Dialogue with Dreame Sweeping Robot Business Unit President Meng Jia: Not Participating in Price Wars, We Focus on the High-End Price Segment

Author | Yang Ruiqi

Editor | Liu Yukun

Phoenix Tech News, March 16 — At AWE 2026 (China Appliance and Consumer Electronics Expo), at the center of the Trifo Technology booth, a wheeled robot equipped with a robotic arm is calmly performing object grasping actions. This is not a flashy demonstration, but a “deep water bomb” dropped by this company, known for its vacuum cleaning robots, on the future home lifestyle.

On-site, Meng Jia, President of Trifo’s Vacuum Robot Division, gave an in-depth interview to Phoenix Tech and other media, focusing on core issues such as consumer-grade embodied intelligence layout, high-end strategy, market competition landscape, global development, and AI hardware implementation. He detailed Trifo’s strategic transition from ground cleaning to three-dimensional space management, from single hardware to whole-house smart central control.

When asked about plans in the consumer-grade embodied intelligence field, Meng Jia shifted the focus to the fundamental changes in user needs. “We believe that home service robots will be one of the development trends,” he pointed out. “Currently, robots mainly focus on ground cleaning, but users’ cleaning needs are no longer limited to floors—they also include cleaning in three-dimensional spaces and household organization. In the future, with increased demand for companionship for the elderly and children, as well as household management functions, the requirements in this field will become even higher.” Regarding what embodied robots can do, Meng Jia described: “They can not only clean floors but also wipe tables, organize items on the desktop, even do laundry—wash, dry, and fold. They can help organize the kitchen, wipe off grease. They can also fetch packages or take out food delivery.”

Talking about the commercialization challenges of humanoid robots, Meng Jia admitted that the main limitation currently lies in walking stability—bipedal walking is prone to falling. Trifo’s choice of a four-wheel plus dual-arm design is a more feasible path for rapid deployment: “Four-wheel robots are more stable, and combined with dual arms, they are better suited for home environments and safer.” This product form was chosen based on in-depth user research and technical judgment. As users accept upgrades from flat surface cleaning to three-dimensional space cleaning and household organization, there is an urgent need for an intelligent home assistant product. Humanoid robots are expensive, and their stability and flexibility still need improvement; deploying them in homes will take a long time. The four-wheel plus dual-arm design effectively addresses stability issues, and with dual arms, they can perform various household chores—making it a quick, stable solution for home scenarios.

Meanwhile, Meng Jia also stated that the development of Trifo’s versatile home butler robot leverages the company’s accumulated technology in vacuum robots. Core technologies such as intelligent navigation, obstacle avoidance, and path planning are shared with vacuum cleaners. The object grasping mechanism is also consistent with robotic vacuum cleaners equipped with mechanical arms. However, new products demand higher technical standards: “More precise object recognition, accurate gripping, and more complex actions require additional technical investment and large-scale model training.” Based on reusing underlying technologies, Trifo needs to continuously optimize product experience and functions through massive R&D training.

As a high-end brand in the cleaning robot field, Trifo’s offline layout also attracts market attention. Meng Jia said that high-end positioning is related to offline presence but not entirely dependent on it: “Only by doing well both online and offline can we truly lead in market share.” In Trifo’s strategy, online and offline channels form a mutually reinforcing closed loop. Good online performance enhances brand recognition offline, while offline experience scenes allow users to directly feel product functions, promoting online sales conversion.

Regarding the balance between market share and high-end brand positioning, Meng Jia’s answer was: “First, make the product perfect, and then innovate and develop based on that. Our goal is the high-end market. For other price segments, we can gradually fill these markets by extending high-end technologies downward. The most important thing is to keep innovating, so users accept and recognize our brand.” While boosting brand image through exposure during the Spring Festival Gala, Trifo also hopes to leverage its market-leading position in cleaning to increase brand awareness and accelerate growth in other areas. Meng Jia emphasized that Trifo aims to promote a lifestyle of “freeing your hands.”

Regarding the current price war in some segments of the vacuum cleaner market, Trifo has made it clear that it will not actively participate, Meng Jia said. The company will continue to focus on high-end pricing, emphasizing product creativity, quality, and experience. For other price segments affected by price wars, Trifo’s competitive approach is not “cutting prices,” but “delivering the best product experience and features within that price range.”

On user retention, Meng Jia pointed out that over 70% of the current vacuum cleaner market are new users, with only about 30% replacing old devices. Providing good service to new users is the current focus, while long-term user loyalty ultimately depends on product experience, quality, and service.

