Ilife a8 review in Spanish (full analysis)

Unboxing

The presentation is quite basic with a classic cardboard box. On its cover we see the silhouette of the robot vacuum cleaner and its main technical characteristics screen printed.

Inside the compact box we find the following bundle:

Ilife A8 robot vacuum cleaner. Charging base. Power adapter. Remote control. 2 spare side brushes. 1 spare HEPA filter. 1 spare rolling brush. 1 cleaning tool. Instruction manual.

Design and dimensions

One of the main characteristics regarding the design of these robots are the dimensions. In this case, it is satisfying to know that the height is only 7.2 cm. Useful to be able to move around many of the furniture that you have at home.

Since the design is the typical circular, to which we are accustomed, suffice it to say that its diameter is 31 cm. In general, we are talking about a product contained in measurements. The same occurs with its weight of 2.75 Kg, which falls within normal limits.

As I mentioned, its circular design is reminiscent of other brands, but also of previous models such as the A6. In this case the similarity is enormous. The predominant colors are black and silver. At the top we find the button to activate the default cleaning mode, the HawkEye camera (hawk's eye) and the button to open the compartment where dirt is stored.

The side edge of the robot has a front bumper to cushion shocks, a button for full on or off, a port to connect the power adapter if necessary and some vents.

And we come to the bottom, where the main cleaning tools are located. At one end next to the edge are the sensors to prevent the robot from falling into a vacuum. Alongside the sensors at the ends are the side brushes. Between them is the wheel in charge of turning the robot and the pins that make contact with the charging base.

In the lower central part there is room for the main brush. The one that comes standard is composed of bristles to clean carpets or rugs. It can be easily changed for the one that comes in the box and that is rubber, for floors.

On each side of this brush, the cushioned rubber wheels are located. Finally, behind the main brush, is the container where the dirt will stop. This container has a capacity of 300ml. A capacity that falls somewhat short as it fills up in a few days.

Inside this container it is possible to access the 3 filters it contains and even extract it to wash them.

Functioning

The main cleaning system is a three-step combination of the mechanisms mentioned above. The side brushes collect dirt. They pass it to the main brush that inserts it into the robot. After that, a vacuum cleaner takes care of the suction into the trash bin. This vacuum cleaner has a suction potential of up to 1000Pa.

It is a system that works well. Although it should be noted that sometimes, even passing the Ilife A8 over something, it does not finish picking it up. This indicates that sometimes several passes through the same site have been necessary for it to remain clean.

And this is where the navigation system comes into play. In previous models, cleaning patterns were more erratic and random. The top camera and its intelligent Panoview system play a key role in this model. This system is responsible for mapping the rooms 360 degrees to know at all times where it is located. This information is collected and processed by three chips together with the help of algorithms called CV-SLAM. Altogether, their task is to plan the route to follow in each cleaning.

Obviously, the first few times we saw the robot a little lost in the house. However, after several days, it was appreciated as he began to roam freely around the rooms. This means that cleaning was carried out more exhaustively and in less time.

It must be emphasized that this camera system needs light to perform its scanning. It will not work as well in dimly lit places.

Due to the cleaning you do by dividing the house into sections or patterns, it is normal to sometimes find some area not completely clean. You have to wait for the next cleaning to go through that area. In general cleaning is good. Its weak point is the corners. It still costs him to leave them well.

For each of the actions carried out by Ilife, a voice is programmed that will notify us in advance. It's a nice touch, even when you're away, to know what the robot does.

Another important section of its operation is recharging the battery. When the device detects during a cleaning that it has little left, it will warn of it and go to the charging base. It usually works well, although sometimes, we have noticed, that it is difficult to find the base or it makes the journey somewhat erratically.

Remote control

The included remote control has many and varied functions. Among her we highlight:

The main button. In the form of play and pause it is used to activate or stop the default cleaning mode. The MAX button. Its function is to increase the suction of the vacuum cleaner. Suitable for dusty areas. Direction arrows. Just as if it were a radio controlled car. It is possible to change the direction of the robot with these arrows. Point mode. This button will activate cleaning mode for small rooms and making a circular pattern until you reach the original starting point. Self-charge mode. If the robot is cleaning, we can make it go to the charging base at any time we want. Schedule automatic cleaning. As its name indicates, we can configure the current time and later designate a cleaning schedule. The time we schedule will be the one used 7 days a week. Border mode. This last function makes the robot focus on cleaning only the edges next to the walls.

One of the drawbacks in this model is the absence of a mobile application. Sometimes it can be helpful to activate cleaning while away from home and other features may be offered.

Noise

Compared to previous models that emitted a noise level of 55db, the Ilife A8 emits a somewhat higher amount. Specifically, 64db. More than its predecessor, but less than many other vacuum robots. In practice, the noise it makes does not disturb much or sound excessively.

Battery

The capacity of the included Lithium Ion battery is 2600mAh. It is supposed to give a range of 130 minutes. In our tests, this time is somewhat shorter. Hovering around 110 minutes in normal mode and 80 minutes in maximum mode. It would not be wrong, in a device of such dimensions, to have added a little more battery. On the other hand, it takes about 4 hours to fully charge using the contact pins on the base.

Final words and conclusion on Ilife A8

The Ilife brand gets more and more batteries to compete against Roombas. And it doesn't do so badly. However, it must be valued for its performance. Your navigation around the house has been greatly improved thanks to the built-in camera. This in turn makes it more efficient and battery saving. The cleaning is correct but not excellent, sometimes things are left and you have to wait for a second pass. Even so, something may sometimes be left in the corners.

Luckily it not only cleans the floor, but is capable of cleaning carpets or rugs, even if it is not in depth. The small dimensions of the robot that makes cleaning under furniture easier are also positive.

We recommend reading the best vacuum robots on the market

As improvements to introduce, they should try to expand the capacity of their battery, add possibility of handling through a mobile app and have a larger dirt container.

Without a doubt, the best feature is its price of 281 euros. Much smaller and more affordable than other robots. For this you can forgive some of your mistakes. What do you think of Ilife A8?

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ CLEAN ALL KINDS OF SURFACES	- NO APP FOR SMARTPHONE
+ THE CAMERA IMPROVES YOUR NAVIGATION AT HOME	- IT IS INTERESTING THAT IT INCORPORATES A LARGER WASTE CONTAINER
+ NOISE LEVEL IS LOWER THAN COMPETITION