If you live in a home with pets, kids, or have regular visitors coming and going, then you know floors are bound to get dirty, and while cleaning is a necessity, it may be quite the annoying task once you factor in your other responsibilities into the equation. That’s why I have been an enthusiastic supporter of adding robot cleaners to my home, which has been a true game changer – both for my apartment’s upkeep, as well as for my own sanity, as it allows me a little more breathing room in my personal life to unwind and relax. After the major improvements I saw with Yeedi’s M12 Pro+ model, I was excited to see what the brand had improved upon with its latest release, the flagship S14 Plus Robot Vacuum and Mop, which has taken things to the next level. Continue reading below to learn more about what to expect through setup, performance, and some of the highlights that come with this upgraded model.
Unboxing and setting up Yeedi’s S14 Plus
Just like the previous model I reviewed from the brand, Yeedi’s S14 Plus came all together inside one package, which surprisingly was inside a slightly larger box, which I assume was done to add additional protection during the shipping/delivery process. As someone who lives in NYC, I very much appreciated the incognito outer packaging, as advertising just what is inside a box with pictures and descriptions is a good way to encourage porch pirates to jump into action – and we’ve all seen an increase in their boldness these days through online videos.
The actual unboxing of this robot was easy and near effortless, as everything was neatly arranged together and the two main units that make up the system were almost entirely in one assembled piece. The robot simply needed to be removed from its protective covering, have the plastic tabs pulled off, and have its side brush clipped into place. Likewise, the station came covered and secured with tape/tabs, with the only assembly needed being the clicking in of its ramp section and the connection of its power cords.
Unlike the previous model I had reviewed, which came with a digital step-through guide, the S14 Plus had a physical quick start guide included in the box, complete with all the info you’d need to get it up and running in three sections: the station setup, the robot setup, and app connection instructions.
Downloading and pairing the S14 Plus to the Yeedi app
After clearing out a space for the station to sit in my living room, I started the process of getting the robot up and running. As I already had the Yeedi app downloaded onto my iPhone, all that was needed was to scan the QR code located on the robot and follow the in-app instructions to pair it with the smart controls.
I did run into two slight hiccups which were quickly resolved during this initial setup. The first was an inability to pair with the app at first, which I fixed by simply deleting and re-entering my Wi-Fi information. The second occurred when following the final step of the start-up guide, which directed me to place the robot near the station and tap the “dock” command in the app to ensure a proper return.
While the robot was backing into the station, rather than clicking into place, there was a slight grinding sound as it refused to properly link to the connection port. At first, I thought a part may have been deformed or broken, but the true culprit turned out to be my rug. As the edge sat right under the ramp to the station, while the main unit of the station sat off the rug against the wall and on the hardwood floor, the slight angle this created was enough to prevent the robot from fully entering its space and connecting. This was fixed by simply raising the rug’s edge and laying it over the end of the ramp, creating a more level positioning. After that, the robot was able to properly dock.
From there, it was time to queue up the mapping process, which took far less time than it did with the M12 Pro+ – and that one only took about 10 minutes. One major difference I noticed during this process was that unlike before, where the robot basically traced the borders of every room, the S14 Plus instead switched between pass-throughs and positioning itself at a single point and spinning in place.
In real time, only taking about five minutes with this model, I watched as it created a 3D map of my apartment, with color-coded sections that it had identified as movable zones and blank white spots in the places where furniture and other impassible objects sat. After it had finished, I could freely alter and add to the map – whether that was redefining walls, dividing/labeling rooms, and plenty more.
Yeedi S14 Plus features
Before I get into my specific opinions on this new robot cleaner, let’s run through its main specs and features real quick. To start, it provides a monstrous 18,000Pa of suction power for vacuuming needs paired with the brand’s ZeroTangle 2.0 anti-hair tangling brush and TruEdge 2.0 tech to ensure even corners and the edges of the room get proper attention.
One of the biggest change-ups here is the inclusion of the Ozmo roller floor washing system, which centers around the 6.89-inch roller mop that spins at up to 200 RPM with more intelligent water flow controls that provide an even more thorough and deeper clean than we’ve seen in past models, all while the mop is constantly refreshed and cleaned by the cycling water. What’s more, the previously mentioned TruEdge 2.0 tech expands both the vacuuming and mopping experience by allowing both the side brush and the roller mop to extend outwards.
The navigation system has also been expanded with more sensors, which not only provides better mapping and immediate obstacle avoidance but keeps it from wetting carpeted areas and also rolling right off high edges, such as stairs. That’s not all either, as it lends to a more thorough cleaning when residue remains after the first pass, directing the robot to re-clean the same area until all of the mess is dealt with.
One thing I cannot live without when it comes to these robots is the accompanying self-service station. It acts as the home charging base for the robot, which it intelligently returns to when the battery runs too low, before picking up where it left off once it’s recouped the appropriate amount of battery. Going beyond that, it also self-empties into the 3L dust bag, which holds up to 90 days’ worth of debris, should you set it to clean daily (and also depending on just how much dirt is regularly being tracked onto your floors). It also empties out the onboard water tanks and refills it with clean water, as well as provides hot water cleaning and hot air drying on the roller mop to prevent bacteria from building up.
