Anker Innovations, more commonly known as Anker, isn’t the first name you would think of when it comes to vacuum cleaners. In fact, it probably wouldn’t be the third or even fourth. However, the company has been diversifying its product portfolio with offerings spanning the AIoT space, audio products and even projectors. This, of course, comes in addition to their well-known line of mobile charging solutions. The latest addition to this lineup is the Mach V1 Ultra, a cordless StickVac that comes equipped with steam cleaning and sterilizing technology.
The new Mach V1 Ultra is the first solution under the Mach brand. The StickVac comes with a charging base that not only charges it up but also enables a self-cleaning function after vacuuming. The vacuum also comes with a full colour, Smart LCD display that provides you with all the information you need when you use the vacuum. You can even use the eufy Clean App to control and monitor the StickVac and its consumables.
Of course, cleaning with steam can be dangerous. Anker has equipped the Mach V1 Ultra with sensors and a smart indication feature that helps protect your family when you use the StickVac and also extends the lifetime of the vacuum itself. You won’t need to worry about walking on scalding floors either. The V1 Ultra comes with JetBlade a quick-drying technology which also helps bring down the temperature of the floor rapidly as well. The technology utilises an opening at the back of the StickVac to expel air to rapidly dry and cool the floor when cleaning. The StickVac also comes with Eco-Clean Ozone sterilization which eliminates odours and sterilizes while cleaning.
The Mach V1 Ultra comes with three usage modes: Steam, Smart and Suction. The suction mode allows the vacuum to function like your run-of-the-mill vacuum but is able to clean both dry and wet messes. The smart mode uses an algorithm to determine the cleaning mode according to your daily cleaning needs. The hallmark – Steam mode – uses a cordless steam technology called SteamWave which allows the Mach V1 Ultra to release a continuous flow of 110°C steam to sterilize and remove stubborn stains.
The cherry on top of the Mach V1 Ultra’s package is its extended runtime. Thanks to Anker’s prowess in creating portable batteries, the V1 Ultra is able to boast a runtime of up to 82 minutes on a single charge. Anker is also offering a 24-month warranty exclusively for the Mach V1 Ultra. This warranty will entitle you to a 1-to-1 exchange at your purchase point within the warranty period.
Pricing & Availability
The Mach V1 Ultra StickVac is now available for pre-order at all partner stores including Thundermatch Technologies, LAZADA and Shopee.
Acer’s acerpure line up has been one of the more eye-opening announcements from the laptop and systems company in the past few years. The new line-up comes with tech products no one saw them releasing such as air purifiers. However, it seems like the indoor air quality and cleanliness lineup is here to stay with the announcement of two new entries: the acerpure clean V1 and the acerpure clean V1 lite.
Source: Acer
The two devices expand the acerpure brand to cover vacuums. Both are handheld, portable vacuums built for different usage scenarios. The acerpure clean V1 is a larger handheld vacuum. It has a suction force of 23,000 Pa power by cyclone suction technology. The V1 has a five-stage filtration technology that traps dirt as small as 0.3 microns – a fraction of the width of the human hair! Speaking of hair, the V1 won’t allow your hairs to get tangled while cleaning with its independent, power efficient motor which prevents tangles from happening.
Source: Acer
The acerpure V1 is versatile and can work on multiple surfaces such as curtains, windows, tables and fans with its quick-switch 2-in-1 brush. You’ll be able to clean in smaller, hard to reach nooks and crannies with the crevice nozzle while you’ll be able to reach hard to reach places with the extensible tube. You’ll even be able to see the stray dustbunnies get caught with the 4 built-in LED lights. Acer claims that the acerpure Clean V1 is able to eliminate up to 99.9% of mites too.
The vacuum comes with a 2,500mAh battery which gives it up to 60 minutes of usage time. The Clean V1 comes with three modes – daily mode, turbo mode and energy saving mode to suit your cleaning needs. The vacuum only weighs 1.5kg.
Source: Acer
The more compact acerpure V1 Lite is designed to clean small, hard to maneuver places like a backpack, a handbag or even a drawer. Made for convenience, the smaller, lighter V1 Lite comes with up to 13,000 Pa suction. It also comes with a specially designed brush that allows you to angle into hard to reach places and a 2-in-1 briush for versatility. It’s only 550g and charges via a USB-C port.
Pricing & Availability
The new acerpure clean line up will be available starting from 12 December 2022 via the online acer store, Lazada, Shopee and its retail partners. The acerpure clean V1 will be priced at MYR1,299 while the V1 Lite will be priced at MYR599.
