Roborock RockNeo Q110H · Segway Navimow i2 LiDAR Pro

$1,299 buys wire-free RTK and stereo-camera obstacle avoidance; two-wheel drive is what gives way on sand, pavers and steep grass.

Navigation got better across Gizmodo’s week of testing, so the first mows are the roughest ones.

LiDAR navigation keeps it on course under trees without an antenna, but there is no edge deck and about 20 cm of border stays uncut.

Quiet in use, below 55 dB in Notebookcheck’s measurement, yet about 13 W on standby lifts its monthly energy use.

Yards between tall buildings or under heavy tree cover

Gizmodo's antenna, sited between two two-story houses, twice failed to get a signal, and the review advises lots of tree cover calls for another mower.

Lawns broken up by pavers, sand or loose ground

Two-wheel drive dug small ruts mounting uneven pavers, and Gizmodo had to rescue it several times from a sandy pit near the dock.

Slopes steeper than its 45 percent rating

On a slope beyond its rating, Gizmodo saw it skitter and slide downhill and churn dirt from under the grass on the way back up.

Yards where children or pets play during mowing

When Gizmodo stepped into its path it mostly stopped and went around, but it bumped a leg once and drove over a foot another time.

Owners who want crisp lawn edges

Notebookcheck found an unmowed border of around 20 cm where there is no ground-level transition, and no edge-cutting deck.

Owners focused on energy use

Notebookcheck measured about 13 W on standby and nearly 12 kWh a month for a 500 m² lawn mowed three times a week.

Lawns larger than 2,000 m²

Segway rates the i220 LiDAR Pro for 2,000 m² and the i210 for 1,000 m².

Lawns scattered with small balls

Notebookcheck saw a neon-yellow tennis ball usually run over or touched, though larger objects were avoided.