Mammotion is a rising star in the robot mower market. Unlike like Ecovacs and Dreame that mainly make robot vacuums but also launched robot mowers, Mammotion focuses solely on the latter. Building on the success of its Luba series, the company launched the new Mammotion Yuka 1500.

These are crafted for everyday households, offering top-notch mowing performance with advanced features. The Yuka innovates with its optional sweeper attachment, allowing it to not only mow but also clear leaves, grass, and debris from the lawn.

Surprisingly, they deliver this quality without a hefty price tag, making them one of the best value options available.

The Mammotion Yuka is available in two models: the Yuka 1500 and the Yuka 2000. Both share identical specs and features, with the primary difference being their coverage area and battery size. The Yuka 1500 is ideal for yards up to 1500 m², while the Yuka 2000 can handle larger spaces, covering up to 2000 m².

With the Yuka series, Mammotion is setting a new standard in the industry, and it’s quite high. In this detailed review, let’s dive deeper into what makes the Mammotion Yuka stand out and how it compares to the competition.

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Unusual design

The Mammotion Yuka stands out with its low-profile, aerodynamic design, featuring a white body accented by black and yellow. Its large, rugged wheels are built to handle slopes up to 45%, and even include a smart feature allowing you to place an AirTag inside for tracking if stolen.

On top, the Yuka lacks a traditional control panel with a screen, offering just four buttons and an emergency stop. This design pushes most interactions to the app, making operation less intuitive without a display. Next to the buttons, a dial adjusts the mowing height in 1 cm intervals, ranging from 20 to 90 mm in Europe or 30 to 100 mm in North America.

The Yuka’s advanced front-facing cameras are crucial for navigation and obstacle detection, and a motorized wiper keeps them clean for clear visibility. Underneath, dual cutting disks enhance mowing efficiency, effectively handling thicker patches and moist grass without clogging.

The RTK antenna, though key for precise navigation, is quite large and not very discreet. It sits on a tall black pole with a visible wire, though an optional wall-mount accessory can help conceal and secure it.

For added versatility, the Yuka offers an optional sweeper attachment. This features a rear collection bag and a rotating brush to capture leaves, clippings, and debris. It integrates seamlessly with the mower, simplifying yard cleanup. However, the sweeper requires an exposed cable connection, which isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing choice. A hidden cable would have been a smarter design option.

Mostly intuitive setup

Setting up the Mammotion Yuka is a breeze. You start by pairing the robot and the RTK reference station to the app. Once done, you can position the charging station wherever it works best in your yard. Unlike other mowers, the Yuka doesn’t require the station to be on the lawn. This flexibility lets you place it on a flat surface, like a patio or paved area, preventing grass damage.

If there are any updates, they might take a while to install. This downtime is a great opportunity to assemble the optional sweeper if you have it. The assembly process involves unscrewing the mower’s battery cover, connecting the additional battery to the cables, and securing the cover back in place. Then, you attach the sweeper to the mower. You also need to swap out a plastic cover for a weighted cast iron piece to keep the mower stable. This step includes plugging in an extra cable, which remains visible on top of the robot.

Next, you create your mowing zones and paths by driving the Yuka around each zone’s boundaries. The Yuka 1500 can handle up to 10 zones, and the Yuka 2000 up to 20. If you’ve added the sweeper attachment, you can set up a dumping zone for debris. It must be outside a small perimeter near the charging station, though.

The customization options don’t end there. The Yuka lets you define no-go zones, create channels for specific paths, and even design patterns for the mower to imprint on your lawn. While you can edit the map for adjustments, it requires fully redrawing the perimeter for each zone rather than tweaking it point by point.

Complex but complete app

The Mammotion app packs a lot of features but can be tricky to navigate. Finding the right settings often means digging through menus and buttons. However, the app does offer a wide range of options.

You can quickly launch the robot to mow specific zones or the entire lawn, with highly customizable settings. Scheduling is easy— you can set mowing for specific days or a particular date with a start time. The robot automatically returns to its station when finished, so there’s no need to calculate the mowing duration. If you prefer, you can still set both a start and end time.

The app also lets you control the sweeper, turning it on or off and adjusting its dumping interval. Mowing speed is adjustable too, with options from 0.2 to 0.6 m/s. You can choose a mowing path—zigzag, checkered, or adaptive, which is perfect for irregularly shaped lawns. Similarly, you can also customize the mowing direction, or let the app change it randomly for better grass growth.

Obstacle detection settings are also adjustable, depending on whether you want the mower to gently touch or entirely avoid obstacles.

Additional options include setting the number of perimeter laps, from zero to four, and adjusting the turning style between multi-point or zero turns. You can even define non-working periods to fit your schedule.

The robot connects via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, with the option to enhance connectivity using 4G. It communicates with the RTK reference station via LoRa, but can also use 4G if you insert a SIM card.

The Mammotion app integrates with Alexa and Google Assistant, adding a convenient layer of voice control to your lawn care routine.

Mowing performance

The Mammotion Yuka delivers impressive mowing performance with its dual rotating disks, each equipped with three blades. This design offers a 32 cm cutting width, allowing the mower to cover large areas efficiently. Overall, the Yuka’s performance rivals that of a manual mower, making lawn care both easy and efficient.

