DJI’s first robot vacuum is clever, capable and polished, but the price of the Romo may put some potential customers off.
When a company known for drones decides to build a robot vacuum, the obvious question is this: will it clean your home like a domestic helper, or behave like an overqualified flying camera that has lost its wings?
The answer, in the case of the DJI Romo, is more flattering than many first attempts deserve. DJI’s debut robovac is a genuinely sophisticated machine with excellent navigation, very strong obstacle avoidance, and a premium base station that does much of the dirty work for you.
It feels, in many ways, like a drone company applying spatial intelligence to the floor.
First impressions: DJI energy, now at floor level
The DJI Romo does not look like a timid first-generation product. By all accounts, it arrives with the confidence you would expect from a company that has spent years building consumer hardware that needs to orient itself precisely in three-dimensional space.
And frankly, that tracks with what one would expect from DJI. If you can teach a drone to hold position in wind and avoid smashing itself into trees, teaching a robot vacuum to avoid cables and chair legs wouldn’t be too difficult.
Navigation and obstacle avoidance: the star of the show
The Romo’s flawless obstacle detection and dependable navigation, including reliable cable detection, is something many robot vacuums still struggle with. In real homes, that matters more than almost any lab number. A robot that promises 20,000Pa but gets strangled by a charging cable before lunch is, to put it kindly, not an intelligent appliance.
This is where the Romo seems to justify the DJI badge. Precise mapping, strong route planning, and millimetre-level smart detection help it move through cluttered spaces.
In our tests, we never had to rescue the Romo once, including over small steps and thick bathroom mats.
Vacuuming performance: strong, credible, and competitive
On vacuuming duties, the Romo is genuinely good. Its suction performance is solid, cleaning effectively across everyday surfaces while maintaining a premium, low-intervention experience.
Over extensive usage, the unit and station held up well physically and required relatively little intervention, save for the occasional snagged fabric item. That sort of reliability is precisely what buyers in this price bracket expect.
Mopping performance: capable, but not class-leading
Here is where the DJI Romo’s first-generation status becomes easier to spot. The robot handles fresh and lightly dried stains well, and corner cleaning is convincing, but it struggles more with firmly dried stains, even after repeated passes.
The two scrub pads do not have as much bite as other conventional rollers seen on competitor products. Mind you, the finishing product is still a clean floor, just that you may need to run the Romo over twice to achieve the same results.
Base station: premium convenience, premium footprint
The Romo’s station is one of its strongest supporting acts. The inclusion of hot-water cleaning, hot-air drying, and a suction function places it squarely in premium territory and helps explain the aggressive pricing.
Self-emptying dust, washing mop components, drying them properly, and handling water management reduce smells, reduce maintenance, and reduce the likelihood that you will abandon the automation and go back to doing it yourself.
And it is even designed uniquely, much like an old Macintosh system. We absolutely love it.
Price and positioning
The DJI Romo starts at SGD$1269, while the Romo A is SGD$1509, and the Romo P is the steepest at SGD$1729.
This is the central tension in the Romo story. If it were priced slightly below the category heavyweights, one could call it an outstanding debut and move on. But at flagship-level pricing, it is no longer competing on curiosity or promise.
It is competing against mature ecosystems from brands that have spent years refining not just navigation, but mopping, app workflows, service networks, and accessory pricing.
Verdict: an impressive debut
The DJI Romo is a remarkably strong first robot vacuum. Its navigation and obstacle avoidance are standout features, its vacuuming performance is solid, and its premium station meaningfully reduces the maintenance burden that frustrates many robovac owners.
This is impressive, desirable, and worth watching closely, especially once pricing mellows out a little.
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