Words: Apurva Chaudhary
The Milagrow iMap 16 Pro is an Indian-made robotic vacuum cleaner that attempts to compete with established players in the premium segment. Priced at ₹24,990, it positions itself as a solution for those tired of wrestling with imported alternatives that don’t quite understand Indian homes.
The iMap 16 Pro sports a circular design measuring 32cm in diameter and 9.5cm in height. At 4.5kg, it’s manageable enough to lift when needed. The black matte finish is practical and doesn’t turn into a fingerprint museum like glossy alternatives. What genuinely stands out is the compact size – it doesn’t feel like a massive appliance commandeering your floor space. The build quality feels solid with no creaking or flexing, suggesting it should hold up to daily battles with dust bunnies.
Here’s where the iMap 16 Pro genuinely impressed me. My biggest frustration with my previous robot vacuum was hair – specifically long hair from women in the household – getting wrapped around the main roller brush. Every single week, I had to remove the roller brush, grab scissors, and spend time cutting out tangled hair like some kind of robotic hairstylist. It was tedious and frankly annoying.
The iMap 16 Pro’s vacuum box placement changes this completely. Hair gets sucked directly into the collection box instead of staging a rebellion around the roller. Don’t get me wrong – some hair still tangles, but it’s so minimal that the weekly hair-cutting ritual is no longer necessary. The amount is tiny enough that I can ignore it for much longer. For households dealing with long hair on floors, this alone justifies a serious look at this device.
The 20mm climbing capacity is another feature that translates to real-world relief. My previous vacuum would constantly get stuck on carpets and doormats like a toddler refusing to climb stairs, requiring constant rescue missions. The iMap 16 Pro tackles these obstacles without breaking a sweat. Sure, I’ve noticed the doormats sometimes get dragged a little, but the vacuum always manages to figure it out and continue cleaning. There haven’t been situations where I needed to play cavalry and rescue it – a genuine improvement over my previous experience.
The iMap 16 Pro uses LiDAR for navigation and mapping. It creates a map of your home and lets you set no-go zones through the app – features that are fairly standard in this price range. My previous vacuum also had these capabilities, so it’s good to see Milagrow matching baseline expectations rather than trying to reinvent the wheel.
The 14,000Pa suction specification isn’t just marketing fluff – it translates to effective cleaning in practice. The vacuum picks up dust, debris, and pet hair from both hard floors and carpets with authority. It offers four suction modes, and I found normal mode sufficient for daily cleaning, reserving the stronger modes for particularly dirty areas or when I’ve been too lazy to clean for a few days.
The 3-in-1 functionality allows sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping. The mopping feature does its job adequately – it won’t replace a proper hands-and-knees scrub session, but for regular maintenance cleaning, it’s satisfactory. The 350ml water tank works for mopping sessions, though you’ll need to refill for very large homes. The adjustable water flow helps prevent over-wetting floors. The mop cloths are washable and reusable, which is a nice touch for those of us trying to reduce our contribution to landfills.
Battery Life: Where Things Get Interesting. The 5200mAh battery is where the iMap 16 Pro genuinely excels. This solved a major frustration I had with my previous robot vacuum. My house is more than 1,300 square feet, and with my old vacuum, after one sweeping run, the battery would be gasping for air. I’d have to wait a couple of hours for it to recharge before I could do the mopping run. It was like having a robot that needed more nap time than a toddler.
The iMap 16 Pro changes this completely. Even after completing a full sweeping cycle of my entire house, there’s enough battery juice remaining to immediately do the mopping run as well. This means I can complete both sweeping and mopping in one continuous session without playing the waiting game. For larger homes, this battery capacity makes a practical difference in how efficiently you can clean – and how quickly you can get back to more important things, like binge-watching your favorite shows.
The Smart Life app provides control over the vacuum. You can select specific rooms, adjust suction power, control water flow, and schedule cleaning sessions. The app works as expected for basic operations – nothing revolutionary, but nothing frustrating either.
Milagrow thoughtfully includes a physical remote control, which is genuinely useful for family members who view smartphone apps with the same enthusiasm as doing taxes. The remote provides directional control, suction adjustment, and dock return functionality. Just note that it requires two AAA batteries.
The product description makes big promises about multi-language voice control support for six Indian languages. I attempted to test this feature but couldn’t get it working properly and eventually gave up. Maybe I’m technologically challenged, or maybe the feature needs more work. Your experience may vary, but I can’t vouch for how well this works in practice.
The package includes spare parts: an extra HEPA filter, an extra side brush, cleaning tools, and spare mop cloths. The dustbin and water tank are straightforward to remove and clean. However, here’s an annoying quirk – when you need replacement parts like the HEPA filter or roller brush, you won’t find them on Amazon. They’re only available on Milagrow’s website, which means you’re locked into buying from the brand. These aren’t standard sizes you can pick up from third-party sellers, which is frustrating for those of us who prefer the convenience of Amazon’s next-day delivery.
Another head-scratching design choice: the cleaning blade included in the package has no dedicated storage spot on the vacuum itself. You have to store it separately, and inevitably, when you need it to cut out the (admittedly minimal) hair tangles, you’ll waste time hunting for where you kept it last. It’s a small annoyance, but one that becomes irritating over time.
At ₹24,990, the iMap 16 Pro sits in the mid-to-premium range. It comes with a 1-year product warranty and 3-year warranty on the suction motor, which is reassuring.
Verdict:
The Milagrow iMap 16 Pro solves two genuine problems that bothered me with previous robot vacuums: hair tangling in the roller brush and insufficient battery life for large homes. If you have long hair in your household or a home over 1,000 square feet, these improvements make a practical difference in daily use. The strong suction works well, the obstacle climbing prevents the constant stuck-rescue cycle, and the battery capacity means you can actually complete full cleaning sessions without interruption. Some features like multi-language voice control remain a mystery to me, but the core cleaning functionality is solid. At ₹24,990, it’s not cheap, but it’s a functional cleaning tool rather than a gadget demanding constant attention.
WE’RE IMPRESSED
● Hair management design prevents roller brush tangles
● Excellent battery life – can complete both sweeping and mopping without recharging
● 20mm climbing capacity handles carpets and doormats without getting stuck
● Strong suction performance in daily use
● Both app and physical remote control included
● 240ml dustbin capacity reduces emptying frequency
WE’D IMPROVE
● Multi-language voice control difficult to set up (couldn’t get it working)
● Replacement parts only available on brand website, not on Amazon
● No storage spot for the cleaning blade on the vacuum itself
● Doormats occasionally get dragged slightly
● Water tank at 350ml requires refills for extensive mopping sessions
₹24,990, www.milagrowhumantech.com
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