After going through an intensive research process to narrow down our short list of top products in this space, we tested the Shark RV2502AE AI Ultra Robot Vacuum to be sure that it’s worthy of our recommendation. Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter and test to verify manufacturer claims.
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It's no secret that robotic vacuums save time and effort, and since Shark is a top name in vacuums, why not combine the two? If you're looking for the best Shark robot vacuum, there's plenty to consider. Important factors include how well the machine picks up dirt, its battery life, its mapping ability and whether it can empty itself.
To find the best Shark robotic vacuums, the BestReviews Testing Lab put some of these vacuums to the test in their own homes over an extended period and evaluated how well they picked up various types of dirt and debris. We also researched other top Shark robot vacuums, analyzing their features to find the models worth buying.
Our favorite is the powerful Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum & Mop, which cleans in a precision grid so it never misses a spot.
Editors' Favorite
Battery life: 110 min | Dimensions: 13.3” L x 13.5” W x 4.5” H | Weight: 9.5 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Scheduling: Yes
We tested the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1, which is particularly great for homes with hard floors thanks to its mopping capabilities. We found the suction to be good for a robot vacuum (though you'll likely still want a full-size vacuum for really deep cleaning).
During our particle tests, it picked up about 90% of sugar, pet hair, cat litter and cereal in a single pass. It effectively gets into edges and corners and did its best work on hard floors, picking up all but around one-third to one-fifth on the first pass and the rest on the subsequent pass.
During testing, the battery lasted 94 minutes before the battery life indicator turned red. (At that point, it still had 20% remaining.) It managed to return to the dock successfully to recharge itself.
The self-emptying base makes it a lower-maintenance choice than those with dustbins that require manual emptying. While we weren't sure it would last as long as 60 days between empties for a home with lots of pets, the self-emptying base still greatly limits the time spent emptying the vacuum.
This is a solid vacuum that we found to be effective at both vacuuming and mopping floors. It maps efficiently and works well with the app and Alexa voice commands.
Best Robot Vacuum with Mapping
Battery life: 120 min| Dimensions: 13.7” L x 13.7” W x 4.1” H | Weight: 15 lb (including base) | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Scheduling: Yes
Testing the Shark RV2502AE AI Ultra Robot Vacuum, we were impressed with its mapping ability. In fact, we consider it to be the best Shark robot vacuum with mapping.
It took just eight minutes to map the whole apartment, and it came up with a detailed map, including the location of furniture and other obstacles. After the map was created, we found the vacuum extremely effective at abiding mapped objects and navigating rooms. However, it wasn't good at avoiding unexpected objects in real time.
We ran a variety of particle tests on hard floors and carpets, checking how well it picked up pet hair, cereal, cat litter, sugar and more. It was particularly impressive at picking up pet hair, removing all of the hair on hard flooring and 80% to 90% of the hair on carpet in a single pass. Other items tended to take two to three passes to pick up completely, but it was rare that it didn't get everything in the end.
This is a self-emptying robot vacuum, and we love the large capacity of the base, which can go up to 60 days between empties — although that depends on the size of your home and your level of mess. The self-emptying function worked effectively and saved us lots of time and effort compared to manually emptying the dustbin.
Comprehensive Choice
Battery life: 120 min | Dimensions: 13.7” L x 13.7” W x 4.1” H | Weight: 14.4 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Scheduling: Yes
We like how well the Shark AV2501S AI Ultra Robot Vacuum cleans every inch of your floor thanks to Shark's Matrix Clean technology. It cleans in a grid formation to make sure it doesn't miss any spots, and the accurate mapping technology “knows” how to clean efficiently while avoiding obstacles.
It works about equally well on carpets and hard floors, although there may be times when it does a couple of extra passes on carpet to remove everything. You can set a cleaning schedule or use voice controls.
A self-emptying base is included, and you can choose between 30-day and 45-day options. This, paired with a HEPA filter and a self-cleaning brush roll, makes the Shark AI Ultra a solid option for homes with pets.
