The Eureka J15 Pro Ultra is an ambitious entry into the high-end robot vacuum space, packed with genuinely innovative features like a self-cleaning base station, a blade for cutting hair, and an extendable mop for better edge cleaning. With 16,200 Pa of suction and extensive app customization, it’s a serious competitor to flagships from the likes of Roborock, Dreame and Ecovacs at a slightly more affordable price. However, its mapping performance needs refinement, and the app, while feature-rich, suffers from occasional sluggishness. If Eureka can iron out these issues, this could be a real contender.
Pros
- Hair-detangling tech
- AI powered mopping
- Hot water plus hot air drying
- Great cleaning performance
Cons
- App is sluggish
- Initial mapping issues
- No detergent
Eureka J15 Pro Ultra review: Introduction
- Type: Robot vacuum cleaner with mopping
- Docking: Self-clean and self-empty dock
- Navigation system: LiDAR
Eureka is just one of an absolute plethora of brands looking to make a splash in the robot cleaning world, but it is a brand with some pedigree in keeping your floors spotless.
Founded way back in 1909, the Detroit-based company has been making vacuum cleaners for over a century, and is perhaps best known for the Mighty Mite, which was a huge hit in the early 1980s.
But it’s robot vacuum cleaners that the company is now focused on, with the new J15 range creating plenty of buzz at the last couple of big trade expos. The Eureka J15 Pro Ultra, which is on test here for this review, was first announced at IFA in September last year and is, currently, the flagship product from the range.
I must emphasise that “currently” though, as the Eureka J15 Max Ultra was unveiled in January at CES 2025, and will go to the top of the tree when it goes on sale next month.
However, don’t let that detract from the appeal of the J15 Pro Ultra, which is still a top-end performer at a pretty competitive – albeit still expensive – price tag.
At just under $1,000 Stateside, it goes up against the likes of the Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch Pro 2-in-1, which it blows out of the water spec and performance wise. It’s a robot that has more in common with the pricier models such as the Dreame L40 Ultra and the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra.
The J15 Pro Ultra packs a lot of firsts, including a self-cleaning base that doesn’t just clean the robot’s mop but also itself, and boasts a blade-enhanced, hair-detangling system designed to eliminate one of the most annoying maintenance tasks.
Read on for our full Eureka J15 Pro Ultra review, which explains in depth why it impressed so much in testing, but also why some software issues let it down a bit.
Design and components
- Unique form factor
- Camera-based obstacle avoidance
- Multi-skilled docking station
It’s not a return to the bold Neato designs from yesteryear, but the J15 Pro Ultra does sport a sleek, slightly-squared, modern look, which helps it to stand out from the circular crowd.
However, it’s a quite a chunky beast at 13.94 × 13.98 × 4.61 inches, so it won’t slide under super low furniture as per the likes of the Roborock Qrevo Slim.
Up top is an LDS LiDAR unit, which it uses to navigate alongside an RGB camera, alongside two buttons: one to start a clean and one to send it home to its base.
Flip it over and you’ll see a pair of mopping wheels, a main-brush unit which is sort of a mix of old-and-new ideas with both rubberised grooves and a firm brush, plus a side brush, which extends for closer edge cleaning.
The base station, considering all of the tech and tanks it packs, is one of the more compact and attractive designs we’ve seen for an all-in-one unit though.
It packs a pair of water tanks – one for clean water and one for dirty – as well as a dustbin for debris and, most impressively, Eureka’s FlexiRazor technology that actively cuts hair from the brush roll using a blade.
The 8-in-1 dock automates almost every aspect of cleaning maintenance, including drying and self-cleaning the mop tray.
Features
Like all modern robo cleaners, everything you want to do with the J15 Pro Ultra is controlled through the companion app, which is available on both iOS and Android.
Before you get started though, you will have to create an account, which is always an extra step I could do without; but you can use Google, Facebook or Apple ID if you want, which makes the process less tiresome.
It’s actually a very slick looking neo-noir app but it is a bit slow and laggy. A nice touch is the homescreen always you what the robot is doing: filling water, mop washing, cutting hair etc., and how long is left of the process.
The first thing you’ll do, as with most modern robots, is to send it out on a reconnaissance mission, to map out your flooring plan, working out the room layout and deciphering where there are carpeted areas, hardwood surfaces and the like.
That’s the idea anyway. My test unit failed this task a few times. It had a little look and created a crappy map of a tiny area of the open floor plan. I didn’t actually get a proper map layout sorted until it did a full clean on my second day of testing.
Once you do get it all sorted though, Eureka’s app is one of the most detailed we’ve seen, letting you fine-tune virtually every aspect of cleaning.
You can adjust suction levels (Quiet, Standard, Turbo, and Max), mopping intensity (Low, Normal, High), and even pathing styles (Quick, Daily, Fine, or a unique tic-tac-toe mode).
