We’ve all been there. We think we’ve finished vacuuming, put everything away, and then later discover dirt in patches of our carpet that we’ve forgotten to drag our vacuum cleaner over – but what if it didn’t have to be like this? What if you could know exactly where you had and hadn’t cleaned in your home to help you make it spotless every time?
That’s where Dyson’s new creation comes in: the Dyson CleanTrace – which is scheduled to launch in June this year. This AR tool allows your phone – provided it has a LiDAR scanner – to track your vacuum as you clean. Everywhere that your Dyson vacuum has passed over will be mapped in purple, while uncleaned sections of your floor will be left blank.
It takes inspiration from the tech used by Dyson’s 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum cleaner – which recently arrived in the US – and as pointed out by Dyson, this tool will not only help you give more attention to those often forgotten recesses of your living space but should also save you time as you won’t go back over sections that you can see have been vacuumed already.
What’s more, because holding a phone up while you clean would be a challenge Dyson will also be releasing a Dyson CleanTrace phone clamp that’ll hold it in place for you. Unfortunately, Dyson hasn’t yet said how much the clamp or the Dyson CleanTrace service will cost, but with it launching in only a couple of months we shouldn’t have long to wait before we know this vital information.
(Image credit: Dyson)
This AR cleaning tool looks a lot like a demo shared on Reddit by developer u/push_matrix, and when it popped up we and many in the various subreddits where the clip was shared had the same reaction: this look super helpful. So it’s pretty exciting that Dyson has managed to bring a version of it to life in a form that seems more accessible – chiefly by swapping a mixed-reality headset that’s used in the Reddit version for a smartphone.
There is just one fairly big catch: Dyson’s CleanTrace AR cleaning tool only works with a Dyson Gen5detect – one of Dyson’s most expensive models (though as we point out in our Dyson Gen5detect review it is impressive).
This is a shame as we’d love it if it could be used by other Dysons that populate our best cordless vacuum guide like the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute or more affordable options. Right now though it’s unclear when or even if CleanTrace will be expanded to other Dyson vacuums – though we seriously hope it will be.
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Dyson’s latest high-end robot vacuum, the Dyson 360 Vis Nav, has reached the shores of North America after spending more than eight months lingering in the UK and Australia.
You can think of it as the successor to the old Dyson 360 Eye model from all the way back in 2017. At the center of the Vis Nav is a camera with a fisheye lens capable of seeing in 360 degrees, giving the machine a full panoramic view of your home. All of the visual information it takes in is then processed through its on-board system, creating a map. It’ll know the layout of your house, including where the furniture is located, and even make note of areas where dust frequently accumulates.
Of course, you do have the option to make adjustments on the fly via the MyDyson app. With a mobile device, owners can create cleaning schedules for the robot vacuum and even instruct it to avoid certain areas of their home. The Vis Nav is compatible with both Google Home and Alexa, allowing you to control it with simple voice commands.
Notable features
One of the things the company boasts about for this robo-vacuum is its power. The model houses a motor capable of spinning at 11,000rpm, delivering a suction of 65 air watts (AW). If you check out our review of the Vis Nav from last year, you’ll learn it was able to completely fill up its trash bin while in the default Auto mode.
There are four separate modes in total, all of which can be activated through the aforementioned mobile app. Auto, as the name suggests, is your standard “set it and forget it” setting. The device will clean your floors without direct input. On the side is an extending nozzle that can reach those tough spots up against the wall. As it’s sweeping, the Vis Nav can dynamically adjust its suction power to the side duct so it can clean deep into those missed spots.
(Image credit: Dyson)
Next is Boost mode to greatly increase the vacuum’s performance when scrubbing your house. It knows when to magnify power thanks to the internal “piezo sensor”. This piece of hardware informs the model how much dust is on the floor currently. Third is Quiet mode, which is supposed to silence the Vis Nav. However, if you read our review, it’s really not that quiet. The last one is Quick mode. According to The Verge, this mode has the vacuum clean up open areas while avoiding the dirt stuck inside corners.
