Review: I can't believe how much I loved the Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 robot vacuum

The robot vacuum space is crowded, and Shark was very late to the party. Ever since iRobot released the first Roomba in 2002, the company has dominated the market. In recent years, other smart home manufacturers like Samsung, Roborock, and Ecovacs have released worthy competitors, and this competition has spurred major innovation. The best robot vacuums now mop, self-empty, and self-clean, and you'll have to pay $1,000 to $1,500 for top-of-the-line robot vacs today.

The Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 robot vacuum and mop isn't a high-end flagship robot vacuum. The full retail price is $449, but this model is almost always on sale for $299.99 (or $518 with self-emptying), and so I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I unboxed it for this review. Yet, after spending over three months cleaning with this bot, I can tell you that it's absolutely one of the best robot vacuums for sale in 2023.

I've tested flagship robot vacuums from iRobot and Roborock, as well as more budget-friendly vacuums from Eufy. I currently have a stack of robot vacuums growing in the corner of my apartment, and I recently tested some of the best hybrid robot vacuums and mops for Mashable.

So believe me when I tell you that Shark has quietly released an impressive robot vacuum that can hold its own with flagship models that cost three times as much.

Out of the box: What you get with the Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1

Personally, I'm not a fan of self-emptying robot vacuums. They take up more space, they're loud, and they add $250 to $500 to the price of your vacuum. That being said, for folks with allergies, they can be a godsend, and you can buy a self-emptying version of this robot vacuum if you're so inclined.

The model I tested came with the robot vacuum, a charging dock, two mopping pads, two side cleaning brushes, and one bottle of floor cleaning solution.

I found the setup and app installation to be very smooth, and I was able to get my Shark up and running quickly. I decided to name my Shark, which will henceforth be known as Mr. Bob.

The Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 starts cleaning. Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

How well does the Shark AI Ultra vacuum?

Let's start with the most important task of any robot vacuum — vacuuming up dust bunnies, pet hair, and debris. Shark doesn't publish the suction power of its robot vacuums (neither does iRobot, for that matter), but I can tell you that this robot vacuum did an excellent job cleaning up on laminate, tile, and carpet. Mr. Bob did a fine job sucking up everyday dust and debris, but for my cleaning tests, I also sprinkled small pieces of cereal along the floor, carpet, and edges of the room.

Mr. Bob wasn't able to get 100 percent of the crumbs located in corners and along the edges of the room, but that's a drawback you'll find with all robot vacuums. I have a lot of hair in my apartment, and the Shark AI Ultra was able to keep the floor hair-free, although as you can see in the photos below, after four months, a small amount of hair was caught in the roller.

Compared to more expensive robot vacuums I've tested, my Shark was able to hold its own in terms of suction and cleaning power. Some debris and hair will be left behind on carpets, but that's true with all but the most powerful vacuums for pet hair.

The bottom side of my robot vacuum, which I named Mr. Bob. Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable Enhance... Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

How well does the Shark AI Ultra mop?

Here's the biggest secret in the robot vacuum world: Most hybrid robot vacuums are not very good at mopping.

When reviewing a hybrid robot vacuum and mop, I like to consider something I call the Swiffer Test. Does this $500 machine mop floors as well as a $20 Swiffer? In virtually all cases, the answer is, "Not even close, buddy."

The best robot mops use some type of sonic vibration, a mop pad that moves side-to-side, or a cleaning solution. The Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 uses sonic vibrations to clean your floors, and a bottle of floor cleaning solution is included with your purchase. With the mopping feature enabled, it looks like your vacuum is wiggling its butt as it scoots across the floor. Thanks to this vibration feature, Mr. Bob was able to lift minor to moderate stains from my bathroom tile and kitchen laminate flooring.

Compared to hybrid vacuums that only use water, this product is far more effective. While it will never replicate the results gained from elbow grease and a hand mop, it's great for cleaning up everyday messes and spills. The mopping feature is also easy to use, and you can simply remove the mopping assembly when you're done.

Here's the drawback: As a budget robot vacuum, this smart home device lacks the ability to automatically detect carpets and/or lift its mopping pad as needed. That means you'll need to set no-go zones in the Shark app or manually remove the mop when your bot approaches a carpet.

Admittedly, that's a pain, but carpet detection is something you mostly find in $1,000 robot vacuums, so I'm willing to live without it.

Mr. Bob enters my bathroom with the mopping pad attached. Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable The Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 with mopping accessories. Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

This robot vacuum has a secret weapon: Matrix spot cleaning

On the Shark website, this product is also referred to as the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1, and that rebranding is probably a result of this bot's best feature: Matrix spot cleaning.

Rather than keeping the mop attached at all times, I primarily used this device as a vacuum cleaner and only attached the mop for spot cleaning.

After you fill up the water tank and add the attachment, you can select an area of your home for Matrix cleaning. This designates a 5-foot x 5-foot area for in-depth scrubbing and mopping, and it's the perfect size for my bathroom. The vacuum will navigate to this area and begin a heavy-duty cleaning cycle.

In addition to vacuuming and moving back and forth across this area, the bot will also spin and scrub as it goes, giving your tile and hardwood flooring an thorough clean.

Once, I spilled some soda in my kitchen, so I simply sent Mr. Bob over to clean it up. Voila, no sticky floors.

Spot cleaning mode in the Shark app. Credit: Screenshot: Shark

What didn't I like about this robot vacuum?

As much as I loved Mr. Bob, I didn't love everything about him. In particular, I found that the Shark app could be glitchy on occasion. When I was first using Mr. Bob, he sometimes struggled to return to his dock after I selected this in the app.

On multiple occasions, I was unable to access the Matrix cleaning mode at all.

Fortunately, these problems have gone away after I updated the app, so hopefully this won't be a problem for new customers.

And as I mentioned earlier, while Mr. Bob did a great job cleaning up hair and scrubbing floors, that doesn't mean he captured 100 percent of all hair and debris. Carpets will still have some leftover hair, as will edges and other hard to reach areas.

Navigation and mapping: No notes!

In addition to passing my cleaning tests, the Shark AI Ultra also blew away all other robot vacuums in one crucial area: navigation.

Before we talk navigation, let's review this vacuum's mapping capabilities. Unlike more expensive bots, this Shark can't store multiple maps, so if your home has multiple floors, you'll be out of luck. For everyone else, it uses LiDAR to create a map of your home, which you can then separate into specific rooms, zones, or no-go areas.

I found the map to be highly accurate and very easy to create, and LiDar is generally very reliable for this purpose.

Once the map was created, I found that Mr. Bob was able to navigate over and around obstacles that stopped other robot vacuums cold. The vacuum was able to find its way into the hardest-to-reach areas of my cramped New York City apartment, and it even went under my bed. It was also able to climb over a cable taped to the floor that no other robot vacuum I've tested has been able to hurdle.

This is a heavy-duty robot vacuum with strong wheels, and you won't be disappointed by its ability to move around your home. It's not a super-slim vacuum, however.

A recent cleaning report generated by the Shark app. Credit: Screenshot: Shark

Should you buy the Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum?

Yes, I would absolutely recommend buying this hybrid robot vacuum and mop. I've tested plenty of robot vacuums, but this is the one I actually use for cleaning my apartment.

The bottom line: This hybrid is actually good at mopping, a rarity in this market, and it cleans just as well as flagship robot vacuums that cost two or three times as much.

This robot vacuum is available at Amazon and the Shark website. While it's full retail price is $449, it's almost always on sale for $299. And if you really want the Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 with a self-empty base, I would recommend that model as well.