Battery life is a key feature to consider when choosing a Shark robotic vacuum, particularly if you have a large home. After all, you don’t want your robotic vacuum to run out of power in the middle of a cleaning cycle. Shark doesn’t provide exact data about how many square feet each model can cover in an hour or on a single charge. This can vary depending on how dirty your floors are and the kinds of obstacles in the way. Another potential complication: Suction power may decrease as the runtime nears its end.
For the most efficient cleaning, a person with a home of average size should select a Shark robotic vacuum with at least 100 minutes of battery life per charge. If you have a larger home, you may prefer a model with an even longer runtime. Most Shark robot vacuums offer between 110 to 120 minutes of battery life. These include the top-line Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch Pro 2-in-1 Combo vacuum and mop, the entry-level Shark ION Robot Vacuum, and the midrange Shark AI Ultra Self-Empty XL. In fact, the Shark AI Ultra lasted 140 minutes in hands-on testing we conducted. These vacuums return to their docks for a recharge and then pick up where they left off. So, even if it doesn’t clean your whole floor plan on a single charge, it'll eventually get the job done.
The size of the dustbin in a Shark robotic vacuum matters, especially if you have a large home or pets with lots of dander. If you were to choose a model with a smaller dustbin, you’d need to empty it more often to keep the suction power at maximum efficiency. With a larger dustbin, you wouldn’t have to worry about this as much.
The size of Shark robot vacuum dustbins depends on whether or not they come with self-emptying docks. The Shark ION, the entry-level model, has a dustbin of 0.4 quarts, which helps it keep going since it doesn’t have a self-emptying dock. Among models with docks, the Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch models have 0.33-quart internal dustbins, but 30-day (NeverTouch base) or 60-day (NeverTouch Pro base) docks.
If you're concerned about how often you might need to empty the dustbin, consider a self-emptying model. You only need to empty the base when it's full. During testing, we found the self-emptying mode worked effectively.
Many Shark robotic vacuums are designed for pet owners. Most Shark robotic vacuums feature a self-cleaning brush roll with flexible silicone fins rather than bristles that pick up pet hair before it becomes a problem that overwhelms the machine.
More advanced Shark robots, such as the PowerDetect Self-Empty vacuum, the PowerDetect NeverTouch 2-in-1 vacuum and mop, and the PowerDetect NeverTouch Pro, also include air-freshening canisters in their docks that counteract pet odors every time they run, and HEPA filters to keep dander and allergens safely stored out for disposal.
We ran pet hair trials on the Shark AI Ultra Robot Vacuum and the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop. Both vacuums picked up all or almost all of the pet hair we placed on hardwood floors in a single pass. On carpet, they picked up around 80% to 90% of pet hair in a single pass but managed to pick it all up in two to three passes.
Almost all current Shark robotic vacuums have LiDAR that allows them to sense the presence of furniture, objects and other obstacles. These models, such as the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 and the Shark AI Ultra, create a thorough map of your home and avoid obstacles in their path so your cleaning job isn’t interrupted.
Notably, some Shark robotic vacuums are more sensitive than others. These include the Shark PowerDetect Self-Empty, PowerDetect NeverTouch combo and PowerDetect NeverTouch Pro. Their sensors allow them to actively avoid obstacles, detect hidden grime and enhance cleaning on edges and corners.
All current Shark robot vacuum models we’ve picked, from the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 to the Shark ION to the Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch Pro, can connect to Shark’s smartphone app. Through the app, you can turn on the vacuum or set a cleaning schedule, even when you’re away from home. In our tests, we generally found the app easy to use with an intuitive interface. However, we did run into a few glitches and occasionally needed to close the app and restart it to get things running smoothly.
