Samsung POWERbot R7010 Review: All You Need to Know

When it comes to robotic vacuums, there are a lot of options vying for your attention. One of the most common enticements is the affordability of the economy class robots. The Samsung POWERbot R7010 is one such vacuum. Will it give you what you need, though?

In this review, I will examine the R7010 up close and personal. I will dive in on all the features (or lack thereof) and explain how everything works. I will even give you alternative options if, by the end, you feel this model isn’t a good fit for you (Hint: it probably isn’t). Read the article below to find out if the Samsung POWERbot R7010 is right for you.

Who Is This Vacuum For?

This vacuum might be just the one you are looking for. It could be a good match if you:

• Are looking for a no-frills, entry-level robotic vacuum.
• Don’t want to hassle with wireless communications and phone apps.
• Just need the floors cleaned on a regular basis.
• Don’t want to deal with time-consuming setups or schedule making.
• Need the edges and baseboards really clean.

Who This Robot Vacuum Is Not For?

Not every vacuum will be a good fit for everyone. The Samsung POWERbot R7010 may not be right for you, if:

• You want a vacuum with full control through apps, voice commands or remote controls.
• Want carpets to come clean on the first go.
• Don’t want to waste time waiting for a vacuum job to be complete.
• Need a vacuum with more features than “clean” and “stop cleaning.”

Dimensions, Features and Options

I want to cover, in detail, the dimensions and features of the Samsung POWERbot R7010 for you here. This way you will know what to expect when you unbox the cleaner and turn it loose on your floors.

The Battery That Doesn’t Keep Its Promise

The lithium-ion battery inside the Samsung POWERbot is an average and quite small battery pack. The 2400mAh rechargeable battery boasts on the packaging a runtime of 60 minutes. I am not quite sure how Samsung came up with this number, but my guess is that they just threw darts until they hit the same number a few times.

Charging the battery from dead to full will take you just over three hours. Keeping that in mind, I realize that even under optimal conditions I am not going to get the full runtime suggested. This will most likely never happen. When companies give you a runtime estimate, these numbers are based on lab test environments, not your living room.

Every factor of the vacuum will deplete the battery life. Movement, motor speed, suction, dirt collection, mapping, navigation, etc. all play a part in killing the battery. The motor will also change speeds depending on the type of flooring it is on. It’s a good plan in theory, but the battery suffers the more carpeting and rugs it has to traverse.

Keeping all of this in mind, you will be hard pressed to get more than 30 minutes out of a single charge and more likely to see numbers closer to 25 minutes. Is this enough to clean your entire floor? Probably not. Even 600 square foot hardwood flooring needed a recharge to complete.

The good news is that the robotic vacuum will automatically return to its charging base when the battery gets low. Unlike some of the other economy vacuums on the market, the POWERbot will actually leave the dock once the battery is charged and complete the cleaning cycle on its’ own. This is a feature in the industry known as “entire level cleaning.”

However, what you need to decide is if this is worth it for you. Let’s assume you have a 600 square foot, no carpet floor space. If the machine runs for half an hour, recharges for three hours and then runs again for another half hour, you are looking at a total of four hours to clean this space.

Considering a broom and dustpan can complete the entire floor in about 30 minutes, the tradeoff of not having to do it yourself versus the time it takes the robot is the deciding factor here.

The Set-Up and Controls Are Super Simple

Allow me to explain, in detail how to set up the Samsung POWERbot from opening the box to cleaning for the first time. Try and stay with me through the complicated procedure.

• Pull out the contents of the box: vacuum, power cord and docking station.
• Plug the docking station into a wall outlet and set on a hard, flat flooring surface.
• Place the Robot on the charging station.
• Wait for the vacuum to charge its battery.
• Press the clean button.

Feel free to read through the process a few times to make sure you understand it. Seriously, though, it is that simple and that is all there is to it. No assembly, no setup, just charge and let it go.

You will not have a remote control for the unit. There is no available wireless receiver for voice controls or mobile app controls. Your only access to the robot is through the control buttons on the top of the machine.

How complicated are the controls? Well, they aren’t. You have three options: Spot Clean, Start Cleaning Cycle (or Pause if pressed twice), and Dock. That’s it. Clean or go home. It doesn’t get much more simple than that.

Navigation and Mapping that Actually Work

The POWERbot R7010 has a pretty unique mapping and navigation system. It uses a camera to “see” along with sensors to tell it when objects are close. What makes it unique is that the camera doesn’t look at your floors, or even straight ahead; it scans your ceiling.

That’s right; it moves by watching the sky. It will find the corners of the ceiling and then objects such as light fixtures and fans pinpoint its location on the floor. Using this in conjunction with the bump sensors, it will safely navigate your floor space without colliding with a lot of furniture or the walls.

When collision does occur, there is no damage as the sensors effectively slow the machine down, allowing it to get as close as possible without making a mess. As far as navigation and mapping go, the Samsung POWERbot does quite an impressive job.

The Vacuum Has A Lot of Suction, Just How Much We Don’t Know

The POWERbot R7010 is the baseline model of the POWERbot series. On the box, you will see that it claims to have 20 percent more suction. The suction percentage goes up as you go up the POWERbot line.

However, we just don’t know what the 20 percent increase is over. There isn’t a comparison made, just a number stated. That isn’t a real concern though, just an observation. The vacuum does have quite a bit of power, and seemingly more so than others in the economy class of robot vacuums.

One thing that I did notice, though, was that it had issues with fine grain items on the carpet. When cleaning hard floors, the robot didn’t miss a beat and picked up pretty much everything in its path. On carpet, however, spills and dirt stayed behind more often than they should have.

