iLife A4s

amazon iLife A4s reviews

The iLife A4s is a compact, no-frills robot vacuum that picks up dirt and debris without emptying your wallet.

While robotic vacuums are more expensive than their traditional counterparts, the iLife A4s is a simple, no-frills cleaner that vacuums up dust for a relatively reasonable price of $249.99. You don’t get advanced features like Wi-Fi connectivity, but you get a compact design with solid performance and a very good battery life. It’s a great option if you’re shopping on a budget.

Design

The iLife A4s are significantly smaller than many of the robot vacuums we review. It is petite, 12.2 inches in diameter, and 3 inches tall. That makes it ideal for furniture that has low ventilation and is relatively easy to carry. Eufy Robovac 11 is slightly larger at 13 inches.

Otherwise, A4s are pretty unnecessary. It is dark gray, with a single Auto button to start cleaning the top. The front bumper houses infrared sensors, and at the other end, you’ll find a surprisingly large dustbin. Between them are the power switch and the charging port.

Below you’ll find two rotating brushes, a rotating wheel, two grooves, a drop sensor, the charging contact, and the main brush. You get the usual range of spare parts and accessories in the box, a charging dock, and remote control.

The remote is the only way to schedule cleaning, control the vacuum, or switch modes. It has three direction buttons: forward, left, and right. You would normally find the back button is the Max button instead, for deeper cleaning on carpets. In the middle, the Clean button is blue to start cleaning. The Plan and Clock buttons respectively for cleaning scheduling and time setting. Finally, there are buttons for spot cleaning (for enclosed areas), edge cleaning (along the walls), and small rooms.

Performance

The A4s cleans randomly, which means that it will play ping pong all over the room unless you select a specific cleaning mode all over the room as it cleans. Sometimes vacuums like these can be a bit overkill when it comes to furniture. The iRobot Roomba 690, for example, cut down two chairs in my dining room. I don’t have this problem with A4s. It bumped into some furniture from time to time, but it felt like a lighter hit.

More importantly, the A4s are capable of handling a wide variety of floors. It went through my hardwood floors, carpets, and tiles without a problem. It can still enter the kitchen without human intervention, so it shouldn’t be much of a problem. It should be noted that the A4s use an infrared sensor, and the company warns that it may not be suitable for very dark floors. That’s a common problem, as falling sensors will sometimes record dark floors as cliffs. I didn’t have any problems with the dark charcoal carpet in my room, but it’s something to keep in mind.

As for suction power, the A4s can suck up a lot of dust, hair, and a worrying amount of food crumbs from my floors and carpets. As mentioned earlier, the trash can is large enough that you don’t need to worry about emptying it before the cleaning is over.

Battery life is where the iLife A4s differentiates itself. It has an estimated battery life of 140 minutes, and in testing, I got about 120 minutes in mixed mode use. That’s more than the usual 60 to 90 minutes I’m used to with a robotic vacuum, and a plus if you have a large house that needs more cleaning time.

The A4s have struggled with reliably returning to the charging dock, which is uncommon among vacuums lacking mapping capabilities. The dock acts as a large tractor beam to guide the robot home. But if it starts to run low in a room with lots of obstacles or it’s relatively far from the dock, you usually end up lost and confused (or dead).

While there’s no quiet vacuum, the A4s aren’t as noisy as some of the other robot models we’ve tested. If it’s in another room, you probably won’t hear it.

Conclusion and Comparison

The iLife A4s isn’t the most advanced robot vacuum on the market, but it delivers solid performance for a reasonable price. It’s also smaller and has a longer battery life than the Eufy Robovac 11, lasting about 100 minutes during cleaning. But the Robovac 11 is quieter, navigates better on raised floors, and has less trouble finding its way back to the charging dock, making it a better choice for most people. Though, it matters which features fit your home best. If you’re willing to expand your budget, the Roomba 690 gives you more advanced features like app control and Amazon Alexa compatibility, so you can start cleaning from your phone or by voice command.

Advantages

Compact size.

Good battery.

Supports scheduling and multiple cleaning modes.

Defect

Sometimes lost when returning to the charging dock in testing.

where can you get a iLife A4s online

ILIFE A4s Robot Vacuum Cleaner with Strong Suction, over 100mins Run time, Self-charging, Slim, Quiet, Ideal for Hard Floors to Medium Carpets: Buy it now

ILIFE A4s Robot Vacuum Cleaner with Powerful Suction and Remote Control, Super Quiet Design for Thin Carpet and Hard Floors, Gray: Buy it now