If you have an Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, you can also use voice controls to turn the vacuum on and set its schedule. We tried both the Shark RV2502AE AI Ultra Robot Vacuum and the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop with Alexa. It was easy to start the vacuum running, and it was just as easy to turn it off and send it back to its dock. However, there weren't any more advanced commands that we could figure out.
While all current Shark robotic vacuums are Wi-Fi-enabled, not all of them have mapping or navigation. In this case, you can still use the Shark app to turn them on and schedule them, and also use a virtual remote control pad in the app to steer them where you want them to go. This includes the entry-level Shark ION and the midrange Shark AI Ultra.
Here’s some good news. The best robot vacuum cleaners are no longer extravagant purchases. Most homeowners can acquire one if that’s the type of vacuum cleaner they desire. These products have a standard-size dustbin and basic bump-and-go navigation and usually range from $200 to $359.
Midrange Shark robotic vacuums have LiDAR navigation and mapping, Wi-Fi and voice control and usually come with a self-empty dock. They may or may not include mop attachments and cost between $350 and $600. Examples are the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Self Empty and the Shark AI Ultra Self-Empty XL.
The most expensive Shark robotic vacuums deploy Shark’s latest technologies, like PowerDetect sensors and NeverStuck wheels, and come with built-in mops with auto-wash and auto-fill. These models, such as the Shark PowerDetect Self-Empty robot vacuum, the PowerDetect NeverTouch 2-in-1 combo, and the top-line PowerDetect NeverTouch Pro 2-in-1, cost from $599 to $1,100.
We tested several Shark robotic vacuums and researched many more to find our favorites. We compared a range of factors, such as battery life, mapping, self-emptying capabilities and voice control. For pet owners, we also looked at how well these vacuums could handle pet hair and navigate around stray objects, such as dog toys.
A. Remove obstacles that might impede its movements such as clothing, loose cables, shoes and children’s toys. If there are areas of your home you don’t want the vacuum to enter, use Shark’s smartphone app to set no-go zones and virtual walls to block off the space.
A. Models differ based on battery life, but most Shark robotic vacuums have a cleaning cycle that lasts approximately one hour.
A. After every cleaning cycle, empty the dustbin. Once a week, check the main brush roll and side brushes for hair and debris, and remove them as necessary. Remove the dustbin filter and tap it gently, or use a soft brush to remove any dirt that’s stuck in the pleats. Every two months, replace the filter for optimum performance. For combo models, make sure to change and fill the water tank either in the mop attachment or the self-empty dock regularly.
A. Usually not. Most robotic vacs are bagless. The debris is picked up and kept in a dustbin until it is ready to be emptied, either manually or automatically.
A. “Best vacuum” is a bit of a subjective term. If you live in a home with medium to large rooms, you will probably want an upright vacuum, a canister vacuum or a robotic vacuum to take on the bulk of your cleanup. Some people in this situation like to purchase a stick vacuum cleaner for supplemental work in between deep cleanings. This is assuming that you have standard floor types: bare floors in your kitchen area and pile carpet in other specific rooms. (If you have a high-pile carpet or even a medium-pile carpet, an upright should be one of your top considerations.)
If you live in a smaller apartment or home, you may be able to get by with a stick vacuum cleaner. A robovac would work in a smaller home as well. Stick vacs tend to work on all floor types, but you should read the product specs to be sure.
If mobility is an issue, we encourage you to consider either a robotic vacuum or a stick model because they are lighter and easier to maneuver, and they are designed to work well on various floor types.
Shark also makes handheld vacuum cleaners. These are great for small cleanups, but a handheld vac from any brand is unlikely to have the powerful suction and coverage needed to clean an entire home.
A. Shark robotic vacuums tend to cost slightly less than iRobot Roombas, while also offering more features. In our testing experience, we’ve noted that Roombas with their double rollers tend to pick up better than single-roller Sharks, but Sharks can make up for it with stronger vacuum motors. At this point, Sharks offer a better value than Roombas, while Roombas still have a slight edge in debris pickup and longevity.