In conjunction with the big 12.12 sale, Acer Malaysia will be selling the vacuums at discounted prices. The acerpure Clean V1 will be available for MYR1,099 with a special bundle which includes the V1 Lite for free. On the other hand, the acerpure V1 Lite will be available for MYR369 with a free Acer Day mug.
When they told us that robots are going to take the world on in the 21st century, we never really expected that robotics has just evolved to something like a robot vacuum. We were expecting robots that could stand on two feet, Androids to be our personal butlers and caretakers. While progress on robotics has not been what you want to call fast, it is still significant enough to garner some attention. In today’s world robotics has helped humanity progressed and in some ways become better couch potatoes. Take the Robot Vacuum for example.
Robot vacuums started out as an item of novelty. They did not work very well in the beginning, and they were rather expensive. It was new technology, after all. They were a precursor to something much better for the average consumer.
The demand for handheld vacuums and robot vacuums skyrocketed in the past few years because they are rather clever. You do not to waste your time plugging your device in every time you want to clean your house. You simply turn them on to get cleaning. In the case of the robot vacuum, you do not even need to follow it around.
Which brings us to this Roborock Q7 Max+. It will set you back MYR 2,899. At that price, you are getting the robot vacuum and a dock. It is not some dock that will also change your robot’s water, but at least it empties the robot’s trash compartment.
Thing is, you can get a robot vacuum at a much lower price point. You can also get one at a higher price range. Should you get this one? Is this even worth its asking price? We find out.
Design
It looks like any typical robot vacuum. It is circular in shape, which is rather normal for a robot vacuum. Why is it not more rectangular in shape? We do not know; we also think that the optimum shape for a robot vacuum is a circular form for optimum navigation.
Compared to some of the lower end robot vacuum as well, it is quite large too. Of course, the size allows for bigger, more powerful engine within the rather flat body. The real estate of the Roborock Q7 Max also allows it to have more sensors, to be cleverer in terms of knowing where it is in a house environment. There is also a sort of bump on top that also houses its sensors, including a LiDAR mapping hardware, to better understand the layout of the room it is in.
While it is on the large side, in terms of footprint, its flatted profile allows it to easily slip into tighter spaces, like under your beds. Then again, because it has such a large footprint, it may not go into tighter corners or narrow spots.
Features
Of course, a modern robot vacuum is not just a hunk of plastic with basic gears and a few sensors to make sure it does not fall down a flight of stairs. The Roborock Q7 Max packs more sensors now than before to understand where it is and what its surrounding environment looks like. It also packs WiFi and comes with an accompanying app that you can work with to see how the robot works and its charge state.
Starting Up in Minutes
The box that the Roborock Q7 Max is quite large. Then again, it does not just house the vacuum cleaner unit itself. It also packs its large docking tower. When we say large though, there are larger vacuum towers that contains a larger waste bin and water tank.
Still, if you open the box the right way up (which we totally did not), you will find an instructional sheet that gets you up and going with the Roborock Q7 Max+ quickly. You really just have to get everything assembled, fill the water tank of the Q7 Max, get it plugged in, and you are almost ready to go. You do want to have your app installed on your smartphone and get your Roborock Q7 Max connected to the internet to ensure you get the best out of your vacuum cleaner.
Setting everything up took us no more than 10 minutes and the vacuum is ready to go for its first clean, with mop function and everything. The tower came in two pieces, with removable cover to house the extra vacuum bag that is provided with the vacuum cleaner too. Assembly for it is tool-less too, so you do not need to bring your toolbox or call a handyman to get it assembled and working.
Vacuum Tower Dock
The tower dock is made up of mostly plastic. While it is made mostly of plastics, it does not look or feel cheap in any way. Then again, its main purpose is to house an extra larger dust bag so that the Roborock Q7 can empty its own dust container to make room for the next cleaning session.
The removable cover for the vacuum bag is also translucent. We assume that you can see through it to determine if the vacuum bag needs changing or not. Strangely we thought that it was a feature that should be part of the app.
Roborock App and WiFi
The Roborock App does not just cater for one product obviously. It caters for all of Roborock’s products that has WiFi function on it. We are advocates of electronics with apps to control them, so this is a bonus point for Roborock.
The layout of the app is rather simplistic and minimal, which we are fond of. To get the app connected to your Roborock vacuum is just as simple as well. You just need to scan a QR code that can be found on your vacuum. That, or you must make sure that your WiFi is on, and your smartphone will find the Roborock Q7 Max to connect to.