Cleaning experience
As recommended by the quick start guide, I set the robot to vacuum for the first few days after it was up and running before switching it to both vacuum and mopping. While there are a wide array of combinations to choose from, I decided to follow the same routine that was set by having the previous model in my apartment, with it mopping after first making a pass-through to vacuum up loose debris and hair.
I’ve found that with most robot cleaners, especially in a home with cats who tend to track litter out of their box, mopping while vacuuming in one pass tends to smear it across sections of the floor, often leading to need it to make a second pass to properly clear up. Aside from that, I decided to save the settings at their standard levels, with a medium water flow rate for the mopping.
The very first thing I noticed with the S14 Plus was how much quieter it performed its tasks, so much so that I thought it might be broken and not turning on the suction while vacuuming. I quickly realized that there was a huge gap in noise levels between it and the M12 Pro+, which isn’t as loud as my regular stick vacuum but is still loud enough that I’d have to raise the volume on my TV a little when I was trying to watch anything as it worked. This new model, though, completely blew me away, as I could see the difference in the floor’s cleanliness after it had finished in a room – all without ever once making me struggle to hear the audio on my TV or need subtitles turned on. This same quiet performance then extended into its mopping duties too, which I’ve also come to love for an entirely different reason.
The M12 Pro+ was a great addition to my home, keeping the overwhelming majority of my floors spotless, however, there were times I could physically see it struggle to hit corners without needing to re-position and re-enter the area. That all has been tossed out the window with this new model. The S14 Plus effortlessly gets into range of any corners and simply spins in place, with both the side brush and Ozmo roller peeking in and out of the main chassis to hit those tough edges, which I’ve come to enjoy akin to watching a graceful dancer spinning in place as if on the air itself.
After running the robot on a daily cleaning schedule for a while and seeing the difference it has made, I’ve since begun playing with scheduling it for every two to three days. For context, the M12 Pro+ ran every day for nearly three or four months before I switched it to a similar schedule, and from there it performed its duties for nearly six months more before I was alerted in the app to its mop pads approaching their expiration and needing to be changed out. I figured with the obvious prowess this new model was showing, it’d be smarter and more cost-effective to set it to the latter scheduling after my first initial tests and I’ve had no regrets from that decision so far.
I’ve even been quite impressed with the improvements in the S14 Plus’ navigation, as the previous model did occasionally run over my toes or bumped into my cat when he was just on the edge of its sensors’ blind spots. This new model though, with the sensors spaced further apart and thus offering a wider vantage point for obstacle avoidance, has actively identified and avoided my cat whenever he was positioned in the hallway or at the edge of it opening into my kitchen/living room, often eating obliviously at his bowl with his tail outstretched.
One of the few hiccups I have had with it, as well as every other model I’ve dealt with – Yeedi, ECOVACS, and iRobot – is a lack of identification for any cables that have fallen to the floor, mainly my phone’s charging cable in my bedroom, which always gets grabbed and wrapped up, stopping any ongoing cleaning until it’s been pulled out and cleared. It’s no big deal to me, as I’ve just gotten into the habit of being more aware of the cable in the mornings when I disconnect my phone and lay it on my nightstand or across my bed. The only other problem I’ve occasionally had is that sometimes the robot has pushed the litter-catching mat in front of my cat’s litter box around, which again, isn’t a big deal for me, just something I’m more mindful of.
When it comes to the all-in-one station, I’m as happy as I was with the previous model, as it allows for far more time to pass before I need to empty the dust bag or refill the water tanks, though I will just say that the latter is a bit smaller in size compared to the M12 Pro+ station. Having things set to the two-to-three-day schedule, I’ve gotten into the habit of emptying the dirty water tank, as well as refilling the clean water tank every one and a half to two weeks, though I also live in a small 800-square-foot apartment so a house will likely see a faster rate of depletion, depending on what levels you set it to and how often it’s making the rounds.
Also, while I did like the size of the tanks on the previous station, I much prefer the slightly slimmer station design here, as it more snuggly fits in the space between my TV display and the neighboring closet door. It’s also far more squared off then the rounder M12 Pro+ station, so I feel like the angles in my home – created by both the layout and furniture – are much more accommodating to its general shape.
Pricing and availability
The Yeedi S14 Plus was released carrying a $1,400 price tag, which, for all its innovative upgrades, does feel like a steep price to pay. Luckily, it’s been seeing regular discounts since first hitting the market at $450 off that brings the cost down to a far more ideal price at $949.99 shipped. This sits just $50 above the MSRP of the M12 Pro+ model, which I would recommend over it solely if you are looking to save money while gaining a reliable autonomous cleaner, especially with the discounted rates that pop up there that take it much lower.
Yeedi S14 Plus Robot Vacuum and Mop – final thoughts
The big question I’m sure you’ve all figured out the answer to by this point is: Am I happy with the Yeedi S14 Plus? And it should come as no surprise that I say, very much so. Outside of the little hiccups I mentioned earlier, which only required a minor change in my attention to how I was leaving things, I’m not only thoroughly impressed with the improvements here but extremely grateful to have such an advanced helper in my home – and one that I can happily send to work any hour of the day without worrying about noise. Now if I can only get my cat to mount and ride it around like a little mobile dais, then all my dreams would certainly be met, but that dream is entirely unrelated to the upgraded device that Yeedi has put out.
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