Rowenta X-Plorer Serie 130 AI: a robot vacuum cleaner that relies (a little too much?) on finesse

A new robot vacuum cleaner has just been added to the Rowenta catalog. This X-Plorer Serie 130 AI is logically positioned above the X-Plorer Serie 120 AI, the manufacturer’s flagship so far. However, there is no need to wait for real innovations with this new model, as logic would have it. The manufacturer preferred to focus on a completely different aspect: finesse.

8 cm thick to pass under low furniture

The Rowenta X-Plorer serie 130 AI is 8 cm thick, which would allow it to claim the title of the thinnest robot vacuum cleaner, at least among those equipped with a laser rangefinder. There are indeed much finer models without a rangefinder, like the Deebot Slim 2 from Ecovacs or the X-Plorer Serie 60, also from Rowenta.

As a reminder, the laser rangefinder allows a robot to map the house and find its way there with precision, whatever the light conditions. Rowenta also offers it on several models in its catalog and obviously could not ignore its new flagship. But while the laser is usually integrated into a small turret on the top of the robot, here it takes place at the front in order to limit the height of the X-Plorer Serie 130 AI and to allow it to sneak under furniture, even very low.

Thanks to this position, the laser must also be able to cross slightly smaller obstacles (from 8 cm) than if it had been integrated on the top, but it is however unable to scan at 360°. Mapping may therefore take a little longer, and Rowenta’s new robot may also have more difficulty navigating between chair legs, for example.

No camera, vibrating mop or automatic drain

It will be recalled, however, that most of the current high-end models integrate a camera on the front, such as the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra, the Deebot X1 Omni or the Dreame L10S Ultra. So, if their laser rangefinder is not ideally placed to detect small obstacles, this camera allows them to work around the problem. The most advanced models can even identify certain types of obstacles thanks to artificial intelligence. The X-Plorer Serie 130 AI is also equipped with an AI, but it is only used to make suggestions for cleaning and creating areas to avoid, like last year’s model.

To clean the floors, the youngest from Rowenta can count on a turbo-brush associated with side brushes to guide dirt towards a 0.5 l collector, while a mop can be added to it to attack stains. It should be noted, however, that it does not vibrate, and that the associated water tank is tiny: 0.15 l. It will therefore need to be refilled frequently, and there is no need to rely on the charging station for this.

If robot vacuum cleaners are increasingly accompanied by ultra-sophisticated charging stations, in particular allowing the automatic filling of the water tank, that of the X-Plorer Serie 130 AI is content to charge it. Rowenta also mentions a duration of 3 hours for a full charge, supposed to offer up to 120 minutes of autonomy.

Other versions of the robot may be offered later, such as the Serie 75, which has recently become available with an automatic emptying station in its S+ version. Note also that this X-Plorer Serie 130 AI is already available in an Animal & Allergy version, which includes a high-efficiency filter to retain allergens as well as two additional mops: one electrostatic to capture fine particles, the another scraper for stubborn stains. It is already found at several retailers, between 550 and 700 € depending on the version.