors: 99.1%
• Sand on hard floors: 98.2%
• Carpet (surface): 98.77%
• Deep cleaning: 62.5%

You can see in the scores above that the P20 excels in surface debris pick-up, with averages in the high 90s.

It’s not as good as the Roborock high-end options, but it’s pretty darn close, and for a budget robot vacuum, it’s an excellent score.

Hard floor results

• Quaker oats: 99.6%
• Coffee grounds: 99.6%
• Quinoa: 97.8%
• Pet litter: 99.4%

Aside from the quinoa test, the P20 was excellent in these experiments, picking up in the high 90s. 

One reason it didn’t pick up as much quinoa is the twin side brushes scattering a bunch of it.

Sand on hard floor results

Another experiment I did was on sand; the P20 was above-average, picking up an average of 98.2% after two tests.

Again, it’s not at par with premium, high-end robot vacuums like the Roomba S9+ or the Roborock S7 MaxV, but considering its price – it’s an excellent score.

Hair wrap test

I wasn’t expecting much from the Airrobo P20 in this experiment since it doesn’t have much airflow, but it was decent.

• five-inch strands: 74%
• seven-inch strands: 55%

It picked up 74% and 55% from five and seven-inch strands, respectively, even with the narrow brush and below-average power.

Here’s a photo of the dustbin after the five-inch experiment.

Not bad for a budget robot vacuum, right?

You can see in the photo below much hair was wrapped on the brush after the five-inch test.

And this much wrapped on the brush after the seven-inch test.

With this much hair, you’ll need scissors to remove it from the brush roll.

Edge cleaning

Another plus with the twin side brush design is its efficiency at cleaning edges, and the P20 excelled during this experiment.

The before and after photos are almost similar to the Roomba S9+.

Both were efficient at vacuuming debris in this area.

Carpet results

Next, we’ll look at how the Airrobo P20 fared on carpet, and the results (at least) for the surface debris were positive.

Low pile

• Quaker oats: 99.8%
• Coffee grounds: 95.8%
• Quinoa: 99.8%
• Pet litter: 99%

On low pile carpet, the P20 did excellent for a cheap robot vacuum, with most of the scores in the high 90s.

The pick-up was decent at over 95%, even with hard-to-clean coffee grounds.

Most non-Roomba budget options will struggle with vacuuming coffee grounds.

Mid pile

• Quaker oats: 99%
• Coffee grounds: 97.2%
• Quinoa: 99.8%
• Pet litter: 99.6%

Surprisingly, the results on mid-pile carpets are slightly better than on low pile (98.9% vs. 98.6%).

These results bode well for the P20 with its carpet cleaning performance.

You could use this for cleaning low or mid-pile carpet, but the downside is you’ll need to use the highest power setting to achieve these results, which cuts into the claimed 120-minute run time.

Deep cleaning

One issue with the low airflow is the subpar deep cleaning performance.

So it’s not a surprise that the P20 struggled.

It only picked up an average of 62.5% in two deep cleaning experiments.

The results are decent, but not something I’d recommend as your primary vacuum for cleaning carpets.

How noisy is the Airrobo P20?

I used a sound meter to measure the noise levels of the Airrobo P20, and here are the results.

• Quiet: 61.5 dB
• Mid: 66.4 dB
• Powerful: 68.8 dB

It’s not loud in the two lower settings, especially in the quiet setting with only 61.5 decibels.

However, you can feel its presence in the highest (or powerful setting) at close to 70 decibels.

And on carpet, using the highest setting is a must to maximize debris pick up.

How long will the Airrobo P20 run?

Airrobo says that the P20 will run up to 120 minutes, but that’s at the lowest power setting.

Using the highest setting will reduce that number to around 60 minutes, based on my tests, since I did most of the cleaning experiments using the powerful (or highest) setting.

This robot utilizes a mid-sized 2800 mAh lithium-ion battery, 200 mAh more than the P10.

Maintenance

Like all robot vacuums, the P20 will need maintenance to function at its best. Any added friction will impede its performance and affect the end goal, which is vacuuming your homes.

Fortunately, there are ways to mitigate these by proactively performing maintenance tasks I’ll highlight below.

1. Primary brush roll: This component is easily the most abused part of any robot vacuum. Hair and dust will accumulate and cause unnecessary friction and wear. Clean this (at least) once a week to prevent hair from accumulating excessively on the roller and axles.
2. Side brush: Another abused component that needs cleaning every week. Pop off the side brushes and remove the hair wrapping on the base.
3. Dustbin and filter: Since this robot doesn’t have a self-emptying feature, empty the dustbin after every run to prevent overfilling and clean the dustbin monthly. One way of extending the filter’s service life is tapping it on a used newspaper to dislodge dust on the folds.
4. Drop sensors: Use a clean microfiber towel or cotton buds to clean the drop sensors, preventing an error code from firing.
5. Robot body: Wipe the body using a clean microfiber towel monthly to remove any excess dust accumulation on the surface.

Product Specifications

Where can I purchase the Airrobo P20 robot vacuum?

This budget robot vacuum is available in online stores like Amazon. Check the link below for the latest pricing information.

• Airrobo P20 on Amazon

Disclaimer: I will earn a commission if you purchase through the link above, but at no extra cost, so it’s a win-win for us!

Does the Airrobo P20 offer excellent value?

The short answer is a resounding yes, especially with the current pricing WITH THE LIMITED-TIME promo ($70 OFF).

Despite my skepticism, the Airrobo P20 exceeded expectations and that rare combination of vacuuming performance and navigational efficiency that’s rare in cheap robot vacuums.

I’m impressed, especially with its surface debris performance, picking up a high percentage, which is very close to the performances of more premium options.

Its navigation is another strong suite, using an efficient straight-line pattern rare in products at this price bracket.

However, don’t expect premium-level deep cleaning performance or run time since this robot uses a smaller motor with weaker airflow and a smaller battery.

5 Reasons to Buy the Airrobo P20

1. Efficient navigation: This robot uses gyroscopes as its primary navigational sensor, making it one of the most efficient options I’ve tested, completing a two-pass run in a little over 13-minutes.
2. Above-average cleaning: It picked up in the high 90s in most of the surface cleaning experiments.
3. Responsive app: The Airrobo app offers an easy-to-use and intuitive interface to unlock the full potential of this robot.
4. Decent at cleaning hair: Another surprise is its performance on five and seven-inch strands, picking up a decent 74% and 55%.
5. Large 600-ml dustbin: The rear-mounted dustbin has an above-average capacity of 600ml.

The Verdict: A Worthy Budget Robot Vacuum Option

After spending a few days testing this robot, I’m impressed by its performance, especially with navigation and surface debris performance.

The P20 excelled in these areas, making it a good budget option for budget-conscious shoppers looking for a good deal.

Of course, this robot isn’t perfect and has limitations with its cleaning performance and navigation.

Since it only uses gyroscopes, it cannot save maps and doesn’t have “recharge and resume.”

The small motor hinders its power output, and deep cleaning performance suffers. You’ll need to use the highest power setting to maximize its cleaning performance on this surface.

But that’s the downside to most cheap robot vacuums; there’s no way around it.