Availability
As much as we harp about the review, it’s important to go back to it because it seems Dyson made very few changes. The Vis Nav over here in the Western Hemisphere will have all the positives as well as all the negatives.
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It appears Dyson improved the battery on the North American release as it can now last up to 65 minutes on a single charge instead of 50 minutes. Recharging will take 1.55 hours instead of 2.5 hours. The one thing that hasn’t changed is how expensive it is.
The 360 Vis Nav is on sale right now in the United States and Canada for $1,200 USD/$1,500 CAD. So yeah, he’s a pricey fella. Fortunately, there are other options out there.
There’s now a newer hair dryer in the Dyson range with the announcement of the Supersonic Nural. Unlike the Supersonic r, which has been released exclusively for pro hair stylists, the Nural is for everyone and promises to be Dyson’s best and most intelligent hair dryer yet.
It’s equipped with some smart sensor technology that can help protect not just your hair from heat damage, but your scalp too. Dyson calls these sensors Nural – explaining the name of the product – and they’re programmed to detect extreme heat and automatically reduce the temperature to just 55ºC (131ºF), while also adjusting airflow. This is a comfortable temperature for most people to bear and yet it’s warm enough to dry hair quickly, according to Dyson.
The British brand promises that despite the lower temperature, the Supersonic Nural will produce shiny locks and make styling a breeze (pun intended).
(Image credit: Dyson)
Keeping it cool
I didn’t think that 55ºC would be warm enough to dry hair ‘quickly’ but Dyson has figured out how to make that happen.
In what the company calls the Scalp Protect Mode, an invisible infrared beam is projected onto the scalp that enables the dryer to measure the distance between your head and the machine, which allows the device to adjust temperatures in such a way that no matter how near or far you hold the Supersonic Nural, you’ll feel the same heat. This allows you to hold the dryer closer to your head to increase drying times without getting scalded.
The capsule of the Supersonic Nural is also fitted with small LED lights that change color when in Scalp Protect Mode. They’re blue to indicate the dryer is cool, then shift to yellow for low heat. This changes to orange for medium heat and, finally, red when at its hottest.
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While I think the scalp-care sensors are a welcome addition, there’s another feature thats a standout for me personally – the Supersonic Nural can now pause automatically when it senses it’s been put down. This is thanks to the addition of a motion-sensing accelerometer that stops the heater, and reduces both the airflow and noise. As someone who’s had a few mishaps when putting down a running hair dryer, I think this feature alone can be a game changer for many a user.
(Image credit: Dyson)
Keeping it stylish
While the new hair dryer resembles the older Supersonic in form, the lights and sensors give it a very interesting aesthetic that I think most people will love. And, to keep things fresh, Dyson has released a bunch of new magnetic attachments that cater to all hair types.
In fact, the Supersonic Nural is smart enough to recognize which attachment has been fitted and will automatically adjust settings accordingly.
The standout among the new attachments is a redesigned diffuser. Called the Dyson Wave+Curl diffuser, it works in two modes – dome mode reverses airflow and sucks air away from the scalp for smoother, longer waves while diffuse mode delivers air through the prongs for voluminous, tight curls.
The Dyson Supersonic Nural will be available to purchase directly from Dyson and authorized retailers from early April in Australia for AU$749, and from May in the UK for a price £399.99. Pricing and availability for the US is yet to be confirmed.
Dyson released its Dyson V15s Detect Submarine in the UK this week (March 6), following its rollouts in Australia and later the US last year. It’s the company’s first-ever wet and dry vacuum cleaner (so it doubles as a mop, thanks to its eponymous Submarine head), and I was offered the chance to test it out.
As it happens, I’ve been moving into a new apartment this week, so how better to test the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine than seeing how it stacks up as a deep-cleaning tool for getting my new home ready before I move all my furniture in?
