3i G10+.

The Gavler Review.

3i G10+ Review: A Budget Robot Vacuum That Skips the Bulky Dock

The 3i G10+ ranks ninth on Gavler's Best Robot Vacuums list with an 8.2, and it earns that spot on value rather than spec-sheet bragging rights. TechRadar's James Holland, after two weeks of testing, called it "one of the best budget robovacs I've tested, punching above its affordable price tag." Buy it if you have a smaller, mostly hard-floored home and want strong vacuuming plus a genuinely rare extending mop pad without paying for — or making room for — a towering auto-empty dock. Skip it if deep mopping or flawless navigation is what you're actually shopping for.

What it is

Most budget robot vacuums solve the "who empties the bin" problem with a bulky self-empty tower that swallows a chunk of floor space. The G10+ solves it differently: instead of a dock with an auto-empty function, the robot itself carries an oversized 1-liter onboard bin — roughly double the usual capacity — and a paddle mechanism compresses debris as it comes in, with a built-in UV light keeping the compacted dust hygienic between empties. That's the entire reason the charge-only dock can stay small enough to tuck into a corner. 3i markets it as "no emptying for 60 days," though TechRadar's real-world mileage varied with home size and pet hair, as you'd expect from any single-number claim like that.

Underneath, an 18,000Pa suction motor and a floating main brush handle the actual cleaning, backed by 3i's ApexVision AI object recognition and LiDAR mapping that TechRadar found maps a home in about 15 minutes. At a list price of $449 — regularly discounted to $399 — it undercuts comparable mopping robots like the Ecovacs Deebot N10 Plus ($649.99 MSRP) and Shark's Matrix Plus 2-in-1 ($699.99 MSRP) while matching or beating their auto-empty convenience.

In use

TechRadar ran its standard suction test — flour, sugar, and cereal sprinkled on the floor — and the G10+ cleared it fully in two passes. On hardwood, tile, and carpet, Holland described the vacuuming as "very solid," helped by a side brush that genuinely extends outward to sweep debris from room edges into the suction path — the same edge-cleaning strength Gavler's existing data on the product highlights. The mop pad also kicks outward for edge coverage and lifts a few millimeters automatically when the robot crosses onto carpet, a feature Holland noted "you don't always get... at this price point."

Mopping itself is the weaker half of the equation. The flat, stationary pad is dragged rather than spun, which TechRadar found fine for surface dust but not up to the standard of dual spinning-pad systems on step-up models. In a spill test with soda and coffee, the G10+ cleared the mess but left the room smelling like both — Holland's recommendation was to handle real spills by hand rather than trust the mop pass. The Gadgeteer's review reached a similar conclusion from the vacuuming side: "the vacuum is pretty great. It's thorough and picks up a lot of the dust and hair."

Object avoidance is the other honest weak point. TechRadar watched the G10+ push around a bag clip, bump a dog water bowl, and climb the base of a chair before getting stuck — "the object avoidance is unfortunately not as good as advertised." That's a real trade-off worth naming plainly for anyone shopping specifically for hands-off obstacle handling.

Strengths

• Onboard debris compression with UV hygiene. A paddle mechanism packs debris into a 1-liter bin — about double the usual onboard capacity — with a UV light keeping the compacted dust from turning into a smell problem, all without a bulky auto-empty tower.
• Genuinely rare edge cleaning at this price. Both the extending side brush and the outward-kicking mop pad sweep flush against walls, a feature TechRadar specifically called out as unusual in the budget tier.
• Quiet, long-running operation. Measured at 52dB in normal use (56dB with the side brush extended), with up to 240 minutes of runtime covering roughly 700 sq ft per charge.

The trade-offs — who should skip it

• The dock can struggle on carpet. TechRadar found the G10+ couldn't reliably re-mount its charging dock when placed on medium-pile carpet — the robot seemed unable to catch the ramp to reach the charging contacts. Fully carpeted homes should plan on a hard-floor spot or a mat under the dock.
• The mop cloth can't be machine-washed. Unusually, while the mop mount detaches from the robot, the cloth itself doesn't come off the mount — hand-washing only, and Holland found it took nearly a day to air-dry indoors.
• Object avoidance is inconsistent. Real obstacles like cables, bowls, and chair legs can still trip it up — expected at this price tier, but worth knowing going in if pets or clutter are a factor.

How it compares

On Gavler's list, the G10+ sits one rank above the Roborock Saros 10R at rank ten — a genuinely different bet. The Saros 10R is a flagship with turret-free StarSight navigation, a perfect obstacle-avoidance score in independent testing, and a full wash-and-dry dock, all for roughly three times the G10+'s price. One rank up, the SwitchBot K11+ offers a similarly compact, budget-minded footprint with its own auto-empty approach. The G10+'s case against both: it's the cheapest way onto this list to get real edge cleaning and auto-empty-adjacent convenience, as long as you accept that mopping and obstacle avoidance are where the savings show up.

The Gavler verdict

An 8.2 that reflects a genuinely well-built budget pick rather than a compromised one. TechRadar scored it 4.5 out of 5 for both value and design, backed by The Gadgeteer's independent praise for its vacuuming and app experience. The catch is exactly where you'd expect it in a $400 robot: object avoidance that's hit-or-miss, a mop pad that does surface-level work rather than deep cleaning, and a dock that wants a hard-floor landing spot. For a small-to-medium, mostly hard-floored home on a budget, the G10+ is an easy recommendation; for a fully carpeted house or a household that mops as often as it vacuums, look further up this list.

Common Questions

Is the 3i G10+ worth it in 2026?

Yes, if you have a small-to-medium, mostly hard-floored home and want set-and-forget vacuuming without a bulky auto-empty tower. It ranks ninth on Gavler's Best Robot Vacuums list with an 8.2, and TechRadar's James Holland called it 'one of the best budget robovacs I've tested, punching above its affordable price tag.' The honest catch: mopping is only surface-deep, and the charge-only dock struggles to re-mount on carpet.

Does the 3i G10+'s onboard dust compression actually work?

Yes. Instead of a bulky auto-empty base, the G10+ compresses debris into an oversized 1-liter onboard bin — roughly double the usual capacity — with a built-in UV light to keep stored dust hygienic. That's the entire reason the charge-only dock can stay palm-sized, and it's the feature that lets 3i undercut competitors like the Ecovacs Deebot N10 Plus and Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 on price without losing auto-empty convenience.

3i G10+ or a step-up robot vacuum with a self-empty dock?

Pick the G10+ if your home is mostly hard flooring, you're budget-conscious, and you don't mind hand-washing the mop cloth. Step up to something like the Roborock Saros 10R if deep mopping, flagship obstacle avoidance, or a fully carpeted home are priorities — TechRadar found the G10+'s object avoidance 'not as good as advertised,' and its dock can't reliably re-dock on medium-pile carpet.