Customization is key with the Yuka. You can easily adjust the mowing path and even the cutting angle, with absolute, relative, or random settings. This flexibility ensures the mower adapts perfectly to the unique layout of your lawn.

The Yuka covers the entire lawn thoroughly, including edges and hard-to-reach areas. It mimics the back-and-forth motion of traditional manual mowing. This ensures every inch of grass is evenly cut with no missed spots.

The Mammotion Yuka 1500 handles borders and edges brilliantly, maximizing the mowed area by moving over paved areas next to the boundaries. It take obstacles and flowerbeds into consideration not to damage them, ensuring your garden is properly cared for.

Mammotion also offer an exclusive “lawn printing” tech. This lets you select shapes or text in the app and place it on the map for the robot to avoid mowing these areas, creating a pattern on the lawn. The feature works well, but is mostly a gimmick. It’s mostly useful for special occasions, and requires a particularly big lawn to work.

The optional sweeper attachment enhances the mowing experience by effectively collecting grass clippings, leaves, and debris. It may occasionally miss some finer particles, but does a great job overall. It’s particularly useful if your lawn tends to be covered with leaves or pine needles, as it prevents them from damaging the lawn. It operates reliably, emptying itself automatically after mowing.

Navigation & obstacle detection

The Mammotion Yuka excels in navigation and obstacle detection, ensuring precise and efficient mowing across various lawn layouts. The mower is ready to go as soon as you hit start, with no positioning delay.

The Yuka is equipped with multiple cameras that enhance its obstacle detection capabilities. The front-facing 3D Vision Camera plays a crucial role in identifying and avoiding obstacles. It ensures the mower navigates smoothly around furniture, trees, and other yard features. Additionally, a secondary camera facing the sky helps with positioning and maintaining alignment.

The Yuka utilizes a 3D Vision Fusion Position and Navigation System, which guarantees smooth navigation and uninterrupted performance even in GPS blind spots, such as under trees, near buildings, and along narrow fences. This system ensures that the Yuka maintains its course and continues to mow effectively, even in challenging conditions.

The Yuka also navigates angles perfectly, thanks to its ability to execute zero turns and other precise maneuvers. This feature allows it to cover every inch of your lawn, including tight corners and intricate boundaries, delivering a thorough and even mow every time.

To adapt to different environments, the Yuka offers customizable obstacle detection settings. You can choose between “no touch,” “less touch,” “slow touch,” and “direct touch” modes, depending on the fragility and type of objects in your yard. These settings allow the mower to either avoid contact altogether or gently touch obstacles, ensuring safe and effective operation without causing damage to delicate items.

The Mammotion Yuka also lets you monitor your garden in real time through its integrated cameras. You can access the live feed via the Mammotion app, allowing you to watch the mowing process and keep an eye on your yard if needed.

Software glitches

During our tests, the Yuka received an upgrade that was supposed to improve the mower’s navigation performance, especially along edges. However, it made things much worse for us. Indeed, the mower was only mowing a small strip of lawn before returning to its dock. Thankfully, we managed to revert the software back to the previous version. It’s commendable Mammotion is working on improving its software. However, it’s surprising they released an unfinished update that made our model useless for several days.

Maintenance and care

Maintaining the Mammotion Yuka is straightforward and hassle-free, making it easy to keep your mower in top condition. The Yuka is designed to be cleaned with a low-pressure hose, allowing you to quickly wash off grass clippings, dirt, and debris without any special tools or effort. The mower’s durable construction ensures it can withstand regular cleaning without damage.

The sweeper empties itself automatically at the designated dumping area, so you don’t have to worry about constant emptying during operation. The collection bag is removable and can be easily cleaned with a hose, keeping it ready for the next use.

Louder than usual, but excellent battery life

The Mammotion Yuka operates at 60 dB, making it slightly louder than some of its competitors. However, it remains quiet enough not to disturb your peace or your neighbors, allowing it to mow your lawn without causing much noise disruption. The sound level is comparable to a normal conversation, so while you may notice it, it’s not intrusive.

The optional sweeper attachment, however, is noticeably louder. While you’ll definitely hear it if you’re outside, it’s still significantly quieter than a traditional push mower. The increased noise is mainly due to the rotating brush and debris collection, but it’s a small trade-off for the convenience and thoroughness the sweeper provides.

Is the Mammotion Yuka 1500 the right lawnmower for you?

The Mammotion Yuka 1500 is a standout in the robot mower market, offering advanced features and impressive performance tailored for everyday households. Its precise navigation, customizable mowing settings, and optional sweeper attachment make it a versatile choice for maintaining a pristine lawn.

The Yuka is slightly louder than some competitors and lacks a traditional control panel. However, its overall value, ease of use, and thoughtful design make it a compelling option.

If you’re looking for a reliable, feature-rich mower that can handle complex lawn layouts and provide thorough, efficient care, the Mammotion Yuka 1500 is definitely worth considering.

Pros	Cons
Mowing performance, even on edges	Louder than most competition
Navigation and obstacle avoidance	Massive design
Innovative sweeper with auto-emptying	App isn’t the most intuitive
Very customizable mowing options

Q&A