As their global market share continues to expand, domestic robot vacuum brands are no longer seen as budget alternatives, but are increasingly setting the pace in performance and user experience in the global market.

From Dreame’s X50 Ultra robot vacuum being named in Time Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2025 — the only robot vacuum on the list — to Chinese brands dominating Amazon’s best-seller rankings, the rise of Chinese robot vacuum players is becoming increasingly visible to global consumers.

According to a report released by market intelligence IDC in March, global shipments of home cleaning robots reached 32.72 million units in 2025, up 20.1 percent year-on-year. Notably, Chinese manufacturers — including Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi and Narwal — took all top five spots in terms of global shipments.

“Chinese manufacturers played a central role in driving the steady growth of the global robot vacuum market in 2025, supported by ongoing product innovation, stronger channel execution and the continued release of demand,” said Zhao Siquan, a senior analyst at IDC China.”Going forward, competition will increasingly center on AI capabilities and ecosystem integration, with technological innovation becoming the key differentiator.”

The shifting market dynamics are also reflected in the fortunes of traditional players. iRobot, a US pioneer in the robot vacuum industry, filed for bankruptcy late last year and agreed to be acquired by one of its Chinese suppliers, Shenzhen, Guangdong province-based Picea Group.

In a post-bankruptcy interview, iRobot CEO Gary Cohen said the company had fallen about four years behind Chinese competitors on product innovation.

“Driven by breakthroughs in laser navigation, AI-based visual recognition, multi-sensor fusion and embodied intelligence algorithms, Chinese robot vacuum brands have moved ahead of traditional incumbents such as iRobot in overall product intelligence,” said Jiang Han, senior analyst at market consultancy Pangoal.

Driven by a dual strategy jointly powered by technological innovation and scenario adaptation, Chinese industry players are able to tailor products to different household layouts and flooring conditions across markets, thereby forming differentiated competitiveness, Jiang said.

“Take the European market as an example, where wall-to-wall carpeting is common in many households. While the ‘mop-lifting’ function has been introduced as a solution, its limited lifting height means that long-pile carpets can still get wet,” said Meng Jia, president of Dreame’s robotic vacuum division.

To address the challenge, the manufacturer developed a detachable mop function specifically for carpeted homes. In vacuuming mode, the mop remains at the base station, and is automatically installed only when mopping is required, Meng said.

“The ability to respond swiftly to these pain points is key to gaining a competitive advantage,” he added.

Another common frustration in everyday homes targeted by the Chinese brand is the difficulty of cleaning corners, where traditional robot vacuums often leave gaps of around 5 centimeters along edges, Meng explained.

In this regard, the manufacturer developed a bionic robotic arm that extends the mop to reach edges and mimic human cleaning, reducing gaps to less than 0.1 cm. Its robot vacuums equipped with this feature have sold over 7 million units as of late April.

According to Meng, such strong product capabilities have given Chinese brands the confidence to compete in the global high-end segment.

“With globally pioneering technologies such as the bionic robotic arm, embedded base station and binocular 3D vision-based obstacle avoidance, our flagship models are priced close to premium home appliances in markets such as Western Europe and North America, yet have still become a preferred choice among local consumers,” he said.

The strategy has also translated into market performance. In 2025, Dreame’s robotic vacuum cleaners ranked first in market share across 30 countries and regions, with its share exceeding 40 percent in 18 markets including Germany, Sweden and Poland. The company’s revenue from the segment also doubled in 2025, marking its sixth consecutive year of 100 percent growth.