The AI-driven cleaning options include Smart mode, Vacuum & Mop, Vacuum then Mop, and Vacuum only. You can also customize cleaning settings per room and set up no-go zones, much like Roborock and Ecovacs.
There’s also a bunch of settings you can tweak, purely related to the docking station; such as the water temperature, the area it cleans before it returns to clean the mop pads and the drying method and time you want to use.
Creating and managing maps is very similar to what we’ve seen from the big names in the space, such as Roborock and Ecovacs. You can merge or divide rooms, give rooms names, create no go zones and a whole lot more.
On the places you don’t want the J15 Pro Ultra to go, or to not mop, or to warn it of thresholds it may encounter, you can also adjust all of these types of things with the map settings in the app.
There’s a camera patrolling option so you can use the J15 Pro Ultra as a mobile surveillance system but, unlike some rivals, there’s no pet detection features. What you can do though is create videos and images that it stores in the app.
The base station is where things get really interesting though. Firstly, it’s one of the quietest we’ve tested thanks to WhisperWork technology, and its automatic tray cleaning ensures debris buildup isn’t an issue.
The mop is cleaned with 75°C hot water and fully dried in two hours to prevent odors.
The J15 Pro Ultra also goes back to the dock for automated ‘hair cutting’ a feature that can be tailored in the settings. This involves high-density blades that spin at 400 times per minute with a 4mm reciprocating vibration to take hair tangling on the brush completely out of the equation.
Performance
The 16,200Pa suction rating is obviously impressive and didn’t let me down during testing.
It navigated very well, avoiding obstacles and, on carpets, it handled surface dirt with ease, removing flour I had scattered in just one pass.
Hard floor performance was even better, with the J15 Pro Ultra efficiently sucking up loose dirt like dried mud or kitchen crumbs with ease..
The J15 Pro Ultra provides superb mopping performance with adjustable settings to suit different floor types.
There are AI-driven features, including the IntelliView AI system, which distinguishes between wet and dry messes, adjusts side brush speed to prevent debris scattering, and even detects spots needing extra scrubbing.
However, during testing I noticed that the side brush still got involved in very clearly wet messes, albeit with the mopping pads coming along to sort out the mess after. Still, it’s not ideal to have wet mess on the brushes.
Eureka’s ScrubExtend system pushes the mop closer to edges, with an edge coverage rate of 98.95%, according to its makers, and I found that its performance on both wet and dry stains was on a par with its Chinese flagship rivals.
After it’s done mopping up, the dual pads are cleaned with 75°C hot water, and fully dried in two hours to prevent odors. The ability to configure these settings ensures that the mop stays clean and ready for the next job without the need for manual intervention.
That’s not to say it’s not a totally manual-free affair though. You will have to clean out the sensors and the baseplate every now and again; the app will give you a heads up when this is needed.
Final thoughts
Eureka’s J15 Pro Ultra is packed with smart ideas and automation that could make it a serious competitor in the premium robot vacuum space. Its self-cleaning base station and hair-detangling tech set it apart, while its high suction power and detailed app settings give it plenty of potential.
However, the sluggish app and inconsistent mapping hold it back from perfection. If Eureka can address these issues, the J15 Pro Ultra could easily become a top-tier option.
How we test
When we publish our reviews, you can rest assured that they are the result of “living with” long term tests.
Robot cleaners usually live within an ecosystem, or a range of products that – supposedly – all work in harmony. And they are designed to offer a range of different cleaning options. Therefore, it’s impossible to use a robo cleaner for a week and deliver a verdict.
Because we’re testing smart home kit all day, everyday, we know what matters and how a particular smart cleaning machine compares to alternatives that you might also be considering.
Our reviews are comprehensive, objective and fair and, of course, we are never paid directly to review a device.
Read our guide on how we test robot vacuum cleaners to learn more.
FAQs
es, the FlexiRazor hair-detangling system is designed to prevent hair from wrapping around the brush roll, making it suitable for homes with pets.
Yes, the robot can handle various floor types, including hardwood, tile, and carpet. The app allows you to adjust settings for different surfaces.
Yes, and Google Assistant and Siri too.
Eureka J15 Pro Ultra review: Specifications
| Product name | Eureka J15 Pro Ultra |
| US price | $999.99 |
| UK price | £999.25 |
| Robot dimension | 13.94 × 13.98 × 4.61 inches |
| Dock dimension | 15.55 x 18.03 x 18.43 inches |
| Navigation solution | LDS |
| Obstacle avoidance | Single Lazer+RGB camera |
| Suction power | 16200 Pa |
| Main brush | FlexiRazor Hair Cutting Technology |
| Battery capacity | 5200 mAh |
| Dust cup capacity | 3L |
| Smart assistants | Google Home, Amazon Alexa |
