The most underrated robot vacuum of 2025 is also a stick vacuum
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The new wave of robot vacuums coming to the scene in 2025 has added some serious diversity to the pickings.
A few have been overhyped, like the robot vacuum with an arm. But a few have been impressive — I'm pretty confident that the Roborock Saros 10R will stay my favorite robot vacuum of the year, even if some stragglers come out in the second half. This isn't even touching on the eight new Roombas that casually showed up in the spring.
During my in-apartment testing of all of these robot vacuums, though, one unique vacuum stood out as deserving of way more attention than it's getting: the Eufy E20 3-in-1 vacuum.
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This genius design quite literally involves a robot vacuum that can transform into a cordless stick or handheld vacuum in seconds. Though an affordable convertible vacuum cleaner is probably something a ton of people wish existed, few know it's actually a thing. So let me put you on to the most underrated robot vacuum of 2025 so far.
Most robot vacuum shoppers face the age-old question: "Should I get a robot vacuum or stick vacuum?" My ultimate piece of wisdom is to...well, buy both. Rather than spending a lump sum on a super advanced robot vacuum that does everything or on one of the expensive Dysons, you could strategically spend around half on a more budget-friendly version of each.
But what if you don't want to spend more than $500 on your vacuum situation? I can't believe something like the E20 didn't happen years ago, but Eufy deserves serious credit for finally filling that product gap. When I first heard about the E20's release during CES 2025, I expected it to cost near $1,000. Not only is the $649.99 MSRP already pretty feasible, but I've seen the Eufy E20 on sale for less than $400 several times since it came out in February 2025. (As of this writing, it's on sale for $379.99.)
The Eufy E20 is just as much of a space-saving hack as it is a money-saving hack. If you're set on having both types of vacuums, it saves you from having to store a whole-ass upright vacuum in a closet somewhere. Then, the self-emptying dock itself is extremely compact, taking up around half the floor space that the robot vacuums that wash and dry their mopping pads do. It's easily one of the best robot vacuums you could get for a small space.
Unfortunately, you do have to find a spot for the loose stick vacuum wand. I wish the dock had the option to click it on for storage somewhere.
The motor and onboard dust bin live in the body of the robot vacuum most of the time. To make the switch to handheld mode, there's a single red button to click to release the lightweight handheld part, which clicks right onto the extender wand or handheld brush and crevice attachments. That's it — that's all the hardware that's involved.
To my surprise, the Eufy E20 doesn't skimp on any cleaning mode
No offense, but I wouldn't have been surprised if an affordable robot vacuum promising this kind of versatility ended up having lackluster cleaning skills in at least one of the modes. But for a mid-range price point, the Eufy E20 is actually a solid sucker-upper in the robot vacuum, stick vacuum, and handheld vacuum departments. In robot form, the E20's 8,000 Pa of suction power is definitely in line with most $500 to $700 vacuums out there, including the Eufy X10 Pro Omni that I loved in 2024.
I live with two other people and two cats, so there's always a mix of pet hair, kitty litter, and food crumbs on our hardwood floors and rugs at any given time. The E20 thoroughly picked up between 85 to 90 percent of all the visible stuff, only really missing some corners and edges near plush rugs. I was similarly impressed with the accuracy of its smart mapping — the E20 always made it to the correct room or cleaning zone that I selected in the app, which is the most that I can ask from a "basic" LiDAR vacuum. (The Eufy E20 doesn't mop, so I wouldn't recommend it if you live in a high foot traffic home with lots of hard floors.)
In cordless vacuum form, the suction power is bumped to 30,000 Pa (for reference, the most powerful robot vacuums of 2025 max out at 22,000 Pa). That cyclonic action can be adjusted through a button on the handle, and the max setting created oomph that I could feel tugging at my hand. If you have pets, I think the Eufy E20's stick vacuum power is more than enough to uproot shedding that a robot vacuum misses.
The best thing about a vacuum that automatically empties itself is that you can really visualize how much the vacuum is picking up during each cleaning session. The E20's dustbin isn't as transparent as Dysons or Sharks that I've tested, but you can still definitely see the tufts of dust that it found hiding somewhere.
But to me, handheld mode is the real gem here. I could never be a robot vacuum-only person is because I'd simply spiral if I had no way to tend to the areas where a robot vacuum or full-sized stick vacuum can't go, like my desk, windowsills, couch cushions, and car seats — all places where my cats shed or people eat snacks. That flexibility boosts the E20's value over a ton of other plain ol' robot vacuums in its price range.
Is the Eufy E20 the chicest robot vacuum I've ever seen? Not exactly. The whole exposed motor look is a bit sci-fi-y, and I'd prefer something a little more refined and subtle if the robot vacuum were to be stored in a main room of my home. But at the end of the day, it feels unfair to put too much weight on the E20's curb appeal when it's such a bang for your buck otherwise.
Topics Robot Vacuums
Leah Stodart is a Philadelphia-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable where she covers and tests essential home tech like vacuums and TVs, plus eco-friendly hacks. Her ever-evolving experience in these categories comes in clutch when making recommendations on how to spend your money during shopping holidays like Black Friday, which Leah has been covering for Mashable since 2017.