One of the major issues is what happens after it is collected. Dirt, dust and debris get collected in a bin that isn’t very large. The collection bin is only 0.3 liters in size and must regularly be emptied. Depending on how dirty the floor is, this can even be during a cleaning cycle.

The Filtration Leaves a Bit to be Desired

One of the attributes of the R7010 that was exciting at first was a reusable, machine washable filter. This type of filter is pretty much unheard of in robotic vacuums and it was thrilling to know I didn’t have to buy a new filter every other month.

If you suffer allergies, though, it won’t be enough. HEPA filtration captures particles to 3 microns in size, which is effectively every allergen in your home. The POWERbot filter is not a HEPA filter and isn’t even allergenic in nature. Its main purpose is to keep the motor from getting gunked up and to prevent large visible particles from returning to your air and floor.

You will also find yourself cleaning the filter and washing it more often than you would like. To keep the machine operating in the best possible condition, this is after every four or five cleaning cycles. If you use the robot enough, this can equate to every week.

There are filter replacements you can purchase, and I recommend that you get at least one more. Swapping out the dirty one for the clean one will allow you more time to wash and dry them between uses and it will prolong their life.

Maintenance Must Be Done, Constantly

When people talk about maintenance, they like to think about their upright vacuums where you don’t really do anything except change a bag until you notice a weird smell or hear a new noise.

With robotic vacuums, this is not the case. You still have to empty the collection bins and wipe it down, but regular, weekly maintenance is also required. With the POWERbot R7010, this is even more important.

You should be removing and cleaning the filter at least weekly, and maybe even more often. However, you also need to flip the little guy over and check underneath. You must untangle anything around the brush bar, wheels, and sensors. The robot is actually not very maintenance friendly and will take up about an hour of your time each week. This may not be a huge issue, but it is something to keep in mind.

Specifications Table

Allow me now, to show you the features of the robot in an easy to read chart.

	Samsung POWERbot R7010
Battery	Lithium-Ion
Battery Charge Time	3 hours
Battery Drain Time	Up To 60 minutes
Filter	Machine Washable
Wireless Connection	No
Remote Control	No
Local Control	Yes
Navigation	Camera and Sensors
Drop Sensors	Yes
Bump Sensors	Yes
Automatic Recharge	Yes
Entire Level Cleaning	Yes
Scheduling	Yes
Extraction Method	Brush Bar
Warranty	1 year

Alternative Options

There are other vacuums in the same class that you may want to consider.

Eufy 11 Plus

This vacuum actually performs better than the POWERbot on carpet. It also has a longer runtime and quicker recharge thanks to a larger lithium-ion battery pack. It still has disadvantages when it comes to edge cleaning and navigation.

If you are looking for a better clean with carpet though, it is worth a look.

Shark Ion Robot 750

Another economy class robotic vacuum with a little more power and control. The Shark Ion Robot 750 has wireless communications and a mobile app to set up schedules, start and stop cleaning cycles and you can even get Amazon Alexa skills to control the robot with your voice.

If you want more control and a better set up experience, the Ion Robot 750 should be on your list.

Roomba 690

It is hard to argue with the best of the best. iRobot has been at the top of the robotic vacuum line for decades. While the 690 is not their best effort, it has all the features at a fraction of the cost of the major names in the lineup.

The Roomba 690 might also be one of the best all-time at cleaning carpet, something the POWERbot R7010 will not be able to say.

Frequently Asked Questions

There are a few questions that come up over and over again about the POWERbot vacuum. I will answer them for you here.

1. What kind of containment does the R7010 use?
   Walls. Doors if you remember to close them, or your foot if you chase it around. There isn’t any method of containment such as magnetic strips, or infrared devices to prevent or limit access to areas of the space.
2. Where can I buy a remote control for the R7010?
   Nowhere. This model, unlike some of the higher level units, doesn’t have a remote at all, nor will any remote work with it. It is the basic model with few features to lower cost.
3. Can you set a schedule for this model?
   Kind of. Scheduling with the POWERbot R7010 isn’t what you will normally find in other vacuums. Instead of telling it a time or a date to start a cleaning cycle you will basically turn on a timer. In 24 hours from that moment, it will begin a cleaning cycle. It will then reset and repeat every 24 hours.

In Conclusion

The Samsung POWERbot R7010 is an economy class robotic vacuum. I mean that. It is a very basic model with not a whole lot going for it. There is no remote control, no real programming and only three buttons to tell it to start or stop cleaning.

That being said, it works really well in the navigation and mapping sectors and will make its way through your home with very little issues. The sensors and cameras work really well and as long as it is on hard flooring, it will clean better than some in the same class.

However, if you have carpeting, you can expect to be less than impressed. The constant maintenance and remembering to wash the filter may become more of a pain than you want. If budget is your main concern, there are less expensive models on the market. However, I would suggest that you rethink the position and look for a model with a little more features and one that works better on carpet.

Summary

If you are looking for a bare-bones robot vacuum, they don’t come much more bare than the Samsung POWERbot R7010. While navigation and mapping are excellent, it leaves a lot to be desired on carpets. With higher maintenance than other similar robots, the POWERbot R7010 may not be the most exciting option.

What I Like

• The R7010 is an inexpensive option for entry-level robot vacuums.
• Set up can’t be any easier.
• No complicated controls to get in the way of a simple cleaning cycle.

What I Don’t Like

• No remote operation, either infrared or wireless.
• Doesn’t clean as well as other robots on carpet.
• Small collection bin needs to be emptied more often.