Once connected, you can use your app to control and monitor the vacuum cleaner’s progress as it goes around the house to start its cleaning session. The app even tells you how long it takes to clean one room, alongside its battery charge state. Of course, you can use the app to control the vacuum.
Clever 3D Mapping
Like many of the newer robot vacuums, the Roborock Q7 Max maps your entire house and determines the most efficient way to vacuum your space as effectively as possible. It might take the Roborock Q7 robot some time to map your space if there are a lot of objects lying around or if that space is oddly shaped. Obviously, the ideal space for a robot vacuum is a clear rectangular space with nothing else on the floor.
In our little office, with bean bags and various other furniture like our chairs, tables, and even a TV console. Of course, being an office that doubles as our studio, there are also various cables lying on the floor. We also have two studio lights always set up so that we can just start shooting at any time. Our office space is also covered in carpet, the ideal vacuum situation.
It took the little robot vacuum about 30 minutes to both accurately map (thanks to LiDAR) and fully clean the office in its first stint. Of course, because we did not want to wet our carpet, we turned off the mopping function, you can do that via the app too. The next few rounds of cleaning took just about 20 minutes since the Q7 is not necessarily doing any extra guess work and mapping. Of course, the Roborock Q7 continues to run its sensors while it is cleaning just in case there are any changes to the space.
Performance
Via the app, you can choose the Roborock Q7’s operation mode. You can either get it to mop and vacuum, or just vacuum. You even get to choose the intensity of its operations via the app. In the vacuum department, there are three levels of suction strength you can choose from. Even the mop has three levels of intensity for you to choose from.
While mopping may not be something you want to do with carpets, you can consider mopping your tiles or parquet flooring. We used it in our homes with mostly marble flooring, parquet, and tiles. The tower does not come with a water tank, so you must refill your water tank from time to time if you do want to work with the mop function.
In terms of suction, the Roborock Q7 Max does well enough even at minimum power. You only need all 4,200pa of suction when you are working with a lot of carpets. In regular flooring conditions, cranking your Roborock Q7 Max to its maximum power setting is never necessary. While you may want to adjust the amount of water that is being used to clean your floor, we do not think that you need anything more than the medium wetness setting to clean your floor. If you want to wet your carpets, the wettest setting might be necessary.
It is not the fastest robot vacuum you might find in the market. As mentioned, it took about 25 minutes or so for the Roborock Q7 Max to clean our entire office. But it does get the job done, very well at that. Thanks to the app, you can monitor the cleaning progress of the Q7 Max at any given time.
You do want to keep stray cloth off the floor. You also want to keep in mind that the robot does tend to climb up small ledges. Though, it is not very good at reversing out of said ledge. The app does a decent job at telling you that your Q7 Max has met with some issues, has stopped operating, and needs rescuing.
At the same time, the Roborock Q7 Max has a powerful enough drive motor to push small objects out of the way. Our lighting set up was completely toppled over by the robot vacuum in its pass through. Since we had it going remotely, we did not find out until we came back into the office to collect the unit.
Yes, it can operate without the dock in place too. That is rather useful when you have multiple floors of your home or office to work with. You can program it to different floors too and the vacuum quickly understands which layout its cleaning on its own. Without the dock, the robot vacuum will return to its original position where you set it down, so you simply pick it up where you left it once it is done cleaning, as told by the Roborock app.
In terms of noise, it does not make that much of it while it gets going. Yes, you hear it going, but it is not annoying or disruptive in anyway. When it docks and empties its bin though is when things get rather loud. The app will warn you, but nothing prepares you for that sound. It sounded like you have a jet going off in your house, rather unnerving.
Because the dock does not house a water tank too, you do have to clean the mop attachment and fill up the water tank on your own. We also think that the app should be able to at least keep track of how much water the vacuum still contains. It is an easy enough job filling the water tank though. You simply pop it out of the vacuum and fill with regular water. The water tank is combined to the dustbin though, so the Roborock Q7 Max will not work without the tank inside the vacuum.
Roborock Q7 Max – It Does the Job
The Roborock Q7 Max+ bundle includes the Roborock Q7 Max robot vacuum unit and a docking tower. That will set you back MYR 2,899 currently. In the world of robot vacuums, the Roborock is a little on the premium side. Compared to a similarly priced Roidmi robot vacuum though, the Roborock packs more suction power. Sure, you do not have a refill tank in the tower but refilling the water tank is not much of a hassle. It is a job that takes probably about 2 minutes. You do have to clean the mop module though, which can be annoying.