Regarding overseas markets, the surge in sales during Brazil’s “Black Friday” is a typical example. Meng Jia attributed this to two factors: first-mover advantage and deep localization. “Brazil entered the market relatively late, so whoever can first introduce leading products with innovation is more likely to quickly capture user mindshare. Second, the penetration rate of vacuum cleaners there is still relatively low, so we rapidly expanded market share with high-quality products.” Additionally, Trifo conducts in-depth localization for each target market: “Before entering each market, we conduct local user research and customize special versions based on local characteristics. Considering indoor climate, voltage, and other factors, we adapt product versions accordingly and plan after-sales services.” Currently, Trifo has entered over 120 countries and regions worldwide, with Europe being the best-performing market. Meng Jia said that Trifo’s R&D is aimed at the global market, with adaptations made for different countries.

On the relationship between the essential need for vacuum cleaners and the high-end route, Meng Jia explained that for users with needs, vacuum cleaners are a necessity, but penetration has not yet reached the level of traditional home appliances. The main reason is that many users have not actually used them; once they try, they realize their necessity. Now, newly renovated homes list vacuum cleaners as one of the “new three essentials,” alongside refrigerators and air conditioners, becoming indispensable appliances—this confirms the authenticity of user demand. The choice of high-end development stems from the costs of product innovation and user experience needs: “Product innovation requires investment. When more functions and technologies are added, the cost of vacuum cleaners increases accordingly. Users prefer to buy a product that can thoroughly meet their needs and provide a better experience.” As user pain points are gradually addressed, the technical barriers for remaining issues become higher. Early-stage R&D involves significant investment: “When continuously launching industry-leading, innovative products, prices naturally won’t be low, because these costs need to be recovered.”

Regarding the diversified competition in the current vacuum cleaner market, Meng Jia believes that although the competitive landscape has changed, the essence of industry competition remains unchanged: “Everyone is ultimately solving some user pain points and problems that current vacuum cleaners cannot address. Every innovative product Trifo has launched over the years is centered around solving user pain points.” In his view, the key to market competition lies in who can accurately identify user pain points, develop core products that truly solve problems through data analysis, and provide excellent user experience: “Only by doing so can one gain a competitive edge. This fundamental competitive direction will not change in the future.”

From base station solutions for washing cloths, to bionic robotic arms for corner cleaning, and now to steam functions for stubborn stains, Trifo’s product iteration history is almost a history of solving user pain points. “User needs have indeed become more detailed,” Meng Jia admitted. “In terms of ‘cleaning thoroughly,’ after multiple generations of evolution, the remaining difficulties are fewer but more challenging. So now, our focus is on solving those problems that have not yet been fully addressed.” He further explained with the base station example: “Adding a base station improves the product experience, but why is a base station needed? It solves the trouble users face when washing cloths. The core function of the base station is to help users clean the cloths. Previously, the most common user complaint was that after mopping, the cloth needed to be removed, washed, and dried—an inconvenient process. The base station solves this by automatically cleaning and drying the cloth. We also added a hot air drying function to prevent odor. Moreover, embedded base stations are something we pioneered.”

Regarding rumors that international brands like iRobot may re-enter the Chinese market, Meng Jia appeared calm and confident: “Users are very sensitive to product experience—they need products that truly meet their needs.” He believes that regardless of who the competitors are, the key is who can better understand user needs earlier and launch corresponding products.

Currently, AI is in the era of large model competition, but AI hardware implementation faces the dilemma of “strong technology, weak experience,” with home scenarios becoming an important battlefield for AI hardware deployment. Meng Jia cited vacuum cleaners as an example, stating that Trifo’s core approach is to focus on technology transformation and actual user experience improvement. For example, the X60 Pro series is equipped with binocular stereo vision technology, which enhances navigation and obstacle avoidance through human-eye-like design. “Although our previous products were already very good, we believe this technology can further elevate user experience, so we applied it to vacuum cleaners. Large AI models will also play a core role in Trifo’s future home service robots.”

From vacuum cleaners to sweeping robots, and now to full-scene intelligent devices, Trifo’s product layout continues to expand, but the core logic remains unchanged. Meng Jia said that the original vision of Trifo was “to serve global users with technology.” The underlying technologies of various products are universal; Trifo leverages these to accelerate other business areas, ultimately centered on “liberating users’ hands” and improving quality of life. “Expanding into other categories aligns with our company’s big vision and helps us truly provide better experiences for users.”