Loading page…
The new lineup replaces camera-based navigation with lidar across all models, but Dyson reserves its midrange vacuum-mop for Costco and its stain-detection pitch for a $1,200 flagship.
Listen to this story
Dyson is repositioning its robot-vacuum lineup around lidar navigation rather than the camera system used in its previous robot. The Nurovi range spans $550 to $1,200, with mopping reserved for the two pricier models and the $700 middle option restricted to Costco. The flagship adds UV-assisted stain detection and claims AI recognition of up to 200 household substances, but those capabilities—and the cleaning improvements implied by higher suction—remain unverified until independent testing.
R1 Nurovi Dry costs $550 and vacuums only; R2 and R3 add mopping.
R2 advertises 21,000 Pa suction and is sold exclusively through Costco.
R3 costs $1,200, advertises 30,000 Pa suction, and adds UV-assisted stain detection.
Dyson has launched three Nurovi robot vacuums, moving its home-cleaning robots to laser-based lidar navigation and creating a steep choice ladder: a $550 vacuum-only model, a $700 Costco-exclusive vacuum-mop, and a $1,200 flagship with UV-assisted stain detection.
The release is a change in how Dyson’s robots find their way around a home. Its previous robot vacuum relied on an HD camera; every Nurovi model instead uses lidar, a laser-based navigation system. Dyson is pairing that navigation shift with what it calls a Twin-Capture System, designed to collect dust and debris from both hard floors and carpets.
The shared navigation and pickup system give the line a common base, but the practical differences begin with what each machine can clean. The R1 is intended only to vacuum. The R2 and R3 both add mopping, turning the central buying decision into more than a question of suction power or navigation hardware.
The entry model is a vacuum-only robot.
The middle model vacuums and mops, but is exclusive to Costco.
The flagship adds UV-assisted stain detection alongside vacuuming and mopping.
The R3 carries the most ambitious software claim in the group. Dyson says its AI can identify up to 200 types of household substances and clean them until they are gone. UV light is meant to help the machine find stains on the floor, rather than simply follow a scheduled route through the room.
That makes the R3’s $500 gap over the R2 about a bundle of claimed capabilities, not merely stronger advertised suction. It has 30,000 Pa versus the R2’s 21,000 Pa, while adding the UV feature and Dyson’s AI-based substance identification. Whether those additions translate into better stain removal is still an open product question; WIRED said it plans to test all three models.
For buyers who want mopping without the R3’s flagship price, the R2 is the obvious point in the lineup—but it is also the one Dyson has limited to Costco. The R1 and R3 are available through Dyson’s website, while the R2’s retail restriction means its apparent middle-ground value depends partly on where a customer can shop.
For now, the launch offers clear price and feature distinctions, but not a verified answer on cleaning results. Dyson’s next test is straightforward: whether lidar, Twin-Capture collection and the R3’s stain-finding system make the machines meaningfully better at the jobs that matter after they leave the spec sheet.
Loading discussion...
Join the conversation
Explain which feature would make the premium worthwhile.
Be the first to share a perspective or an experience.
Reader comments
Newest comments first. Replies stay oldest first.