Cordless vacuum cleaner with automatic mode in the test

In addition to a robot vacuum cleaner, I also have a battery-powered vacuum cleaner handy when doing housework. There’s a penny a dozen, for example, from eufy, Jimmy or Dreame and Tineco. The latter manufacturer presented a new series with the Tineco Pure One S15; Caschy had tested the predecessor S12. There are three different ones: S15 Essentials, S15 PET and S15 Pro. The S15 Essentials is the base model. The delivery already includes an autonomous charging station, the crevice tool and the 2-in-1 dusting brush. The S15 PET also has the mini electric brush and an app connection. The Pro model also comes with an LCD display, which gives an overview of the status of the cordless vacuum. I have the fully loaded Pro model in front of me, although I can anticipate at this point: the lite versions would certainly do the same.

Tineco specifies a suction power of 29,000 Pascal for the S15 Pro. The dust container holds nearly half a litre. The battery is – as in the predecessor – built-in 2,500 mAh, which should – depending on the cleaning mode of course – last up to 40 minutes. A second battery is no longer included in delivery. Of course, the volume also varies. Tineco specifies a maximum of 80 db(A). You can manually switch between 6 levels, but the vacuum cleaner can also be set to maximum mode (level 6) and an automatic mode. In automatic mode, the vacuum is based on the degree of soiling of the surface.

When the courier brought the S15 Pro, I was surprised by the compact dimensions of the package. If you disassemble the S15 into its individual parts, it takes up little space – despite the supplied accessories. The vacuum cleaner weighs almost 3 kilograms.

Tineco again offers an app for the cordless vacuum cleaner. One can wonder about the usefulness. The vacuum communicates with the app via Wi-Fi, so you don’t have to manage a Bluetooth connection every time, adding it to the network once during setup is enough. An account is also required to use the app. Then provides details of filter status and battery capacity.

I would say the information about the new display is sufficient – and you don’t need to pick up your smartphone first. A cleaning report is also provided for stats fans. At least in the Pro model, Tineco has installed a new screen. During normal operation, the display shows the current cleaning mode and suction power in addition to the battery status. Also, if a Wi-Fi connection is available and voice output is active. There should definitely be a place here for a filter performance display – then the application would be almost redundant. A colored ring on the edge indicates the degree of soiling.

When turned on, the vacuum cleaner is directly in automatic mode. The button on the handle allows you to switch between maximum mode, automatic mode and manual mode. As with the previous model, the pressure-free capacitive slider gives you the option to vary the suction power – or navigate the settings.

The “trigger” is only used as an on/off switch. So nothing has to be pressed, the vacuum stays on until you press it again. By the way: it only communicates with the app when it’s on – so it’s not permanently connected to Wi-Fi and consumes the battery. Luckily, the voice output can be turned off with a little research in the settings and some handy navigation via the screen.

I’ve already mentioned: there is no exchangeable battery, but there is a new charging station. It is autonomous and is connected to the power supply with the plug. A practical matter, since you can change positions quickly and not drill anything into a rented apartment. The base station holds the vacuum without any issues, so you don’t have to worry about it tipping over.

Even visually, the Tineco doesn’t catch as many eyes as the brightly colored competition at Dyson. In addition, spare nozzles can be stored at the base station – cleverly. The battery is replaceable but cannot be charged outside the vacuum cleaner. It would definitely be a practical thing for people who buy another battery. At least it shouldn’t be a problem in terms of longevity and the battery can be replaced separately. During the charging process, the display shows the charge percentage in the correct orientation – so it’s not just the battery LED that lights up.

The Tineco handpiece accounts for almost 1.8 kg of the total weight of 3 kg. That doesn’t exactly make it the lightest handheld vacuum, but it’s flexible and adaptable. Since you don’t have to keep your fingers on the trigger all the time, the cordless vacuum’s weight is decent, although the handpiece can probably support a slightly lower proportion of the overall weight.

I’ve always been pleased with the cleaning performance of the S15 Pro. The suction power doesn’t have to hide from competing models and the automatic mode also kicked in in dusty places, although levels 2 and 3 often didn’t seem like much to me. Auto mode didn’t really bring the vacuum to full speed for me. Apparently, the robot vacuum also does a good job, so that my dirt can no longer challenge the Tineco S15 Pro.

Thanks to the different nozzles, the cordless vacuum cleaner is easy to adapt. What I like here is the normal brush, which as promised caused few hairs to tangle. So if there are long-haired male, female, miscellaneous, or even animal creatures in your household, that should be a real relief.

At full speed, the battery will discharge in 10 minutes – if the battery is lukewarm. Thanks to the automatic mode, you do not need to manually handle or accelerate hard. Convenient for vacuuming under furniture: thanks to the brush joint, the cordless vacuum cleaner can rest almost vertically on the floor. The LED lighting on the underside is also useful here if you want to see the cleaning result for yourself and don’t quite trust the automatic mode.

As with robot vacuums, the corners are the most problematic, so the nozzle needs to be changed. In automatic mode, I had no problem vacuuming the entire apartment. Extrapolated, the 30 to 40 minutes specified arrives there. Unfortunately, the teat does not fill as quickly as it empties. The charging process takes three to four hours. As a result, it would have been quite convenient to charge an optional second battery outside the device and simply insert it instead of charging it in the device. I dare not judge what the loss of suction power will look like in the long term – but nothing was noticeable even with a full dust container. In the long run, however, the Anker model that’s been used here before did.

After cleansing is before cleansing. And the dust container, which holds nearly 500 milliliters, needs to be emptied from time to time. A lever that opens the flap of the dust container to empty it proved to be very practical. This pushes the collected dirt down, so that no clumps of hair get stuck. I can say very little about the performance of the filter except that my house dust allergy didn’t bother me when vacuuming – so the HEPA filter does a decent job. Practical story: The filter is easy to change and rinse. And: A flap prevents dirt from falling back into the vacuum tube.

Some sort of conclusion? Cost point for the S15 Pro? 599 euro. The Essentials variant and the PET edition cost 399 and 499 euros respectively. Compared to last year’s model, the new base station is a welcome innovation. The display is also a welcome improvement – does it really justify such a price premium? Unlikely.

Otherwise, a very flexible cordless and handheld vacuum cleaner model, which never let me down in everyday life and provided a decent cleaning result. For the purposes of suction power, the “Non-Pro model” at 200 euros less will do the trick.

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