It's easy to use, doing much of the heavy lifting itself; it maps your home and stores its route in the clear, accompanying app.

We even have a separate machine to clean the carpets between test runs so one result won't influence the next.

Dual, rotating circular disc mop pads tend to deliver a more effective clean than semicircular mop pads, in my experience.

The dock is also very compact for a self-empty model. The interior space is mostly given over to a larger-than-normal dust bag, which means you won't be bothered by the tiny onboard bin.

These small-scale vacuums are ideal for cleaning up spilt food and keeping on top of dust in between more thorough cleans.

We were intrigued to see how the Samsung robot vacuum would fare, because it’s designed slightly differently from all the other models.

The mopping is a cut above average, and the space-age looking curvy dock takes care of the mopping maintenance tasks including refilling the bot's onboard tank and washing and drying its mop pads. (You will need to supplement this with the occasional deeper clean, but that's unavoidable.)

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We look at whether there's any remnants left after a single pass from the robot vacuum, and if it catches them on a second run. We repeat these tests for both hard floor and carpet.

Blossom Boothroyd is our homes testing manager and takes care of the testing side of things. She helped develop our protocols and Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners consistently evaluates what new features we need to review.

As for its tech, well, it’s top of the range. Let’s start with the docking station where it recharges, empties the bin and refills the water tank. Plus, it uses steam to clean and sanitise the mop pads.

A few of our other favorite perks on a vacuum at this price point are a TurboBrush tool similar to the motorized pet tools on many pricier models, a retractable cord and onboard storage for the tools.

Intuitive app, but robot doesn't always do as its told, and there's an issue with separating open plan spaces.

Alistair is a London-based journalist who has been writing about tech for over a decade. He has tested numerous robovacs over the years for TechRadar, from brands like iRobot, Eufy and Roborock. His favourites match intelligent navigation with smart design.