Still, the Roborock Q7 is one of the most powerful robot vacuums you can find in the market currently. The comprehensive app, while can also be likened to many of its competitors’ apps is very user friendly and easy to understand for most. There is a small learning curve if you are not used to it, but you only ever need to use one or two buttons on the app, especially if you live in a single-story building or a condominium, same goes to the office.
It is not the fastest cleaning robot out there, but because of how much power it has, it cleans your floor well. It works especially well with carpets since carpets tends to be dustier than regular tiling or marble flooring. The added mop function will not replace the old mop and floor cleaning solution combo. Still, it does its job well enough that you have a clean floor after every cleaning session.
Is it worth its asking price? If you want something that is powerful enough to clean your carpets, reliable, comes with a simple app to help you manage your vacuum, and a dock that also ensures that your robot vacuum is ready to go with an empty dustbin, this is the one for you. You can get ones that comes with a bigger tower dock that houses a water tank to clean your mop and replace the water supply in your robot vacuum too, but if you are mostly working with carpets, you may want to trade the water tank in with higher suction power anyway. In that case, MYR 2,899 is money well spent on this puppy.
Xiaomi has been extending its reach into the realm of IoT in recent years. The company has developed and released many different offerings that cater to different segments and use cases. One of their most popular is home appliances. They have been busy developing everything from TVs to robot vacuums.
ROIDMI is one of their foremost offerings when it comes to robot vacuums. The new Eve Plus version of the robot vacuum is one which can not only vacuum but mop floors. It comes with a 2,700pa suction which is stronger than most of the competing brands.
In addition the vacuum also brings some of the latest in mapping and navigation technologies. The LDS 4.0 navigation technology allows it to detect, recognise and map terrain better than before. These features work together with the MiJia or Mi Home app to enable customised cleaning plans. You can even get it to clean on demand by using voice activation with Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant.
The ROIDMI Eve Plus Robot Vacuum come with a 5,200mAh battery which gives it a 250 minutes run time. If it runs out of battery midway cleaning, it will simply return to the dock and pick up where it left off after recharging. The dock also allows the vacuum to empty itself. It holds up to 60 days of waste in its 3-litre dust bag before needing to be emptied. The 250ml water tank that is built-in to the ROIDMI Eve Plus allows it to mop up stains while cleaning.
The Eve Plus Robot Vacuum is one of the only available that is able to sterilize and disinfect air that is sucked up and released by the vacuum. The activated oxygen system is able to kill 99.9% of bacteria including E.coli, S.aureus and even the fungus C.albicans. Air released by the vacuum is also clear of toxic chemicals such as benzenes, ammonia and formaldehydes.
The vacuum will be available on Shopee for a limited time offer of MYR400 off its retail price. It will be available MYR1,588 for a year’s warranty. The premium warranty is available for MYR1,988. This includes a 1-to-1 replacement should there be anything wrong with the ROIDMI Eve Plus.
Xiaomi is no stranger when it comes to home technologies. The company has made waves with their IoT lineup. It has also been in the news for investing and developing brands that push not only IoT products but regular home products as well. Dreame is one of the few that focuses on delivering household solutions to users.
Dreame has long been available via online platforms, however, the brand is finally making its official debut in Malaysia. Partnering with their sole local distributor, Uniqbe Sdn Bhd, their offerings will now be available through the official Dreame store on Shopee.
Source: Dreame
The first product officially arriving in Malaysia is the Dreame H11 series vacuums. The Dreame H11 and H11 Max both come with a two-tank design that allows users to vacuum and mop simultaneously. The cordless vacuum system comes with a 900ml clean water tank and 500ml dirt water tank. This allows the vacuums to simultaneously suck and vacuum the floor. During use, cleaning solution and clean water are continually sprayed on the roller brushes from the clean water tank. While in use, the rollers are also cleaned as the dirt separation system removes the dirt from the rollers and deposits it into the 500ml dirt tank. The H11 series comes with up to 30 minutes of active use.
The Dreame H11 Max comes with an added auto mode that intelligently adjusts the suction power according to the clean up needed. Both the H11 and H11 Max come with an LED display screen and intelligent voice prompts which Dreame claims will help with cleaning.