TL;DR: this cleaning gadget is almost everything I want. It’s powerful, and it does a fantastic job of cleaning carpets and hard floors, though the battery life and small dirt bin can mean it takes longer to do the job than other vacuums, especially as it doesn’t recharge quickly.
A lean cleaning machine
As a traditional vacuum the Dyson V15s Submarine has all the same bells and whistles as the non-mop equipped version. It comes with all the attachments, including the Motorbar cleaner head (my favorite for carpets), the Fluffy Optic head, and tools for sucking the dust from corners and crevices.
Most importantly, it also comes with the same supreme suction that all Dyson vacs are known for.
I loved cleaning with this thing (Image credit: Future)
The home had been cleaned before we arrived, but you might not know it if you saw the dust this machine ripped from the carpets. In the four carpeted rooms – the bedroom, office, living room and hallway – I managed to fill the canister two-and-a-half times, and I could swear the floors looked a shade lighter when I was finished.
The only downside was the vacuum’s aforementioned battery life. Because of all the dirt it was taking up the V15’s auto power setting must have mostly been running on high, and while this did deliver an amazing clean it meant I needed to recharge the vacuum after around 25 minutes of cleaning, when I was only about two-thirds finished.
To make matters worse, the vacuum is fairly slow to recharge. However, for a cordless vacuum these trade-offs in terms of charging and power are to be expected if you want to keep the device portable and easy to manoeuvre – which the V15s Detect Submarine certainly is.
Mop to it
Okay, but we already know how good a Dyson is at vacuuming – it’s kinda what they’re known for. But how does its first-ever mop compare?
At first glance I was worried that it wasn’t actually doing anything. That’s because the mopped floor is left with only a thin film of water on it after you’ve gone over it – the head is designed to not drench your floors in the first place, and excess dirty liquid is deposited in the Submarine’s dirty-water container.
After feeling that the mop head and floor were indeed damp – and checking that the water supply was fitted properly twice more – I carried on, and saw that the Dyson Submarine mop was indeed mopping up a lot of the messes I’d made while cleaning the kitchen counter and my bathroom earlier in the day.
The Submarine head can be stored in its drip tray when not in use (Image credit: Future)
This was especially true when I slowed down and let the mop head scrub each surface for longer, rather than manually moving it back and forth. The experience is a lot like transitioning from manual toothbrushes to electric ones; you have to learn to let the head do the work rather than your mechanical movement.
I was also glad to see that, because the pipe is completely blocked off, there’s no chance of any water being sucked up into the main bin and causing damage (which, in fairness would have been a massive oversight on Dyson’s part).
However, because of this I found that the mop head wasn’t as good at capturing debris chunks as the other attachments. Once the floor was dry (it dried fairly speedily) I had to go back over it with the fluffy head to pick up any remaining dirt.
The only thing I can’t speak to is how long it can mop for. I went over my modestly sized kitchen and bathroom, with the readout on the V15s Submarine’s screen saying I’d only used about 10% of the water tank. If your home has more hard floors that need mopping I expect that you’ll need to refill the water tank at least once.
A new best of the best?
(Image credit: Dyson)
If you already have a Dyson V15 Detect Absolute then I wouldn’t recommend upgrading to the V15s Detect Submarine. Apart from the Submarine mop attachment you won’t get anything extra out of your machine – which is why I’m a little surprised that Dyson doesn’t sell the mop attachment separately (unless there’s a hardware upgrade or two under the hood that’s required for the V15s to function).
But if you have an older Dyson vacuum that’s in need of a refresh, or you’re looking to transition from a rival brand, this is a model I’d seriously recommend considering over Dyson’s more traditional vacuums if you mop a lot (or want to mop more).
Alternatively, picking up one of the other best vacuum cleaners from our recommended guide and one of the best robot vacuums that can mop for you could be the way to go.