Source: Dreame
The H11 and H11 Max will be available from their official store on Shopee. The H11 will be retailing at MYR1,999 while the H11 Max will be retailing for MYR2,499. In conjunction with their launch, they will be selling 50 units each of the H11 and H11 Max at MYR1,388 and MYR1,788 respectively.
In addition, Uniqbe Sdn Bhd is also partnering with Make-A-Wish Malaysia to help make Dreame’s launch more impactful. From now until Chinese New Year, the company will be earmarking 11% of sale from Dreame products for Make-A-Wish.
We got a very brief tease of HONOR’s very interesting TV toward the end of last year. We saw them at one of their launches. Sadly, the staff at the time said that the TV will not be coming to Malaysia.
HONOR Vision X1
This year, they introduced a new TV alongside a whole slew of smart products for your home. They introduced their new HONOR Vision X1 TV. Seeing that we did not have HONOR’s previous TV, we do not know much about it. The new HONOR Vision X1 TV though packs 8K resolution from either a 65-inch or 55-inch. We still do not know whether this will come to Malaysia or not. We are hopeful though.
Source: HUAWEI Central
Source: HUAWEI Central
It packs four 10W speakers to output super powerful and clear audio so that you do not need to spend on new soundbars or sound system. The HONOR Vision X1 also packs Motion Estimate and Motion Compensation technology to prevent blurring when upscaling happens. The Honghu 818 System on a Chip (SoC) within the TV also helps reduce display flickering. At 65-inch it sets you back RMB 3,299 (MYR 2,019) while the 55-inch HONOR Vision X1 will set you back RMB 2,299 (MYR 1,407). That is extremely cheap for an 8K TV to be fair. Let us hope that it makes it into Malaysia before the launch of Sony’s PlayStation 5.
HONOR Router 3
Exactly what it sounds like, they launched a WiFi Router. This is not just a regular router with 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz bands though. It is a WiFi 6+ capable router with 1.2GHz antenna. This also means that the HONOR Router 3 is one of the most advanced routers available in the market at its launch later in July 2020. Again, we do not know if that is coming into Malaysia. Still, you might be able to get them on TaoBao later.
WiFi 6 means more speed and stability. Still, once it meets a wall or two, stability drops. WiFi 6+, according to HONOR anyway, is supposed to solve that issue. With WiFi 6+ signals through the wall should still be stable enough to be useable. Whatever that is, sign me up. It is priced at RMB 219 (MYR 134).
HONOR Choice Home Appliances
They not only launched a new TV and Router for the Smart Home. They also launched a selection of home appliances. They launched an electronic toothbrush that is designed to ensure that there is no dirt build up on the device. They call it their Smart Ultra-sonic Toothbrush. I am not a big fan of electronic Toothbrush though. No prices for this yet.
Source: HONOR
They also launched a Smart Kettle, a Smart Lamp, and a Smart Humidifier. These are items that you may be able to find in the shops though. There is no mention if these smart products are compatible with WiFi connectivity for remote control or not. We do hope that is the case with these products though. They also launched a bladeless fan they call Air Multiplier. No, it is not going to add more air into the room. Like any other fan, it just helps circulate air within a room. That might be useful in the hot and humid weather that is Malaysia though.
They launched a very interesting Smart Vacuum that mimics the more popular handheld, wireless vacuum today. In the launch gambit, they took a stab at Dyson. We know the Dyson wireless vacuum is the best there is in the market. They are claiming that the HONOR Smart Vacuum is more powerful than the Dysons. It packs a 350W 100,000rpm motor with 65 minutes of battery life. Its battery life is more than enough for most homes in Malaysia. It even has ultraviolet-sterilisation cleansing system to keep your floors cleaner than it can ever be. Whether that lives up to HONOR’s hype is yet to be seen though. We do not even know when all these products comes to Malaysia, if they ever come at all.
TWS Earbuds X1
Of course, with the craze with wireless things and wireless earphones, HONOR will not miss out. They launched the HONOR TWS Earbuds X1, their very own, very new True Wireless earphones for the masses.
Its design is very familiar. That is also because it is reminiscent of Apple’s AirPod Pro. It looks like it has a shorter stem though, which also means it is smaller in profile. There is no active noise cancelling on the earbuds though. Still, you get up to 24-hours in battery life with the TWS Earbuds X1 package. We do not know how much of that is down to the case’s battery power.
The TWS Earbuds X1 is priced at RMB 169 (MYR 103). It does not seem like there are any other colour choices except for white. Still, it is affordable. There is no confirmed availability date just yet. We do expect this one to come to Malaysia though.
